Wyatt was standing in his bedroom, staring at the full length mirror in the corner, as he got dressed. He was wearing black slacks and a tucked in button down brown shirt. He put a green tie around his neck and tied it tightly, then picked up the comb from a nearby table and started working on his hair. He didn't really know why he was doing this. It wasn't like he was going to something fancy. He was going to do something terrible today. He didn't know if murder really called for looking good while you commit it. The door to the bathroom opened and Scarlett came out in her robe, drying her hair with a towel. She stopped and looked at him, smiling.
"Hey, look at you," she said, "What're you all dressed up for?"
Wyatt chewed his lip and thought.
"I have a meeting," Wyatt said.
It wasn't a lie, really. He turned and looked at his wife, approaching her and kissing her.
"I'll probably be late for dinner," he said.
***
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Kelly asked, sitting at her parents kitchen table, eating crackers as Rachel sat across from her, tapping her nails nervously on her coffee mug.
"Not at all," Rachel said, "but...it's time. I need to do this, like, for myself. I can make a clean break if it goes the way I'm expecting, and that'll be good for me, good for my life. Who needs that dead weight anyway. But I won't lie and say I ain't anxious about it."
"Well," Kelly said, "you know if anything goes wrong, you'll always have my parents."
Rachel smiled, lifting the mug to her lips and taking a long sip. Kelly's folks had been nothing but loving of her, especially lately, and it did ease her mind a little knowing that she had something of a family to fall back on if and when things with her own folks went to shit. Rachel checked her watch, then looked back up.
"Hey," she said, "when are you having your surgery?"
"Oh, in a few weeks," Kelly said, "and then it's another few weeks of laying around. You know, for as much as you wanna do nothing when you're a kid, once you're an adult you realize it's boring as hell lying in bed all day. Wouldn't recommend it. But at least I'll have a wicked cool cyborg leg at the end of it, so I guess it all evens out."
"How're you gonna predict the rain without your bad hip?" Rachel asked, making Kelly laugh, snorting.
"Actually," Kelly said, "everyone at the station has been so nice about it. Very supportive. It's pretty cool to have a whole building full of people wanting the best for me. Weird, but cool. One of my managers kids asked if they could sign my new leg and I had to tell them it wasn't like a cast, it would come off almost instantly, if it stayed on at all. Either way, it's nice."
Rachel nodded. It must be nice, she thought, to have people, total strangers, who care so much. It was one thing to have family, but a whole group of coworkers? Closest thing Rachel had to that was Wyatt and Calvin, and she knew that wouldn't last much longer...Rachel bit her lip and tried to keep her mind on tonight. On Sun Rai, and seeing her parents, and coming out.
"I'm scared," Rachel said quietly, "I'm scared as hell."
"Hey, you'll be okay," Kelly said, reaching across the table and holding her hand, "everything will be okay. If I can survive a plane crash, you can survive this."
Rachel wanted to cry. She was so happy to have her best friend back.
***
Angie, much like Wyatt, was getting dressed. Though, in her case, her outfit consisted mainly of jeans and a baby tee because she didn't really see the necessity to look good for this sort of occasion. She stood in the bathroom, in front of her mirror and brushed her hair, then applied some light makeup and stared at herself. All she'd wanted since her parents had left the cult was to follow someone, to have a reason for living more than just living, and now she was being granted that request, being asked to do something for the greater good. She could do this. She could. She exited the bathroom and found the house empty. Her parents must be at work. Angie headed down the stairs, grabbed the spare keys to the house and exited, locking the door behind her.
Wyatt was already waiting outside, much to her surprise. Angie approached the car and pulled the passenger door open, climbing inside. She pulled the seatbelt around her as Wyatt started the car up and pulled away from the curb, back onto the road.
"Didn't know you'd be here already," she said.
"Wasn't waiting long, for what it's worth," Wyatt said.
"You look nice," Angie said.
"Well," Wyatt shrugged, "wasn't exactly how to dress for such a thing, so I just dressed like I normally do for work. So we're gonna meet Calvin at this little river, somewhere we've met before. Familiar. Comfortable. He won't suspect anything there."
"Are you okay?" Angie asked, reaching out and touching his arm.
"I'm fine," he said through his teeth, "just...I hate that it came down to this. I did everything in my power to avoid this outcome, and it wasn't enough. He just seemed like he wanted things to go down like this regardless of anything else. But I hate it. I hate this. He was my friend. He's Rachels friend. The whole situation sucks."
"Some people don't want to be saved," Angie said.
"That sounds like cult talk," Wyatt remarked, and she shrugged.
"Just saying that some people are so deadset on a course of destruction that they can't see past their blinders and, as a result, this is the only outcome they can see for themselves, or the only one they're destined for. We're doing the right thing, Wyatt. You were right. We're doing the right thing here. He'd only hurt more people. Hurt a child. We can't allow that. If we don't stop him, he'll just keep going, making it worse. What if, after tonight, he decided this wasn't enough and he wanted to kill everyone related to Grudin? There's no end to this besides the end we're giving it."
