Freedom Train

April 14. Pt. 2

As Henry walked out the back door, Annabeth ventured into the kitchen from the hallway.

"Why, young Annabeth Washington, were you eavesdropping on me?" Sandy asked as she walked to the icebox to get more ice for a fresh batch of lemonade.

"Who me?" Annabeth asked, feigning insult with a wide grin. "Well, I'd never. But if I had, I might just josh you and say that our pal Henry's got a crush on you."

A pink blush crept into Sandy's normally pale cheeks and she turned her head away from Annabeth so that maybe she wouldn't see.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sandy mumbled as she busied her hands with crushing lemons into a glass pitcher.

"And if I were a gambling woman, I'd say that blush on your cheeks says you return the sentiment."

"Can you pass me the sugar please?" Sandy asked, ignoring her friend's innocent jeering.

Annabeth reached over and grabbed the wooden sugar canister, sliding it down the counter toward Sandy.

"Sugar you say?" Sandy rolled her eyes as Annabeth continued to tease her. "I know someone who's willing to give you all types of sugar," Annabeth said. "Want me to go get him for you?"

Sandy dropped her effectively juiced lemon and turned toward Annabeth.

"Would you just cut it out? Henry does not..."

At that precise moment, the back door swung open and Lizzie ran into the kitchen- skidding to a halt in front of her girlfriends. Her face was frenzied and worried, causing the girls to take a step toward her in concern.

"What's the matter, Liz? What's going on?" Annabeth asked.

"Your Daddies. They're outside with some others and they brought rifles and trouble."

"Shit." Sandy mumbled as she continued to limp toward the back door, followed closely by Liz and Annabeth.

***

"What seems to be the problem here, Samuel?" Terry asked as he came to his right side, Henry taking his place on the left.

"You are," Reginald Washington said angrily, the men behind him nodding in agreement. "You niggers are our biggest problem. You come into our town and steal our daughters, try to come to our church? Audumnly is not interested in integration. You need to get out now."

"Or else!" Sandy's Dad, Mr. Merriman, added hatefully.

"Or else what?" Henry challenged as men from the party came to stand behind Samuel, Terry and Henry. "Are you going to shoot us?" He nodded toward the gun. "You gonna shoot us out here in front of all of these people?"

Henry shot a look behind him, surprised to see that the men from the gathering were showing support by falling in line behind them and Papa Pritchard. Among them were, Bobby and his father- And even young Ronny.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to call your bluff," Henry added as he turned back toward the group of racists with a smug smile.

Mr. Merriman scoffed, an evil grin lighting his face as he dropped his rifle to the ground and took a step forward.

"I don't need a rifle to lay the hurt on you, boy," he sneered. "These old hands work just fine."

"Easy to say when you have a band of brothers behind you," Henry taunted. "But when I was standing in your living room and taking away your precious daughter, you hadn't showed an ounce of the pluck you're showing now."

Mr. Merriman's face turned bright red in embarrassment.

"That's enough," Samuel Pritchard said as he stepped between the two of them. "This has gone on long enough. Gentlemen, I'm going to have to ask you one more time to get off my property before I call the law."

The men laughed as the Sheriff of the incredibly small Audumnly police department stepped forward.

"Afraid I'm already here, Sammy," he said. "To escort these gentleman out of town."

"And I'm afraid I'm not going to let that happen," Sam said, reaching forward and tucking Terry and Henry behind him. "You're gonna have to arrest me, Dean. If anyone's going to take these boys out of here, it's going to be me. So that I know they're safe and away from the likes of you hateful people."

"We'll wait," a random voice in the group called out.

"Get out of here, men," Mr. Warren stated, coming up to the front of Samuel and the boys. "They'll leave when they see fit. You don't run this town."

Bobby smiled proudly at his father and stepped forward beside him.

"And you don't scare us, neither," Bobby added.

"What about you, boy? I don't scare you?" Reginald asked, looking through them toward where Ronny stood silently. Ronny lowered his head, not replying. "You either come to this side of the line or you never come home."

After a few silent seconds, Ronny stepped forward and stood beside Bobby and Mr. Warren.

"Strangely enough, I'm okay with that," he muttered, still not daring to consider his father's eyes.

The heat rushed to Reginald's face and he stepped forward- yanking Ronny by the arm and pulling him forward. Then, he reached back and delivered a smack to his son's face that echoed through the gathering of people.

"Let the boy go," Terry said, once again stepping forward.

Reginald ignored him and delivered a knee to his son's stomach, dropping Ronny to the ground.

After that moment, it was unclear who swung the next punch- But the two groups began to battle- fists and feet flying as the verbal confrontation quickly turned violent.

Just then, the girl's made their way over to the horrifying scene.

"Stop it!" Annabeth called out as she reached them, trying to pull man from man.

"This isn't the way!" Lizzie interjected, trying to pull Ronny away from his father but getting thrown to the ground in the shuffle.

"Boys! Men! Stop this!" Sandy tried to intervene.

But it was no use. The men continued to scuffle and the women continued to get pushed around as they tried to break it up. It wasn't until the fire of a shot-gun echoed through the air that the groups fighting dismantled, a horrified scream echoing through the wind as the blood splatter stained Annabeth's dress and the Pritchard's lawn-

Sadly, it wasn't just any person's blood. It was the blood of a loved one.

Annabeth fell to her knees in despair. This couldn't be happening. This was not how this day was supposed to end. There was no way that this would be the way that they lost...