Link To The Past

Chapter Twenty-Four

Thomas gobbled down three pancakes, four slices of bacon and a mountain of eggs and washed it all down with a glass of milk.
"Would  you like more?" Said Granny. Thomas looked up at Kristine's grandmother  and nodded even though his stomach was about to burst. He managed to  eat one last pancake and one slice of bacon before sitting back in his  seat and both his hands on his stomach. Kristine giggled at him as she  continued to eat her breakfast. Thomas hadn't paced himself and now he  was paying for it, but somehow he managed to keep it all down. The  dining room had a nice morning golden glow to it and a soft breeze came  in through a cracked open window. The mood was perfect.
"Let's  go on a morning walk, Thomas." Kristine offered. "It'll help you work  off all that food you ate." she laughed. A morning walk sounded amazing  and Thomas took Kristine's hand. In the back of his mind, he wondered  why they were back in the future, but he never questioned it. For now,  they were happy. For now, they were together and out of danger.

Just  as Thomas was about to follow Kristine through the door he stopped. The  atmosphere in the room drastically changed from bright and cheery to  dark and gloom. He was scared all of a sudden. "What's the matter,  Thomas?" Kristine asked, standing at the foot of the doorway. "I thought  you wanted to go on a walk." But Thomas could not respond. No matter  how hard he tried no words would escape from his mouth. A loud thud was  heard in the dinning room and Thomas looked to see that Granny had  fallen. Did she faint or was it a heart attack? He was too scared to  check. "Thomas?" Thomas turned back around, confused that her  Grandmother falling hadn't seemed to affect her. "Are you alright,  Thomas?" she asked. Suddenly, Thomas felt something hot and sticky on  his shirt and looked down. Above the left side of his chest was blood.  As he touched it that was when the pain hit him. He fell to his knees  and cried out in pain. As he looked up, expecting to see Kristine  running to his aid, it was Travington, smiling devilishly at him.  "Stupid, boy." He mocked.

With  a jolt, Thomas woke up in his make-shift tent, heart beating fast.  "Thomas get your lazy butt up." He heard his big brother, Gabriel, call  out to him. Thomas took a moment to recollect himself about the dream he  just had. Despite how cold it was that morning his shirt was wet and  his forehead dripped with sweat. Suddenly, Gabriel pushed aside the  cloth to look inside at Thomas. Thomas looked up his big brother, an  uneasy feeling plastered on his face. Gabriel squished himself inside  his brother's tiny tent and asked, "What's the matter? Bad dream?"  Thomas nodded. "What was it about?" he asked.
"Kristine," he answered. "And-" he stopped short.
"And what?" Said Gabriel.
The  dream flashed back through Thomas's mind all over again and he  shuddered. "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it," he answered  truthfully.
Gabriel nodded and said before leaving, "Father wants to  speak with you. He's in his usual spot where he likes to go and think."  Thomas nodded to this as Gabriel left.

When Thomas had calmed himself and the sweat from the back of his neck had dried, he got himself up and met with his father.
"Gabriel said you wanted to speak with me." he approached his father slowly, his back turned to him. "Father?"
"I've  always wandered..." started Benjamin suddenly. "What happened to you and  Kristine after the house was burnt to the ground." it was a statement,  not a question and Thomas said nothing. He was dreading what was coming  next. "There was a...flash of light...there was thunder but no rain came.  Just a loud crack in the sky and then you two were gone." Still, Thomas  stayed silent. "You know Kristine better than anyone else here,  Thomas...And everyone is aloud to have their secrets, but sometime those  secrets must be spoken." It was then that he finally turned toward his  son. "What happened after the house?"
Thomas was silent for a while  as he stared over at his father, heart pounding as the truth came  grabbing at his throat. "There is nothing to talk about. Kristine led me  to safety, that's it." Benjamin didn't believe his son. "Why didn't you  come back then?"
"You were gone." He lied right through his teeth. In truth, it was him that was gone.
Benjamin shook his head. "No. I don't believe you."
Thomas  put a hand to his chest and took a step forward. "Father, Kristine is  very dear to me. What has happened to her you will never be able to  understand. Not even I could at first. You cannot imagine how scared she  often is even in the warmth of her own bed, thinking that this day may  be her last day here." He stopped for a moment, thinking. "I love  Kristine and I will never betray the words she has spoken to me in  private. You would do no less for mother."
For once, Benjamin was  stumped on what to say next to his son. "You're right, Thomas. I'm just  becoming a nosy old man." Although Thomas would never say it out loud,  he would never tell his father about Kristine even on his death bed, for  his father would never tell him about his youth during war or the  battle at Fort Wilderness.

