Chapter 3
Danny-No More Violence for Me
I was the only one in the church. My hands were clasped together, and I was praying for the fifth time for forgiveness. It made me feel sick everytime I pulled a trigger or shot an arrow. People are people and I couldn't help but think if they had families somewhere who loved them.
A hand rested on my shoulder and I jumped. Erica was looking down at me. "Danny, you've been here for over three hours," she said to me. "Do you even know what time it is?"
I looked at my watch. 6:30. Wow.
"Danny, I think you're forgiven," Erica said. I shook my head. "I still feel sick over what happened," I said.
"I took many lives out there. They were people! With families somewhere!" I said. My face was turning hot. "No more." I whispered.
"What?" Erica asked me. "What did you say?"
"No more violence for me. If I ever take part in violence again, I'll kill myself."
"No, Danny. Don't kill yourself! That's not good."
It was silent for a few moments. "Come on," Erica said. "I'll walk ya home."
We walked out of the church and into the night. It was warm and cloudless, and you could see all the stars. Orion was out, and a few stars pieced together looked a little like a number three.
I looked over at Erica. She had a new necklace on. It was a stick.
"Why do you have a stick for a necklace?" I asked. Erica gasped and tucked it in her shirt. Her cheeks flushed.
"It's from Matt, isn't it?"
She nodded. She pulled it back out. The stick was on a chain, and she showed it to me. It had her name on it, and the word 'Wolverine'. When I looked back at her face, I saw tears rolling down.
"You miss him, don't you?"
She nodded. "I can't stop thinking about where he could be. I can't stop worrying about him. Even though Toni was my sister and Robert and Jed and Aardvark, and especially the Colonel were my friends, I can't stop worrying about just Matt."
"Maybe you like him."
She elbowed me in the ribs. "Yeow! What was that for?"
"Because you're right."