Jericho
Dark Angel
The leaves blew across the ground, late into fall. Jericho was a relatively small, quiet town, in the middle of nowhere. Somehow, it had stayed that way since the world had changed. People did there best to go back to their normal lives, knowing full well that would never happen again.
Stanley Richmond was down in the basement of his farmhouse on this windy day. Ryan Gooding, a young teenage girl was down there with him.
Stanley said to her, "Just stay down here, okay."
Ryan complained, "But -"
Stanley continues, "I know, I know, it's not fair."
Ryan took a few steps closer to him, trying to get him to change his mind, "Why ca - "
Stanley backed away toward the stair case, and said matter-of-factly, "You know why." And with that, he went up the old wooden stairs two at a time.
Ryan peered up the stairway after him. The door shut, but she continued to stare up at the door as she heard the familiar lock twist shut.
. . .
Mimi aimlessly walked through the house, bored. She walked past the door to the basement, on her way to the kitchen. She stopped and took a few steps backward. She suddenly realized she's never been down in their basement. After all, why would she want to go down there with all the dust, cobwebs, and bugs that were bound to be there? But she was bored today with nothing better to do, so she turned the handle to open the door. Only it didn't turn. She pulled on it, but it still wouldn't budge.
Bonnie walked by in the other room and saw Mimi trying to open the door. She stopped in her tracks, watching Mimi tug on it some more. Mimi noticed Bonnie watching her, "Why is this door locked?"
Bonnie said nothing, not sure what to say. But Mimi kept watching her, waiting for an answer, so she said, "It's not locked."
Mimi replied, "Well, I'm sorry to tell you this - but it is."
Bonnie walked over to her, sounding positive, "It's not locked. It's stuck."
"Stuck?"
"That's what I said," Bonnie replied, before continuing on her way.
Mimi wasn't going to give up that easy. She followed Bonnie and prodded, "Why's it stuck?"
"It's always been like that," Bonnie said, acting annoyed that Mimi was following her. In truth, she wasn't annoyed, but scared she would accidentally give something away. Something Mimi could not know about. Because if she ever found out what was really kept behind that door - it would be bad for everyone involved.
"How does a door just stick? You could break it down and replace it or something. Now that I mention it, you could just remodel your whole living room." Mimi stopped to gaze around, wondering about the things that could be done with the room.
Bonnie just shook her head and headed upstairs.
. . .
Ryan stood in the Richmond kitchen munching on a carrot and looking at a book on the counter. She had decided not to listen to Stanley, even though he directly told her not to come up here. She was just so tired of that old, smelly basement. So she decided to be extra careful, so he would never know she was here.
She continued to skim through the book, listening intently for sounds of people approaching the house. She had gotten pretty good at doing both of them at the same time over the past few years. So, it was completely unexpected when the door suddenly swung open.
Ryan ducked behind the wall in panic. She hadn't heard a car pull up. Then she almost slapped herself in the head for being so dumb. Of course, she didn't hear a car pull up. Almost nobody was using them since the electromagnetic pulse.
Mimi walked through the door, looking very annoyed. Stanley and Bonnie followed her in and started to laugh at something. Unfortunately for Ryan, Mimi headed straight for the kitchen. Ryan tried to flatten herself against the wall, but she knew it was no use. Ryan was about to blow their biggest secret, and she knew it.
And, of course, she was right. A moment later Mimi saw her and let out a small scream.
Bonnie comments, "Did you see another cockroach again?" Which causes Stanley to laugh.
Mimi tries to say, "No. There's a . . . "
Before Mimi could finish, Ryan came out from around the corner, so Stanley and Bonnie could see her. They stared for a moment, not believing what they were seeing. Bonnie was the first to recover. She walked over to Ryan, and took her arm. She said, "Don't worry, Mimi. Unless you're afraid of friends, too." She didn't wait for a response before leaving to another room, taking Ryan with her.
"Oh, I'm not scared. There is just a strange person in the house," Mimi mutters to herself as she goes over to the counter to see what Ryan was looking at. She picks up the book and announces, "She was looking at a cookbook."
Stanley finally recovered, silently thanking Bonnie for coming up with an excuse to fool Mimi. He added, "Yeah. Uh, she likes to cook."
