The Outskirts

Part 4: An Angel of Light

Part 4: An Angel of Light

Hope was awake all night. She couldn't sleep, so in the morning, when she felt me getting up, we both thought we had made one of the worst mistakes of our lives. It was the way we felt every time either of us didn't sleep, but this time, it was far more ironic. As yesterday, it was likely we had made the literal worst mistake of our lives.

Hope got up, and went to the bathroom, where I was brushing my teeth. She hugged me from behind, and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I... I killed him." She muttered.

"We had to do it, Hope. You made the right choice."

"Was it really?" Hope asked, as she went to stand next to me, and began brushing her teeth. "We are about giving life, not taking it. These were the first people to be killed in ten years. That's what happened this week. That is the world we created. A world of peace and prosperity, that is gone now because of the decisions we made." Hope spit into the sink, then continued to brush.

"We'll live with those decisions. We have to, and you have to know that it was the right choice. The choice I wasn't strong enough to make. Nothing between us is going to change."

"Nothings going to change? Jeremy, this changes everything! We aren't even the leaders here, anymore. Not after you go to that meeting, we won't be."

I paused. "You don't want to go with me?"

"I'm the one that pulled the trigger, Jerry. The same person that has literally saved dead people on numerous occasions, just took a mans life in front of the lives she saved. I can't show my face out there. Not for a while, I can't." Hope then began to tear up, as she confessed, "The kid that we're supposed to be having in a few months... He doesn't feel alive! It doesn't feel like he's moving, or growing, feel my stomach! He has never kicked, even once."

"We... It was recent, Hope, he's still developing."

"How can we know that for sure? Our doctor seems to hate us more then anyone else, so that's not an option. We don't know Jerry. The only thing I do know, is that at this point, Grant already felt alive, in me. So did Carley, and so did Molly. This kid doesn't, and I have no idea why."

I sighed, putting my toothbrush away, then lacing my fingers through my hair as I fell back onto our bed.

Hope fell next to me, then muttered, "This is all coming to an end. I can feel it."

I got up quickly, putting my leather jacket on, then left our room, saying, "We'll see about that."

My people were gathered in front of the lab Philip and I had made together. Philip himself stared at me, with seemingly malicious intent. I had never thought I would come back to this state of not trusting him whatsoever. However, this week continued to surprise me, over and over again.

I went to stand next to him, accepting that people did not want me or Hope as the face of our society. They wanted, and needed someone else.

"Hey man." Philip put his hand on my shoulder, right before he began to speak. I pulled away, then sat down.

"Can we get this over with?" I begged.

Philip nodded, then turned his mic on, and announced to our people, "Jeremy Cooper has always been a trustworthy person, friend, and leader. His wife was loved among all of us, and she has healed people by the triple digits. However, yesterday, all of that changed. Our leaders shed the blood of a man. A bad man, that may have even deserved death."

I was surprised to hear Philip say this, but I swiftly recalled the fact that he was once a man with violent tendencies, just like Darwin. Although I'm sure he was glad that we didn't do to him, what we did to Darwin, I believe he truly understood that Darwin did not want to be redeemed. He was a man that had a craving for, and took pleasure in bloodshed. Philip was someone that once had that inside of him. Therefore, it made sense to me that Philip would easily to able to see through Darwins manipulative mind games, and too his dark core. I knew Philip had full awareness of all of this, despite his denial of the fact last night.