Wyatt was impressed. For someone relatively off their medication most of the time, Angie was making a surprising amount of sense. Still, he felt guilty. Not just for what was going to happen to Calvin, but also for taking advantage of Angie's mental illness. But, much like he'd done with Calvin, he did everything he could to persuade her not to follow him, and she wouldn't listen. Like she said, blinders. After a bit of driving they finally arrived at the river, and Wyatt parked. He knew Calvin wouldn't be here for a while, and for that he was relieved. Would give him some time to come to terms with what was about to go down. Wyatt climbed out of the car and sat on the hood, opening a can of soda he'd brought with him. Angie sat down beside him and looked out at the water.
"At the compound," Angie said, "there was a river like this, and one day, early in the morning, this dad took his kids and his wife out to it and drowned them all before drowning himself. When the leader, Art Johnson, spoke about it later that day to everyone, he said that this man had done what he knew was best for his family. But...the thing is...most people don't know what's best for everyone, and it isn't fair for one person to go around making decisions that affect others on such dramatic levels. That's what Calvin's doing. That's what makes him dangerous."
"You don't still talk to this Art do you?" Wyatt asked, crossing his arms.
"Sometimes, through e-mail, but not consistantly," Angie replied, shrugging, "anyway, that's not the point, Wyatt, the point is that most men seem to believe that causing destruction is the key to control. You're the opposite. You're destructing the self destructive. That's admirable."
Wyatt smiled weakly. He appreciated Angie's kind words, especially tonight.
***
Celia was in her kitchen preparing dinner, her son sitting at the table reading a picture book. As she turned the oven on, her cell phone rang and she groaned. She picked it up and answered, continuing on her duties as she talked.
"Hello?" she asked, and then she stopped dead in her tracks, "...what do you want? No, I won't discuss this. You made your decision, leave us out of it. No, that's all I have to say about it. He doesn't wanna talk to you. We're about to have dinner anyway, goodbye."
With that, she hung up the phone and looked up over the stove to her son, who seemed undisturbed by the call. She exhaled slowly and tried to regain her composure. It'd been a while, after all, since she'd spoken to her ex-husband. Meanwhile, across the city, Rachel and Sun Rai were pulling up at Rachel's parents house. Parking in the driveway, Rachel sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly, clearly scared. Sun Rai kissed her on the cheek and put a hand on her back.
"Hey, we can go home," Sun Rai said, "we don't have to do this."
"I have to do this," Rachel said, "I...I have to."
Rachel undid her seatbelt and headed up the walkway, Sun Rai quickly catching up to her. As they stepped onto the porch, Rachel stared at the front door. The knot in her stomach grew tighter, and she swallowed her pride. She hadn't gone home proper in years, despite living not so far away from her parents. Being here now felt so surreal, especially with Sun Rai in tow. Rachel lifted her hand and rung the doorbell, knowing her mother preferred that to knocking. After a moment, the door swung open and her father, Scott, stood there, smiling at her.
"Rachel," he said, pulling her in and hugging her tight, much to her surprise; while hugging, he added, "you're just in time, dinner is ready right now."
Rachel took Sun Rai by the hand and led her into the house, Scott shutting the door behind them as he followed them to the kitchen. Rachel's mother, Elizabeth, was plating the table, dishes full of food in the center so everyone could serve themselves, just like she had always done. In a way, it suddenly felt like Rachel had never grown up and left this place. Stepping back in felt just like going back in time. As they entered, Elizabeth looked up and smiled too.
"You're here!" she said, excitedly.
"I am here, yes," Rachel said, opting not to hug her mother.
"Well please, have a seat, we're about to eat!" Elizabeth said, and so Rachel and Sun Rai did as they were instructed. So far, this was pleasant, and Rachel didn't know what to make of it. But of course, first impressions are often wrong, as she'd learn soon enough. It was weird, Rachel thought, to feel like a kid again when she was a full ass adult, but...perhaps that was just the effect parents had on ones mental faculties. Sun Rai patted Rachel on the back as they sat down, and then, as Elizabeth brought them plates to work with, Sun Rai leaned in and kissed Rachel on the side of the head, knowing that eased her pain. Rachel saw the look on her mothers face the instant Sun Rais lips made contact with her skull. This was going to be the same as it always had been. A mistake.
Elsewhere, Calvin tucked his pistol into the back of his pants under his belt and looked at himself in the mirror. He exhaled. Tonight, tonight after meeting with Wyatt, he was going to head to Leslie Grudin's house, kill her daughter in front of her, and then kill her. Then he'd come home and decide what to do with Ricky. On one hand, Ricky was an innocent, but on the other hand, more witnesses meant more credibility to their eventual testimony, and he couldn't risk that. He'd probably kill Ricky too, much as he hated the idea. Poor guy didn't know what he was getting involved with. Calvin ran his hand through his hair and exited the bathroom. As he headed down the stairs, he stopped and looked at a frame photo on the wall of himself, his wife and their daughter. He reached out and touched it gently, smiling, before continuing down the stairs. Once he reached the landing, he saw his mom and dad watching TV on the couch. His mom looked over her shoulder at him and waved.
"You going somewhere?" she asked.
