Depthless, p.20
Depthless, page 20
“Hey, mister pastor you didn’t answer the question.” Giovani jumped in Baxter’s face with a clicked jaw sticking out his head.
Russell taps him to calm down, but Giovani didn’t stand eye to eye with him. Among all the worst things he could say this would be the crown jewel of it all.
“You said…” Baxter looked angry, no one saw this much.
“I’m asking you, runaway, why you're avoiding my questions?”
“Why are you calling me runaway?” Baxter yelled in a furious tone.
“Oh, come on Y'all, I read your file, everyone had one if you cared to go to Miller's room.”
Phillip and Hudson look over at him as the tone raises.
“All of us have problems, I personally have no clue on why that general choose us…”
Hudson interrupted, “Maybe he saw potential?”
“Potential? Seriously?” he chuckled in total laughter over it.
Giovani turned to Hudson, “Boy the moment we were picked I knew something was up. They would never choose a woman, a black man and not to mention all of us messes.”
“No, we were the best ones.” Hudson rebuttabled.
“Okay… Really Wittman? You genuinely think he choose us over thousands of capable, trained men.”
Everyone went quiet.
“Tucker used to be a bad man in a big-time gang, I was a dealer. Russell here used to be a lawyer for the worst people out there, you were a boy who lost his father and ran as soon as it was your time to take his place and then there’s Wittman that kid is just a paperboy.”
Giovani had everyone’s attention, he didn’t mind. Baxter shoved him with his shoulder. It was weak, but Giovani took that chance to grab Baxter like a toy.
“You had something to do with this! I know! You’re a quack!” Baxter avoided Giovani’s eyes with the guilt pouring out not to forget the pain.
“STOP!” Tabitha cried out.
Giovani didn’t think it was her, but as soon as he made out the voice, he let go. If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t matter.
“You guys, no more fighting, not after this…”
Everyone took this to heart, and although Giovani knew something was up, he didn’t press it.
“Tabitha?”
She slid her hand at him. He listened hesitating to leave Baxter alone. Russell however, after hearing it all kept that to mind. He walked with Hudson, and Giovani keeping an eye on Baxter who sat alone in a corner.
Phillip headed to him, “You okay?”
Baxter responded, nodding quickly putting away the conversation.
But Phillip wanted to talk, “You were gone for so long. We were going to go after you…”
Baxter nodded multiple times looking in another direction.
“I’m happy you're alive. Your one of the better men.” This caught his attention, he raised his head to Phillip in tragic glum of sorts.
Later in the little place, Hudson was carving a weapon. Russell spoke up.
“You okay… after everything that happened.”
Hudson thought, biting his tongue, “I don’t think so, how someone can just get killed like that?”
Russell didn’t get the answer he was looking for.
“What about Baxter?”
“Well, I’m happy he’s back. I was scared for him too.”
“Does he not seem…Off?” Russell says giving Hudson an intrigued look.
“What are you thinking…” Hudson leans in like a girl about to hear the best new gossip.
“I get this feeling from the guy, his head was so wrong the last time he was here and now the same day Tucker dies, he’s back.”
Hudson tapped his head. “Possibly just a coincidence?”
“I want to think that. But Hudson, I was a lawyer, and I know, I know when someone is lying, when they’re carrying guilt.”
Hudson was not swayed, until the last thing he said.
“And monsters like Gregory, don’t just let themselves free.”
The boy turned at Russell, he looked weak.
“I think your right.”
Russell sighed slumping down, this was the opposite of the feeling you get when your right, he wasn’t going to go out and say I told you so because he doesn’t want it to be like that. He moved to get off the roof, climbing onto the ladder.
“Woah, where you are going?” Hudson asked.
“Going to help somebody,” Russell replied, descending the ladder.
On the ground, he opened the shed door, spotting Giovani looming over Tabitha but not saying a word.
“Giovani!” he whispered loudly.
Giovani didn’t regard the noise.
“Giovani!” he says again, this time around Giovani heard him.
“What do you want?” the Mexican man scolded.
Russell waves his hand out the shed door. He doesn’t care. “It’s about Baxter.”
Giovani grabbed his suit and runs out at the speed of sound. They close the door behind them and walked to the other side of the shed.
“So, what is it?” Giovani asked, eyes peeled.
Russell checked his surroundings then pulls Giovani in close, “I think Baxter was the one who let him out.”
“I know he did Russell.”
“You do?”
“Of course. But Tabitha doesn’t want us to do a thing. She wouldn’t even if he’s responsible.”
“Come on, we got to do something this isn’t just about her it’s about morals.”
“Psshh, morals.” He said it sarcastically, teasing Russell.
“You fought for the company that practically killed your brother, and you want to get in morals.”
“Don’t bring up my past.”
Tabitha out of nowhere comes out walking right beside them saying.
“I’m in.”
“Come again?”
Tabitha had no tears, with a dead voice she muttered, “That man did something.”
“Huh so everyone’s on board.”
“With what exactly? Are we going to call him out?”
