Chapter 3: No More

“HEEEEELP!!!”

David woke up yelling in terror. His heart pounding in his chest, so hard that he could feel himself rock back and forward from the force of his pulse alone. Cold sweat covered his entire body and his hands were shaking like shriveled leaves in a blizzard. It was another one of those strange dreams, but he couldn’t remember anything about it, not a single thing, no matter how hard he tried. These nightmares have been getting worse over the years. Rather, he had been waking up with a stronger sense of fear and horror in his heart, but it felt like these feelings weren’t his own. He just didn’t understand, and part of him hoped that he never would.

Knowing that he would not be able to sleep any time soon, David decided that the cool midnight breeze would help calm him down. So he went to grab his jacket and shoes; he was so glad that the spring snow had melted away weeks ago.

Sometimes, when David grabbed his jacket, his thoughts would turn to Reese, hoping that the strange feeling he had from the woman that adopted his one-day friend was misplaced, that Reese was living a good life away from this hellhole. That wonderfully bittersweet day was over three years ago, and David had not made any new friends since.

As David put on his little wool cap, he felt the scar that Camille’s ice ball had given him what felt so long ago. Ever since he gave Camille his word that he’d one day make him regret even being in his life, his confrontations with Camille and the Girard twins have been less brutal and common, but still painful and bothersome whenever they did happen.

David was now sixteen, or at least he has lived in the same orphanage for the past sixteen years. Actually, his supposed birthday, more the day his mother left him on the foot steps, was about a month and a half away: July 23rd. His growth spurts over the years had brought him to a height of about 5’10”, but he was still growing. Unfortunately, Camille and the Girard twins were a bit luckier in the height department. His hair had grown down to his shoulders and had become a little wavy and thicker through the seasons.

David made sure not to wake any of the orphans up as he left the room. He was surprised that his cries for help didn’t disturb anybody's sleep in the first place.

When he opened the back door, he felt a really nice cool breeze and could see so many stars accompanying a crescent moon. It didn’t take long for David to be fully relaxed, but he decided to just stay out there and listen to the wind rustling in the trees for a little while longer.

David had noticed that this had become somewhat of a regular routine for him. And was actually beggining to feel somewhat accustomed to it, being the one time in the day that he could be alone and have somewhat of a peaceful mind. There was just something about the night that truly appealed to him for some reason that was beyond his understanding.

After lying down on the cool grass for a good while, he decided that it was time to give sleep another try tonight. As he was getting up, he heard something just out of sight. David sat there, not afraid but rather curious as to what exactly he was hearing. He could hear it getting closer, but he still couldn’t see a thing. Just when he was about to think that it was nothing of interest, the same wolf that he had seen so long ago came into sight in the moon light. Again, David sat there and looked at the wolf, which stared right back at him.

David knew that if the wolf had meant him any harm, then it would have attacked him long ago, so he offered out his hand. The wolf responded to this gesture by slowly walking up to him and licking his hand. David couldn’t believe what was happening, but he quickly ridded himself of his bemusement and started stroking his old friend behind its ears, which it seemed to really like.

“Wait here,” said David, “I’ll be right back.”

He went inside and got some meat from the freezer; he figured that the wolf would enjoy it raw more than he would if it was cooked, knowing that Ms. Proulx was very capable of ruining even the tastiest piece of meat (no pun intended).

David was glad to find that his shaggy buddy was still outside waiting for him. He tore off a piece of meat and held it out in a reassuring and friendly manner. The wolf took it with surprising speed, managing to not bite David in the process.

When he finished feeding the wolf it rolled on its back and started moaning as if to beg for attention. David started to rub its belly, and he then realized that it was a she. He had, for some reason, always assumed that it had always been a sire, not a bitch, but he honestly didn’t care.

“Does that feel good,” David asked. For the first time that he can remember, he was smiling, and not just an empty smile that he barely felt, but one filled with legitimate joy and happiness. David was actually happy.

In his joy David realized that he still had his incomplete sketch of his companion. So again he told her to wait while he went back up to where he hid his little sketchbook. He flipped through the pages and found what he was looking for folded into quarters and wedged between a couple of pages.

In finding his favorite sketch he quickly ran back outside; again, she was waiting there for him. As David sat down and got out his pencil the wolf took a pose similar to the one she did the first time David had even laid eyes on her. ‘This is a pretty smart wolf’ David thought to himself.

