Justin walked down the long hall to the main entrance. There was a cool breeze that evening, and he wore his cape to hide from the chill. Most rats were coming in for the day, nodding to him as they passed. It had been little over a week since Jenner and his minions had been defeated, and those who'd surrendered had been locked away until Justin and the others decided what to do with them. It was most likely they would be exiled.
Justin stepped outside, seeing where the mangled gate lay in a pile of twisted metal. It had been dug out of the hillside and would eventually be cut into scrap. Looking at the mountain, Justin couldn't help but grip the handle of the sword on his belt. There was no real reason to wear it, all Jenner's men were safely contained, it just made him more comfortable. He shifted his feet, staring into impossibly grey clouds.
Looks like rain," Jacob said as he passed.
"Yeah," Justin spoke absently. "Looks that way."
They nodded, then Justin continued walking, going over the recent events in his head: the deaths of Schultz and Jenner, as well as many of his comrades and enemies. The idea of the colony dividing frightened him, and he wondered if he would be able to lead them beyond this catastrophe. There had been so much death and chaos, the stuff nightmares were made of.
He watched the remaining rats pack it in for the night. Jacob had done a remarkable job with the farm. There had only been a small percentage lost to the fire, as the flames hadn't gotten too deep before the rain had extinguished them. He'd head home in a bit as well, to his new family, and he smiled. There was so much they owed Elizabeth, as twice now she'd warned them of NIMH, but most of all, Justin owed her his life personally. Nicodemus was the only other person who could use the amulet, and almost all his energy had been drained from healing those severely wounded during the battle. There had been no way for him to save Justin, only Elizabeth.
He rubbed absently at his side, where Jenner's blade had pierced him. There was no scar, no trace of a scratch, but he would have died that night, had it not been for her, and Nicodemus had been careful enough to warn her about using the Stone's power, not to exceed beyond what she needed to. To unleash the power carelessly, like she had at the farm, would have meant thinning herself out, over the many dead rats in the lair. The effort would have killed her and, in the end, those rats had been dead far too long. It would've been impossible to save them. It was all such a strange concept, and Justin tried hard not to dwell on it. He didn't get it; he just listened to Nicodemus told him, accepting it at face value.
Think of the future, he told himself. He had no desire to live in the past, especially now that they all had such a bright new future ahead of them. There was no more threat of discovery, and their only internal cancer, Jenner, had been cut away, but more questions had also been brought up. He couldn't help but wonder, about the other group of rats, their supposed escape, the ones that had come before them. Was the Alpha group still alive? Had they ended up in a similar situation, created their own colony?
In the future, he told himself. All in the future, Justin.
He smiled again, content with life for the first time he could remember. For once, he had stability, a comfortable life, and most of all, he had Elizabeth, and just the thought of her, being there whenever he wanted to see her, was enough to warm his skin. The others were also okay. Nicodemus had recovered after some rest, and Brenda's wounds looked like they would heal without any problems. Arthur had joked, half-heartedly, that Brutus should have left Castor for him to take care of, but he'd been very concerned about Brenda's health. He'd felt the greatest of relief upon hearing the cheering news. Dietrich's leg looked like it would heal, though there was a good chance he'd spend the rest of his life with a limp.
Orion's cuts would heal cleanly, though unfortunately, his ear had been too damaged to save. He didn't mind, saying it gave him character. Sarah was also coming along, as the situation's emotional distress had pushed her to fight her internal fears. Most of the time, she looked fairly happy, a good sign, and Justin had a feeling that, from then on, she and Orion would have a long, happy relationship.
Relationship…that's what was on his mind as he walked; he was entering the kind of relationship he'd had only once before, a time that felt a thousand years ago, and he had no hesitations. He loved Elizabeth dearly, and nothing was going to stand in his way, not the issues of species, age, or that she had children. He was more than ready to be father to those children, and Ages was more than confident his serum would replicate the effects of NIMH's injections. And the thing of species just didn't matter. What was important to him was moving ahead with a clear conscience.
Tucked in a corner beside the lair was the graveyard. It wasn't too far, but at the same time, not too close and, sadly, there had recently been many additions, from both sides. He walked past various graves, most of them belonging to good friends and acquaintances, paying his respects silently in his head. He stopped briefly before Max's headstone, giving special thanks for his sacrifice, then came to Jessica's. After a great deal of searching and interrogation, they'd discovered her body at the bottom of the lake. It had been a grisly affair, but at least now she had a place to rest. At last, he stopped in front of a grave that, in truth, was really a memorial, as the bodies had been buried long before they'd arrived in the valley. He knelt before this, taking a large rose from his cape, placing it in front of the names of his first wife, as well as their newborn daughter.