Mimi said, "You know, I would have never guessed that." Which only causes Stanley to stare at her, wondering why he even bothered.
. . .
Later that day, Mimi and Bonnie are eating supper at the kitchen table. Stanley is back down in the basement with Ryan. He couldn't believe she just disobeyed him like that and risked being found out. He shouted, "What were you thinking?! What if it wasn't Mimi, but someone who could recognize you?!"
Ryan stood there staring at her feet, knowing full well that her mistake today could have gotten them all hurt.
Upstairs Mimi could hear Stanley. And it sounded an awful lot like it was coming from behind the 'supposedly' stuck door. She tilted her head and tried to make out the words, but to no avail.
Bonnie noticed and asked her what she was listening to.
"What?" Mimi asked, then realized Bonnie was watching her. "It's just the wind." She lied.
Bonnie doubted that was the case, but didn't see a point in continuing the conversation if Mimi was going to lie about it anyway.
Back down in the basement, Stanley continued, "You could have been caught! You could go to jail! And what about Bonnie and me? Huh? You put us all at risk. If anyone ever found out . . . " Stanly paused and shook his head.
Ryan said quietly, trying to make up for her mistake, "I'm sorry, Stanley."
Stanley looked over at her, more angry at the situation than with her. He said, without the yelling, trying to get through to her, "We all could go to jail if anyone ever found out. Or worse, they could come after us. Me and Bonnie could have been in a lot of danger, Ryan."
She stood there under Stanley's gaze, knowing he was right. Something really terrible could have happened today. This was by far the biggest mistake she had made in a long, long time.
. . .
The next day was soon upon the Richmond house. Stanley, Bonnie, and Mimi had all left for the afternoon, leaving Ryan with the house to herself. Even though yesterday had led to nearly disastrous results, she was not about to spend her time in the basement, when no one was even home.
The night grew on, and the sun started to set as Stanley, Bonnie, and Mimi all arrived home together. As Stanley unlocked the door to the house, the scent of a freshly cooked meal wafted out to them.
Mimi asked, as she stepped inside, "Did one of you start that before we left? 'Cause I didn't."
Stanley headed over to the kitchen, and to the pot on the stove. He slid the lid off and took a big sniff of the soup. "Ah, tomato," He said with a smile.
"You know, it's not safe to leave the stove on while you're gone. You really could have destroyed this whole place," Mimi said.
Bonnie rolled her eyes, but Mimi barely noticed as she continued, "Unless you've got one of those automatic timers. Do you have one of those?" Mimi finished, pushing past Stanley to get a good look at the stove.
While she was busy, Bonnie quickly signed the word, "Ryan," to Stanley, with a knowing smile on her face. Stanley grinned back, knowing that she was right. Neither of them had started the soup. Ryan had made it. It was her way of making up for her mistake yesterday.
Mimi turned back to them with a, "Hmm," but before she could get another word out, Stanley said, "Well, what are we waiting around for? Let's eat!"
. . .
Mimi walked up to the basement door. The rest of the house was eerily quiet, with no one in site. The sun shone brightly outside, evidence of a new day.
She mumbled to herself, "Stuck? Yeah, right, you little liar. I know your brother was down here." As she was mumbling, she took a pick lock out of her pocket and tried to unlock the door. It clicked open.
"That's more like it." She said louder. She swung the door open. There was a staircase leading down into the dark. "Well, this is interesting," Mimi continued as she flipped on her flashlight, "There better not be any skeletons down here."
She reached the bottom and walked out into the middle of the room. She stopped there surprised at what she saw. There was a bed by the far wall. Next to it was a clothes rack, stuffed with shirts. On the other side was a tall bookcase filled with all kinds of books and magazines. Mimi took a few steps around, trying to understand what this was.
Was this meant to be a fallout shelter? But then why was there only one bed? And why were there clothes scattered on the ground like a teenager's room? And why was Stanley talking to someone down here? And who was it that he had been talking to? And why this place suppose to be a secret?
Something caught her eye. There was a diary on the bed, and it was open. Mimi couldn't resist. She went over and picked it up. She randomly read a few lines, Oh, and I hope this new lady likes tomato. What was her name? Minnie?