Thomas slowly walked away from his  father and went to grab himself something to eat over the low-burning  fire in the middle of camp. Gabriel noticed he had come back and took a  seat next to him. "How did it go?" he asked, knowing how scary it could  be having a one-on-one conversation with their father.
"There is  nothing to talk about." Gabriel stared at his brother for a moment,  thinking that maybe he was just joking, but when Thomas continued to  stare into the fire he let the conversation fade and grabbed some food  himself. Finally, Thomas heaved a heavy sigh and put his small cracked  plate of food down. "Gabriel...You're my brother, right?"
Gabriel  looked at Thomas as if he was crazy. "Well of course." he was surprised  to hear his brother speak. He thought the conversation had ended.
"What if I told you something so secretive you would think me mad?"
Gabriel  laughed a little. "You're already a little mad, little brother." When  Thomas shot him a serious look Gabriel cleaned the grin right off his  face. "A terrible secret, huh?" he commented.
"One that holds so much truth." Thomas sighed. "I hope someday I can tell you."
"You're  scaring me, Thomas." But Thomas said nothing more and got up to walk  away. They would be heading out soon to capture more Read Coats and  Thomas needed some place more quiet to clear his mind just a little more  before heading out. He rubbed his chest, a lingering ach from his dream  left him feeling sick to his stomach.

After a few moments to  recollect himself, Thomas was well on his way with his father and  brother and with the rest of the militia to ambush more Red Coats and  secure more parts of the land. For the last few years, the militiamen  were more than just a random bunch of men. They were the ones that  helped shape and protect America. Thomas had seen the future of his  America that he and his family have fought so hard to protect. Even now  at this time of desperate measures, Thomas found himself thinking about  the invention of cars, movies, soft serve ice cream (which was one of  his favorite parts of the future) and the simplicity of electricity. It  was at the use of his will with the flick of a finger. He had certainly  been spoiled but it never did make him lazy. In fact, it made him become  a better fighter, seeing first hand how wonderful America could get  with all its splendor.
"What are you thinking about, Thomas?" Gabriel asked.
Thomas  was forced out of his daydreaming and looked to his brother. "I'm just  thinking about Kristine," he told him. In a way, he wasn't lying, for he  spent his time in the future with Kristine.
"Well...no more  daydreaming. We'll be fighting soon. Do you have everything ready?"  Thomas nodded to Gabriel. "Good." Word had it that once a month a group  of Red Coats made their way through this grassy field. It was a perfect  hiding place as well for the militia seeing how it held great hiding  places for them like trees, bushes, and ditches.

The sound of  wheels could be heard and the march of ten feet coming their way. They  all got into their positions and kept a watchful eye on Benjamin as he  stood in the way of the Red Coats.
"I suggest that you hand over all your possessions and turn back around," Benjamin said to them.
The  Red Coat leading the British men snickered and looked at Benjamin like a  pile of dirt and continued to show Benjamin what he thought of him by  saying, "This road belong to the King, so I suggest that you hand in all  your weapons and turn yourselves in if you value your lives." and  finished saying that last part with a grin. Benjamin whistled and that  was everyone cue to line up their attack. There was one moment of  silence before the shooting began and Thomas's heart was racing. The  cover from the British's wagon was pulled off and about ten more  soldiers jumped out and the sound of boots marching and hooves pounding  the earth could be heard coming from the of the hill less than a mile  away. Thomas fired his gun, shooting the Red Coat that stood beside the  wagon while trying to reload his gun. He took a few steps back as he  glanced up the hill and saw that British reinforcements were coming.  They must have known we were coming! Thomas thought this as he looked to  his father and brother and started running to his horse that he left a  few yards away behind a tree. He could hear gunshots being fired at him  as he tried to escape. This whole situation was a setup!

As Thomas  and Gabriel and their father mounted their horses he looked up towards  the hill and saw a familiar face leading the men down the green slop.  Travington! Thomas continued on as he heard some of the militiamen cry  out from being shot. He had only had one thing on his mind: to stay  alive for Kristine.