The Rift

Chapter Eleven: Speak

Before-Wye Oak

The next morning, silence makes its presence known in Haven.

The cold autumn wind nips at my cheeks as I dig my hands in the pocket of my gray jacket, walking to the infirmary.
When I step inside, I'm greeted by Emma.
"Morning, David", she says to me, restocking the shelves with medical supplies, "Can I help you with something?"
"Nah", I tell her, "I just wanted to check on things around here now that Henry's gone."
Emma was taught a few things by Henry before he died, plus she has few weeks of medical school under her belt.

"Yeah", she sighs, "It'll be tough without him, but we'll manage. I'll do my best to be a doctor just as good as Henry was."
I nod, say bye to Emma, and head out the door.

I walk down Main Street, seeing hardly any people out on the street. The next thing I know, I'm standing at the front of the huge, three story apartment building. Bella's at my house with Grace and Lisbeth, and I don't think Evan left his home this morning.

I take a deep breath and step into the building.

                              ---------

"Evan?", I call out, walking into the apartment and shutting the door behind me.
It's actually a nice home. A small kitchen, living area with a futon, one bedroom, and a bathroom.

I begin my trek across the hardwood floor towards the bathroom. I then hear the sound of medicine tablets spilling onto the bathroom from the other side of the door.
"Shit!", I hear Evan exclaim inside the bathroom.
"Evan?", I ask, "What're you doing?"
No answer, but I hear the shuffling of his bare feet.
I knock on the bathroom door and say, "I'm coming in, okay Evan?"

I step into the bathroom and see Evan sitting against the wall next to the toilet, ibuprofen pills spilled across the tiled floor. Evan wears black pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt.
"What the hell?", I ask him, throwing my arms out.
"Just go", Evan tells me, staring down at the floor, "Please."
"Nope", I say to him, sinking to the ground across from him, "Not going anywhere."

There is a few moments of silence where I just stare at Evan, but then I ask, "So what are you hiding exactly?"

Evan looks up at me and jokes, "A Chandler Riggs shrine."
He chuckles and smiles slightly but the smile fades.
Evan sighs and says, "I'm just...been in a dark place. I've been thinking about what happened with Jeremy in the winter and what not..."
"And the pills?", I ask, resting my arms on my knees.

He breathes.
"I got them from the bag that Jeremy fucking stole from those scavengers, and every now and then I stand over the sink with a handful of them cause I just want to fucking test myself. And the only fucking thing that comforts me is my favorite song, Wayward Son by Kansas."
At this point, Evan is on the verge of tears, and then he takes a deep breath.

We both sit there in silence for what seems like forever until I tell Evan, "You feel like you want to give up, I get it. I felt that same way after my brother died. I just wanted the pain to end, so I pointed a gun at my head...but the thing is that I couldn't do it."
Evan lifts his head and looks at me.
"I knew that there was still hope", I continue, "There's hope that things will get better, even in the world that we live in. We have to keep hope alive."

Evan wipes his face with his hands, and gives a slight smile. After a few moments of quiet he says, "And the answer is no."
"What?", I ask.
He tells me, "That night at the field, you asked me if I could tame my demons, and the answer is no, I can't. At least not yet."

Silently, I begin to pick up the ibuprofen pills one by one. Evan starts to help when I'm almost done. I drop a handful into the toilet, and Evan does the same.
I press down on the silver handle and the toilet flushes, taking the ibuprofen with it.

"Evan, I have to ask you something", I tell him as we watch as the pills disappear down the toilet drain, "Did you kill Henry and Fiona?"
"No, I didn't", he says to me, "and I don't blame you for asking me that since I wasn't at breakfast yesterday. I was here, taking a nap."

"As long as you tell the truth", I say to him as we look at each other, "We have nothing to worry about."