Finale: Part Two:
Victor smiled weakly at the surprise behind Lord Barkis. As Emily stood out from behind his back, she gasped in shock, tears slowly rising to her eyes. Barkis – on the other hand – was horrified at the sight behind him. As he lowered the gun in his hands, another one was aimed at him, as a familiar voice said to him:
"Lord Barkis, turn and face me. For this shall be the last thing you do upon this living earth."
Elder Gutknecht.
Lord Barkis turned to face him, the revenge and hate in his eyes replaced with curiosity. Gutknecht stood by the hole where Barkis had appeared, holding a gun in his bony hands. He wasn't alone. Behind him were at least a dozen skeletons and living zombies. They all stood, narrow-eyed at Barkis, their fists clenched at their sides. They were angry.
Emily gasped at the sight of one of them, as Victor gently held her hand for morale support as she slowly cried at the sight.
It was her father.
Lord Hunter stood to Elder Gutknecht's side, his eyes trained on Barkis.
"What are you doing here?" Barkis questioned.
"We know what you've done" Elder Gutknecht responded, looking down the barrel of his own musket gun. "And now we've come to serve you your punishment."
Lord Barkis laughed mockingly, looking at the gun.
"You're going to shoot me?" Barkis cackled to himself, finding amusement in the situation, unaware of what was about to happen.
"I am, yes." Elder Gutknecht nodded, casually pulling the trigger on his gun.
As the explosive shot echoed throughout the town square, everyone looked in wonder. Everyone except Elder Gutknecht. For it was no ordinary gun. This gun was only used for extreme situations.
As the shot sprung forth from the gun, a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes exploded from the barrel, all heading for Barkis. The further they got, the larger they grew. They started out as a single stream of colours, which then effervesced in to a sparkling cloud. It was like a single drop of water in a river, rippling in to a thousand circles. A rainbow of colours against the dark morning sky, but with a deadly purpose. They enveloped Lord Barkis like a cage and every inch of him was concealed from top to toe. He was still visible to the eyes outside. It was like he was a creature returning to the egg before it hatched. The cage linked itself back to the gun by a single thread, like a tow rope about to guide an old ship back to the harbour, ready for retirement.
Elder Gutknecht handed the gun over to General Wellington, the tall army skeleton killed by cannon fire in the battlefield, still clad in his red uniform and single monocle over his eye socket. The General grasped it firmly and grinned weakly, glad to see Lord Barkis was now serving punishment. As he did, Elder Gutknecht walked forward until he was inches away from the cage that surrounded Barkis. Elder Gutknecht spoke to him with his hands clasped behind his back, circling the cage as Barkis looked on in despair.
"I've kept this gun away for a long time, and only for extreme situations. This gun won't kill you. It merely traps you. Like a fishing net. And it shall never let go. Once it's set its sight on you, you are forever imprisoned in its hold. This is your punishment, Lord Barkis. For the murders of Emily Hunter, and the kidnapping of her son, Christopher Van Dort. We came to an agreement on our journey up here. You will serve your time back down in the Land of the Dead, in the Hidden Realms of the Unknown for eternity. A land so dark, so gruesome, and so agonising; only the devil dare set foot there. I should warn you though, that has happened. And upon exiting, the devil was happy to be rid of that place."
Lord Barkis watched and listened from inside his cage, his eyes stricken with horror. He was going to a place worse than hell.
"Time to go" Elder Gutknecht said.
On his last words, General Wellington pulled the trigger. The cage was slowly towed closer and closer to the gun. As it did, the cage started to shrink and so did everything else trapped inside. Barkis was clawing at the walls, desperately seeking a way out. No luck.
As the cage became closer to the gun, it shrivelled to the same size of the barrel itself. Barkis disappeared completely from sight, only the shimmering rainbow colours of the energetic stream visible as it finally disappeared in to the gun.
General Wellington lowered the gun and beckoned his friend – but previous enemy – General Bonesapart, the dwarf soldier in blue uniform. He gladly handed him an empty glass jar with its lid separate, and watched as Wellington placed the guns barrel in to the jar. Once more, he pulled the trigger and in a quick sudden shock, the colours reappeared in the jar.
Everyone heard a brief shrill cry from Barkis, as his remains were stored in the glass jar and the lid sealed on tightly by General Bonesapart.
"Tis done" Wellington said firmly, watching Bonesapart tighten the lid.
"Now what?" Bonesapart said, looking in to the jar.
"Dawn is approaching" Elder Gutknecht warned, still standing in the place where the cage once was. "We have a limited amount of time in this land before the living rise from their beds. We cannot risk being seen. We must go. Immediately!"
