A New Beginning

Chapter IV

Nick's arm was wrapped. His arm felt like it was on fire. Blood began to soak through the cloth that was crudely wrapped around his wound. Xavier was pacing back and forth by the entrance. He was conflicted as to what he should do. Sarah said, "Xavier, we need to go find Ronny". Xavier said, "Who will go with me, Nick? He's injured. I know Thomas won't go". Thomas said, "It's not that i don't want to go, but there's a wolf out there. It shred Nick's arm, it'll kill all of us if given the chance". Xavier said, "Damnit Thomas! Grow some balls! You and Ronny survived together on the island. Now you wanna let him die out there? What if it was you"? Thomas looked at Xavier as his eyes wandered over to the door. "Fine", Thomas said, "Let's go".

Xavier slowly opened the door as he peeked his head out. He could see the wolf was still near by, however, it appeared to still be hunting them. Xavier slowly and quietly closed the door as he looked to Thomas. "So here's what we're gonna have to do" Xavier said, "We need to go around back to the office and sneak out that way".

Just before Xavier and Thomas left, Sarah stopped Xavier as she said, "Listen, we all love Ronny, however, we're running low on supplies, specifically for the baby. If you don't find him, we're gonna have to keep moving". It was a heavy thought but Xavier nodded his head. Sarah kissed Xavier's cheek and said, "Make it back safe".

Xavier and Thomas slipped out of the building through the back door. As they crept to the front, they saw the wolf stalking the front door. Fortunately, since they were in the forest, Xavier and Thomas were able to slip past the wolf. As they looked through the forest, they occasionally turned around to make sure the wolf was not following. As they searched for Ronny, footprints appeared in the snow. They appeared to be fresh as the two followed them.

As the two wandered, a person appeared from deep within the forest. Assuming it was Ronny, the two ran to him. "Ronny" they yelled as they approached him. Ronny appeared lost or confused as he searched the forest. "Ronny", Xavier said, "Are you ok"? Ronny said, "Xavier, someone's following us". Thomas said, "What are you talking about? Who's following us"? Ronny looked behind him and said, "I'm not quite sure but I know someone's following us. I see him. I saw him when we were walking". Xavier said, "Why did you leave the group"? Ronny said, "I didn't want to. I saw him outside. He had people with him. You guys were gone searching the building, I had to find out who he was". "Where is he, Ronny" asked Thomas. Ronny looked disappointed as he said, "I don't know.  I was chasing him and then I lost him". Xavier patted Ronny on his back as he said, "Let's head back. We can search for the person tomorrow".

As they walked, Ronny said, "Is Albee ok? I know I left him alone, but I just wanted to find those people". "Albee's fine. Sarah's watching him" Xavier said. Ronny stared at the ground as he said, "I just don't understand why". "Why what" said Xavier. "Why he did it. Why did Gavin pull the trigger"? Xavier sighed as he wasn't ready to have this conversation. Ronny said, "He hated me. He could've shot me, but he shot Grace. Why did he not kill me"? Xavier tried to remain silent, however, Ronny said, "Answer me".

Xavier thought about how Gavin changed at Mount Vernon. "He had feelings for her, just as you did. I don't think he did it on purpose". Tears rolled down Ronny's eyes as he said, "Why couldn't I save her, Xavier? I was right there. I could've done something. Why did this happen"? Thomas said, "You did the best you could, Ronny". Ronny said, "And it wasn't good enough". Suddenly, the wolf jumped out of the woods as it pounced onto Thomas. Both Ronny and Xavier jumped as they tried to figure out what was happening. As Thomas struggled to keep the wolf from biting his neck, Xavier took out his hatchet. However, before he could swing, a gunshot rang as Ronny shot it. Once it stopped moving and collapsed on Thomas, Thomas wiggled out from beneath it. Ronny then pulled the trigger five more times out of anger. Each time Ronny pulled the trigger, he screamed louder as more tears fell down his face. Once he heard the click of an empty gun, he threw it at the dead wolf as he screamed at it. He then stormed off, leaving Thomas and Xavier to wonder what was wrong with Ronny.

Xavier picked up Ronny's gun as he and Thomas attempted to catch up to Ronny. The rest of the trip was silent as to upset Ronny. When they got back to the warehouse, Sarah and Nick were waiting. Ronny gave a sympathetic tone as he said, "Thank you, Sarah". Sarah handed Ronny Albee as Ronny said, "Hey little guy. Daddy just had to go find bad men. You're safe now". Ronny then held Albee close as he kissed his forehead.
Xavier said to Thomas, "Stay here and watch Ronny".

Xavier then walked a distance away from Ronny as Sarah and Nick followed. Xavier said, "So someone or a group is following us. Ronny went after them because they were snooping around here". Sarah said, "How come we haven't seen them"? Xavier said, "I don't think this group is real". Nick said, "You're suggesting that Ronny is --". Nick trailed off as he couldn't finish his sentence. Xavier said, "Listen guys, Ronny's had a traumatic experience. I'm sure he's not in the right mindset right now. I can't really trust anything he says". Nick turned to look at Ronny. Ronny was rocking Albee back and forth. Nick said, "We all know he's still a good person". Xavier looked at the gun that Ronny used to kill the wolf as Nick said, "I'm gonna go check on him". As Nick walked away, Xavier sighed as he said, "I don't know what to do anymore. I think this plan to Juneau was a bad idea". Sarah said, "We can make this work. Ronny will get better soon". "It's not just about Ronny. It's about all of us. Thomas never wants to listen or cooperate. Ronny is broken, Nick is injured and we have a baby with us". Sarah said, "Xavier, we need to find somewhere safe soon. Things are only gonna get worse if we don't". "How could it possibly get worse," Xavier asked. Sarah said, "Think about it, Ronny left Albee alone to find some group, you think he won't do it again? Nick's bite is only gonna get worse if he doesn't get proper treatment. And well --". Sarah trailed off. Xavier looked at her concerned, "Well what"? Sarah said, "I'm pregnant" as she handed Xavier the pregnancy test. Xavier shook his head, "No, not now. Look, are you sure it is positive". Sarah said, "Yes, I took it twice. It's positive. Besides I haven't been getting my, uh, time of the month for the past three months". Xavier tried to hold in his frustration as Sarah said, "What are we gonna do"? Xavier said, "Ok, we're not gonna panic. It's only been three months. We still have time to find something, a pill or something". Sarah said, "Pills aren't gonna work anymore, Xavier". Xavier balled his hands into a fist. "Should we tell the others", Sarah said. Xavier said, "No, not yet. They're going through a lot right now. Telling them will stress them more. For now, we gotta keep this a secret".