Vicious Memories

Chapter 60

The village waded through one of those moments in time that exist simply to prepare you for the one that follows immediately after. It was a girlfriend's deep inhale before she breaks up with you, a child's trembling lip before he screams, a sign balancing on the edge of its stand before crashing to the ground.

Felix had spoken.

And the moment dragged on. The only things in existence were the silent breeze on our hot cheeks, the steady thrum of the jungle in the distance, the vibrations of the earth as it spun on its axis.

Then someone coughed.

Only it wasn't just a cough - it was a blow that shattered the concrete dam that was holding us back.

Everyone began to scream.

"What?"

"What!"

"Murderer!"

"Felix. Not you, Felix... How could Felix?"

"I'll kill you."

"Hang him."

"Exile him!"

"Order!" Gabriels shouted. "Order. Everyone be quiet. Please. Felix, do you understand what you're pleading guilty to? Are you sure you don't want to defend yourself?"

"I don't have any defense to present," Felix said, his voice hollow and flat. "I only want to say that I'm sorry."

Gabriel stared at him.

"I'm guilty," Felix insisted.

"Bev," Gabriel said with a gesture, "get him back in the cabin. Salvador and Christopher on the door. Arun, Neema, Oliver, and the jurors to Arun's cabin. Now."

Bev grabbed Felix by the arm and they made a beeline for the cabin. Her eyes, icy stars plucked from the night sky and dropped onto her face, glared at anyone who ventured too close.

Gabriel was speaking in hushed tones to Perry when I caught up to him. "...Keep them gathered here so they don't go off and panic. Control the conversation. Keep them talking."

"Got it, boss." Perry moved away swiftly.

"There's no good outcome here," I said as we walked. "Without a trial nobody will feel like they've gotten real justice, no matter the punishment. And... Well, he fits the bill, and he's confessed, but there are still a few things that only work if we force them too."

The sun lingered an inch above the horizon, its glow deepening toward orange, a lemon that had suddenly decided on a species change. The thick light mocked us with its beauty, reminded us what this evening could have been under different circumstances - laughter, connection, contentment.

"First things first," Gabriel said when we reached the cabin, "we have to decide what to do about the trial. After you."

"The severity of the punishment should match the crimes." Arun had brought his spear into the cabin with him. "If it doesn't, what kind of precedent does that set?"

"We obviously don't have the whole story," Tana said, voicing my own thoughts out loud. "He admitted to his crimes when cornered, but we still don't know why he killed them."

"In regular court proceedings they don't always have all the information. But when a defendant confesses and pleads guilty, they sentence him. End of story."

"What about this situation seems regular to you?"

The whole room continued to argue in the damp and muggy cabin. Arun wanted to sentence Felix immediately. Tana wanted more information. Every so often someone else jumped in to offer a conflicting opinion.

Gabriel and I stood in a far corner, arms folded, not wanting to be dragged into the circular argument. Having seen Felix safely into his own cabin, Bev stood opposite us, looking as annoyed as I felt. The minutes dragged by kicking and screaming, nails dug into the dirt, moving no more than an inch at a time. The argument touched all points of the compass.

Why did he kill them? That was what I wanted to know.

Motive. It always came down to it. Means and opportunity narrowed down the suspect list, but motive was a ringer. What was it this time - did they wrong him, was he building up to something else, was there any sort of endgame at all, was he crazy?"

"...we can't," Tana said. "Can any of you really give that order? Do it yourself? Willingly take another life? I didn't think execution was on the table."

"It's what he did," Finn spat, cutting through the air with his fingers. "It's what he did to four of us. Felix kidnaps Mads and all of a sudden my child is gone, taken away before it had a chance to utter a single cry. Before I had a chance to change a diaper, or wipe away his spit-up, or stay awake all night watching over him. He should die for what he's done."

"I guess I'm new here," Cooper said, "but what about banishment? Is that an option?"

Arun shook his head violently. "That would open us up to too much danger. He could come back and kill again."

"So we'll execute him over what he might do in the future?" Tana asked.

"It's not what he might do. It's what he's already done. He's proven himself capable of killing already. He's killed three—"

"—Four," Finn cut in.

"—Four," Arun corrected, "of us already. What other proof do we need?"

I hated the situation we were being forced into, the choice we now had to make. Nausea resurfaced. Anger made me shove off the wall into the middle of the cabin.

"Enough," I said, and the room quieted immediately. "We can't accomplish anything because we haven't had a proper trial. And now it looks like we aren't going to get one. That might be unfortunate, but there's no use arguing over it now. What we can do is try to get as much information as possible, one last time, and then make a decision based on all we know."

Arun's lip pulled up in disdain. "I don't recall asking for your opinion."

"Well, you're getting it anyway. This conversation is going nowhere, and while we debate in circles the rest of the village is probably working itself into a frenzy. Whatever happens next will be divisive no matter what we choose, so we need to at least show some united leadership. We go to Felix's tent, question him one more time, and then make our decision. And that decision needs to be final. We'll put the options on the table and vote. Plain and simple."

"We can't just barge in there." Arun set his feet stubbornly. "We decided to do this the right way, and the trial is over."

"It is. But we aren't putting him on trial again. We're just asking questions. Besides—" I looked into the far corner, "—Bev will be there, so he'll be properly defended.

Bev's blue eyes flicked from me, to Arun, to Alice.

"I agree with Ollie," Alice offered.

Bev nodded. "Alright, then."

Everyone looked at Arun as he passed his spear from hand to hand, chewing on the inside of his cheek. I could see that the proposal made sense to him. The only problem was that I'd been the one to suggest it.

"It's your decision," I said, offering a concession to make things move along more quickly. "You're the leader now. But we can't waste any more time."

"Fine." He planted the butt of his spear on the dirt floor. "But only Gabriel, Alice, Bev, or I talk. Too many voices would be confusing. Someone once said that time is the most precious resource we have, so let's not waste any more of it."