"Yeah," Calvin said, "I have an errand to run, meeting with someone, but I'll be back a little later. If you guys are in bed, I'll try to be quiet."
"Just drive safe," his dad said, and Calvin nodded.
"Love you guys," Calvin said as he grabbed the doorknob and opened the front door.
"Love you," the replied in unison, and then he exited. Calvin headed down the driveway, got into his car and started it up. He turned the radio off, opting for silence instead, and headed towards the river. Whatever Wyatt wanted, he knew it wouldn't last long. He'd already made his decision, and nobody was going to talk him out of it. Thing was, Wyatt had made his decision as well, and only one of them could come out of it unscathed.
***
"I always saw myself as a pirate," Wyatt said, making Angie chuckle; Wyatt smirked and shrugged, adding, "I mean, I know it's not, like, a legitimate career field, but hey, I was 9. I certainly never saw myself working for my father, taking over his store and stuff. I don't dislike it, but at the same time..."
"You wish you'd been a pirate?" Angie asked, and he nodded, the both of them laughing.
"Life just never goes the way you want, even when you plan it to a tee," Wyatt said, "I mean, god, if I'd known what my life was going to become simply by attending my high school reunion, I doubt I would've done that too. Everything since then has become so unstable. Course, that'd mean not knowing Rachel or Kelly or Celia, but...do the pros outweigh the cons, that's the question? The cons have been pretty...con."
"I wish my parents hadn't left the church," Angie said, "so I know what you mean. I'd planned to spend my whole life there, serving Art, spreading the word, but now I feel like I'm drowning in a world I don't understand. Meeting you was like being thrown a life preserver in an ocean of confusion, finally, something that makes sense, reaching out to save me."
Wyatt felt his stomach drop. Angie was looking for something to make sense of the world, and here he was, taking advantage of that, even if it was what she wanted.
"I'm not someone to worship," Wyatt said, "I hope you know that."
"I'm not helping you cause I worship you," Angie said, "I'm helping you because, as you said so convincingly, it's the right thing to do. Worshipping you is a whole other thing. The two are unrelated. But you were right. We need to do something. He can't continue to do these things. That man at the compound, he hurt his own family, but Calvin's going to hurt someone elses family, and that just doesn't seem right. Not that hurting your own family is right, but, you know what I mean."
"I do," Wyatt said, "...and you're right."
Just then they heard a car pulling up behind them and were illuminated by headlights. The car parked and Calvin climbed out, surprised to see Angie.
"Hey Calvin," Wyatt said, "glad you could make it."
***
"How's work?" Elizabeth asked, spearing potatos on her fork, "have you been painting?"
"I work in a coffee shop," Rachel said, "Actually we both do. We work together. But I guess I've been painting, with my friend Scarlett. She does art therapy with her daughter once a week, and I go to that. It's just at their house, but it's a good way to be social and do some painting."
"Well that's good. I always thought you had more talent that you regularly presented," Elizabeth said as she started eating her potatoes from her fork.
"Yeah I'm glad to know you haven't given up," Scott said as he picked up his glass and took a sip, "I always thought you could've had more success than you tried for."
"I tried for it and it almost got me raped," Rachel said sternly, surprising all three of them. Elizabeth, after a moment, exhaled, shrugged and speared a piece of meat.
"Well," she said, "I guess that explains this then."
Rachel's eyes widened.
"Explains what?" she asked.
"This attempt at being modern," Elizabeth said, "don't get me wrong, I get it, we all give into fads when they're cool, and there's nothing cooler today than being queer, but at some point you have to wonder if it's worth the effort. But, if a man tried to hurt you, it makes sense you'd go for a woman."
"I liked women long before he did that," Rachel snarled, "jesus, this is exactly what I expected."
Rachel stood up and tugged at Sun Rai's hand, who didn't even need much help getting up, as she was already in the process as well.
"Stop being dramatic, we're trying to better things," Scott said.
"You know," Rachel said, "you remember Kelly? She fell out of the fucking sky recently. A whole plane crashed, and she was the only survivor. She's going to get a prosthetic leg and yet, her parents let her move back home and are taking care of her, helping her recover. That's what parents do. They don't belittle every single choice, or non choice, that their child has. I chose to paint, and you turned it into a career, not because you believed in me, but because you saw a viable ability to retire on the back of. I love women and you make it because I can't 'trust' men when one of my closest friends is a man. Kelly's parents love me, and my own can't. Do you have any idea how alone I feel?"
"If you feel so alone, then stop running away from people who're trying to help you," Elizabeth said, and that was all she needed to say. Rachel walked briskly out of the house, Sun Rai right behind her. Out in the driveway, Rachel tried to get the car keys from her coat pocket, but fumbled, dropping them on the ground. She leaned against the car and breathed fast, heavy. Sun Rai gathered the keys and opened the car, telling Rachel to get into the passenger seat, which she did. Sun Rai started the car and pulled away from the house, racing down the street. She'd never seen such viciousness directed to someones child. Her parents had given her a bit of grief from time to time, but nothing like this. This vile, unadulterated hatred that Rachel apparently had to endure her entire life. After a bit Sun Rai pulled over in a parking lot of a convenience store, and parked.
