The Last Leaf

by zeke morgan

A middleaged outcast finds a boy without a home and takes him in, but the government officials arrest the man. The man and boy meet up again years later and the boy learns of the man's story and of the war that destroyed the town they both grew up in. The

5. Chapter 5

Last Leaf Chapter 5

Warren's legs pushed hard as he ran through fields of grass toward the Forest of Tier. His hair was flowing backwards against the wind and his senses were on fire listening to his surroundings. Passing by a few old trees he entered into a clearing in the forest. He ran right in the middle of the clearing and birds flew out from their hiding spot in the tall grass. He withdrew his saber from his sheath and turned.

"Warren, always causing trouble." A man held a musket at Warren from the entrance of the field. He continued, "Turn yourself in and save me the trouble of shedding blood."

Warren was silent and held his sword in front of his body as if he were entering into a sword fight.

The man with the musket had short black hair and had a star on his white shirt, a symbol he was part of the law. But this man was not just part of the law, he was the law in Creole. He was the chief of the three small jails in town, and he controlled all the town guards. There were a lot of wanted men in Creole but this man wanted Warren the most.

"Where do you plan to run, Warren. You can run through the forest all day but when you stop running I'll still be behind you with the musket."

"You cannot harm me, Allebail."

The young man scoffed at him. "Still so cocky. Let me ask you something, Warren. Why did you change your side? If you didn't screw up this war would have ended."

Warren tightened his grip on his blade as the sky darkened. Memories loomed through his mind as Allebail tore open old, forgotten wounds deep inside of him. A cloud was passing over the sky causing a shadow over the whole forest. He responded, "You speak the words of a traitor. You still believe it would have ended, don't you? That life is over and this life is now, Allebail." Warren thought about the fruit and corn he stole in town.

"You traded all the riches and fame in the world for what? Absolutely nothing. I'm getting tired of these hide and seek games I play with you. Today I'm taking you in, don't think you can shake me this time. I'm giving you one more chance to lay down your arms and turn yourself in."

Warren looked up and noticed the cloud was about to pass by as a gust of wind crossed through the forest and the sun was almost ready to reappear in the sky. "Fire your gun and you'll miss. You aren't a bounty hunter. Just a man with a fancy gun and an eager lust for blood and ore." He reached into his pocket subtly and took his hand out with a closed fist.

"Enough of your words! I gave you my warning!" The man's finger tightened around the trigger and he aimed his musket, preparing to fire it.

As he pulled the trigger Warren threw his hand from the right side of his body to his left opening his palm. The cloud was removed from the sun's path as this happened and the sun shined down into the forest. From Warren's hand came a sparkling dust that was caught by the gust and covered the area Warren was standing in. The sun illuminated the sparkling powder creating a barrier of light. Warren's wide eyes followed the pellet as his hair danced over his face. The pellet passed through the dust and zoomed by his head splitting bark and wood in a nearby tree with a deafening crackle.

The powder settled down onto the ground and Allebail put his gun down by his side. He could see half a mile into the forest but nothing was in sight except trees and shrubs.

He spoke to himself. "So be it Warren. If you want to use deception to gain the advantage then I will play your game. Had you ended the war you would have been a hero. Now you are nothing. Nothing! Just a criminal."

Allebail turned and left the scene. Warren rose from a nearby shrub where he was hidden and sighed. He sheathed his sword and looked into his backpack. Five apples, two oranges, and three ears of corn. The food would probably last two days at most. He knew he would have to go back in town again and remain undetected to retrieve more food for himself and more seed for his garden.

"Too close..." He breathed out as he sat with his back against a tree watching the sun travel. Warren thought of the ease of leaving his home in Creole and leaving to a place where a bounty wasn't on his head for thievery. But he turned his head away from the sun to the grassy fields that swayed in the wind, and he knew his past would come back to haunt him wherever he went.