While putting the true and final touches on, what he believed to be, his best piece of work so far, he began to realize just how unusual his relationship with this wolf was. He didn’t know if this affinity applied to all wolves in general, or only this specific one. In addition, he began to question the very fact that such a good thing was happening to him. Every time something joyous crossed his path, it was taken away and left only sorrow and pain in his heart. However, he also noticed that if this was the case, then he had no time to do anything other than get lost in the moment.

David returned his work to its trusty hiding space when he was completely satisfied. He went back outside to spend just a little more time with his furry friend. However, she wasn’t there this time.

“Hey, where did you go,” called David, “come back…. please, come back.” But she was nowhere to be found.

Refusing to give up, David went into the woods, making whistling calls while he did. He kept on going deeper and deeper into darkness, only with the dim moonlight to guide him. When he was about to give up hope, David heard some noise coming from behind. Thinking that it was the she-wolf, he called out: “Hey, over here girl.”

Immediately the sound stopped. He then heard some mumbling. It took a while, but David knew exactly who and what he had heard: Camille, Addison, and Ike. David quickly got down on the ground and hid as best he could.

The mumbling continued, but it was too indistinct for David to make out. But what he could make out sounded like the loading of a rifle. ‘It can’t be,’ thought David, ‘how the hell did they get their hands on that thing.’

As the group got closer, David could make out their silhouettes. Their footsteps were getting louder and louder. Normally, David would remain calm in such a situation, but they had real and lethal firepower on their side, which meant that he would have to keep his cool and focus. However, this was definitely easier said than done.

A fear similar to that born of his nightmares began to fill David, but this was different. It was his own fear this time, fear for his very life.

He couldn’t take it anymore; David got up and ran as fast as he could.

“There you are, you piece of shit,” yelled a voice that was undoubtedly Camille’s. This just made David run even faster. He didn’t look back, not wanting to find out what a 30-30 round to the head was like. As he was running he noticed that they had flashlights, removing the only thing that was keeping him from being shot: darkness.

CRACK

David fell. He immediately searched himself in the distant artificial light for any bullet wounds, he couldn’t find any, and he felt no pain. When he realized he was just fine, he tried to get up and keep running, only to be hit back down by the butt of Ms. Proulx’s Winchester rifle (it was solely for protection against possible dangers such as bears, moose, and wolves; it has never been used until now). Again he tried to get up, only to get kicked in the gut.

As he was lying there in agony, Addison turned him on his belly and put one of his arms in a lock, making it impossible for David to move without breaking his arm or dislocating his shoulder. He then felt someone pull up his head by grabbing a hand full of his thick hair. He was looking right down the barrel of Camille’s new toy.

“Call for your new friend,” said Camille.

“What friend,” asked David, “you know that I have now friends.”

David then saw Ike bring over his personal sketchbook with the sketch of the she-wolf held in the front.

“We’re not that stupid,” said Ike.

“Okay,” exclaimed David, “now you’re just bull shitting me.” Just as the words left his mouth he felt Addison pull up his arm, causing David to groan in pain.

“Now,” said Camille, “before I put a fucking bullet in your head.” David could tell that Camille was serious, he was really going to kill him if he didn’t aid in the killing of innocent creature. However, David didn’t care, he decided that his current situation was as good as it is ever gonna get for him, and he was willing to welcome any form of help that would end his misery, even death.

“Go screw yourself, Camille.”

Camille looked shocked at David’s response for a while, but then he shrugged it off and took aim at the head on David’s shoulders, and he was smiling really and truly…. smiling.

“At least, I get to kill something,” said Camille, “I’ve gotta be honest with you David, I’m really gonna miss making your life a living hell.”

However, before Camille could put an ounce of pressure on the trigger, he was suddenly knocked down. When the Winchester landed on the ground it shot Addison’s left ear clean off, allowing David to get loose and force him off.

David got up and grabbed the flashlight that Addison had dropped in the shock of loosing an ear, and pointed it in the direction of Camille’s cries for help. The she-wolf had a firm bite on Camille’s left arm; David could see that blood began to soak the sleeve of Camille’s jacket. He somewhat felt sorry for Camille, but he figured that he was getting what was coming to him, so he stood there and enjoyed watching Camille in agony.

Out of the corner of his eye, David saw something move towards Camille. Ike had gotten a hold of the firearm and was moving in to help Camille. In seeing this, David charged Ike and jumped on his back and wrapped his arm around Ike’s neck. David was so sure that Ike’s life was in his hands, but only to have Addison come to his brother’s aid, prying David off Ike and putting him in an arm lock all over again, but standing up this time.