Mimi couldn't help but tell the diary, "It's Mimi, is that so hard to get right?" She paused then continued on, Because I cooked soup for them today. I've got to try to make up for my really bad mistake yesterday. Hopefully Stanley will forgive me. Mimi dropped the book, "Oh, my!"
Hundreds of crazy ideas started to form in her head. She hurried back upstairs as she thought, They're keeping a slave down here. I've been living with slave owners.
. . .
Night fell upon Jericho, yet again. Back at the Richmond house, everyone was fast asleep. Well, almost everyone. Mimi crept down the stairs. She headed for the basement door with the lock pick in her hand. She quickly got it open and headed down the stairs. She went straight for the bed and gently nudged the girl who was lying there.
Ryan woke, looking straight into Mimi's face . . . and screamed. Loud. Upstairs, Stanley woke with a start. Bonnie slept on peacefully, never hearing a thing.
Stanley rushed down into the basement. He saw Ryan standing there. And strangely enough Mimi. They stood there, staring at each other. He walked over to them. To Ryan he asked, concerned, "Are you alright?"
She nodded, so Stanley turned to Mimi and said, "What are you doing down here?"
"Apparently not rescuing a slave," Mimi mumbled under her breath.
"What?" Stanley said confused even more than he already was. "Mimi - " He started.
Ryan cut in, "This is Mimi?"
"Sure now you get the name right," Mimi mumbled under her breath.
Stanley explained to Ryan, "Yeah, it's alright." He turned to Mimi, "What - ?"
Mimi tried to explain, "I wanted to see what was hidden down here."
"It didn't occur to you that it was hidden for a reason?" Stanley said.
Mimi continued, ignoring him, "When I was down here earlier and saw all this stuff, I assumed . . . "
"You were down here earlier? Where was Ryan?"
Stanley turned to look at Ryan, who looked at her feat, so she wouldn't have to look him in the eye.
Mimi added, "Well, I don't know, but she wasn't here."
Ryan said quietly, "I went to watch Bonnie play soccer."
"You what!?" Stanley nearly shouted.
"No one saw me," Ryan said earnestly. "I was hidden the whole time. Behind the bleachers."
Stanley just shook his head not believing this could get any worse than it was at this moment.
Mimi said, "And what's so wrong with that?"
Stanley looked at her, wondering why he was even having this conversation. He then turned back to Ryan. "We are going to talk later," He said sternly. Then he took Mimi's arm and headed back to the stairs.
Mimi said, "Wait, I still have questions. Why is she locked down here?" She paused and squinted her eyes. "She's not a slave is she?"
"What?" Stanley said. "It must be a gift how you come up with these things."
"Then why is else is that girl down here down here? Hmm," Mimi said waiting for an explanation.
"Okay, first - Her name is Ryan. Second - It's none of your business."
"Oh, my God! You are a slave owner. I've been staying with a slave owner."
Stanley shook his head. He didn't see any other choice but to tell her what was going on, "Ryan can not be seen. No one can know she is here. You can't tell anyone."
Not understanding, Mimi asked, "Why?"
"Because if anyone found out, she would be spending the rest of her life in jail."
"Wouldn't someone have to do something very serious to get a life sentence?" Mimi asked, her turn to be confused.
"Something like that," Stanley said and closed the door to the basement.
. . .
Another day has come and gone. Stanley stood over his kitchen counter peeling potatoes. Jake stood opposite him, helping him. Jake said, "I noticed they took that mechanical bull out of Bailey's, I'm sure you weren't happy when they did that."
Stanley barely replied, "Yeah." As he continued to peel his potatoes.
Jake looked at him and realized he wasn't paying attention to their conversation. He put down his potato and asked, "What's on your mind?"
"Hmm, nothing," Stanley said, pretty much lost in his thoughts.
"Well that nothing is taking up a lot of room in that thick skull of yours," Jake joked.
Stanley finally looked up from his potato. He shook his head and said, all serious, "You know a lot has happened since you left."
"Yeah, so people keep telling me."
Stanley put down his potato peeler and said, "You have to keep this a secret, Jake. As secret as anything we've ever done."
"Yeah, okay," Jake nodded, wondering what was bothering his friend.
