Meetings
Chapter 2: How Christian met his end
A few years back, José had given Ray The Dark Knight Returns for his birthday. Ray remembered that José had called it a graphic novel, but it had pictures and was not for children, so it was a comic book. It was a mock gift. A joke present. It wasn't very funny to Ray, since he'd rather gotten something he'd asked for, but he'd thanked José and that had been that.
Until one night, when the power failed and it was too early to retire to bed, yet too dark to go out. Ray searched for something to do and there it was. The only book in the house. Ana was the reader in the family: Ray was not. And even if he had been, he probably wouldn't be interested in fiction, let alone superheroes. But there was nothing else to do, so what the hell?
Ray lit a few candles and he read it in one sitting. He got confused a couple of times. The medium was wholly unknown to him and sometimes he had trouble discerning the order of the panels. At other times, he marvelled at the girl who dressed up as Robin. She was so young! Ray liked Commissioner Gordon, though.
The thing that stuck with Ray the most was Gordon, a man performing a thankless duty, inwardly repeating: 'I think of Sarah. The rest is easy.'
And it was. Whenever Ray thought of Ana, it was easy. He would do anything to keep his daughter safe.
(***)
'Ray? Where am I? What are you doing?'
Ray doesn't answer. It isn't story time yet. He needs to make sure first that he has left no trail for Taylor to follow.
(***)
Taylor was the biggest problem. Okay, Taylor and my conscience, Ray amended.
Ray had not killed people during his military service. He had been willing, though. To protect his fellow soldiers. This was like that. Not exactly, but close enough. It was either Christian or Ana. Ray was convinced of that. Sooner or later Ana would have done something to set Christian off.
Taylor was maybe too much like Ray. Competent, quiet, calm. Loyal. Ray suspected that Taylor's true loyalty was to his family. Ana had told him about Taylor's daughter and the hold Christian had over her future. At one point, Ray considered letting Taylor in on his plan, but that was foolish. The less people knew the better.
(***)
Christian stares at him with wide open eyes. He is plainly terrified. It gives Ray no pleasure. This isn't about revenge. It isn't about making Christian suffer. It's tempting, sure, but Ray is not a cruel man.
(***)
Ana was guarded at all times. Christian wasn't. In that respect, it was easy. Ray bumped into Christian. What a coincidence! Ray accompanied Christian to his car, which then wouldn't start. Need a ride? No one saw Christian get into Ray's nondescript car. Want some water? The water was laced with a heavy sedative, of course. Yes, it was easy.
As soon as Christian lost consciousness, Ray changed directions. Deep in a forest, he undressed Christian, gagged and bound him and transferred him to the trunk of the car. Ray smashed Christian's phone with a rock. He made a small fire and burned Christian's clothes and belongings. Back on the road again, Ray stopped at a gas station and threw what was left of the phone in the trash. Then he drove on.
(***)
'Christian, I'd like to tell you a story. It's called: How Christian Grey meets his end,' Ray says and he observes Christian.
Something strange happens when a man thinks that he's going to die. Something goes out of him or something comes into him. Ray had seen it happen in the army. He had felt it himself. Two different forms of surrender. You resign yourself to your inevitable death or you resign yourself to pain and maybe, hopefully, at the end of that: life. Christian's eyes brimmed with the will to survive. To live.
Ray doesn't like having to do this. He had been glad to escape the army without getting to know how it felt to take a life. Killing someone is rarely – if ever – heroic. Maybe that's why he wants to explain. It certainly isn't about making Christian understand, because he wouldn't.
'I'm doing this because of what you have done and what you are doing to Ana,' Ray begins. He recognises what this is. This is the speech. The justifying my actions speech. It's what villains do at the end of the movie. I am the villain now, Ray realises and suddenly he's tired. What's the use? Why does he care? Christian's opinion never mattered, anyway.
Ray does what is necessary, because he knows that sometimes evil is necessary.
He shoots Christian. He buries the body. He goes back home. He waits for Ana's phone call.
The end.