David could see that Ike took aim once again.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

CRACK

The she-wolf went completely limp and as it fell off of Camille. Free from the beast’s wrath, Camille got up and, with Ike’s help and shirt, dressed his wound. When he was finished he came over to David. He didn’t say a thing; he just stood there and looked at him. David didn’t look back. He just hung his head in sorrow, with tears flowing out of his empty eyes.

“Let’s go,” said Camille. Addison threw David on the ground in front of the she-wolf’s cold, dead, and lifeless body. David laid there, hoping that his companion would suddenly come back to life, begging for reality to do this one favor for him. But to no avail, life would not even take the side of one who has suffered as much as David.

Before Camille and the twins left, they threw David his sketchbook, but not before tearing it to shreds; this included his sketch of the she-wolf, the only thing that he had left of both Reese and his now deceased friend.

When David turned to look at the hateful group, they had started walking back to the orphanage, laughing and smiling with each other. A rage began to build up in David, one that was the result of all that he has suffered. Normally, David would have suppressed such a feeling, but this was far too strong to hide, he had no choice but to feed and embrace it.

“AAAAAAAH!!!” David let out a loud and deafening cry that chilled the very blood of any unfortunate enough to hear it, including Camille and the twins.

Not knowing what to expect, Camille turned around ready for whatever David was about to do, or so he thought. David was making a battle charge with one thing on his mind: revenge.

The Girard twins tried to stop David in his tracks, sure that they could deal with anything David had to offer. Oh how wrong they were. David took a quick dash to the side and took them both out by jumping in the air and kicking them both in the chest with enough force to break a couple of ribs with each foot. David quickly got back on his feet; Addison and Ike just laid where they landed. One could have sworn that they were dead. David locked eyes on his primary target and, once again, began to charge.

Camille tried to get a good aim at his attacker, but to no avail. David had grabbed the gun out of his hands and knocked him to the ground. Before Camille could even do so much as think about getting up, he had the barrel of Ms. Proulx’s Rifle in his mouth. Camille was absolutely terrified.

“Please,” begged Camille, “please don’t kill me.”

David knew that if he went that extra step that he would become a complete monster, but he didn’t care. He had warned Camille so many times that he would get what was coming to him. This was the logical thing to do, an eye for an eye.

“Why,” asked David, “why shouldn’t I kill you; give me one single reason why you deserve to live.”

Camille tried to come up with a reason, but even with his sociopathic way of mind he couldn’t think of a single damn, lousy reason. He closed his eyes, waiting for his life to end.

click

David had pulled the trigger, but nothing had happened. No bang, no blood, no death. Realizing that he was truly about to take the life of a fellow human being, and a pathetic one at that, but nonetheless, he had taken that extra step to kill somebody. He failed, but he still tried. Completely surprised and disgusted in himself, David lowered his weapon and promised himself that he would never again even attempt take the life of another out of blind rage.

As David began to walk away, he heard Camille laughing as he started to get up.

“You’re such a pussy,” Camille said.

Instead of using words in response, as he usually did, David turned around smashed the butt of the rifle into Camille’s face, breaking his nose. David them made another promise: he was going to get out of this hell on earth the first chance he got, with or without his letter.

It wasn’t too long of a walk back to the orphanage, much closer than he thought. As he was about to crawl back into bed, he heard some rumbling downstairs; it was Ms. Proulx running outside in the direction of the “little incident.” David wasn’t worried. If Camille, Addison and Ike knew what was good for them, and he assumed that they did, then they would do anything but tell her what truly happened tonight.

The next morning, David woke up with a new sense of self. He was really going to run away the next time he went to the town of Churchill, which was in fact tomorrow, which meant that the mail had come today. David didn’t want to, but he figured that there was no harm in checking it the last day that he would be there.

On his way out the front door saw that the bus was gone, probably Ms. Proulx bringing those peaces of shit to the hospital. David was proud of what he had done to them, proud that he had been the one to deliver their punishment. However, he was still upset with what he had tried to do in the end.

There was a lot more mail than usual this time, but he still managed to get a hold of it all. As he was flipping through the mail he noticed one letter that stood out; it was sealed with wax with a strange symbol; it seemed familiar to him, but he just couldn’t remember where from. David turned it over, and looked in the top right corner to see who sent it and from where, but there was nothing there. He then looked lower and saw in elegant writing: David.