"Are you okay?" Sun Rai asked, and Rachel, doing her best not to sob, just shook her head.
"It's not me, I have to remember it isn't me," Rachel said, her voice shaky, "but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, because, fuck, why would anyone treat their child like this?"
"That was...intensely awful," Sun Rai said, "I'm so fucking sorry you had to grow up with that."
"I just want my parents to love me," Rachel whispered, "god that's so depressing."
"I love you," Sun Rai said, making Rachel turn and look at her, smiling weakly as Sun added, "you have friends who love you, and you have Kelly's parents, and...Rachel, I...I don't know what to say to make any of this better, but I love you. Look, you wanted two things for a majority of your life. For your parents to love you, and for me to love you. Which one is worth more?"
Rachel smiled more, and leaned in, kissing Sun Rai. She was right. She was so right. This love was more than her parents could ever give her, and she was happy enough with that.
***
"Didn't know we'd have company," Calvin said, approaching the river.
"Well," Wyatt said, "can't hurt to have more than one mind on something, can it? Anyway she's more for moral support thann anything. Calvin, what you're thinking of doing...I mean, I know I can't stop you or probably even change your mind, but think about what you're actually doing. Everything you've done thusfar has been in the name of protecting children. Grudin killed your daughter, so you killed Grudin. Brighton hurt his daughters, so we eliminated his work from the world. Wattson worked for an empire of child abuse, so you took care of him. Everything you've done has been for the sake of saving kids, and now you wanna turn around and kill someone elses?"
"It isn't about her," Calvin said, "it's...it's about him. It's about Grudin. Any trace of him in this world existing, it isn't fair. It isn't right."
"She's a child, Calvin, christ," Wyatt said, "look, we'll come up with something together, okay? I know that having his wife bearing down on us isn't great, and yes, something has to be done about it, but...we'll figure it out together, okay?"
Calvin walked to the river and looked out, listening to the sound of it, the sound of the crickets, and he sighed.
"I just wanted to make things right, but no amount of anything will make things right. There's no getting it right," Calvin said, pulling the gun from the back of his belt and adding, "what I loved is gone, and there's no righting that wrong. The world is awful, so I'm just trying to make it less awful."
"But you're doing the same things you don't want others doing," Wyatt said, "Calvin-"
"I'm sorry Wyatt, I have to do this," Calvin whispered, and Wyatt sighed. That was it. There was no changing his mind. Wyatt put his hand on Angie's shoulder and turned, heading back to the car. Wyatt got into the car as Angie approached Calvin, standing beside him.
"You know," Angie said, "my family used to belong to a cult. I watched plenty of people die for no good reason. Some took their own lives, some took the lives of others, their own families, all for the sake of what they thought was the right reasons. Your wife and daughter, you're right, it isn't fair that they were taken the way they were from you, and you have every right to be mad and want justice. I won't even do the cliche thing and say 'think about what they would want you to do' because they're dead, how they feel is irrelevant. But Calvin, everyone has a choice. On the chance and afterlife of some kind exists, the things you've done are justifiable to an extent, but this? This wouldn't be. This would keep you away from them for all eternity. Do you want that? To lose them twice?"
Calvin started crying and lowered the gun, shaking his head.
"Give me the gun," Angie whispered, and she carefully took it from his hand, backing up a bit behind him, "Calvin, that's what you have to ask. What do you want most in the whole universe?"
"...to be with them again," Calvin whispered, as Angie raised the gun behind his head.
"Then today's your lucky day," she said softly, pulling the trigger. Calvin dropped, landing face first in the water, the lower half of his body still on the riverbank. Wyatt shut his eyes and dropped his forehead against the steering wheel, sobbing. He'd done everything he could've to prevent this. He did. He did he did he did. The passenger door opened and Angie climbed in, exhaling. Neither one said a word. Wyatt had made good on his threat. He had told Calvin he'd kill him, and in a way, he had. How was he going to go on with this guilt?
"Now what?" Angie asked, but Wyatt couldn't respond. Angie instead leaned against him, rubbing his back, speaking softly, "it's okay. You're okay. We're all okay."
***
"Hey," Wyatt said, approaching the metal picnic table out on the courtyard, Calvin looking up from his bagged lunch; Wyatt continued, "Can I sit here?"
"I can't stop you," Calvin said, shrugging, "not sure why you'd want to. Don't you wanna sit with the team?"
"The cumraderie gets to be too much," Wyatt said, "sometimes I don't wanna be reminded of being a part of a team like that. I like my solitude."
A few seconds later, Amelia sat down as well next to Calvin, smiling across the table at Calvin.
"Hi," Amelia said, opening her notebook.
"Amelia, this is Wyatt, he's on the baseball team," Calvin said.
"Hey," Wyatt said, grinning, making Amelia blush; Wyatt unwrapped his sandwich and took a big bite, then added, "I see you guys out here everyday, just figured it'd be nice to be around other people who have no interest in being social. Feels like more my speed sometimes."
"Doesn't make us friends," Calvin said, turning his attention back to his book.