"Shortly after you left, a girl came to this town, about Bonnie's age. Ryan Gooding. She hung in with the bad crowd. No one thought to much of it at the time. She wasn't one of our own. But then one day there was a big fight. And not just among the outlaws, a half dozen innocent people got pulled into it, too. It was as big a thing as to why you left."
Jake shook his head, not believing this town could have taken another fight like that. Then a thought occurred to him, "You and Bonnie weren't in . . ."
Stanley shook his head and wrinkled his brow, "No." Then he continued, "No one died, but thirteen of the fourteen people involved in the fight went into the hospital's critical care unit. April had her hands full for weeks. Ryan was the one who didn't have to go into critical care. She walked away from that fight." Stanley paused to collect his thoughts. "The police did a background check on everyone involved in that. Routine stuff. But, they began to believe Ryan somehow orchestrated the fight, which is why she was the only one who walked away from it."
Jake said, "What, she had to be about ten? No one really believed that did they?"
"Not at first, but there was a lot of evidence against her."
Jake thought about that, wondering what kind of evidence could lead them to believe that a ten year old was the cause of all the problems.
Stanley continued, "They found similar fights in other nearby towns. 75 total people were put in the hospital. And the thing is Ryan was involved in everyone of those fights, and every time she was the only one to walk away from it."
Oh, that kind of evidence, Jake thought, shaking his head.
"They immediately put a warrant out on her. But before I learned any of this Ryan came by the farm, looking to buy some food. She got talking to Bonnie and Bonnie somehow ended up convincing her to stay the night. I didn't find out about any of this until the next day, when I was in town. As soon as I heard, I rushed home. Ryan was still here. I began asking her about the warrant, but she tried to run."
Jake asked, "You didn't, she's not . . . "
"No." Stanley said, wondering were Jake was getting all these crazy notions from. "I had to tie her to a chair."
Jake, "Oh."
"Anyway, I asked her why the police were after her. And she told me everything. She said she was the reason all those people were in the hospital. But she told me more than what the police knew. A small gang had been following her. They were the ones causing the fights, but they always threw the blame on Ryan and no one ever knew they were even involved. Ryan's father put most of their gang in prison, so they wanted revenge. They hurt anyone she ever got close to. They followed her from city to city. Eventually she just stopped getting close to people, so no one would get hurt. But that didn't stop the gang. They just went after anyone she ever met or spoke to."
Jake, "Oh, God. You think she was telling the truth?"
"Yeah, I do."
Jake thought for a second, trying to comprehend this bizarre story. "What happened to her?"
"C'mon," Stanley said, leading the way over to the basement door. He unlocked it and went down. Jake followed him, wondering what would be down there. He sure wasn't expecting what he saw.
Ryan was sitting on her bed, reading a book. When they reached the bottom of the stairs she said, "Hi, Stan - " Then she looked up, and let the word hang there, not expecting to see yet another stranger enter her little abode.
Stanley told her, "It's alright, Ryan. Jake can be trusted."
"Uh, hi," Jake said, surprised that Stanley was hiding a wanted criminal in his basement.
"Hi," Ryan said back, not certain why Stanley was sharing their secret with yet another person.
. . .
After Stanley and Jake had gone, Ryan went to her bookshelf, picked up a piece of paper and a pen. She started to scribble something onto the paper, when someone else came down into the basement. Ryan quickly tried to hide the paper, as Bonnie stepped off the last stair.
"What's that?" Bonnie signed. Apparently she hadn't hid it very well.
"What's what?" Ryan replied, innocently.
Bonnie looked at her knowingly. Ryan rolled her eyes and took the paper out from it's hiding place. "It's just a letter," she signed back.
Bonnie wrinkled her brow, and signed skeptically, "A letter? To whom?"
"You'll see later," Ryan simply signed.
From upstairs Stanley called down, "Bonnie you're going to be late for soccer practice!"
Ryan sighed, and leaned back onto her bed.
Bonnie asked, "What's wrong?"
"Stanley just called down - you've got to leave for soccer practice."
Instead of leaving, Bonnie went over and sat down next to Ryan. "No, not that. What's wrong?"
