SURVIVORS

Ch. 28~ Lana

Hello my wonderful readers! I hope your November is going fantastic. Who's excited for Thanksgiving?? I know I am.

Anyway.

Last time, Chase found Lana and Sam... but Sam was very much dead. They plan a funeral for him while the king creature plots his evil plot.....

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"Sam was my friend. I loved him like a brother. But sometimes the people we love are the people we need to let go of." No one moves a muscle. We all sit in a sad huddle in the front yard, the littles in the front and the firsties around the outside with weapons.

Mort crumples a small piece of paper in his hand. "I had a speech but... It's stupid." There is a long pause and his eyes drift up into the sky. "I remember a lot about Sam. I remember how his eyes used to light up when we won a football game. I remember how smart he was and how good he was with kids. I remember when we were little how he used to get so angry when all the older boys didn't let him win. I remember how he used to say when we both die, we'll go to heaven and play pass and watch movies together in a giant theater."

He pauses, reminiscing on this thought. God is this hard to see. I look around and see only kids; with weapons in their arms and tears in their eyes.

"He was..." He starts. "Too young." Morts eyes spring with tears and his voice softens as his throat tightens. "He sacrificed his life for ours, remember that. And when you think you have no meaning, or when you think you've lost the will to keep trying, remember that he gave his life for yours. He would have died for nothing if you don't live." There are a few sniffles from the crowd. I only notice I'm crying when my vision is suddenly blurry. "And Sam, if you're listening right now..." he looks up... "Promise me you'll wait for me to watch that movie." It's all silent for a moment, only the wind in our ears and the occasional sniff.

Mort suddenly bursts into tears. Not like a little boy throwing a tantrum, like a man who has endured a suffering loss, not weeping for himself but the one who died. AJ gingerly stands up and hugs him. The gathering of children and teenagers, one by one, rise up. I wipe under my eyes and get ready to go back inside when something unexpected happens.

Andrew stands up in front of the crowd and points right in Hank's face.

"He did it! It was his fault!" He yells. His fault? For saying he wasn't healthy enough to go? Is he insane? The mass shifts uneasily and a good portion of the crowd's gaze rests on the blonde boy sitting next to Vicky. "Sam took his place! He should have been the one to die!" A good portion of the crowd hollers in agreement. The littles start shouting and they all run at Hank like wild animals. Screaming, yelling, hollering, bellowing like lions.

Damien and Harry grab Hank and drag him over to the tree.

"What are they doing??" Chase murmurs. Anyone who was sitting is now standing. Half the crowd starts pushing toward the front and shouting, the other tries to calm everyone down. The boys hold Hank by the arms and Andrew repeatedly punches him in the face screaming, "He was my best friend!" Sandra and Myra yell, edging him on.

A good portion of the crowd cheers. One of the littles starts crying hysterically while Leila screams for them to stop it. Lee tries to push his way through the sea of angry teenagers, only to be pushed back farther away than where he started. Through the mass of kids, I see Quinn, staring at his stupid jumper cable like it's a weapon. And then I realize why he's looking at it like that.

"Let's hang 'im!" He shouts in his squeaky voice. Vicky looks back at me with wide eyes. The mass roars in agreement and pushes forward.

"No!" I shout, trying to ram my way through the sea of kids. I watch as Jacob throws the jumper cable over the second highest branch and shoves Hank's head through the hole at the bottom, who was still being held by the other two boys. He yells and thrashes as Jacob pulls on the rope.