A Discussion With Those Who Decide

Dad, Trevor, his friend, and I all walked back inside, heading over to the gym where everybody was starting to eat lunch. We had just barely recovered from Korin's stunt where he got rid of all of our meat, and replenished our stock after a long time.

Trevor walked in politely, waving to everybody at the same time Dad greeted them with a slight head nod. I assumed that Trevor was very nervous about being surrounded by people he didn't know because that's how I would've felt.

Dad called out to everybody in the gym with a whistle and then cleared his throat to begin talking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, while Leon was out on guard today, he found these two very nice men. Trevor and Dustin. You see, they're traders that drive all over the area to find people who want to buy their stuff, which is why we pulled in all of those medical supplies a few moments ago. They're very nice people, and they've brought something to my attention," Dad said.

I know he did it a lot, but his ability to get together and direct a crowd in the way he did was nothing short of impressive. We did get to know everybody in the gym for the past six months, but I still had trouble greeting everybody even to this day.

Dad directed the attention to Trevor, and he nervously scrambled to find the words to introduce himself, and his friend Dustin.

"Uh, hi everyone! I'm Trader Trevor, as the people call me all around... um... so, we talked with Charlie and came to a consensus about a threat out there, brewing. I'm not sure if you all knew him, but Charlie was aware of the name 'Vincent'," Trevor quickly ended, waiting to see everybody's reaction.

Both of Korin's parents were visibly shaken by the mention of Trevor's explanation. Then, the two connected l could see the realization form in Trevor's eyes.

"Woah... you two... you're okay! Thank goodness!" Trevor said out loud to Ernesto and Grace. The two nodded their heads uncomfortably and Trevor found the motivation to continue on.

"Vincent is a powerful foe... and he has something we call The Herd swarming around the High School, destroying things in its path... Charlie here wants to converse with Vincent and get him to push his horde away from here, right?" Trevor asked Dad again. He nodded and then took back over.

"We can't hide forever, not from the outside world. Sure, we can try, but if Vincent gets this horde to us, where we live, it could be the end of sustainability for us. We could all die if I don't try to talk to him. I'm aware of how stupid of a decision it is, but I'm also perfectly aware that it's our only decision. He's cornered us, and we won't be pushed out of our home," Dad declared.

His confidence was beaming as the rest of the room agreed with him. Of course, I knew Mom had something to say about it as well, but she would wait until private so she could scold Dad.

"However... I'm not going in there blind. Not at all. I can see the threat from far away. This horde could corner us, the horde could corner me, Vincent could corner me... I won't let that happen. I know Vincent wants to take advantage of me, just from the stories I hear about him, so I will devise a plan to get in to talk, and get out safely," Dad declared.

It was a very risky declaration, with Ernesto and Grace knowing how dangerous Vincent truly is. The two of them would know the best route for leaving the High School, with whatever Vincent turned it into, and could help Dad out... but would they?

"Ernesto and Grace, I wanted to call upon you for your help and guidance here. I know, it might be greedy of me to ask you to go back and relive your most traumatizing moments. If you could draw a layout, or even come with me when I go, that would be really amazing," Dad pleaded. I didn't think either one of Korin's parents would agree, but surprisingly, Ernesto jumped on as soon as possible.

"It's a good thing we're here. We've been waiting for our opportunity to strike back. You want to construct a future with Vincent, but we don't like that idea. We want to kill him," Korin's parents held their rebuttal strong, standing across the room and staring at Dad in the middle.

"I understand... trust me, I do understand where you're coming from. If any of my family members were injured by Vincent, let alone killed... I don't think I'd stop myself until I dragged his body back home and hung him up on display. However, that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Part of being human is clutching to our ideals and morals because we are better than Vincent. If I had the power he did, do you think I'd turn into him? He's a bad man who got lucky, that's it, and we'll solve it accordingly," Dad explained to him.

Again, I was absolutely baffled by the way he turned this conversation around and already seemed triumphant. His confidence was... dangerous, in a way.

"Charlie, I hear you, I really do... but it's personal. Very, very personal. I don't have a problem discussing it here though, so please, let's continue. The problem with Vincent... is that a bad person doesn't change. He killed our daughter, he planted a seed in our son that got him killed, he's an infection, one that one be purified until he's hit with the sweet release of death. If you don't have the strength to kill him, Charlie, then I will. In fact, I want you to let us," Ernesto clarified for Dad again. He nodded silently, trying to calm him down.

"It's my final decision. Vincent will die, and his kid will follow. I don't care," Grace added next. She was very threatening in her choice, getting closer to Dad when she declared what she believed. Now, Dad wasn't stupid, so he nodded, and backed away, looking toward everybody else.

"We'll have a unanimous vote, and you can see the results. I will stay out of it, and all children will not get a say. That being said, Niko will naturally not get a say either, so whatever you guys decide to do, that'll be what we do," Dad declared for everybody. He wasn't a dictator by any means, but if I were him, with everything I knew, I would've slaughtered Vincent in cold blood.

It's just what I was beginning to learn was the right thing to do. Monsters, whether dead or alive, didn't deserve to live.