“Change of plan,” Paul replied as he fired the gun at Michael.
Michael fell to the floor, his body landing with a heavy thump. Blood pumped from the gunshot wound in his chest as he continued to stare into Elijah’s face. His lips pulled back in pain and anger. Even dying, all he could think about was how much he hated Elijah.
Elijah rolled to the other side of the bed and grabbed Paul’s ankles, pulling the other man to the ground. His gun flew from his hand and skidded across the floor and out of reach. The two men grappled, rolling over and over as they fought for control.
“This is for the best, buddy,” Paul grabbed Elijah by the throat and slammed his head back. Stars danced in front of Elijah’s eyes as he blindly hit out, trying to make contact with anything. Paul slammed his head back again, and a ringing sounded in Elijah’s skull. Pain emanated from within and he cried out and shoved up at the same time, determined that Paul wouldn’t get away with this. Determined to live long enough to make him pay for what he’d done.
The two men slid in Michael’s blood as they fought for dominance. Fists hitting out, legs kicking. It wasn’t a skilled fight; it was brawling. It was a fight to the death. A fight for revenge. A fight for survival. For living and dying. A fight for retribution.
Elijah took a gasping breath and climbed on top of Paul, pinning him to the ground before hitting him hard across the face. His fist connected with Paul’s jaw in a painful crunch and then he hit him again and again. His face, his ribs, his stomach. It didn’t matter where as long as he was hitting him. As long as the blood was flowing, and the pain was burning through his fists, it didn’t matter.
None of it mattered anymore.
The only thing that mattered was Delores and she was gone.
Epilogue
The cool breeze pushed Elijah’s hair around his face.
It was getting long now, and he’d need to get it cut soon. Elijah’s gaze stayed on the wide road in front of him, ignoring his too long hair whipping across his forehead. He’d taken a few days off from work, which had stretched into a few weeks, and those few weeks were now coming up to three months. He still couldn’t make his mind up on whether he wanted to go back or not, but right now it didn’t feel too important—no matter how much his Captain pressed him to return—right now, he had more crucial things to sort out.
His heart and his head had gone through a lot these past couple of months and he wasn’t sure when he would feel like his old self again. Perhaps he never would… perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if he never did.
Elijah had been driving for two hours straight and he needed to stop and stretch his legs, grab some coffee, and maybe a bite to eat. The drive so far had been long and uneventful and though he was grateful of the peace and quiet, he was beginning to get restless in a way he wasn’t used to. He wanted the noise and the hustle and bustle of life. The constant chatter of voices surrounding him. He’d always liked the quiet, but these passed few months, he’d come to appreciate the noises of life so much more.
Noises meant life and life meant so much more to him now than it ever had before.
It was almost like he’d been asleep until he’d met Delores. She’d awoken something inside of him and now he struggled to sit still or even sleep at times, because all he wanted to do was keep on moving. Keep on living. Because life was so damn short. So short he worried that he’d blink and it would all be over before he’d even got to really live it.
The diner’s illuminated sign shone like a beacon, and he pressed his foot down on the accelerator, hurrying towards the destination, his stomach rumbling in hunger. The small truck stop diner came up on him quickly and he pulled into the parking lot, found a space and shut off the engine with a heavy sigh.
He felt like he was carrying the world on his shoulders. Burdened with so much more than just living and surviving, but making everything important. Making everything have purpose. There wasn’t a minute to waste when you felt like you’d slept your entire life so far.
Elijah pulled off his sunglasses and yawned. It had been a long drive, boring mostly while he was stuck inside his own thoughts. His mind was elsewhere. It always was these days. So much had happened and he was still trying to work through everything. It wasn’t something that could be done overnight, and though it hadn’t been his burden to bear, he had carried it regardless because that’s what you did for love. You took the burden, the slack, and you carried the load for them if you had to.
He flexed his shoulders and sighed before turning to a sleeping Delores, wondering how anyone could have been so cruel to her.
God, she was beautiful.
Not just her face, but her mind and soul too.
These past couple of months, her eyes had begun to clear of all the worry and sadness that had haunted her while married to Michael, and Elijah was slowly starting to see the realherand so were her children. She was starting to see the real her too, that was perhaps the most beautiful thing of all.
She’d been lost for so long, but she was finally finding herself.
Elijah had come so close to losing her, that sometimes the thought of that day at the hospital haunted him, the terror clutching at his heart until he felt he couldn’t breathe anymore and he had to calm himself down.
She was here.
She was okay.
He reached over and shook her gently, needing to see her eyes open and blinking to reassure himself that she was really here, and everything had turned out okay. Her eyes sleepily opened, and she smiled as his face came into focus, happiness colouring her features.
“Hey, you,” she said, her voice thick with sleep.
“Hey, you yourself,” he replied, “thought we could stop and get something to eat, if that’s okay?”
She nodded and sat up with a stretch. “Sounds good, I’m starved.”