Ryan gave up and signed, "You get to go to soccer practice. You get to go out. I'm going to be stuck down here for the rest of my life."
"Ryan - "
Not wanting Bonnie to think she was complaining, she added, "So, I'm going to leave."
"What? You can't go."
"I need to, Bonnie." Ryan explained, "I'll leave when no one is around. No one will see me go. I'm not going to let that happen."
"But you don't have to," Bonnie signed, afraid that Ryan was really going to go through with this.
"Yes. I do," Ryan said, certain. "I need to leave. I've been trapped to long. I need to be free."
Bonnie seemed to be at a loss for words, not sure what to say. Ryan gave her a hug, "Go on, get to your soccer game."
They both got up and headed for the stairs. Bonnie started up them. She turned back to look at Ryan. Ryan told her, "Don't tell Stanley. Not until after I'm gone."
Bonnie nodded and continued up the stairs.
. . .
Evening came around. Stanley and Jake were walking away from the recently finished soccer game, along with everyone else who attended. Bonnie soon joined them, as they headed for home.
"Well, we didn't lose by that much," Stanley said.
"No, just 24 to 10," Jake smiled.
"Yeah, well Bonnie was just saving her game for next time," Stanley joked, nudging Bonnie in the side. She wasn't paying them any attention, and therefore she had know idea what they had been talking about.
"Hey," Stanley said, concerned, "Are you alright?"
Bonnie just shook her head. Stanley stopped walking, worried. He looked her in the eye, "What's wrong?"
"She's gone," Bonnie signed, unable to speak at the moment.
"What? Whose gone?" Stanley asked.
"Ryan," Bonnie managed to utter.
. . .
Back at the Richmond farm, Stanley ran down into the basement. Jake and Bonnie were right behind him.
"Ryan!" Stanley called, but, of course, there was no answer. "Why? Why would she do this?" He said to no one in particular.
"Do you think the gang will track her back here - to you and Bonnie?" Jake asked concerned.
"What?" Stanley whispered. That thought had never crossed his mind.
"She's careful," Bonnie answered. "It's not likely."
Stanley goes over to the bed, where a single letter was lying. He picked it up and read, Stanley, if you reading this, then I'm already gone. I'm sorry, but I needed to leave. It's not safe around here anymore. Not with all these people who know that I'm here. I know that you trust them, but I can't trust anyone. Don't worry, I won't be seen by anybody. They will never be able to find me. You and Bonnie will be safe. Hey, who knows, maybe I'll even see you around.
Stanley crumpled the piece of paper and threw it across the room. All they can do is stand there, wondering why she would choose this. This wasn't suppose to happen.
. . .
The sun was just beginning to fall, as Stanley and Bonnie sat down for a quiet supper. Mimi hadn't gotten back from the town yet, but they went ahead and started eating without her. They both sat there quietly, and just picked at their food. Across the house there came a small crash.
"You hear that?" Stanley asked absently, thinking about Ryan.
"What?" Bonnie replied.
"It sounded like something fell over there," He got up and headed across the house.
Bonnie continued to pick at her food, thinking nothing of it. After a few moments, she looked up. She didn't see Stanley anywhere. "What was it, Stanley?" She called. A few more moments went by. He still didn't appear. She got up and crossed the house, her curiosity getting the best of her.
Stanley walked into one of the many rooms in their big farm house. Four people were in there, waiting for him. They ambushed him before he even saw them. They tackled him and then tried to cuff him. Stanley cried out, but it was no use. Bonnie would never be able to hear him.
She went through the house, looking for her brother. Then she, too, walked into that room - and right into the ambush. Before she knew what was happening, she too was tackled and cuffed. "Stanley!" she cried out.
Stanley did his best to stop them, but he was just no match for the six men. They were big, strong, and had decided that he would make a good punching bag.
. . .
The sun dipped below the horizon, it's rays of light disappearing into the cool night air, as three men stepped out onto the Central platform in the middle of downtown (well as much as you can have a downtown, with a city the size of Jericho). One man, who was apparently the leader, called out, "Gather around, everyone. We have an important announcement to make."
Everyone nearby looked over to them. They looked like three average guys. But everyone headed over to them, anyway. No one recognized them, which meant they were from out of town. So, maybe they had some kind of news about what was going on with the rest of the world. Jake made his way to the front of the crowd. So did Hawkins and Heather.
