A Window To A Soul

Chapter 36: Cal

With nowhere to go, everyone pitched up tents in the fields at the edge of town. There is one big tent that we use for medical stuff. Everyone is really jumpy about Elliott... about Oden coming back.

Me and Della mostly helped in the medical tent and we barely got any sleep. Well, I barely got any sleep, I let Della take naps on one of the mattresses.

I was helping a soldier with an infection when Della woke up and came up to me. I glanced over at her while I was cleaning the wound. It was a big cut from the debris. He was also going through a hard time because his sister was killed. I couldn't help but compare it to me and Chloe. I hope she's doing well.

Della got on her knees to talk with me. I spoke without looking at her, still trying to help clean the guy's wound. "No dream?"

She shook her head. "No." She sighed heavily. "Last time he spoke to me was the fight, and after that, I wasn't there long enough to speak to him. I woke up from that woman screaming. I haven't been there since, and I can barely fall asleep."

As I was giving the guy new stitches, I responded to her. "Would it help to have a private tent?"

She shook her head again. "No. it's not only the noise around me. I've been so scared of Oden coming back that I can barely even breathe."

I washed my hands in a soap bucket when I was done. Then I got up and went to the next mattress to the right, separated by a hanging sheet. Della came with me. This next woman had purple eyes and she had lost a leg when the strip club came down.

I checked up on her, and she didn't need any help this time, and then I went to put the bucket away. I left the tent with Della and we both sat on a log bench outside. It was still dark out, so I was looking at the stars. I sighed heavily. "What are we doing?"

Della looked at me. "Hm? What do you mean?"

I shrugged and looked down at the dirt. "I don't know. I'm just so worried that we're doing the wrong thing. What happens when Oden comes back? How many more people is he gonna kill? And how are we going to stop him?"

Della didn't answer me. I didn't expect her to. I continued. "I want to save Chloe. She's my sister." I scratched my nose. "I don't want her to suffer any more than she already is. She deserves a better life."

Della put her hand on mine and I looked at her. She was smiling at me comfortingly. "And that's why we're doing this, Cal. We want everyone to have a better life. That includes Chloe. We'll save her."

I felt a tiny spark of hope. When she said that, I realized that we just might be able to do this. We might be able to beat him. I thought about the punishment I went through when I was 10. I thought about the whip cracking against my back. I thought about the blood that I had lost. I would never have to deal with that again. I'll be free.

I looked back at Della and nodded. "Yeah. We'll save everyone." She didn't say anything, instead, she leaned forward and kissed me with her hand still on mine. I closed my eyes and kissed her back.

Then she leaned back, but she wasn't looking at me. I put my other hand on top of her's. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay?" She paused before continuing. "I just feel like I'm betraying everyone who's still hurt and suffering by trying to be happy."

I smiled a bit. "It's okay, Della. You deserve to be happy. We all do."

She looked at me, her eyes full of hope. "Do you really believe we can do this?"

I chuckled. "Are you having doubts now? Have we changed bodies or something?"

She smiled and looked down. "Yeah, I guess it's pretty stupid."

"Cal!" I heard someone yelling my name. I looked over Della. It was Chloe. She was walking toward us. I stood up, motioning for Della to stay behind me. I walked up to her. Chloe spoke before I could get a word in. "You need to stop this. You have to just accept what Oden wants from you."

I clenched my fists and looked down. I couldn't handle looking at her. She looked so miserable, but I knew that she wasn't going to admit anything. "Chloe. Tell me what he's doing to you?"

Chloe answered quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about. He's treating me like a bodyguard, nothing else."

I shook my head. "No, Chloe." Then I looked up at her. I could see from her face that she was lying. "If that was the case, then you wouldn't have begged me for help."

She was getting worried. I could tell. "I made a mistake! I don't need help! Oden treats me just fine! I-.." She paused. "I'm fine with my life like this. I don't want it to change anymore. So just... stop defying him and he will go easy on you."

I couldn't stand seeing her like this. And all I knew was that he wasn't treating her normally. I remembered how Oden held onto her when we were leaving his mansion. And I remembered how he specially asked for her, and how she was the only girl. My eyes widened in realization as I realized the truth. Oden was truly horrible.

I felt pain as I thought of how I would have to speak to Chloe to make her want to leave. "Chloe, you were ranked the strongest bodyguard there is. How are you going to let Oden use you like that? He doesn't even love you!"

Chloe's eyes widened and she wouldn't look at me. "I... I don't care!"

I took a deep breath and spoke louder. "Chloe! I am your twin brother! You have to listen to me when I tell you that you need to stand up for yourself! I want you to be able to live a good, happy life! Please, Chloe!"

I could see in her eyes that I was getting through to her. And then she nodded. "Okay." My eyes widened. I didn't expect for her to actually listen that quickly. "I do want to be able to live happily. But I do have feelings for him. And I hate it! But..." She looked at Della and then back at me. "I want to be free."

I smiled in relief. "Really?"

She nodded and faked a smile. "I want to try."

I looked down at her feet and kept smiling, feeling like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I finally convinced her to let me save her. I heard Della's voice behind me. "CHLOE!"

I looked up in surprise, now seeing Oden right behind her. Chloe's eyes were wide. Then she moved back and then forward. I could hear the sound of a blade stabbing her. Oden was stabbing her.

I grabbed her shoulders and tried to get her away from him, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "CHLOE!"

I shoved her behind me and was now facing Oden with a smile on his face and a bloody dagger in hand. I looked back at Chloe. She was now on the ground. I looked back in front of me, and Oden was gone. But there was one sentence echoing in my brain, like he had told me something. "Good luck, Cal Madden."