Stay...Together

Chapter 8

Victorine couldn't move. She couldn't breathe or blink. She couldn't think or process. She could only watch in horror as a burst of smoke exploded from the building, and sparks shot out of the seams in the walls. Later in life, Victorine would always remember the loud creaking as the wall of the building began to break off of the whole. How the joints and screws slowly came undone and the wall started to fall faster and faster. But the thing burned in Victorine mind was that Buckley, the energetic little boy who always ran ahead, couldn't run away.

Though she was slightly deafened from the explosion, she felt the pounding of Parker's feet as he raced to get Buckley. But he was too late. Just too late.

The wall came crashing down to the ground, right on top of Buckley. For a moment, everyone stood in shock. Victorine's little feet felt like they were frozen to the pavement. Her clenched fists were trembling. She couldn't do anything but stare at the young boy tried to claw himself out of the rubble.

But Parker started running towards him, and everyone else followed. Parker fell to his knees and started digging through the debris for Buckley's body. Victorine tried to lift the nearest rock off, even though it was as big as herself. She put her hands under it and desperately tried to lift it up. No...no...no... her brain kept repeating. As she was vainly trying to lift the rock, she felt it get lighter and eventually rise off the ground. She glanced over to see Asha lifting it with her. But Victorine had no time to thank her. They tossed the rock aside, revealing Buckley: in a pit of rubble with a smile on his dirty face. Parker and Lee lifted his crushed body out of the rubble and laid him down on the ground. Gina's hand flew to her mouth at the sight of him. Victorine glanced in the direction the bomb was thrown, but all she saw was penetrating eyes looking over her shoulder, and a voice uttering, "Stay. off. My. Turf." And then it disappeared.

"C'mon, C'mon, C'mon," Parker mumbled desperately. Opal pressed to finger to his neck.

"H-he's alive," she told everyone, while on the brink of tears. Buckley's veiny eye opened slowly and painfully. He breathed heavily and unsteadily. His legs were mangled and crushed, and there were burns and bruises on his arms. But his mouth curved into a smile.

His thumb tilted upwards as he eyes scanned the scene. The group all gathered by his side, shocked as ever. Asha curled her fingers into his. Victorine did the same with his other hand. Parker kept mumbling, "No, no, no, no."

Buckley took a second before heaving out a sentence: "T-tell Pauline I...tried to take her to a better place."

"We will, we will," Parker told him. Buckley looked straight at Asha and Victorine and smiled.

"You guys...made this the best road trip ever!" he squealed, wincing a bit. He smiled again, and though it was almost impossible, Victorine tried and smiled back.

"T-there's nothing we could do," Opal said, distraught. "We...could only...let..."

She let her head hang low as Gina put an arm around her. The group fell silent as Buckley slowly started passing. Buckley kept a smile on his face as he stared up at the partly cloudy sky like it was meant to be. And he seemed...okay with it. Like it was just something that had to happen.

Victorine bit her lip and took deep breaths as Buckley's strength weened out. The grip on her hand got looser. She felt she had to do something. Give one final testament. She sighed and asked, "Did you have fun?"

Buckley looked right at her, with enough attention to pierce her soul. Weakly, he nodded his heavy head. And with that, his hand stopped squeezing. His eyes slowly closed. His muscles all relaxed, and his head tilted back a little. And with that, he was gone.

That last smile of satisfaction was permanently fixed on his face.

Two streams of tears rolled down Yolanda's face. Lee looked away, biting her fist. But Opal wasn't hiding it. Asha wrapped her arms around her as Opal mumbled, "I-I couldn't do anything!" Parker stared right at the body in shock, even as Jacey tried to get him to look away. But Victorine couldn't even move. His face was turned right towards her, forever grinning. Her mind was too jumbled to process any emotions. Her eyes wouldn't even let out any tears. She just stared right at him, blankly. Her eyebrows knit, but her face didn't show a hint of anything. It was like her inside were in such a jumble that nothing specific could emerge. She could only feel...nothing.

After a while of crying, Parker carried Buckley's body to the front yard of the nearest house and set him down there. Victorine followed behind them as Buckley's heavy head swayed with the motions before being laid down on the grass. He looked so peaceful; like he had nothing to lose. Asha had scavenged a few plastic flowers and pretty things to surround him with. Yolanda broke a few wooden boards and tied them together into a cross. Her fingers trembled as she carved the words "Buckley Kion" across the grave. She sighed, her eyes pressed closed.

"Asha," she called. "When was his Birthday."

Asha thought hard as she placed a little flower in Buckley's cold, stiff hands.

"N-November," Asha responded, guilty. "I-I can't remember the date. I-I'm sorry."

Yolanda shook her head in pity as she finished carving the grave. She stuck it in the ground near the head of the body. It read, Buckley Kion November 2018-March 2029.

They all stood around the grave for a miny funeral cemetery. Victorine focused on the dates on the grave. He was just ten. Younger than Victorine. He barely even got to live life to the fullest. But at least he got the amount of fun he intended. He got what he wanted...

Gina put a sheet over Buckley's body so it wouldn't be too exposed. She knelt down next to him as she pulled it over his face. "D-Does...does anyone..." she choked on her own words.

"H-he was a good kid," Yolanda announced. "A really good kid."

After a pause, Lee stepped forward. "He...he didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve any of this-"

Victorine walked to the other side of the grave to put a hand on Lee's shoulder. Lee took a deep breath and calmed down.

"W-we have to go," she said, looking over her shoulder. "We can't stay here forever."

She started walking ahead, but only made it a few steps. No one had followed her.

"Guys, come on," Lee whispered. "Whatever killed him could come back. And we have people back behind those mountains. Like his sister-"

Yolanda inhaled sharply, squeezing her eyes shut. Hesitantly, she slowly turned her body away from the grave and started following Lee. Opal and Gina came next, and Asha then Jacey right after that. The last one left at Buckley's grave was Parker. Victorine tip-toed back a grabbed his wrist, gently trying to pull him away. Please, she mouthed. But he wouldn't even look her in the eyes. It took some time, but he slowly came along.