“Call him out!” Giovani scoffed.
“I would think if the guy is the reason Tucker is dead we would kick him out,” Russell interjected.
“Look, we need to hear his side first the guy could have something to say.”
“Nothing he can say will give reason to why he did it.” Giovani shrugged.
“Well letting a killer go isn’t an everyday thing we got to at least ask-”
“Let’s do it.” Tabitha asserted. “Right now.”
“Shouldn’t we-”
“No, we do this now.”
They all entered the shack, Russell in the back, Giovani and Tabitha in the front. They walked straight up to Baxter.
“We need to have a little talk.” Giovani pointed him outside.
“About?”
“You know.”
“Know what?”
“Don’t try to test me man, we all know what you did!”
Baxter shook his head, more and more until he finally cracked, “I LET HIM GO. THAT WAS ME I LET GREGORY GO!”
Even though they expected it that didn’t make the confession feel any better.
“You untied him?” Giovani followed up the question as Tabitha looked like she was about to kill Baxter.
“I did.”
“Why would you do that to me?” Tabitha asks with feelings in her eyes.
Baxter felt worse than he ever had “I wasn’t trying to hurt you I didn’t even know this man was bad. His words just worked-he tricked me.”
“Tricked you? What did he promise you, candy?”
“No. No. I was looking for my father.”
“Your father? YOUR DEAD FATHER!”
“He isn’t dead,” Baxter said.
“Do you not bother to see things the way they are. Baxter, your dad, was killed by those cops that’s why they never started the investigation your mom always knew since the beginning.”
“That’s a LIE!” he yells at Giovani.
“Read the file. Your dad fought an officer and was shot dead. They covered it up and left you wondering your whole life. The answer was there the whole time!”
Baxter wouldn’t let this be, he grabbed the knife off the counter and rushed Giovani, the man was kicked down by Tabitha. Giovani leapt from the ground, pointing at Baxter whose eyes were shut as if he were praying. Out of breath, Giovani spoke.
“You see that! He is bad, just like Gregory we can’t have this!”
Baxter continued to pray.
“Pray all you want. You did this!” Giovani snatches the knife away from him, Hudson came Giovani’s way at a fast speed.
Before Russell jumped in the way, “You’re not killing him!”
“I am! He is the cause of Tucker's death and almost MINE!”
“He has made mistakes, but do we have to kill him? Maybe just tie the guy up?”
“I ain’t living with him!” Giovani screamed throwing out the knife.
Russell desperately was trying to see something out.
“I agree.” Lester whimpered.
Giovani was crazy-eyed, “He has to go! Move out of my way!”
“LISTEN GIOVANI! Just please think about this. I killed a monster yesterday, and it still bothers me, if you do this, it will only hurt.”
“Let Baxter live and stay,” Tabitha announced in the muck of yells.
“No, I’m doing it!” Giovani stated louder.
“Giovani stop this isn’t about you!”
Tabitha turned to Baxter.
“You did bad things, but I meant what I did when I put out my hand for you.”
Giovani was just in another one of his tantrums, but he caught himself before doing anything too far.
“Tabitha…” Giovani sighed.
Baxter is on his knees, he pointed to the knife.
“You can do it,” Baxter said sadly.
“Baxter was not going to hurt you,” Tabitha tells Giovani.
“I failed, I failed as a pastor and now even as this. I don’t want this life. So, take it away from me.”
“No one wants you dead, it might seem that way now but were family even after everything.” It was hard for her to say these words.
Russell stood with her, “Baxter stand up.”
Baxter looked like he wasn’t going to, but on the brink of his gloomy murk he rose and hugged Tabitha.
“I miss Tucker and I miss my father, I didn’t think. I’m so sorry!” he cried, uttering these words.
“It’s okay.” She said, holding him.
Who would have thought this is how it would end up? The widow of a husband this man played a part of in his death hugging. Tabitha’s ways had changed everyone, they were seeing things differently. Giovani dropped the blade, they all paid close attention to everything they had made it this far and if mercy is something today, mercy was real.
Mercy and love echo inside the shed. Russell can’t believe his eyes, but soon enough no one believes their ears.
That same eerie knock Gregory gave.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
But this time it wasn’t coming from the other room it came from the front door. Someone or something was there…
XXI: It All Goes Away
Everyone heard the knocks but believed them to be just the wind hitting something against the shack.
“Did you hear that?” Phillip conveyed ill at ease.
“Yeah…” Russell added slowly moving away from Baxter.
The pastor was hushed by Giovani as Russell lurked closer to the door.
All they gave their ears, all was silent room beside the occasional huff of air from Baxter’s sob and the wind blowing against the oak. Some of them were led to believe Gregory was back from the dead, and there was a knock again. However, the knock is accompanied by whispers between two people. They were just low hisses no one inside the shed could make out.
“What are we doing?” Phillip stammered, getting as far away as possible from the door.
Russell lowered his hand down making sure everyone kept a low tone. He grabbed the knob with one hand and used his right to take the empty handgun they had. The last bullet was used on Tucker.