On his last words, the Generals nodded and turned to the rest of the living dead crowd.
"Everyone, we return to the underworld" Wellington began, drawing his sword from his holster and holding it high, commanding everyone.
"With haste" Bonesapart added, holding the swirling jar of colours in his hands.
The zombies and skeleton nodded in unison, not speaking a word out of tune. They hastily turned to the entrance where they and Barkis had appeared, and one by one hopped inside like it was a ball pit for children. They each disappeared from sight, occasionally looking around to see if any living residents were awake and watching them.
Meanwhile, Miss Plum and Mayhew followed suit. They saw Elder Gutknecht watching them intently. They dropped their shovels with a clang and slowly walked towards Emily and Victor. Miss Plum placed a hand on Emily's shoulder, getting her attention.
"We must go now, dear." Emily embraced her in a loving hug, sniffing away her tears.
"Keep in touch" she said. As they hugged, Mayhew approached Victor and offered him a free hand to shake.
"Til next time, sir" he said. Victor turned to him and shook his head, pulling him in to a hug as well.
"Take care Mayhew. And thank you" he smiled.
"Ahem" the Elder coughed, breaking the silence between them. "We have mere minutes left, no time to waste. I am sorry."
Miss Plum and Mayhew pulled away and smiled once more at the couple, heading towards the hole in the ground. They hopped inside together, holding hands and smiling.
The village square went silent. The morning sun was edging closer to the horizon and the night sky was slowly fading in to nothing. Emily and Victor stood side by side, glad to see their troubles were over. Barkis was gone, their son was safe. But there was just one thing left to do. Emily whispered to Victor:
"Victor…run upstairs and fetch Christopher. I want my father to meet him before he goes."
Victor nodded in silence and left her side, running back in to their house and up the stairs to their room.
Emily took a deep breath and turned back to see the zombie that had caught her eye earlier.
He was still wearing the clothes he had died in, his skin ice-cold blue and pale, his dark hair ruffled and out of place but his wiry moustache still looking trim and proper. He still looked dashing as when he was alive. He stared back at her from afar, tears filling his eyes.
Elder Gutknecht approached Emily, reaching out a hand to her. She gladly accepted and walked with him as she led her to her father.
"You have ten minutes, my dear. Use them wisely" he said to her, then walked back to the hole in the ground, perching himself against the horse statue behind him. He wouldn't intrude on their valuable time, but he needed to watch for the sunset and any living residents.
"Emily" Lord Hunter whispered. At that point, Emily's tears were down pouring down her face uncontrollably.
"Daddy" she cried, throwing her arms around his skeletal frame and crying heavily in to his jacket. Lord Hunter repeated the notion and enveloped her in his arms, closing his eyes and savouring the moment of father and daughter reunited.
"Oh Emily…my dear, sweet Emily…I have to say…" he said, still holding her tightly. Emily listened, her eyes closed in content and comfort.
"What the Elder said…about that man Barkis. He said he killed Emily Hunter."
Emily's eyes snapped open in horror. Oh god, he didn't know the truth! Of course. When she returned home after being reincarnated, she claimed she had amnesia and couldn't remember what happened after she disappeared. She pulled away from his embrace and looked him in the eyes.
"Dad…" she began. "Please, let me explain…"
"You don't have to. I already know." Emily paused in shock.
"You do?"
"Yes. It all made sense. I realised how much I knew already, and I was able to piece the bits together. I remember you coming home one day, some years ago, gleefully talking about a new man in the village called Lord Barkis Bittern. Now, that name isn't common. Sweetheart…I know he killed mother woke the morning after you disappeared to find her wedding dress gone and our jewels stolen. It was obvious you had eloped with him without saying goodbye. The Elder skeleton informed me that you were placed under an oak tree in the nearby woods."
Emily nodded, finding it hard to believe that this was all happening.
"That's where Victor found me" she said. "He brought me back to life from the dead and became my husband…temporarily."
"I've been informed of everything in-between, darling. The wedding, Victor's first fiancée, Barkis' demise, your reincarnation, and I already knew about my grandson's disappearance. The Elder skeleton answered all of my questions and told me the whole story. We were talking in his tower downstairs a few hours ago; he told me everything from the night you died to the day you came home. He then proceeded to show me a secret portal."
"Secret portal?"
"Yes. Like a magical window in to this land. He created it to show you to me, how you were currently living. That's when we realised that you needed some help."
Emily's eyebrows frowned in confusion.
