Chapter 10.5
Elliana woke us up early the next day to visit the grave. I'd never been to a graveyard, the bodies of those who died in their time in Dark Moon Squad, were abandoned and left at the mercy of scavengers, for their limbs to be ripped from their bodies and devoured. So, I'd never seen a burial, even if I was quite accustomed to death.
We used her car to travel thirty minutes South, out of town. When we arrived, I found it wasn't like what I thought it would be. We pulled over to the side of the road, everything was still and quiet, like we'd stepped into a different universe entirely, where time doesn't pass.
It was a flat plane stretching out for miles until it met with an iron fence and beyond that a dense forest. Jutting out of there ground were rows and rows of identical slabs of white in perfect parallel lines. Somehow it seemed wrong to me how death could be presented so orderly and faultless. Death wasn't like that at all.
At each row there was a number, and each grave had a number and a letter, like a coordinate. Alex led the way, taking us through till we reached R37. The grave of his father. I noted that two other graves besides it had the same family name, and there was a space left in the column ready for another stone.
While Alex mumbled to the stone of his dead father, I couldn't take my eyes off that gap in the grass, the only discrepancy in the perfect lines of white stones that stretched across the plane.
"I heard the both of you were keeping an eye on them." A voice broke the calm from behind us. We turned and was met with an elderly man in a crisp suit. But his age was deceiving, even under the suit I could see a powerful body wound taunt with anger, ready to erupt at the slightest of push.
"If keeping an eye on them you mean looking after them like family then sure." Elliana seemed to know him, but I don't think she like him much.
"Of course." He replied with a sour look. I got the impression that not what he meant at all.
"I was just taking Alex to see his father. What is it you want?" she asked curtly.
"Just to pay respects to an old friend." He gave a menacing smile, and I feel myself reacting to his fury barely concealed under his fitted suit, the hairs on my hairs stood alert and my muscles tensed, ready to spring into action if he made a move against us. Alex was still kneeling on the ground, while his head was still bowed, he was no longer muttering to his dad's stone. He was listening.
"Right." She replied curtly.
I didn't like that man, there was something off about him, something menacing. "Of course, we don't actually know if he really was a friend or not. I wonder what dear Alex saw that none of the rest of us did. It would be very interesting to know." Alex tensed under his words. I didn't understand what he meant, but it struck a cord with Alex, and that's all I needed. I shuffled to shield his view of Alex, my body taunt and ready for a fight. Even if he looked like an old man, he was battle ready.
"I think that's enough old man." There's an edge to voice containing a deadly warning.
"It's okay. I'm sure he knows that truth." The sides of his mouth turn up slightly.
"I can't believe you came here to mess with his son! Do you have no moral sense left?" She hissed.
"It's ok Elliana, we can go now. I've talked to my dad enough." Alex gave a sad smile, and she nodded a little reluctantly, coming back to herself.
"Ok. Let's go home then." She concluded, putting a firm hand on our shoulders and leading us away.
"Oh, and Elliana. I suggest you keep that wild mutt on a tight leash!" He yelled, just before we got out of ear shot.
Looking back, he stared at us until we were little pricks in the distance, and I could no longer distinguish his finer features, he was just a vague figure of a greying old man.
When we were nearly back at the car, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, "Calm down! I thought you were going to hit him." Alex laughed, then in a smaller voice, "Thanks." He muttered.
I realised it was the first time I really felt desire to protect someone. "What are brothers for?"