ALL THAT WAS LEFT BEHIND

Epilogue

My house was vacant, free from any heavy carnage in the world. Instead, it lingered with spirits of peace and a heavenly tranquility. It seeped into my skin, luring me to stay and harmonize with its strange, unbroken silence.

            I dumped the heavy bag onto the ground, and sat on top of it, staring off into the space of time, barely concealed by the stained yellow walls.

            I had just returned from an outing with Samuel, at a local café near the little unknown town. His voice rung as echoes through my brain in long wavy sequences of the words he spoke.

            “I don’t know where he is Sea,” he explained apologetically.

            He sipped his tea, and sat back in the booth. My father, whom was sitting next to me, allowing a small crevice of space between us, gave me a look of solemn promise.

            “He is alive though,” he said to me. “Lincoln. Last night, we chased him out into the forest, right to the edge of a cliff. And he…he just jumped off. The police inspected it though, and said that the altitude of it wasn’t great enough to kill someone. He’s somewhere out there still.”

            I looked out the window, at the cheery autumn afternoon. Sunshine glittered as if one had opened a chest of treasure in the sky.

            “Is anyone looking for him?” I asked stilly.

            I looked at the two of them, who exchanged glances in front of me. It became apparent at the time that they looked like exact opposites. My father, looking darker and shadier, while Sam all bright and normally jolly. However, on the inside, they were more alike than humanly possible.

            “Charlie…did they kill him?” I asked, my voice becoming shakier, despite my great efforts to remain firm.

            Samuel leaned closer and smiled with deep, understanding eyes. “He was put in intensive care. Still unknown about his permanent condition, or where he’ll end up later.”

            So they knew nothing.

            Somehow, this was okay, for at least for now, the consequences were final. Charlie would never be understood, and would suffer for the actions he committed. Was it enough though? What about all the lives he altered just by trying to exist? He was only trying to live, trying to figure things out in a confusing world.

"What about Peter?" I asked. "What happened to him?"

My father lowered hi gaze, trying to avoid Samuel's lingering eyes. He mumbled a short response, which painted the putrid image in my mind to never decay in its existence.

"He was just a man. He lived nearby, with a wife and some kids and all. A dog too. He just accused Charlie of theft in the local town, and was never seen again. Not the only one, though. He's only one."

He's just a man. The sentence trickled in my mind for a while, seeping through my thoughts. I figured that Lincoln would be the one to set up the grave site I ran into. He was in on the mess to, and was one who had the potential to convey a puzzled remorse. I could only assume, however.

            My father leaned back in his seat, taking his eyes off everything but his cup of coffee. He looked uncomfortable.

            This was just after his best friend told him his wife passed away while he was alone in a world, trying to save her.