"We had heard the great news that Christopher was found safely and returned to you. The Elder opened the portal to show me your happiness and content, but instead we saw you and Victor on the streets coming face to face with that mad man, weapons in hand and ready to fight. We acted on impulse, gathered as many people as possible and came to help. The Elder brought the gun with him to…" Lord Hunter acknowledged Elder Gutknecht.
"To trap Lord Barkis' soul for eternity. We saw you confronting him and we immediately knew he was responsible for Christopher's abduction. We brought reinforcements, and we brought his ultimate punishment. He won't be bothering you or anyone else for the rest of time." Elder Gutknecht spoke.
Emily listened in awe.
"I cannot believe this. But you're handling it so well" Emily smiled weakly in amazement.
"Because it all makes sense" Lord Hunter sighed. "As painful as it is to know what you went through…" he said, before Emily grabbed his dead hands tightly in hers, looking deep in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I am truly sorry for the hurt I caused you and Mum. I was naïve, foolish, stupid and easily charmed. I thought I was making a good decision by marrying him. But I learnt the hard way that I was wrong, and I am sorry for the suffering you had to endure and if I could turn back the clock and change it all, I would."
"Don't say that, darling. If you went back and changed it all, you would never have met Victor. You would never have created that beautiful boy that I get to call my grandson."
"I had to name him after you, Dad. Can you ever forgive me? For the awful things I did?"
"Sweetheart, there's no need for that. You apologised for it a long time ago."
"When?" Emily struggled to think.
"When you came home."
Lord Hunter caressed his daughter's cheek, a single tear falling down his cheek, his gaze then averting to behind Emily. She looked over her shoulder to see Victor standing on their front doorsteps, Christopher in his arms.
"Would you like to meet him properly?" she asked.
Lord Hunter said nothing. He smiled and nodded. Emily looked over to Victor and waved for him to come over. He immediately responded and calmly jogged over to her, holding Christopher tightly.
"Lord Hunter" Victor nodded as he approached his late father-in-law.
"Victor please, call me Christopher." Lord Hunter beamed, then looking down to the bundle in his arms.
"May I?" he asked, stretching his arms out as an invitation. Victor didn't hesitate. He passed Christopher over to Lord Hunter, Emily watching with tears in her eyes as her father took hold of his grandson carefully in both arms, looking down at him. Little Christopher watched with wide eyes what was going on around him, curious to know who the blue faced man was.
"Hello young sir" Lord Hunter smiled at him. "I'm your grandfather. Albeit, late grandfather, but still."
Victor and Emily chuckled softly, enjoying the moment of a small family reunion. Emily knew their time was limited, but she tried not to think about it. Nothing could ruin this moment.
"He is beautiful" Lord Hunter remarked. "He looks just like you, Victor."
"He has Emily's nose though" Victor added. "He is as beautiful as his mother."
"I will not deny that" Emily smiled.
She was enjoying this so much, she almost forgot about the sunrise peaking above the horizon. As if on cue, Elder Gutknecht interrupted:
"I'm afraid time is up."
Emily's smile dropped instantly, her eyes catching the sunlight reflecting on the town houses.
"No" Emily moaned sadly. "They've only just met. Please, just a few more minutes."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that, Emily. I cannot control time. Say what you must and bid farewell. The sun is rising; a new day is upon us." Elder Gutknecht said, his voice laced with sadness.
"We must obey, Emily" Lord Hunter said, gently rocking Christopher. "As much as I would love to stay, I must go. It is inevitable."
"But you can't…I don't want you to go, Dad" Emily pleaded. "We can hide you in the house. Mum never has to know, and you can watch Christopher grow in to a man…"
"Darling, calm yourself. Turn around, look at the man beside you, and tell me what you see."
Emily turned to face Victor, who was listening intently.
"Victor, my husband. The man who saved my life in many ways, gave me life and loves me beyond life and death itself. The best husband any woman could wish for, and…and a devoted father."
"Exactly. That is what a father must be. Devoted. A father teaches his child the ways of the world. How to love, care, be free, be honest and how to live to the fullest. That's what my father taught me, and that's what I taught you. You were always so intent on being busy, never losing a moment in life to boredom, and always grabbing every opportunity that life threw at you. That's why you learnt the piano, painted in your room, played in the village, taught yourself to dance, read all the books you wanted to. Because that's what I had taught you, correct?"
Emily nodded, tears in her eyes.
"Let Victor be that for Christopher. Let him be a role model, a devoted figure and a loving man. You both have to catch up on some missed time with Christopher. You no longer need me. I have done my duty. I raised a beautiful daughter, and words cannot describe how proud I am of her. She has found a wonderful man who will be the best father to her child."
