Chapter 59: Finally, They're Back Home

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Patton nervously tapped on the arm of his wheelchair, sitting at the edge of town. It was the same place Logan took him on that date so long ago, to gaze at the stars together. It looked so different during the day than at night. Patton preferred it when it was dark. Part of him dreads to come here every day now, but that's only because every day he's waited there so far, there's been no sign of the others returning.

He should have gone with them. He should have gone with them! His brother was taken by those... monsters that called themselves humans and he wasn't doing anything about it!

Who knows what Virgil's faced so far. He could have been tortured, he could have lost his wings, or his core, or his life-

"Patton, dear," Mrs. Miller interrupted his train of thought, probably for the best. "Why don't we head back home? It's going to get late soon, and I need to make dinner."

"Can I stay for just a little longer?" Patton asked, his voice quiet as his eyes never left the road leading away from town. It wasn't the road that led to his house, or the forest that Roman lived in. That was on the other side of town. Patton's actually never been down this road, and now he never wants to.

He heard Mrs. Miller sigh, "Just for a little bit." She moved and sat down on the nearby bench. They were quiet, and her eyes stared at the ground beneath her feet.

Minutes passed and Patton refused to look away from the road. Just as Mrs. Miller took a breath to tell him that they should head back, Patton gasped loudly.

She looked up and saw a carriage just coming into sight. Looking closer however, she saw several more and groups of people walking alongside it all. What was pulling the first carriage shimmered in the sunlight.

"It's... Is that...?" Patton didn't dare finish his question, tears springing to his eyes instantly.

Mrs. Miller stood up instantly and went behind Patton's chair. "May I?" She was asking to push him. Patton, like many other wheelchair users, doesn't like it when someone touches their chair without being asked, unless they're close to that person.

"Please," Patton answered. He knew she was going to run and push his chair to meet up with them as fast as possible.

And she did just that, running as fast as possible and pretty much using it to keep herself from tripping and falling from running too fast.

It took longer than either of them would have liked to reach the first carriage, Logan sitting on the front of it. The moment he saw them, he got up and started to climb down even though the carriage was still moving.

"Mom! Patton!" he shouted, rushing over to them as Darrell started to speed up his pace to get to town faster.

Logan jumped into his mothers arms, only to lean down and bring Patton into the hug. He felt tears forming in his eyes but didn't let go to wipe them away.

"We-we found him," Logan told them. "He's alive, he's back, Virgil is back."

"Oh dear, what happened to your glasses?" Mrs. Miller asked, pulling away from the hug and holding Logan's face.

"I-I got hit, but I'm fine now," Logan explained.

"Wh-where's Virgil?" Patton asked, looking around.

"He's in the carriage with Roman." Logan looked at the first one as they turned and started walking back to the town together. "He's... he got hurt, so he's resting. I promise the moment we get to town you can see him."

"Is he okay? Will-will he be okay?"

Logan looked down in shame. "I... I think so." Physically, yes, mentally? Not for a long time. Logan couldn't even begin to imagine the horror that Virgil must have gone through.

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