Disclaimer: I do not own Of Mice and Men.
The sun crept above the horizon, its rays penetrating the branches of the willow trees and casting shafts of golden light upon the still water of the pool. A mouse crawled across the dry leaves, moving as silently as a breath of wind, before falling prey to the talons of an owl returning from a night of hunting. As light spread through the valley, the forest filled with the calls of birds and the sounds of animals quietly going about their business. A heron's beak flashed once; a moment later a fish was trapped within its viselike grip. It twitched once, twice, and then it was dead.
George sat on a recumbent log, watching over Lennie's body. His unblinking eyes stared listlessly into space, and he nodded of every few minutes, only to jerk upright again. He was silent for some time, and when he finally spoke to Lennie his tone was dull and rhythmic, as if he had lost his will to live. "I'm sorry Lennie. I hadda do it. I didn't want you to suffer, and Curley woulda hurt you. I couldn't let 'em hurt you Lennie."
From the trail came the sound of footsteps, and a moment later Slim came down the path, an expression of concern on his face. "You still here George?"
"Yeah. Been here since last night. I couldn't leave Lennie here."
"You hadda shoot him George. There jus' wasn't no other way," Slim replied.
"Shoulda let Curley get him. Maybe I could have talked Curley into jus' capturing Lennie. Maybe they'd jus' have locked 'im up."
"You know Curley'd never do that. You didn't have no choice. If you'd tried to stop Curley, he'd have shot you too."
George stared at the Gabilan Mountains, watching light gradually climb its rocky slopes. "I jus' hope that wherever Lennie's at, he's happy. He didn't deserve it. I know he didn't want to kill her. It must have been an accident, like that time in Weed."
A small lizard scampered across the dry leaves, the leaves crackling like a fire. A water snake slid through the water, moving through the reeds as silently as a ripple of water. "Well, stayin' down here ain't gonna help you," said Slim. "Let's go up to the ranch. We'll bring some of the guys down here later an' bury him."
"Alright. You go on ahead. I jus' need a few minutes with him."
As Slim headed up the trail, George began to speak to Lennie again. "I can't take this no more. I'm comin' Lennie. He rose and walked over to the patch of weeds where Carlson's Luger still lay. He picked up the gun, and with a grim expression on his face he pointed the gleaming barrel at his head.
Slim heard a guttural roar and sprinted back to the clearing where he had left George. As he burst into the clearing, he saw George standing next to the pool, an expression of rage across his face. "No George, don't do it!" Slim cried, as he stared transfixed at the Luger. Then, as George's cry faded, he saw George's finger pull the trigger.
The gun was empty. Silence engulfed the valley, a deep, all-encompassing silence that froze time itself for one long moment. Then the spell was broken as George dropped the gun onto the ground where it lay, mocking him and his inability to die. Slim grabbed his arm. "It ain't worth it George. You did the right thing. You know that Curley woulda made Lennie suffer. You got your whole life to live, and there ain't no point in killing yourself jes' cause' you hadda spare Lennie from Curley. Lennie's in a better place now, and you'll be with him when the time comes, but 'till then, you save up your fifty bucks an' maybe you'll get your stake one of these days."
"No Slim. You're wrong. The dream died with Lennie. There's only one thing that'll help me now."
"What's that?"
"You gotta promise to help me with it first."
"Fine, I'll help you. Now what is it you want me to do?"
"I want you to kill me. Properly this time."