The Disbanders

Chapter 25: Spotted

April 2019

The cold of winter has vanished and has blossomed into a chilly, yet vibrant spring. While surrounded by nothing but forest, it's hard to see anything other than coarse soil, rocks, pine needles and trees. I can only imagine what large fields would be looking like, filled with small flowers. The sound of birds is far more pronounced than ever before since I've been here––and I thought there was lots of it over the summer.

The house has been quieter, but happier. In the almost two months since Evie died, we've been able to move on, slowly but with promise. After two weeks, Hayden smiled for the first time. After a month, we had a campfire outside, just like old times. We were able to talk and laugh, as we once did. The void that Evie has left is still present, however, it's becoming less persistent, and is starting to become something that is no longer constantly on our minds.

Occasionally, memories of Evie, in one spot or another, still appear in front of me in an attempt to taunt me. They still hurt, but the pain doesn't last for as long as it used to. It's safe to say that we've all been doing better, and have started to heal.

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Today, we're going to unlock the trailer again, and put the stuff from the attic back there. I wouldn't say it's entirely necessary, but it gives us more to do out here, even if none of us would admit to boredom.

As we all bust it open, a ripe smell from lack of air circulation in the trailer emerges. Not to mention the amount of rat feces all over the ground.

"Oh crap," I say.

"Pun intended?" asks Alexa. A few of us smirk. "No but seriously, who's going to be the one to clean this up?"

"Why don't we maybe draw for it, as usual? Four jacks and an Ace?", asks Will. "That'll be fair."

"We could always just burn it down and never use it again," suggests Hayden. Chuck sighs.

"You know what? I'll do it," he says.

"Seriously? You're just agreeing to it?", asks Alexa.

"Yeah, I'll clean it. Then we can all put the stuff back."

"Okay, you do whatever you want. I'm certainly not complaining," laughs Hayden.

"Besides, I made a promise to someone." As Chuck says that, it catches my memory. He said that to Evie last fall when we first locked the trailer. Everyone else seems to notice, as the silence of the moment eventually sends everyone else off in their own directions.

Chuck eventually cleans the trailer, as the rest of us start moving stuff out of the attic. I make several trips, noticing him on his hands and knees, scrubbing the floor away. He occasionally stops to rub his forehead, or his nose, before carrying on. He's sniffling quite heavily––likely from the smell of it all.

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The weather has continued to progress further in the past week, getting rid of the very last of the snow and starting a bloom of leaves on the trees. I've never spent as much time looking up at the trees until now. I enjoy watching the weather's warming effects take place in our forest. It's funny what you don't notice until there's a reason to look for it.

The sun is beaming through the trees, as the campfire is lit outside. I start hear laughter and running coming from behind the house. I see Will and Chuck bursting through the trees. They must be racing. Alexa and Hayden come outside to the sound of them.

"I so won that!", laughs Will, catching his breath. Chuck coughs, before smiling and laughing through breaths.

"No way! That was me!", he replies, standing over the deer. "The rest of you, who won?", he asks us.