MagicAnimalClub: Happenings

51: Just Goodbye

JOES POV

We walked out of the car, we were near where we once fought about eighteen years ago against the seekers.
"Wow... " I sighed, recognising every where.
I felt like I should have been keeping guard, a gun in my hand, my go-pro attached to my boiler's suit. Not here in a white shirt and jeans.. The outfit Beth loved me wearing..
What did that kiss mean..? Does it mean.. That.. After sixteen years apart we might finally be able to make this work again.. We might be allowed to love again..

There was thousands of white headstones dedicated to all the soldiers that died in the Seeking war, years and years ago.
"God.." I sighed, looking around and feeling so out of place..
One mistake and my name would  have been on one of those gravestones..
"Have you been here before?" David asked me,
"Never... I... Have you?"
"Every January, yes. The month that everyone.. Yeh.." He sighed, I was surprised at his loyalty towards all of our dead friends.
"James would have been been twice his age.. Thirty six.. God." I sighed, beginning to feel tearful.
"So strange now that this is all in the history books nowadays." Said Squid, looking out at the field of endless headstones.
I looked down at my sisters grave. She'd been dead for eighteen years but I could never face visiting her grave.
"We.. We should go find your dad." I suggested before I could ponder about my friends for any longer.
"If you're sure." David said, patting my back.
I stood staring at the thousands of white headstones.
I wish I could have saved them all...
"You did save them all." David interrupted. How did he know what I was thinking? "Come on let's go find Dad."

I wasn't exactly sure where David's dad was, but I had exchanged numbers with Finnball's ex-spy (who's real name was Colin).
I dialled him asking exactly where we needed to go.

"Right, okay I see you." He said, he must have had his computer ready. "So, there is an underground subway station that has been abandoned for about twenty years, at least, he's in there somewhere, I can't locate exactly but he isn't alone. The subway station opens from a latch about 100 feet away at four o'clock."
"Thanks, Colin." I replied.
I ended the call and turned to four o clock and started walking.
As I walked I recognised my surroundings, I had a sickening feeling in my gut, I remembered this place, and this subway was the one we went to.
"David."
I stopped, too afraid.
"W-when we heard those noises down in the subway eighteen years ago.." someone was looking for 'Mr Spencer' I assumed it was David and made us all leave.. but they were talking about David's dad..
"That was my dad being taken there, wasn't it. If we didn't leave then we could have caught them out."
I bit my lip in annoyance, and wondered what my life would have been like if I hadn't left so soon.. If I hadn't taken the first shift..

I was the first to climb down the ladder, it was dark, it smelt of death. I immediately recognised the graffiti on the walls, no one seemed to be down there.
I landed just before David, we looked around.
"Put up your hands and surrender your weapons!" Someone yelled, holding a revolver.
"I've got this." David whispered.
"Quest-ce?" (What?!) David shouted, I smiled,
"Oh he's just some French man." I heard someone mutter,
"Who's there?!" I heard an old English voice, Davids eyes widened.
Oh god.. it's him... it's him.. its actually him...
"Dad?!" He shouted, too overwhelmed to pretend to be French.
"D-David?!"
David's dad emerged from the darkness, he looked so much older than I remembered him as.
Davids eyes locked on his fathers.
I stared at them both, this was the anomaly in the story.. David's dad was alive.. I didn't kill him!
Though the huge white scar upon his neck pained me to look at it.. I did this to him.. I did this..

All my thoughts were cut short at a gun shot.
A bullet fired towards David's father.

He was certain to die.

Unless I did something...

Oh god.. Oh god what do I do...?!
Do I run in front of it? Is it worth it? I will never tell Beth that I love her, I will never spend a night laughing with David. I will never be Stampy ever again, and I won't ever get to tell Emily my story, the story of who I used to be.
I can't do that.. I just can't..
Should I die in a place I was so proud to survive in? Should I die in this horrible terrifying place? Or should he die, is it worth me saving him?
But I tried so hard.. I fought so hard and I survived..
Should I risk everything for this man, this man who was stuck here for eighteen years, this man who I injured many years ago. This man who never knew his child died, who never knew that he had three grandchildren, this man who left his wife for so many years.. Is it worth it?
To save a man who I thought I killed, to save my friends father.
Yes. It's worth it.
To make them proud.. To make them smile..
Just when I got my life back together..
Maybe it's just my time to go.

I jumped in front of David's dad.
David's eyes pierced mine as I felt the most intense pain on earth, striking through my chest.
I tried to break a smile at David,
Just to say you're welcome.
Just to say goodbye.