The leader was soon satisfied with the amount of people gathered around. He signaled to someone behind him. Two men walked up onto the stage - with rifles. In front of them were the cuffed Stanley and Bonnie. The other three men drew pistols from their belts.
The crowd gasped and shrunk back. It didn't take long for Grey and two police officers to push there way to the front of the crowd. They trained their guns at the men on the stage. "Put your guns down!" Grey shouted to them.
The leader just laughed. "If we die, these two go with us. If you don't want any death on your hands, I suggest you put your guns down, and listen to what we have to say."
Grey didn't lower his weapon - he didn't like listening to the enemy. Jake, who was next to him, lowered his gun for him. He said, "They mean what they say."
The leader continued, "Now we don't want to hurt these kind folks here." The two men behind Stanley and Bonnie pushed them to their knees, and pointed their guns at their heads. The leader continued, "We don't have a quarrel with your town, nor do we want to. We just want Ryan Gooding. Hand her over and these two go free."
A slight mummer went through the crowd as everyone tried to remember who Ryan Gooding was. Grey spoke up, "Ryan Gooding is wanted by this town. We're looking for her, too."
"Oh, no," The leader shook his head, "I know she is here. One of you is harboring that little criminal. Just like these two have been doing for the past five years."
Another mummer went through the crowd. Bigger this time, as everyone took in what the man said. Could someone here really be harboring a criminal? And have Stanley and Bonnie really been hiding her from the law all this time? Wouldn't they have known if they were?
"Why?" Heather spoke up. "What do you want her for?"
"She is a criminal. Why do you care? Give her to us, or we kill these two. A wanted criminal for these friends of yours. Two for one. Now, I think that is a good deal."
Hawkins stepped forward. "You said her name was Ryan Gooding. I don't suppose she is the same as the daughter of the late George Gooding. The Great police Chief of Denver?"
"Yeah," the leader spat. "Her father put my father, brother, and uncle in jail. I want justice!"
"You mean you want her dead?" Jake said, stepping forward. "She's fifteen!"
"Turn her in in an hour, or these two die. It's as simple as that."
The crowd suddenly came alive as everyone started to talk among themselves, trying to figure out where this Ryan Gooding was. And to debate if they should even turn her over. Though everyone was pretty unanimous on that one.
The men on the stage started to turn to leave, but a voice from the back of the crowd stopped them, "So this is it, Randy? This is how you want to end it?" The crowd parted to show Ryan Gooding standing there, tall and proud. She walked forward through the crowd with confidence, "After all the pain you've caused me, you want to end it with a single bullet?"
She reached the front of the crowd. Jake grabbed her arm and stopped her. He said to her, "You don't have to do this."
Ryan turned to him, "Yes. Yes, I do." And with that she jumped up onto the stage and stood in front of Randy (the leader).
Randy pointed his gun at Ryan, "I could end this now."
"Not yet," Ryan said, as she pointed a gun of her own at him. "Let them go and I'll come quietly."
They stood their for a moment, inches from the other, staring into each others faces. The crowd watched with a hushed breath, waiting to see what was going to happen.
Finally Randy signaled for Stanley and Bonnie to be released. A collective sigh of relief went through the crowd.
As Stanley stood back up, he tried to reach Ryan - to help her somehow. But he was pulled back by the men. As he struggled against them, Ryan whispered to him, "It's alright, Stanley. It's time for me to face them." And that was it, he was pulled away.
He went down the stairs on the left, Bonnie on the right. They met in the middle by Jake. Stanley said to Heather, who was nearby, "Take her back there."
Heather gently took Bonnie's arm and headed to the back of the crowd. Bonnie protested, but went with her. Stanley then said to Jake, "I can't leave her up there to die."
Up on the stage, Ryan flipped her gun around and handed the handle to Randy. He took it and tossed it to one of his men. "Turn around." He said.
Ryan did as she was told. She turned calmly, knowing these were to be the last few moments of her life. Randy pointed his gun at her head. A collective gasp went through the crowd. Everyone knew what was coming. Randy shouted, "This is what happens when you mess with the Dark Angel Klan!"
