I promise I didn't leave you hanging on purpose. We got dumped on by a ton of snow these past few days so I was busy outside keeping things running smoothly. Today is the first day we didn't get another 10in so I finally got some time for the fun stuff.
Watching the scene unfold had brought back unwelcome emotions; so unwelcome, they threatened to force him back into the safety of seclusion, stay out of the business of others, remain hidden until his mind was ready to process reality once again.
At first, he had done just that, returned to his lair, weaving back and forth, hands shaking, his wild locks bobbing with every rattled breath he took.
It was too soon in the day to completely go into hiding, he knew that. There was still food to gather and nightfall to prepare for. There were the damp woods he loved to lose himself in, the forceful wind sending strange scents and sounds his way, tickling his senses. There were the creatures he shared his home with, the materials inside his burrow that he liked to run his fingertips over, feeling the smoothness of the dead wood.
All those things calmed the demons within his troubled soul, the unspeakable evil that resided within the walls that was his body, threatening to escape if he as much as acknowledged their very existence.
They were powerful demons, capable of great evil, willing and eager to take over his body to live out the vivid nightmares of his past in real life.
No, he told himself, this pandora's box must not be opened, no matter how much he wanted to interfere.
"But what about the kid?", one of the voices from within said, the kinder type, what few of them were left anyways, "They killed the kid. That wasn't nice. They have no empathy, no morals. Now they're trying to kill the peacekeepers too."
"Permission for interference cannot be granted, Sergeant", came the prompt answer, "You've got your orders. Abide by them."
"But nobody will get there in time. We couldn't save the child. Maybe we can save the peacekeepers."
Feeling the sweat roll down the side of his temples, he began weaving back and forth again, wondering how the altercation was proceeding outside his lair.
"Your interference has caused enough havoc. Stand down, soldier."
"But what if they die? They don't deserve to die. They were just trying to find the truth. We must save them and stop the evil men! We must stand up for the truth."
"Silence! Or I will have you brought up on charges, Sergeant!"
A shiver ran through his body, nearly making him fall off the small rock he sat on.
"Evil, you say?", another sinister voice came from the back, "We like evil. Let's be evil."
"No. no. We cannot be evil. We must fight evil!", he thought it was another voice saying it, but he actually did so himself in the quietness of his home, "Cannot be evil. Must…must save the peacekeepers."
"But it's so much fun to do evil…", the voices recalled before falling into a manic chant.
"Not today. Can't do evil today. .peacekeepers."
Not waiting for the others to reply, he stormed out of his shelter and headed back to the pond.