Chapter 79: Free
We lost no time, of course. The three of us marched from the door to the blacktop path that came from the front door that Sephiroth had left us at earlier. Looking back, the estate looked so much smaller than it actually was.
The blacktop path led out the gate that surrounded the house. I was glad to have that house behind me, but I was also waiting to know whether Spencer was okay. So we all kept pushing forward.
Chrissy was leading us down the path, with Sephiroth and I a couple of yards behind. She was still trembling, but her maternal instincts were in full swing. We crossed a bridge over a small creek, and soon, foliage surrounded us. I was tempted to hold Sephiroth's hand, but his mind seemed elsewhere. Besides, we all knew what needed to be resolved at this point.
We were now in the shade. We passed a tiny white house, but it looked as if it had been deserted for decades. Up ahead was another bridge; Sephiroth spat over it as we crossed.
The blacktop path ended in a T-intersection with another blacktop path up ahead, though it somewhat continued as a dirt path.
Chrissy led us down that dirt path. The area became open, with mostly empty grasslands and a few shrubs and fewer trees. A few feet up ahead was a swarm of bees on a tree branch. Chrissy marched past them as if they weren't even there. She didn't get stung, and neither did we; we simply marched forward, as if nothing else mattered.
Beyond the swam of bees was a hill. Chrissy led us up the hill, which was plain grass and no foliage. It wasn't too steep of a hill, through we were directly in the sun. Bees and butterflies occupied the grass.
We soon reached the hill's summit. We stood at the top of the hill. Chrissy was panting. Sweat was covering all visible skin, and her heart was pounding. I swore I could hear it. Then, she looked down, and she saw what she had been looking for.
On the other side, at the bottom of the hill, lay little Spencer.
Chrissy charged down the hill as fast as she could. She fell, and seemed to hurt herself, but she just got up and continued her charge. She reached the bottom of the hill in less than ten seconds.
"Spencer?" she called in a shaky voice. "Spencer!"
She began to shake him, but he didn't respond.
I soon got a sick feeling; this wasn't good.
It was then we saw the wound to his chest.
It was a stab wound.
I knew right away what this meant. I didn't want to believe it.
The frantic Chrissy tried to check Spencer's neck for a pulse, but her fingers were too shaky to hold still.
So I checked myself.
I gently lay my fingers on his neck.
There was no pulse.
He was cold to touch.
I looked at Chrissy, tears threatening my own eyes, and shook my head.
Chrissy let out a loud wail as she snatched the lifeless Spencer and held him to her chest. Tears immediately escaped her eyes as she continued to wail and scream, rocking her dead son.
I was at a complete loss. I had seen people die before, including my biological mother, but never a child, and never in front of their mother.
Chrissy continued to sob and kiss her son's body.
And then, she saw Ben.
He was several yards away. He was laying on his side, with a stab wound in his chest.
They had both been killed.
Chrissy let out another wail, but she didn't go to her husband's body.
She was still cradling the body of her baby.
And then, I started to cry myself.
"Who could have done such a disgusting thing?!" I sobbed.
I turned to Sephiroth, and buried my head in his chest.
"The Shinra are much worse than they look," he said.
"By killing their own candidates?" I pleaded.
It was confusing at first.
Why would they kill Ben if he's a candidate? I thought to myself.
Then, slowly but surely, the realization came to me.
I couldn't believe none of us had figured it out any sooner.
It all made perfect sense now.
Ben wasn't the candidate.
Chrissy herself was.
That was why her cell door was open first; only she was the one who needed to escape.
That was why Ben's name wasn't in the database.
All the test we dealt with back there were her tests.
This whole time….
I wanted to go to her.
I turned to the grieving mother.
And it made me sick to think of the fact that Chrissy was no longer a mother.
I took one step, and then, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder.
"Leave her be," Sephiroth commanded.
"But-" I began to protest.
"She's a candidate," he interjected. "The Shinra will soon come to take her to training. And if we're still here, they'll take you, too. We need to go. Now."
He then took my hand, and led me away, before I could protest, or even process anything.
I didn't hear Chrissy beg for us to stay.
We were no longer in her world.
Only her grief remained.
She was no longer a mother.
She was now a Shinra soldier.
Sephiroth continued to lead me away, and I allowed him. As much as I wanted to comfort Chrissy (which I knew I wouldn't be able to do anyway, it was for my own safety, as well as his.
Chrissy's sobs began to dwindle, and, soon, all I could hear was the sound of birds chirping.
The dirt path continued on for a couple of miles before we hit a blacktop one again.
And then, something occurred to me.
I realized that Chrissy's husband and son had been stabbed.
And I realized that the only person in the vicinity with a sword was Sephiroth.