Russell looked back and saw his people a little scared.
“It’s not going to be him," Russell told them as he slowly creaked the door his way.
Light poured into the shed onto Baxter’s shiny face. Russell was right the thing on the other side wasn’t Gregory, not even close.
A pair of people in large orange suits and metal masks like they had just arrived from the moon. They held large weapons and looked like human tanks. The people don’t say a word stepping into the shed. Russell doesn’t let them go beyond him.
“Who are you people?” Phillip said softly, not wishing for them to hear.
The speculation was at its highest point, Russell didn’t feel okay with this unknown.
“Speak,” Russell exclaimed this time needing them to listen. The two orange armored people took off their masks, unclipping the back braces off before removing it from their faces. What was seen was two people, a man, and a woman. However, these pair of people don’t look like them, they were well-kept and wholesome looking.
The man had bright green eyes and buzzed hair like he was from a navy mission himself. His nose was long, rather thin, and he was nearly as tall as Russell. Next to him was a woman with golden locks of hair, she was beautiful.
“Hello.” The green-eyed man said putting out his hand.
Russell didn’t consider shaking his hand for a second instead he looks intently into this man’s eyes.
“Are you the people from Mission 2-337?” the woman asked calmly. Russell thought this was a dream and didn’t reply.
“Yea.” Giovani gabbed. “That would be us…”
“We're here to take you to Obelisk.” The armored folk said.
“Ob – what?”
“Our colony.”
No one seemed to understand what these people were speaking about.
“You sent out a distress call two days back, we talked with a man. He said you needed help.”
Russell starts to call back on that night on the tower.
“I was that man.” Russell rose his hand.
“Well, sir we are here.” The two of them wait for a clap like any heroes would get for saving the day, but this wasn’t any ordinary day.
“What’s your name?” Russell questions the man.
“Tomas.”
Russell noticed a patch of letters on the new guy's suit. “1A.” These were the letters carved on Gregory’s forehead, there was something wrong about the pair, he didn’t think pulling his gun right to Tomas’s face. Giovani rushed ahead to help Russell out when the woman suddenly pulled out a handgun as well, pointing it at Giovani’s head.
“And you can call me sherry…” she spit out the line like a one-liner in a movie.
Giovani froze in his tracks. Russell was holding an empty gun, but they didn’t need to know that.
“Russell lower it!” Tabitha says sadly.
He scoffed, Giovani with him.
“They're here to help, and even if they aren’t, you can’t do a thing. The guns empty.”
Russell couldn’t believe she would let out the secret just like that, he brought his hand down along with the weapon, sighing.
Strangely though the armored pair lowered theirs too.
Tomas makes a slight perk with his arm. “Me and her are from a colony over North, were not going to hurt you, Russell.”
“How do you know my name?”
“We talked, remember?”
Russell remembered vaguely.
“None of you need to be scared of us.” They said.
“Why not?” Giovani remarked.
Tomas and Sherry exchange a look like they have been here before.
“How long have you guys been up here?” Sherry asked Russell.
“Two weeks now.”
“Trouble?” Tomas inquiries looking directly at Baxter.
“A lot of it.” He told him.
“It’s only going to get worse you know.” Tomas spun around kicking the door wide open, pointing outside, overhead a storm was not far over the spiral.
“Your home will not make it out of that storm and even if it does the next one will take it out or the one after that.”
“How come you talking like you know this place?” Giovani threw out his hands to the whole room.
Tomas tilted his head and said dead serious, “Because this was our place.”
“Huh?” Giovani spit. People in the room such as Lester and Phillip speak over one another, it took Russell to shut them up. Once he did the man turned over scrunching his face.
“By our place, what do you mean?”
So many things felt off, death, the world, these people. Nothing ever could add up…
“Two years ago, when everything happened here. When the world died, me and Sherry were held up in this shed. Both of us worked as the transponders for the area, managed all the calls. One of the nights, it was one the darkest nights, there was a knock we had nothing else to think, but maybe this was the help. But no, it was eight people a whole group of survivors pleading to let them in. Me and Sherry opened it for them to let everyone in.”
“Why did you leave?” Phillip asked, wedging his head up.
“Well the last man to come in didn’t seem right, he had this tattoo on his forehead. 1A. It said. He always stared at us, one day a man died, and no one knew how. So, we went on a walk that night and saw that same man-eating away at the body, he saw us, we didn't have a chance to go back, we ran.”
“Hold up you knew Gregory?” Giovani says.
“Yeah were the ones who let him in here. Where is everyone else? All the people that used to live here.”
“When we came here they all were dead,” Giovani told them.
“We should’ve told them Sherry,” Tomas said disappointed in himself.
“He killed more, too.”
“More?” Tomas questioned, confused.
“Tucker our friend.”
“I’m sorry.” They said.
Tabitha hated that they had a chance to end this.
“What do you guys want?”
“We have a colony called Obelisk, people live there it’s a new life, we can take you there.”
“What happened to this world?” Russell asks them.