"It's been a long time, Selina," he said aloud. "And so much has happened recently…" he trailed off, silent for several minutes, then spoke again. "I think you know why I'm here. I'm not here to say goodbye, not to you or our little girl, because I'll never forget either of you. You both mean so much to me…"
The wind picked up, blowing his cape around.
"I've come here to tell you I'm moving on, and I'll always have a special place n my heart for you." He breathed deeply. "I've met someone, Selina, who is very special to me, whom I love very much. I know, that if you can see me, or hear me, that you probably already know this, but I guess I wanted to tell you myself, to say it out loud. I hope you don't think badly of me. I don't believe you would, but I guess, in a way, I wanted your approval, to know that what I'm doing is okay…"
He remained unmoving for several minutes, kneeling as he looked at the ground, feeling the cool breeze as he listened to the valley. Then, he felt the warmth of the sun, even though it was still covered by dark clouds. He took it as a sign, and smiled, then stood and kissed the top of her headstone. "Rest."
He walked away, again passing graves as he went, stopping abruptly in front of one. It was Jenner's grave, the dirt still fresh. Memories flooded his mind, some good, most bad. Jenner had indeed been a force in his life, had changed the course of their history. But now he was dead, and was no longer a threat to anyone.
"And you," he said quietly, angrily. "I don't care what you think."
Justin always thought ill of speaking poorly of the dead, no matter who it was, but in this case, he made an exception, again kneeling at the grave. "I hope, wherever you are, that you're very uncomfortable right now."
The dirt stirred below, and he was suddenly blinded by a blast of dust and dirt. Gagging, he felt something grab his neck, choking him, and his hands grasped a furry arm and, when the soil cleared, he found himself staring into Jenner's eyes. Justin broke free, scrambling back and getting to his feet. He watched the scene erupting in front of him, the dirt on Jenner's grave splitting, flying in the air, Jenner violently emerging. His clothes were tattered, coated in mud, heavily stained by his own blood. It dripped from a thick gash in his throat, a huge stream flowing from his shoulder. Justin moved slowly, jaw gaping and mind reeling.
No, he thought. No, this can't be happening!
There was no time to think. Jenner pulled out his sword, and it looked like it had been rusting, decaying, for decades. His eyes blazed with fury as he bared rotten teeth, ready to strike. Instinctively, Justin drew his own blade, blocking the attack, everything running far too slowly. There was something deliberate, machine-like, to Jenner's movements, and he remained silent as he attacked. Honed by his years of practice, Justin dodged and parried easily. He didn't understand what was happening, but he somehow knew he was in control, that Jenner couldn't hurt him. In a flash, he knocked the blade from Jenner's grasp, slashing across the demon's chest. Justin moved behind as Jenner doubled over, raising his blade and driving it straight into Jenner's back. He pulled the blade free, breathing heavily as he watched the body crumple to the ground, lying still. But then he looked back to the grave.
The surface of it was undisturbed, as if nothing had happened. He suddenly wondered, did it happen? He looked down, seeing the body gone as thunder rumbled overhead. He stared hopelessly at the black clouds, seeing how they were perfectly still, despite the roaring wind. He fell to his knees, staring at the ground. He thought, am I crazy, and suddenly realized he wasn't alone. He looked up.
In the unbearably dark night, standing all around him was a circle of large rats, ones he had never seen before. He spun in all directions, seeing they surrounded him. Tall and muscular, they all wore long black cloaks and, like Brutus and Nicodemus, they all had glowing eyes, only they were different. Behind this glow was something deeper, darker, more frightening than anything he'd ever known. They stood silently as he stared at them, catching his breath, when one finally moved. This one was directly in front of him, just a bit bigger than the rest. His arm lifted, hand reaching out, Justin's blood running cold as he watched the eyes burn more brightly, light flaring as the rat's gaze widened…
Justin awoke with a start, lying in bed in a darkened room. It was late, and his body was tense, as though he'd just burned adrenaline, his heart racing, skin covered in goose bumps. Though he was half-covered by a blanket, he shivered, realizing slowly where he was. He looked around, seeing no light, aside from a small shaft beneath the door. The embers in the stove had died hours ago, though it wasn't too chilly. Elizabeth was sleeping peacefully, her back to him. The touch of her skin warmed him, bringing him back to reality. He suddenly was aware of rain tapping lightly on the land outside.
He looked around once more before lying down, his movement causing her to shift in her sleep. He curled his body next to hers, sharing their warmth as he pulled up the blanket. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close as he closed his eyes, falling back into his uneasy sleep.
This may be the end of "Darkest Days", but my story still has a few surprises coming, so stay tuned!