"Hey, we don't need to be friends, we can just occupy space without acknowledging one another, it's just lunch," Wyatt said, opening his soda and taking a long drink as Amelia nudged her brother with her elbow.
"Come on," Amelia said, "it wouldn't kill you to make a friend."
"Hey, look at you," she said, "What're you all dressed up for?"
Wyatt chewed his lip and thought.
"I have a meeting," Wyatt said.
It wasn't a lie, really. He turned and looked at his wife, approaching her and kissing her.
"I'll probably be late for dinner," he said.
***
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Kelly asked, sitting at her parents kitchen table, eating crackers as Rachel sat across from her, tapping her nails nervously on her coffee mug.
"Not at all," Rachel said, "but...it's time. I need to do this, like, for myself. I can make a clean break if it goes the way I'm expecting, and that'll be good for me, good for my life. Who needs that dead weight anyway. But I won't lie and say I ain't anxious about it."
"Well," Kelly said, "you know if anything goes wrong, you'll always have my parents."
Rachel smiled, lifting the mug to her lips and taking a long sip. Kelly's folks had been nothing but loving of her, especially lately, and it did ease her mind a little knowing that she had something of a family to fall back on if and when things with her own folks went to shit. Rachel checked her watch, then looked back up.
"Hey," she said, "when are you having your surgery?"
"Oh, in a few weeks," Kelly said, "and then it's another few weeks of laying around. You know, for as much as you wanna do nothing when you're a kid, once you're an adult you realize it's boring as hell lying in bed all day. Wouldn't recommend it. But at least I'll have a wicked cool cyborg leg at the end of it, so I guess it all evens out."
"How're you gonna predict the rain without your bad hip?" Rachel asked, making Kelly laugh, snorting.
"Actually," Kelly said, "everyone at the station has been so nice about it. Very supportive. It's pretty cool to have a whole building full of people wanting the best for me. Weird, but cool. One of my managers kids asked if they could sign my new leg and I had to tell them it wasn't like a cast, it would come off almost instantly, if it stayed on at all. Either way, it's nice."
Rachel nodded. It must be nice, she thought, to have people, total strangers, who care so much. It was one thing to have family, but a whole group of coworkers? Closest thing Rachel had to that was Wyatt and Calvin, and she knew that wouldn't last much longer...Rachel bit her lip and tried to keep her mind on tonight. On Sun Rai, and seeing her parents, and coming out.
"I'm scared," Rachel said quietly, "I'm scared as hell."
"Hey, you'll be okay," Kelly said, reaching across the table and holding her hand, "everything will be okay. If I can survive a plane crash, you can survive this."
Rachel wanted to cry. She was so happy to have her best friend back.
***
Angie, much like Wyatt, was getting dressed. Though, in her case, her outfit consisted mainly of jeans and a baby tee because she didn't really see the necessity to look good for this sort of occasion. She stood in the bathroom, in front of her mirror and brushed her hair, then applied some light makeup and stared at herself. All she'd wanted since her parents had left the cult was to follow someone, to have a reason for living more than just living, and now she was being granted that request, being asked to do something for the greater good. She could do this. She could. She exited the bathroom and found the house empty. Her parents must be at work. Angie headed down the stairs, grabbed the spare keys to the house and exited, locking the door behind her.
Wyatt was already waiting outside, much to her surprise. Angie approached the car and pulled the passenger door open, climbing inside. She pulled the seatbelt around her as Wyatt started the car up and pulled away from the curb, back onto the road.
"Didn't know you'd be here already," she said.
"Wasn't waiting long, for what it's worth," Wyatt said.
"You look nice," Angie said.
"Well," Wyatt shrugged, "wasn't exactly how to dress for such a thing, so I just dressed like I normally do for work. So we're gonna meet Calvin at this little river, somewhere we've met before. Familiar. Comfortable. He won't suspect anything there."
"Are you okay?" Angie asked, reaching out and touching his arm.
"I'm fine," he said through his teeth, "just...I hate that it came down to this. I did everything in my power to avoid this outcome, and it wasn't enough. He just seemed like he wanted things to go down like this regardless of anything else. But I hate it. I hate this. He was my friend. He's Rachels friend. The whole situation sucks."
"Some people don't want to be saved," Angie said.
"That sounds like cult talk," Wyatt remarked, and she shrugged.
"Just saying that some people are so deadset on a course of destruction that they can't see past their blinders and, as a result, this is the only outcome they can see for themselves, or the only one they're destined for. We're doing the right thing, Wyatt. You were right. We're doing the right thing here. He'd only hurt more people. Hurt a child. We can't allow that. If we don't stop him, he'll just keep going, making it worse. What if, after tonight, he decided this wasn't enough and he wanted to kill everyone related to Grudin? There's no end to this besides the end we're giving it."
Wyatt was impressed. For someone relatively off their medication most of the time, Angie was making a surprising amount of sense. Still, he felt guilty. Not just for what was going to happen to Calvin, but also for taking advantage of Angie's mental illness. But, much like he'd done with Calvin, he did everything he could to persuade her not to follow him, and she wouldn't listen. Like she said, blinders. After a bit of driving they finally arrived at the river, and Wyatt parked. He knew Calvin wouldn't be here for a while, and for that he was relieved. Would give him some time to come to terms with what was about to go down. Wyatt climbed out of the car and sat on the hood, opening a can of soda he'd brought with him. Angie sat down beside him and looked out at the water.
