Half Mad (Sequel to Half Bad)

Chapter 19

✖ Chapter 19 ✖

 THESE PEOPLE WERE seriously still stuck in a previous era. That much became clear when the tall gallows came into view. Daniel had jinxed us after all, and he seemed to catch onto that by the muttering I could hear over in his direction.

The ropes were beginning to chaff my skin around my wrists and around my neck, but I hardly noticed the burn with the thoughts of death circling my mind. I had never been one to want to end my life, but somehow I found myself praying I'd be the first to go.

Looking back on it, everything seemed to be my fault. And if it wasn't, my clouded state made me desperate to think it was. I even persuaded myself that I should have never stopped Rose in the woods, that I should have let her keep going. She would've been killed on her own, no doubt, by starvation or straying guards or even animals. But no, I had done this to her. She was here because of me, wasn't she?

I screwed up everything, I realized. I was the reason we all had nooses around our necks right now. If I hadn't lost my temper, we could've all settled down for the night and went to sleep. But no, I took it to far.

 Everything was my doing.

"No!" shouted Megan, her worried eyes darting to me. "Harry, do something!"

I gave her a blank stare before ducking my head, letting the man behind me shove me to my knees.

Megan looked bewildered and absolutely confused. "Wha--you're just giving up?" she yelled.

I didn't answer her.

"Harry," Daniel muttered, eyes searching mine, worry laced with shock in his tone.

I didn't have time to answer, nor would I have anyways. The bald man had regained his senses, walking around to glare at all of us. When he got to Marcus, Marcus was stupid enough to spit in his face. Could none of them see that this was the end? Why were they so reluctant to the promise of peace?

"This one goes first," the bald man spat back, jerking Marcus forward towards the gallows.

Three men drug Marcus over while the rest lined everyone else up beside me, all of us on our knees and at their mercy. Any of us could lash out and take them all out, but they held back. Whether it was because I was holding back or it was their own choice, I did not know.

Rose was planted next to me in the dirt, her eyes wide. "Harry, why aren't you doing anything? Your father is about to be hung!"

I hardly glanced at her, my mind in its own world, one yearning for peace. "He's not my real father," I said, attempting to find a just reason for not wanting to stop this. "He never cared for me anyways."

She gaped at me. "What about Daniel? What about me? Are you going to let us dangle in front of you too?"

My jaw clenched. "I'm tired of this, Rose." My voice was hardly above a whisper, and I wasn't even sure she heard me due to the silence that stretched on afterwards.

Marcus actually laughed from in front of me, but I didn't look up at him. And right when Rose looked like she was going to step in, it was too late. The gasps that surrounded us were enough proof to say so. He was gone. Or slipping away. Either way, it was too late.

I was blinking unintentional tears from my eyes when Rose spoke again. "I know you're tired of running, Harry. I know. I know you don't want this kind of life, but you can't just toss it away either." She was speaking hurriedly, and I peeked to see they were waiting for Marcus to stop breathing before they grabbed another of us.