He placed his badge inside the small box. A golden star he once done with pride, a promise he made to his peers, his people, his fellow mammals. Enough of that. He had enough.
"Sheriff… I mean… Wayne, are you ready?" The buck stood by the doorframe, he looked impatient.
"I'll be right there Alan, just give me a few minutes." Wayne turned his back to the buck and closed the box. He wasn't taking much more from there, but he needed one more thing. He opened the drawer next to his bed and behind bottles of pills and self-help books was a single folded photo. As he unfolded it he recalled what was so many years ago. That moment… his son was a beautiful lamb when he was young… and his wife… He looked one last time at his bedroom mirror, his flowery pink shirt shouted vacation, his khaki shorts weren't sure of what they were doing. He had trimmed his white wool, it looked okay, he thought.
He stored the picture in his wallet, he still needed it. He walked out of his bedroom and went downstairs, Alan was waiting for him. He noticed Wayne climbing down and went out of the house, inside his small yellow cab.
Wayne put his single bag in the trunk, all his important possessions there. His cousin would take care of the house or, as she liked to put it, put it finally to some good and honest use. His red boad still stood in front of the house, abandoned for so many months in the walkway.
He closed the door and Alan started the car. Beavertown had no train station, but Bunnyburrow had, it was only an 1 hour drive. Wayne never had a car, he worked first as a Deputy and then as a Sheriff for so long that he never bothered owning one of his own.
"Any of your brothers is coming to say goodbye?" Inquired Alan, facing him through the rearview mirror.
"The Bellwethers don't seem to have a liking for cops these days." Joked Wayne.
Alan glanced once and then twice to Wayne, he seemed nervous. Wayne understood how delicate his position was, helping him and all. He really appreciated his kindness, and Alan appreciated the 200 dollars Wayne was paying.
They drove along the roads and out of Beavertown, Wayne knew it would be the last time he would see that town. The place where he grew, was raised and educated no longer welcomed him. Thinking back on it, he should've never come back from the academy, Zootopia was a much better place than that backwater t own. But Shirley always made him come back, ever since High School that dam gave him a true sense of home and she loved Beavertown.
"The town is worse without you, if this counts for anything." Alan broke the silence. The sun outside wasn't agreeing with the mood inside that cab, but it was a beautiful spring afternoon.
Wayne smiled to Alan. He slipped his right hoof inside his coat and popped open his relaxing pills, he put two in his tong and chewed. The bitterness no longer bothered him.
"Tell that to the rest of the folk, see if they like what you have to say." Wayne swallowed, his mouth felt numb.
"I think I like where my head currently is." Alan stopped the car in a crossover, as a logging truck passed by it.
"You and me both…" Wayne sighed. He closed his eyes for a bit, feeling the drug act on his body. He dozed, in and out of consciousness, finally waking up with the car stopping. Without thinking he opened the car door and rubbed his eyes, yawning. His hind hooves, however, didn't met the pavement he expect, but grass.
He looked around, a long field of green grass went towards the horizon. It seemed like 4PM by the sun, it was a hot afternoon that one. The cab took off, its tires screeching in the grass, throwing plant and earth behind it. Wayne stood there, motionless, as he saw it go towards the horizon, leaving him there.
He looked around, beside the long fields of grass there was only three chairs with three cloaked figures. Their cloaks were dark brown, they covered their entire bodies but didn't conceal their faces. He did not know any of them: a doe, a deer and a boar. They didn't seem to acknowledge him, only gazing towards the every moment smaller cab, dashing towards the horizon.
The sun slowly glided through the sky, painting the sky orange little by little. Wayne stood there, watching the three figures for one, ten, thirty, enough minutes. He hadn't the will to fight, complain, object or question. It was a lovely afternoon, that one.
He picked his wallet and pulled his old picture from it. The folding marks had erased parts of the image, but it didn't matter, he remembered that moment like it was just now. He walked to a little hill close to where he was left and sat on the grass, his left hoof held the picture, his right one grabbed the green leaves.
The boar approached him, slowly, a sad expression on his face. He went by Wayne's side and pressed his shoulder on the way through, standing behind him.
"Ted was so happy that day… it was the first day we took him to the beach… Joel had gave me the day off and we enjoyed ourselves…" Wayne spoke to the setting sun, a smile on his face. "I started teaching him to swim that day…"
The doe and the deer approached him from his front, they extended a green blanket by his hind hooves. They whispered something that he didn't bother to understand, it did not matter.
"Shirley had made us turnip sandwiches that day. I can taste it…" Should he be afraid? He felt confused to realize just now that he was not afraid. He did not feel much, really. He missed Shirley, he missed Ted, he missed Joel. He missed when things were simpler.
"Are you ready?" The boar spoke behind him.
Wayne nodded and kneeled.
The doe and the deer unbuttoned his shirt. A lazy wind gushed through the meadow, his shirt left his body, rolling through the grass. He took a deep breath and let go of the picture. He noticed a small patch of daisies at the bottom of the hill, how did he not notice that before? The white of their petals broke the monotony of the green field, their yellow cores giving life where he had not noticed before.
The boar screamed.
It stung.
He saw the spear pierce the blanket, quickly, reaching the ground below it with a deaf tunk.
He saw the green get soaked with red, it hurted. Not a lot, but it hurted. He felt… so tired… I'll be right home Shirley.