"At the compound," Angie said, "there was a river like this, and one day, early in the morning, this dad took his kids and his wife out to it and drowned them all before drowning himself. When the leader, Art Johnson, spoke about it later that day to everyone, he said that this man had done what he knew was best for his family. But...the thing is...most people don't know what's best for everyone, and it isn't fair for one person to go around making decisions that affect others on such dramatic levels. That's what Calvin's doing. That's what makes him dangerous."
"You don't still talk to this Art do you?" Wyatt asked, crossing his arms.
"Sometimes, through e-mail, but not consistantly," Angie replied, shrugging, "anyway, that's not the point, Wyatt, the point is that most men seem to believe that causing destruction is the key to control. You're the opposite. You're destructing the self destructive. That's admirable."
Wyatt smiled weakly. He appreciated Angie's kind words, especially tonight.
***
Celia was in her kitchen preparing dinner, her son sitting at the table reading a picture book. As she turned the oven on, her cell phone rang and she groaned. She picked it up and answered, continuing on her duties as she talked.
"Hello?" she asked, and then she stopped dead in her tracks, "...what do you want? No, I won't discuss this. You made your decision, leave us out of it. No, that's all I have to say about it. He doesn't wanna talk to you. We're about to have dinner anyway, goodbye."
With that, she hung up the phone and looked up over the stove to her son, who seemed undisturbed by the call. She exhaled slowly and tried to regain her composure. It'd been a while, after all, since she'd spoken to her ex-husband. Meanwhile, across the city, Rachel and Sun Rai were pulling up at Rachel's parents house. Parking in the driveway, Rachel sighed, gripping the steering wheel tightly, clearly scared. Sun Rai kissed her on the cheek and put a hand on her back.
"Hey, we can go home," Sun Rai said, "we don't have to do this."
"I have to do this," Rachel said, "I...I have to."
Rachel undid her seatbelt and headed up the walkway, Sun Rai quickly catching up to her. As they stepped onto the porch, Rachel stared at the front door. The knot in her stomach grew tighter, and she swallowed her pride. She hadn't gone home proper in years, despite living not so far away from her parents. Being here now felt so surreal, especially with Sun Rai in tow. Rachel lifted her hand and rung the doorbell, knowing her mother preferred that to knocking. After a moment, the door swung open and her father, Scott, stood there, smiling at her.
"Rachel," he said, pulling her in and hugging her tight, much to her surprise; while hugging, he added, "you're just in time, dinner is ready right now."
Rachel took Sun Rai by the hand and led her into the house, Scott shutting the door behind them as he followed them to the kitchen. Rachel's mother, Elizabeth, was plating the table, dishes full of food in the center so everyone could serve themselves, just like she had always done. In a way, it suddenly felt like Rachel had never grown up and left this place. Stepping back in felt just like going back in time. As they entered, Elizabeth looked up and smiled too.
"You're here!" she said, excitedly.
"I am here, yes," Rachel said, opting not to hug her mother.
"Well please, have a seat, we're about to eat!" Elizabeth said, and so Rachel and Sun Rai did as they were instructed. So far, this was pleasant, and Rachel didn't know what to make of it. But of course, first impressions are often wrong, as she'd learn soon enough. It was weird, Rachel thought, to feel like a kid again when she was a full ass adult, but...perhaps that was just the effect parents had on ones mental faculties. Sun Rai patted Rachel on the back as they sat down, and then, as Elizabeth brought them plates to work with, Sun Rai leaned in and kissed Rachel on the side of the head, knowing that eased her pain. Rachel saw the look on her mothers face the instant Sun Rais lips made contact with her skull. This was going to be the same as it always had been. A mistake.
Elsewhere, Calvin tucked his pistol into the back of his pants under his belt and looked at himself in the mirror. He exhaled. Tonight, tonight after meeting with Wyatt, he was going to head to Leslie Grudin's house, kill her daughter in front of her, and then kill her. Then he'd come home and decide what to do with Ricky. On one hand, Ricky was an innocent, but on the other hand, more witnesses meant more credibility to their eventual testimony, and he couldn't risk that. He'd probably kill Ricky too, much as he hated the idea. Poor guy didn't know what he was getting involved with. Calvin ran his hand through his hair and exited the bathroom. As he headed down the stairs, he stopped and looked at a frame photo on the wall of himself, his wife and their daughter. He reached out and touched it gently, smiling, before continuing down the stairs. Once he reached the landing, he saw his mom and dad watching TV on the couch. His mom looked over her shoulder at him and waved.
"You going somewhere?" she asked.
"Yeah," Calvin said, "I have an errand to run, meeting with someone, but I'll be back a little later. If you guys are in bed, I'll try to be quiet."
"Just drive safe," his dad said, and Calvin nodded.
"Love you guys," Calvin said as he grabbed the doorknob and opened the front door.
