Journey’s End
They’d
been going for over an hour and still Cory had no idea where they were headed.
He knew why of course, but that didn’t help at all. Had James taken him to
bring him to safety, or had he arrived at the end? Not knowing was killing him.
He’d read somewhere that in the past they used to have these things called
court cases in which people who had been accused of a crime were given the
opportunity to defend themselves, prove their innocence, but he wasn’t sure
whether or not he believed that. The concept was fantastic, of course, but no
matter how hard he tried, Cory couldn’t imagine a world in which those
decisions weren’t taken by the Ubers, and obeyed by the rest.
The
Ubers had decided Cory needed to be discarded. They hadn’t divulged the manner in
which his demise was supposed to be achieved and thus he’d no idea whether or
not this trip was taking him to wherever he was going to be executed or
something else. James hadn’t said a word since he’d pick Cory up from the
cellar in which they’d kept him prisoner. He’d pointed with his hands to indicate
directions but hadn’t spoken. Cory had known better than to speak without
permission and thus he found himself guessing.
He
still didn’t know how they’d discovered his secret. He’d played by the rules,
obeyed all the orders and behaved like everybody else. He’d only felt the
emotions, he’d never acted on them and had been so very careful to keep them
secret. So how had they known?
Cory
sighed as he stared at James’s back. His shoulders moved back and forwards as
he moved the alternate sides of the pedal through the water, pushing the canoe forwards
over the smooth, mirror-like, lake at a steady pace.
It
had had to be James too. But then again, if they had indeed known, they had
probably decided it made the punishment even harsher, fit the crime better. In
a society where you were only allowed to love the person who fitted you
according to a computer algorithm, Cory had had the misfortune of falling for a
man who hadn’t been his designated fit. And it wasn’t as if there’d been
anything wrong with Alan. Alan had been tall, blond, handsome and very kind.
He’d also completely failed to make Cory’s heart stutter the way just the thought
of James did.
Another
hour passed before Cory saw land in the distance. Another sixty minutes of icy
silence from James and growing fear for Cory. It wasn’t even that he was afraid
of dying. He’d resigned himself to his fate. Truth be told, he didn’t want to
live a life in which he’d be forced to deny and hide his feelings. Not knowing
how he was going to meet his end was a different story. Imagining all the
possible ways had his stomach tied into knots.
“We’re
almost there”
After
almost three hours of silence, James’ voice came as a shock.
“Almost
where?” Cory whispered his question but the quiet lake carried his voice to the
front of the canoe.
“The
end of the journey.”
The journey, not
your journey. Cory registered the
difference and tried very hard not to give it a meaning.
“What
happens next?”
“I’ve
no idea,” James said without turning to look at Cory.
Cory
watched as James landed the boot. After they both got out, the canoe drifted
away.
“You
too?” Cory asked.
“Yes.”
****
585
words
If
you want to read more, please visit the Monday Flash Fics Facebook group where
more stories based on this image will be posted and you can also have a look at
older pictures and stories if you haven’t done so in the past.
Thank
you, Brigham Vaughn, for doing your usual good work as my proof reader. You’ve
saved me from many an embarrassing mistake.
Awesome.
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