The Sheriff and The Archer

Chapter Four: Traincar Breakdown

All day long I stayed in my room, but I couldn't be too suspicious so I came out a few times and talked to people. I told guys I was feeling a bit feverish, but told the girls that it was period cramps. None of them could ever keep their mouths shut, so I knew that the news would come full circle to Gareth. He would have no trouble believing it since the time-of-the-month should be coming any day now anyways.

I packed a few of my things and put them in larger backpack. I tucked my father's dog tags underneath the sweatshirt I had slipped on and changed into my jeans. I put the turtle and scrapbook in the back sleeve on the back pack. I sighed as I looked up at the clock: nine o'clock. Just another hour before everyone else went to bed and I could go. The hour passed quickly and I wiped a few tears before ripping a page out of one of the notebooks and scribbling down,

I know what happened to my sister.

I can't believe none of you told me.

I'm leaving and I'm taking your present 'food source' with me.

What y'all did is horrible and I am ashamed to have taken a part of it.

I'm sorry it ended this way.

- Jade

I slipped it under my pillow so they wouldn't be able to find it for an hour or so after we left. And that's even after the morning.

10:06

I pulled the backpack over both of my shoulders and snapped it shut with the buckle that wrapped around my stomach. I jumped a little to feel how heavy it was and smiled, light as a feather. My quiver went from my right shoulder to left hip for easy access and my bow went from my left shoulder to right hip also for easy access. I picked up the man with longish hair's crossbow that Jamie had given to me as well as his arrows. I quietly shut the door before making my way out of this building for the last time.

I jogged to our arsenal building before browsing over the weapons. I found a box of weapons that I had never seen before. Guns, knives, a sword... damn the list goes on and on. I picked up the heavy box before making my way to the train cars. It took me fifty-eight seconds to get there before I picked the lock and slid the door open, "Merry Christm-" the smile on my face dropped, the cardboard box echoed my face's action.

"Jade, what are you doing here?" Gareth asked me shocked, but also quietly, like he didn't want anyone to acknowledge me. Too late.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, but with more edge. "I know what you're planning to do with these innocent people." For every person from the group I met today, there was someone that I knew for a year and a half either blind folding them or putting a gun up to their head. John's grip tightened on Sheriffs neck and before I could think I blurted, "Don't touch him." I felt an odd need to protect him. I mean... to protect all of them. "Don't touch any of them!"

Mary is absolutely dumbfounded by the whole situation, "I - we."

"Save it. I know what you have been doing. What you've done to... I don't even know how many fucking people you have killed!" I lock eyes with Gareth and speak only to him. "You lied to me. Stared into my eyes and told me you had no idea what happened to my sister! You know I already lost my whole family! For God's sake why didn't you just kill me? It would have been a hell of a lot easier for Char to move on. You killed a child... an eleven-year-old. She never stood a chance. You watched me almost die! You personally fed me when I refused to eat! You were like a father to me - TO CHARLOTTE!" I furiously wipe tears away, I don't want to cry. "That night when I tried to leave this shit hole people call Earth. Why the hell did you save me? Why didn't you let me go when you fucking knew you were the one causing all of the pain? Screw you! Why didn't you let me die, you-"

"Stop... Please stop," Gareth whispers barely loud enough for me to hear, but at the same time I know everyone heard it.

"Stop? You want me to stop?" I laugh. "That's really fucking rich coming from you! Why didn't you stop? Why didn't you stop trying to save me? Why didn't you stop killing my sister?"

"We never -" He starts, but I cut him off.

"You owe me, Gareth. You owe me at least this. You owe me a lot more than this, actually... I can't... I can't live here knowing what's happened. You have to let me - us go. You have to..." Gareth steps back from the leader and motions for the others to follow. The group I met today stood up and hugged each other. They stood off to the side and grabbed their weapons before I said my last words to my old group, my old family, "Thanks for letting us go. Goodbye." Gareth's eyes met mine for a final time. They begged, holding sorrow and sadness, but not the one thing I was searching for: regret.

The leader closed the door while I heard violent sobs coming from the train car. We walked to the fence, jumped over it while their leader led us to where their weapons were buried. As I walked towards the road with them following behind I did the thing I promised I wouldn't do: I looked back. What I did not do, though, was long. I did not long to go back to Terminus. Not. At. All. And that's what I was happy about.

I hope you all liked it. I'm going to go back to change some dialogue and add some more details in, but I'm pretty happy with how it came out. Within the next few chapters you will all learn more about Jade and the groups new plan.