"Love you," the replied in unison, and then he exited. Calvin headed down the driveway, got into his car and started it up. He turned the radio off, opting for silence instead, and headed towards the river. Whatever Wyatt wanted, he knew it wouldn't last long. He'd already made his decision, and nobody was going to talk him out of it. Thing was, Wyatt had made his decision as well, and only one of them could come out of it unscathed.
***
"I always saw myself as a pirate," Wyatt said, making Angie chuckle; Wyatt smirked and shrugged, adding, "I mean, I know it's not, like, a legitimate career field, but hey, I was 9. I certainly never saw myself working for my father, taking over his store and stuff. I don't dislike it, but at the same time..."
"You wish you'd been a pirate?" Angie asked, and he nodded, the both of them laughing.
"Life just never goes the way you want, even when you plan it to a tee," Wyatt said, "I mean, god, if I'd known what my life was going to become simply by attending my high school reunion, I doubt I would've done that too. Everything since then has become so unstable. Course, that'd mean not knowing Rachel or Kelly or Celia, but...do the pros outweigh the cons, that's the question? The cons have been pretty...con."
"I wish my parents hadn't left the church," Angie said, "so I know what you mean. I'd planned to spend my whole life there, serving Art, spreading the word, but now I feel like I'm drowning in a world I don't understand. Meeting you was like being thrown a life preserver in an ocean of confusion, finally, something that makes sense, reaching out to save me."
Wyatt felt his stomach drop. Angie was looking for something to make sense of the world, and here he was, taking advantage of that, even if it was what she wanted.
"I'm not someone to worship," Wyatt said, "I hope you know that."
"I'm not helping you cause I worship you," Angie said, "I'm helping you because, as you said so convincingly, it's the right thing to do. Worshipping you is a whole other thing. The two are unrelated. But you were right. We need to do something. He can't continue to do these things. That man at the compound, he hurt his own family, but Calvin's going to hurt someone elses family, and that just doesn't seem right. Not that hurting your own family is right, but, you know what I mean."
"I do," Wyatt said, "...and you're right."
Just then they heard a car pulling up behind them and were illuminated by headlights. The car parked and Calvin climbed out, surprised to see Angie.
"Hey Calvin," Wyatt said, "glad you could make it."
***
"How's work?" Elizabeth asked, spearing potatos on her fork, "have you been painting?"
"I work in a coffee shop," Rachel said, "Actually we both do. We work together. But I guess I've been painting, with my friend Scarlett. She does art therapy with her daughter once a week, and I go to that. It's just at their house, but it's a good way to be social and do some painting."
"Well that's good. I always thought you had more talent that you regularly presented," Elizabeth said as she started eating her potatoes from her fork.
"Yeah I'm glad to know you haven't given up," Scott said as he picked up his glass and took a sip, "I always thought you could've had more success than you tried for."
"I tried for it and it almost got me raped," Rachel said sternly, surprising all three of them. Elizabeth, after a moment, exhaled, shrugged and speared a piece of meat.
"Well," she said, "I guess that explains this then."
Rachel's eyes widened.
"Explains what?" she asked.
"This attempt at being modern," Elizabeth said, "don't get me wrong, I get it, we all give into fads when they're cool, and there's nothing cooler today than being queer, but at some point you have to wonder if it's worth the effort. But, if a man tried to hurt you, it makes sense you'd go for a woman."
"I liked women long before he did that," Rachel snarled, "jesus, this is exactly what I expected."
Rachel stood up and tugged at Sun Rai's hand, who didn't even need much help getting up, as she was already in the process as well.
"Stop being dramatic, we're trying to better things," Scott said.
"You know," Rachel said, "you remember Kelly? She fell out of the fucking sky recently. A whole plane crashed, and she was the only survivor. She's going to get a prosthetic leg and yet, her parents let her move back home and are taking care of her, helping her recover. That's what parents do. They don't belittle every single choice, or non choice, that their child has. I chose to paint, and you turned it into a career, not because you believed in me, but because you saw a viable ability to retire on the back of. I love women and you make it because I can't 'trust' men when one of my closest friends is a man. Kelly's parents love me, and my own can't. Do you have any idea how alone I feel?"
"If you feel so alone, then stop running away from people who're trying to help you," Elizabeth said, and that was all she needed to say. Rachel walked briskly out of the house, Sun Rai right behind her. Out in the driveway, Rachel tried to get the car keys from her coat pocket, but fumbled, dropping them on the ground. She leaned against the car and breathed fast, heavy. Sun Rai gathered the keys and opened the car, telling Rachel to get into the passenger seat, which she did. Sun Rai started the car and pulled away from the house, racing down the street. She'd never seen such viciousness directed to someones child. Her parents had given her a bit of grief from time to time, but nothing like this. This vile, unadulterated hatred that Rachel apparently had to endure her entire life. After a bit Sun Rai pulled over in a parking lot of a convenience store, and parked.
"Are you okay?" Sun Rai asked, and Rachel, doing her best not to sob, just shook her head.
"It's not me, I have to remember it isn't me," Rachel said, her voice shaky, "but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, because, fuck, why would anyone treat their child like this?"