Stanley and Jake choose that moment to act. Jake leaped up onto the stage and tackled Randy's feet, knocking him over. At the same moment, Stanley jumped onto the stage and pulled Ryan away from Randy. A single shot was fired.
Everyone else recovered from their shock and went into action. The four other men on the stage took shots at the police officers. Who returned fire, along with Grey and Hawkins.
Jake punched Randy, knocking him out of this fight. Stanley covered Ryan, protecting her from bullets that were passing their way.
It was soon over. Two men on the stage went down in quick succession. A police officer was hit and went down. A wild shot hit someone else in the crowd. Then the two remaining Klan members went down - easy targets on that stage.
It was eerily quiet in the next few minutes - like it always was after a battle was fought. Ryan looked out over the stage from between Stanley's arms. She saw the five Klan members lying there. She turned away to look out over the crowd, who were just starting to come out of the shocked haze they were all in. She glanced up at the sky as the last remaining light of the sun faded behind the horizon.
That's when she saw him. The last member of the Klan. He was on the roof and pointing a long barreled gun down upon them. Only it wasn't pointed at her. It was pointed into the crowd. In an instant Ryan knew what was happening. And it looked like Randy was going to get his revenge after all.
She quickly jumped down off the stage and ran into the crowd. "Bonnie!" She called, as she disappeared into the thick off the people. Then a shot went off. Loud and powerful, the bullet sped into the crowd.
Hawkins looked to the roof and saw the shooter there. He quickly aimed and took a shot. The man went down.
Stanley didn't waste a second. He went into the crowd as they parted away from the victim of the shooting. As Stanley reached the small clearing, he could see Bonnie standing there. She was scared, but not hurt.
At her feet, lay Ryan. A bullet wound in her back. Stanley knelt down next to her, and gently rolled her over. She was still conscious. Ryan whispered, with the last of her strength, "I'm sorry for dragging you and Bonnie into this." And with that her eyes closed, and her head rolled, as she fell into an eternal slumber.
. . .
The sun had completely set on this dark day, leaving no trace of light or hope behind. Stanley sat in a chair, indoors, where the black of the night had less of a chance of reaching his soul. Bonnie was there beside him. Jake and a few others stood nearby.
A million thoughts kept rushing through his head, but one kept coming back. Why? And there was no good answer to that. Why did this have to happen to Ryan? She never asked for this, never wanted it. Why did something like this have to happen to her, of all the people it could have happened to?
"April!" Bonnie said, pulling Stanley away from his thoughts. April was headed toward them, down the hospital corridor. Bonnie stood up and asked, "Is she alright?"
She stood there, at a loss for words. Stanley, too, stood up and asked, "April, is she going to . . . "
She shook her head in sorrow, "I . . . I don't know. Her heart rate is all over the place. We won't know anything until it settles down. Probably sometime in the next few hours."
Tears started to stream down Bonnie's face. Stanley held her close and asked, "Can we go see her now?"
April nodded and pointed down the corridor. They quietly headed over to her room, hoping and praying that they would not lose her.
Jake came over to April, "There's nothing you can do?"
She shook her head, "No. She's lucky as it is. Another centimeter and that bullet would have punctuated her lungs. It's a miracle she's even alive."Star Star Star
They found and entered Ryan's room. She lay there on the bed, her face a pale shade of white. Stanley walked over and gently picked up her hand. It felt very cold. He put his arm around Bonnie's shoulder, and they waited.
Over the next few hours, tons of people streamed in and out of her room. Not just doctors and nurses. People from all over the town had came to wish Ryan well, and to tell Bonnie and Stanley that they were praying for her. There was so many people out in the corridors that the doctors couldn't even walk through. Word had spread quickly about Ryan Gooding in their small town. Her true story had finally been told.
One man in particular stood out from the rest as he visited Ryan. He was in his late sixties, and got around on a pair of crutches. He told them, "I was one of the people she sent to the hospital five years ago. I've never been quite able to heal."
Stanley looked at this man and his crutches. He wondered what this guy wanted - wasn't it bad enough that she might die? Did he really have to make it worse?
