Chapter 31: Sunrise
After months of deliberating John Smith's case, he was given a trial during the spring which Pocahontas attended in order to provide testimony. She told the same story she told the police, that it was Thomas who shot Kocuom and not John. But because Thomas couldn't be found at the Foster home, which had been abandoned for a long time by its caretaker Wiggens, Pocahontas' words could only be taken at face-value by the attorneys. Senator Ratcliffe was present, though, and Pocahontas didn't like him one bit.
He had a long chin and a pointy nose with droopy eyes while a receding line of black hair went down to his shoulders. His choice of clothes included a crimson suit that had purple cuffs, a matching handkerchief, and shiny black shoes. When he took the witness stand, his wounds sounded convincing but Pocahontas sensed there was something dishonest about them. Then when Ratcliffe left the courtroom, there was a small thin man waiting outside holding a white pug in his hands. Before Pocahontas could point them out, though, the doors to the courtroom closed. After that, Pocahontas' father Powhatan testified but it was clear he was still bitter about Kocuom's death.
So in the end, the jury declared John guilty for orchestrating Kocuom's murder with help from Thomas in order to incite conflict between the Pandemonium Gang and the City Counsel. For this, he was to be executed at sunrise the following Saturday. Unhappy with the verdict, Pocahontas did some research and discovered the death penalty was legal in this city but only in regard to extreme cases. John's case, though, didn't fit the criteria. But when Pocahontas tried to speak to the judge, he was too busy to meet with her.
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The following Friday, Pocahontas decided to pay John a secret visit in his jail cell while Nakoma reluctantly distracted the guards. By the time Pocahontas got inside, John was lying on a bare bed looking up at the barred window where a trickle of moonlight filtered through.
"Pocahontas?" John said, noticing Pocahontas on the other side of the cell door. "What are you—
"I'm getting you out," Pocahontas explained, holding the keys she swiped from the jailer earlier. "If we hurry, we'll be gone by the time Nakoma finishes distracting the guards."
Getting up from the bed, John walked up to Pocahontas and shook his head. "I can't go."
"But if you die tomorrow, Ratcliffe's crimes will go unpunished."
"I know, but…if I hadn't dragged you into this, Kocuom would still be alive."
"You weren't the one who pulled the trigger, though."
"Thomas was only protecting me, and we both know it."
Just then, the sound of shuffling feet echoed down the hallway.
"Please, John," Pocahontas pleaded, holding the side of John's face. "I can't leave you."
John pressed his hand against hers and whispered, "Just remember: no matter what happens, I will always be with you, forever."
The two briefly kissed, and so Pocahontas left to rejoin Nakoma before the guards noticed her.
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"Did you visit John?" Mrs. Willow said to Pocahontas as the two sat beneath a tree together.
"Yes, but I couldn't persuade him to go with me," Pocahontas replied, lowering her head. "And now he's going to be killed at sunrise."
Willow frowned. "Then you must stop it from happening."
"I can't!"
"Remember your dream."
"Why does that matter? I was wrong, Mrs. Willow! I followed the wrong path!"
Curling up, Pocahontas silently cried when something fell out of her blazer pocket. Looking down, she saw John's compass and picked it up. As the red arrow inside it moved, Mrs. Willow pointed at the compass and said, "Look, it's the arrow from your dream."
"Then…it was pointed to him, like I thought," Pocahontas realized out loud.
A sudden gust of wind blew through the park, as Pocahontas looked up and noticed the sky had now become a dark grey color.
"It will be sunrise soon," Pocahontas stated.
"Therefore, it's not too late, child," Willow encouraged, putting her hand on Pocahontas' shoulder. "You know your path, now follow it!"
Sometime later, when the sky had turned lighter, John Smith was dragged by two police officers into a room containing an electric chair. Though he tried to resist, the guards managed to strap him into it while across from him a glass window showed several people seated behind it including Ratcliffe and Powhatan. Then suddenly, Pocahontas came into the room and blocked the executioner from the switch that would activate the electric chair which caused her father to stand up in surprise.
"If you kill him…" Pocahontas began as she breathed heavily. "Then you'll have to kill me too."
"My daughter," Powhatan addressed. "Stand back!"
"No!" Pocahontas objected. "I love him, Father!"
Powhatan's eyebrows furrowed.
"Look around you," Pocahontas insisted, looking at everyone in the room. "Everything here forms a path. This is the path I chose! What will yours be?"
"Such insolence," Ratcliffe growled. "Guards, take this young lady away!"
Before the police officers could approach Pocahontas, Powhatan held his hand up causing them to stop. Then Powhatan closed his eyes and seemed to be listening to something, though none of the men present could hear anything.
When he opened his eyes again, Powhatan's eyes had a determined look to them. "Today, we have come with anger in our hearts. But she comes with courage, so what makes our judgement better than hers? Release him!"
Without questioning Powhatan, the officers removed John from the electric chair and brought him out of the room where Pocahontas embraced him. While most of the people where shocked, Ratcliffe frowned and pulled out a hidden revolver from his sleeve. Noticing this, John pushed Powhatan aside as a shot rang out. While Pocahontas saw John fall, Ratcliffe attempted to leave but he was taken away by some masked men who suddenly appeared outside the execution room. As the cops called for backup, Pocahontas took John away and into the infirmary where a doctor treated John's bullet wound. Once it was dressed, the doctor left too see if Powhatan was hurt. Soon after, one of the masked men suddenly appeared and removed his mask revealing himself to be Thomas.
"Are you okay?" Thomas asked nervously. "The boys and I saw Ratcliffe shoot you, and I thought—
"I'm fine, Thomas," John insisted, trying to sit up. He then turned to Pocahontas and said, "He told the other Foster guys what happened, and they were planning to bust me out the day I was to be executed. Initially, I tried to talk them out of it but when they decided to kidnap Ratcliffe as well I agreed to the plan."
"Why?" Pocahontas asked.
Groaning, John explained, "Ratcliffe's too powerful to be tried in a court of law. He rigged the case to have me executed, by manipulating your father's anger over Kocuom's death to get him to pull a few strings. So by getting rid of him now…"
Stumbling, Pocahontas caught John while Thomas reached for him too.
"Sorry," John apologized, catching Pocahontas' attention. "I should have told you sooner, but…I was hoping…you would come with me."
Pocahontas hesitated and looked at John with tear-filled eyes. "My life is here, John. I can't just run away with you."
After a pause, John said, "Fine, then I'll stay."
"No, you have to go," Pocahontas claimed. "Remember, no matter what happens…I will always be with you, forever."
She kissed John one last time, before Thomas took him away.
End of Chapter 31