"That was...intensely awful," Sun Rai said, "I'm so fucking sorry you had to grow up with that."
"I just want my parents to love me," Rachel whispered, "god that's so depressing."
"I love you," Sun Rai said, making Rachel turn and look at her, smiling weakly as Sun added, "you have friends who love you, and you have Kelly's parents, and...Rachel, I...I don't know what to say to make any of this better, but I love you. Look, you wanted two things for a majority of your life. For your parents to love you, and for me to love you. Which one is worth more?"
Rachel smiled more, and leaned in, kissing Sun Rai. She was right. She was so right. This love was more than her parents could ever give her, and she was happy enough with that.
***
"Didn't know we'd have company," Calvin said, approaching the river.
"Well," Wyatt said, "can't hurt to have more than one mind on something, can it? Anyway she's more for moral support thann anything. Calvin, what you're thinking of doing...I mean, I know I can't stop you or probably even change your mind, but think about what you're actually doing. Everything you've done thusfar has been in the name of protecting children. Grudin killed your daughter, so you killed Grudin. Brighton hurt his daughters, so we eliminated his work from the world. Wattson worked for an empire of child abuse, so you took care of him. Everything you've done has been for the sake of saving kids, and now you wanna turn around and kill someone elses?"
"It isn't about her," Calvin said, "it's...it's about him. It's about Grudin. Any trace of him in this world existing, it isn't fair. It isn't right."
"She's a child, Calvin, christ," Wyatt said, "look, we'll come up with something together, okay? I know that having his wife bearing down on us isn't great, and yes, something has to be done about it, but...we'll figure it out together, okay?"
Calvin walked to the river and looked out, listening to the sound of it, the sound of the crickets, and he sighed.
"I just wanted to make things right, but no amount of anything will make things right. There's no getting it right," Calvin said, pulling the gun from the back of his belt and adding, "what I loved is gone, and there's no righting that wrong. The world is awful, so I'm just trying to make it less awful."
"But you're doing the same things you don't want others doing," Wyatt said, "Calvin-"
"I'm sorry Wyatt, I have to do this," Calvin whispered, and Wyatt sighed. That was it. There was no changing his mind. Wyatt put his hand on Angie's shoulder and turned, heading back to the car. Wyatt got into the car as Angie approached Calvin, standing beside him.
"You know," Angie said, "my family used to belong to a cult. I watched plenty of people die for no good reason. Some took their own lives, some took the lives of others, their own families, all for the sake of what they thought was the right reasons. Your wife and daughter, you're right, it isn't fair that they were taken the way they were from you, and you have every right to be mad and want justice. I won't even do the cliche thing and say 'think about what they would want you to do' because they're dead, how they feel is irrelevant. But Calvin, everyone has a choice. On the chance and afterlife of some kind exists, the things you've done are justifiable to an extent, but this? This wouldn't be. This would keep you away from them for all eternity. Do you want that? To lose them twice?"
Calvin started crying and lowered the gun, shaking his head.
"Give me the gun," Angie whispered, and she carefully took it from his hand, backing up a bit behind him, "Calvin, that's what you have to ask. What do you want most in the whole universe?"
"...to be with them again," Calvin whispered, as Angie raised the gun behind his head.
"Then today's your lucky day," she said softly, pulling the trigger. Calvin dropped, landing face first in the water, the lower half of his body still on the riverbank. Wyatt shut his eyes and dropped his forehead against the steering wheel, sobbing. He'd done everything he could've to prevent this. He did. He did he did he did. The passenger door opened and Angie climbed in, exhaling. Neither one said a word. Wyatt had made good on his threat. He had told Calvin he'd kill him, and in a way, he had. How was he going to go on with this guilt?
"Now what?" Angie asked, but Wyatt couldn't respond. Angie instead leaned against him, rubbing his back, speaking softly, "it's okay. You're okay. We're all okay."
***
"Hey," Wyatt said, approaching the metal picnic table out on the courtyard, Calvin looking up from his bagged lunch; Wyatt continued, "Can I sit here?"
"I can't stop you," Calvin said, shrugging, "not sure why you'd want to. Don't you wanna sit with the team?"
"The cumraderie gets to be too much," Wyatt said, "sometimes I don't wanna be reminded of being a part of a team like that. I like my solitude."
A few seconds later, Amelia sat down as well next to Calvin, smiling across the table at Calvin.
"Hi," Amelia said, opening her notebook.
"Amelia, this is Wyatt, he's on the baseball team," Calvin said.
"Hey," Wyatt said, grinning, making Amelia blush; Wyatt unwrapped his sandwich and took a big bite, then added, "I see you guys out here everyday, just figured it'd be nice to be around other people who have no interest in being social. Feels like more my speed sometimes."
"Doesn't make us friends," Calvin said, turning his attention back to his book.
"Hey, we don't need to be friends, we can just occupy space without acknowledging one another, it's just lunch," Wyatt said, opening his soda and taking a long drink as Amelia nudged her brother with her elbow.
"Come on," Amelia said, "it wouldn't kill you to make a friend."