The man continued, "I spent all that time hating this young girl. I'd curse her every other breath, for what she did to me." The man shook his head and whispered, "And all this time, it wasn't even her. I came by to apologize." He looked Stanley in the eye, "When she wakes, you will tell her I'm sorry, won't you?"
Stanley looked at him. He hadn't been expecting the man to say that - to be sorry. He finally nodded his head, not sure what to say. As the old man hobbled out of the room, a thought occurred to Stanley. Even if Ryan didn't make it - maybe something good would come out of this.
. . .
Night drew on, and the stars rose and fell. The sun began to peak over the horizon, spilling it's rays of grace over the small town of Jericho. In a small room on the corner of town, four people sat and waited anxiously to see if a loved one would make it through the night.
Stanley sat in a chair by Ryan's bed. His eyes closed, but unable to drift off to sleep. Bonnie rested her head on his shoulder. She, at least, was able to get some rest that night. Across the room, Jake and Mimi sat. Here to support their friends, and pray for the young girl in that bed.
Jake gazed absently at the heart monitor above Ryan's head. Her heart rate was still fluctuating. It didn't want to stay in one place for to long. Then the numbers stopped, yet again. 112 over 61. Jake continued to stare at those numbers, waiting to see where they drifted next. Moments went by, but it did not change. Jake sat up straighter, not sure he was seeing it right. Seconds ticked by, but the numbers did not change. 112/61. That was a low heart rate - but not to low.
He gently nudged Mimi awake next to him. Pointing at the screen he whispered, "Please tell me that says what I think it does."
Mimi focused her eyes on the monitor. Then her eyes went wide as she realized what it said. Jake smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.
He got up and crossed the room. He rested his hand on Stanley's arm. Stanley opened his weary eyes. Jake looked up to the screen and Stanley followed his gaze. He stared at the monitor for a long time. A smile slowly spread over his face, as relief rushed through him.
He woke Bonnie and told her the good news - Ryan was going to be fine. She had made it.
. . .
A few days passed. This was a new, cloudless day, where the sun shined down with just the right amount of heat and light. It was one of those days where everything went right.
Stanley walked through the hospital corridor, after a long morning out in those sunny fields. He passed April on the way to Ryan's room. "How's she doing today, Doc? Awake yet?"
April just smiled and said mysteriously, "Why don't you see for yourself."
Stanley opened the door to Ryan's room, and before he saw anything he heard two teenage girls laughing about something - in the way they always do when the world is right again, if only for awhile.
Ryan was finally awake. "Hey, it's nice of you to join us," He said.
"I wanted to surprise you," Bonnie said, as she went over and picked up her backpack to leave. They had been taking turns staying with Ryan over the last few days, so the other could get some work done around the house. She turned to wave goodbye and then she was gone.
Stanley headed over to Ryan and bent down to give her a hug, careful to avoid her arm that was resting in a sling. "You gave us a scare there for awhile."
"So that's what I've been told," Ryan said lightly. Then she added more serious, "Look, Stanley, I'm really sorry - I didn't think - "
He cut her off, "Hey, you don't have anything to be sorry for. I need to be thanking you. You saved Bonnie's life. I will never be able to thank you enough for that."
"I'm the reason she was even in danger in the first place," Ryan said. She was not about to let this go. She felt responsible for bringing this down on them and this town (though neither the police officer or the man in the crowd died, they both recovered completely from their gun wounds).
"Stop putting yourself down," Stanley said. "You never wanted this. It's all in the past now. The Dark Angel's are in jail, and your name has been cleared. You get to start fresh now, no more hiding."
Ryan smiled. He was right. She was finally free. That was something she only used to be able to dream about.
Stanley continued, "I was figuring you still need a place to stay. Why don't you come back and stay with me and Bonnie. And Mimi," He added. "Of course, we'd move your stuff out of the basement."
"I'd like that," Ryan said. Then added, "You didn't even have to ask."
"Oh, I know," Stanley said. "But now you've got the choice."
"I've always had a choice, Stanley. But you and Bonnie - you've been like family to me. I never wanted to leave."
"And that's why I've always been so worried about you," Stanley said, sitting down next to her. He put his arm around her and pulled her into a gentle hug. "I was afraid I'd lose a sister."
The End