The Death of a King

Chapter 19

Night- 12:17 - Luke King
The next part of my life is up to me and me alone. I can't depend on anyone else for this. I couldn't save John, I couldn't protect Jax. If anyone is going to be in trouble or pay the price for something, it's me. It's a long drive getting to the cemetery. The memory of going to my mothers funeral isn't a good one. Most of my memories aren't good. The day my mother died didn't hit me as hard as you would think. She died when I was young. I can remember her smile, her warm laugh. The gray tent in her eyes how they always looked like storm clouds. She was beautiful with that classy look. My dad never deserved someone like that. She was kind and gentle hearted and a caring soul. She got sick when I was five and at the time I never understood why. Two years later she died. The funeral was a week later and so many people where there. Mark and my father were there. Mark cried even though she wasn't his real mom. I couldn't believe the amount of people there. Once everyone left and the funeral was over it was just Mark and I sitting there. Our father already left to the car but we needed to stay behind. I blink back the memory and focus on what's ahead of me, not what's in my past. When I arrive at the cemetery there's no one in sight and I truly remember how large the fields are. A place for the dead to stay. There's a small church that accompanies the vast field. It's gonna be a bit of a challenge to find the grave stone since everything is covered in snow. I know that it was in the front because we were rich and could afford a good spot. I soon find the tombstone and search all over the headstone but could find nothing. There was not a single marker or indication of any secret holding place for a flash drive. Maybe my father lied and it's not here. I take a seat on the cold ground and take a minute to think. The snow falling down on me while I blink the snowflakes out of my eyes. I sit here and think it's crazy why my mother got a place in a cemetery even though she was cremated...oh please don't tell me. I run to the church and go to the back where there's a shed. I break open the locked door with my foot and find a shovel. I rush back to the grave and pray I'm wrong. But for some reason I feel like there's no other option. I start to dig. Hit the dirt, pull it up, dump it. I repeat this process for what feels like a thousand times. Snow continuing to blanket the fresh piece of land after each shovel full of dirt. I hit solid wood. Finally. I get what's left of the dirt off the casket and jump down. Opening the door I find a small flash drive. "What kind of person puts this information in your wife's casket, what the hell dad." I don't have time to dwell on the fact that my dad has no sense of guilt for anything. I have to get back to the house. That's when I hear the gun being cocked above me. I look up and face my brother again. "Hey little brother. Mind if I borrow that?" "Not particularly no, I kind of just dug up my mother's grave for this thing. I've gotten attached to it." "Luke, hand it over." I comply and reach into my pocket and hand him my flash drive. "Good, I would have hated to kill you right now. But it's not your time. Then again, you dug your grave, now lie in it." He fired the gun. I fall back into the casket and watch the snow land on me. Admiring the sky and it's beautiful storm. I black out. 3:04 I'm shook awake by a voice. It sounds distant but soothing. My ears adjust and I can hear the voice clearer. It's Jax but that's impossible. She couldn't have gotten here. She said she would stay home. I yell out. "Jax? JAX! I'm over here!" a few moment later and the familiar face of what seems to be an Angel pops up and looks down. "Oh my God, Luke. Hold on...I'll get you." I try my best to move my legs, good they still work. I try moving my arms, check. Okay, time to get up. The pain in my shoulder amps up as I pull myself up with my good arm. How many times am I going to be shot? It's getting to the point where I should get use to it. Jax comes back with...rope? Where did she pull that out of?
"Grab a hold, I'll pull you up."
I take the rope and she struggles to pull me up. Eventually I get out of the worst 6 feet I have ever climbed and lay on the ground. I'm out of breath and barely did anything. "I don't...suppose...you know how to dig a bullet out of someone."
"You got shot again?"
"I thought the same thing. Just help me to the car...how did you get here?" "I drove. After about an hour I got worried and left to go, I knew what cemetery because of the research I did." "If we live through this you gotta tell me everything you learned from a paper that received a 97"
"Will do, but first, do you have the flash drive?"
I smile. A genuine smile. I can't stop to the point I'm laughing, it was done. I pulled it off. "Yup" I pull out the flash drive and dangle it in my hand, "I sure did." see, I still had the same flash drive Jillian gave me when she searched our security. I switched the drives and gave Mark the wrong one. Oops. Pays to be one step ahead. "So how did you get shot?" "Mark got here after me. You don't even wanna know what I did to get this thing." "let me guess, you dug up your mother's grave and he got here after you did all that and shot you." I raise my head and look at her, bewildered. I shrug "Actually yeah..." "The main thing is you got it, now let's hurry home and get you taken care of.
"Not exactly...we have to go back to the company. But before we do that, we have to stop by someones house, she can help with the bullet and and fix me up." "You're friends with a doctor?" "Something like that..." we get to the car after a lot of pain, mostly from me. You wouldn't believe what it feels like to have a bullet stuck in you. I place the friends address into the GPS and let Jax drive. "This address is close to the bar I use to work at, it looks familiar."
"Well it should be, it's the pet shelter."
"I thought you said your friend was a doctor." "No...I said its something like that. Just...trust me on this. She can help." "Do you know if she's even at the shelter in this storm." "No, but I know her well enough that she cares about animals more than anything." "Do you know if she'll even help you?" "Yeah​...maybe." "Well that's reassuring." "Jax it'll be fine, just park and let's go inside." The shelter lights are on, so I was right. She's in there helping those animals survive. "Come on in Jax, meet Miss Swan."
I open the door and head inside, the bell rings to let anyone know we're here. I hear a loud sound in the back room and May walks out into the front to greet us. "Luke..what are you doing here." She notices my blood soaked shirt, "You're bleeding." "You don't say. Can you help me with that?" "I'm a veterinarian, I work part time at a shelter. What do you expect from me?" "You help animals when they're hurt, you sew them up when they're harmed." "Luke those are animals, I'm not a doctor." "What's the difference. I have a bullet stuck in my shoulder. Please May, I need you." She sighs, "Okay...let me go get my stuff. Follow me." She leads me to the back while Jax stays behind. Thee room where she does all her stuff is very cold. She preps my shoulder and sanitize her equipment. I thought I was prepared for the pain. I thought wrong. "Oh stop squirming. It's not that bad." "Oh so you've been shot before?" "Nope but that doesn't give you a right to whine though this whole thing." "Just hurry up." "I told you this isn't my thing. I help animals not people. It's why I'm not working at the hospital and wearing a white overcoat. Wait...wait...there it is." She pulls out the bullet and drops it into the metal bin. "Anymore life threatening things you need me to fix or is that it?" "I have a killer back pain, mind fixing that?" "Sure, right after I fly to the moon" "Saw that coming, am I good to go doc?" "Sure, but I got to know. How did you get shot?" "Long story, I'll tell you later. I have somewhere to go and it's important. Thank you. I'll make sure I repay you for it. Goodbye" Jax is still waiting in the front looking out the window.
"Let's go Jax."
We have a war to go fight. We get in the car and she drives. I have a very strange feeling about heading back to my company. I feel that this may be the last time I'll see it. While Jax is driving, she looks busy in thought so I pull a small piece of paper and begin writing.