Emily cried, bowing her head as Victor held her hands in his.
"But I don't want you to go. I still need my Daddy" she whined, tears streaming down her face.
"When you died…I wasn't there. I wasn't there to say a proper goodbye." She wiped away her tears and took a deep breath, holding herself together.
"I always thought…you would pass away in your bed, with us gathered around you. Me, Mum and Victor. So I could say goodbye to you properly."
"You can do that now, sweetheart. I'm here. And until we meet again in death, I will not see you again. Now is the time to say goodbye, Emily. It's now or never."
Lord Hunter handed Christopher over to Victor, who gladly took him in his arms and took a step back, allowing Emily to throw her arms around her father again.
She cried uncontrollably in to his jacket, quivering as she sobbed, not holding any emotions back. Lord Hunter nuzzled his face in to her dressing gown, closing his eyes and holding her tightly.
"Goodbye Emily" he said. Emily took her time, not wanting to waste a second. She hugged her father a little tighter, before finally letting him go.
"Goodbye Dad" she sniffed. He wiped away a stray tear from her face, before realising that Elder Gutknecht was standing right behind him.
"I'm sorry, but we have to go now. We have only seconds left."
"Alright, thank you" Lord Hunter whispered, before looking over to Victor. He approached him, looked him square in the eye and patted him on the shoulder.
"Victor, you know what to do. Take care of my daughter and of your son."
"Of course. Good to see you again, however brief."
"One last thing" Lord Hunter said. He lowered his gaze to Christopher, who looked back at him with curious eyes.
"You take care of your Mum, little one. I'll be your guardian angel, I'll always watch over you."
Little Christopher giggled in delight as his grandfather placed a single kiss on his forehead.
"It's time" Elder Gutknecht said.
Lord Hunter walked away from Victor and stopped at Emily one more time, holding her hands in his.
"This isn't goodbye forever, sweetheart. Merely…see you later."
Emily – eyes red from excessive crying – looked back up at her Dad and smiled weakly, nodding in reassurance. She had faith and hope that she would see her father again. Albeit, not for a good long time, but never-the-less, they would be reunited again. He kissed her once more on the forehead as the sun peaked over the horizon in a glorious blaze.
Lord Hunter pulled away from Emily and walked with Elder Gutknecht, the sunlight beaming on to their bones and rotten clothes. Even in death, they both looked incredible. Elder Gutknecht approached the hole and looked back at the family before him. Husband and wife. Father and mother with son.
"Until we meet again" he said. Emily nodded again, wiping another tear from her cheek, feeling Victor standing beside her. Elder Gutknecht hopped inside the hole like it was a fun slide in a children's playground. She watched her father go, leaning towards the hole and preparing to jump.
"See you later, Dad" she called.
Lord Hunter smiled back, a hearty, loving smile…and then disappeared down the hole. As if it had never existed, the hole healed itself, each stone popping back in to its original spot and leaving no trace of disturbance.
The village was filled with silence once more, all the troubles of the night disappearing as if the sunlight had washed it away, like a new tidal wave on a beach. As if on cue, villagers started opening their windows and looking out in to the street, preparing for another day.
"I don't care what they see, Victor" Emily said to him. "I don't care if they see me in my dressing gown, in the middle of the street, first thing in the morning, with shovels and a crowbar behind me with no apparent reason. I don't care if it becomes common gossip. I just don't care. That was one of the toughest things I have ever had to do…but I don't regret it. Not for a single second. I've said my goodbyes to my father; his death is now officially in the past. Now, we have to focus on the present and look to the future."
She took a deep breath and turned to face him.
"What matters now, is our son. He is our priority. We have lost time to catch up on, and I won't waste a single second regaining that lost time. True, we will never get it back, thanks to Barkis, but the past is set in stone and we can't change a thing.
From now on, we are going to be the best parents our boy can get. I want to dress him in his clothes, watch him play with his grandmother, take him for picnics by the river, teach him to walk, and watch him go to his first day at school. Understand?"
Victor didn't say anything. He simply looked back at his wife, smiled at her, kissed her deeply and lovingly, and said:
"I completely understand."
Emily could no nothing more than smile and be thankful. Thankful for everything she had. She made it all the more exciting when she looked down at Christopher, tickling his tummy and saying in a chirpy voice:
"Now you, little man. Let's get you inside and call your grandmother. She'll be delighted to wake up to this news."
The End.
Authors Note:
Another story complete. I hope you've enjoyed reading it, as much as I have had fun planning and writing it.
Got any thoughts? Comments? Please tell me! I really appreciate them.
Love from the UK!
Corpsegirl93 xxx