LOTF- An Epilogue
Jack dodged and slashed at the same time, saving himself from Ralph, but at the same time, trying to hurt him as much as possible. He knew Roger was close to them, throwing boulders down the mountain side. There was a lot of noise and confusion, the tribe's cheers, Jack's gasps and Piggy's screams, asking them to stop. Through all of that commotion, he heard one clear sound, a dangerous one. The sound of the boulder falling. He moved away from the falling piece of rock as fast as he could, only to see Piggy being struck off by a boulder. Before they could even move, Piggy fell off the mountainside and he knew in that very second, that it was not just Piggy's life; but also the only streak of innocence the boys had left in them that was lost.
***
Jack woke up with a start, sweating and panting. He shook his head, trying to get those nasty memories as far away from his possible. He grabbed the clock, trying to read the time with his sleepy eyes. It was 6:15 already. There was still an hour left before his alarm rang off, but Jack wasn't sleepy. He got out of his bed and made himself coffee in the kitchen. He opened the door to his balcony and walked out, trying to soothe himself, getting the air in as much as possible. It was a cold winter morning and it was a big one for Jack. He took his charge as the mayor of the city. A leader, A chief, someone who led the people of his city, towards justice and equity. He wanted to lead and head a city where the mornings were as bright as the Sun itself, the nights as pleasant as the mornings themselves. People as happy as the characters from a children's book and children as innocent as they should be. No war, no hatred. Just plain love and peace, like how he imagined his life would be as a kid. Before he was stranded on the island. Before he turned to the villainous ways of savagery and killed people. Innocent lives, people died because of him. Innocent kids, who had a lot to do in the future. Whose right he had snatched in his thirst for blood and power. Jack sipped some more coffee and looked into the horizon, deep in thought when Lucy, his wife came in with the kids, Sam and Eric. He named them after his two choir boys, the twins who were more famously known as Samneric. "'Morning daddy!" Eric hugged him from behind. Startled, Jack quickly turned around and a smile made way through his lips, something that seldom happened. " Good morning Eric. Morning, Sam." He kissed both his children and hugged them tight. He always knew one thing, his children would get the best, nothing bad would ever happen to them, they wouldn't see anything that even closely happened to him. He smiled lovingly at his wife, who smiled back at him. "I see you are up early, anything important?" She asked. Jack shook his head. "Just wanted some coffee." "I also see you have developed a particular liking for coffee. And to think you thought it was gross when we first moved out of England." She always said that, whenever she caught him drinking coffee. Jack just smiled. "Its a pretty big day today at daddy's office. Why don't we leave him alone. You two have school too!" Lucy ushered them out of there, knowing her husband needed the quality time with himself. Jack turned around and looked at the horizon, once again thinking about how he would lead the people towards good.
***
"Thank you. Thank you all. Have a great day ahead. Thank you once again." Jack walked away after giving his speech. He had to go to the office. He had work to do. A quick lunch later, Jack was meeting people. People from different places, and he tried to help them. Help them all. After all the sins he had committed, the mistakes he had done, he had to at least right some wrongs to get some kind of a closure. Man after man, woman after woman, he tried helping them as much as he could. He got used to coffee now, like Lucy had said. It helped him reduce his headaches. He quickly finished his work for the day. He decided to surprise his family with dinner reservations.
***
Jack unlocked his front door. He was surprisingly the first one to return home. Lucy called to say that they were reprinting the front page and that she would be home late. The kids were with her in the office. Sighing, Jack walked in, thinking about the dinner reservations he made. A quick phone call and a cancellation later, he was sitting on the couch, watching the evening news. "In crime news today, the murderer of the billionaire boy Percival, Roger has escaped from prison. He has been on trial since Tuesday and has been sentenced to death just yesterday. The city has come to a sudden stop as they are shocked that a cold blooded killer like him could be left like that. Sources say that Roger and Percival were good friends ever since they met as kids when they were stranded on an island. Just two days before his murder, Percival had let out some shocking details about their stay on the island. Where Roger is right now, nobody knows and the cops don't want to reveal anything." Jack looked up, paying as much attention the second he heard Roger's name. He sighed and looked at the picture shown, he could see the resemblance. It was his old friend, Roger. He sighed. He remembered the island. He remembered the heat, the hunger, the fear and the thrill he got the first time he killed a pig. Jack closed his eyes and fell back on to the soft leather. He had moved past that. The hunt, the savagery and the lust for power. He was helping people. He remembered the rescue. How he realized his mistakes. What he did on the island came crashing to him. Jack suddenly opened his eyes as he heard something, actually someone break in. Surprised, he got up and walked slowly towards the direction of the sound. The thief had a strong yet a strange build. Strange in a familiar way. It looked like someone he knew. He quickly turned around a with a sharp move, he put the mayor down. Suddenly, the hand on Jack's neck loosened up. "Jack?" The assailant asked. Jack coughed and replied with a huffy yes. "Jack!" The assailant seemed happy. Suddenly, realization dawned upon him. "Roger?" Jack pushed him off with all of his effort. "What are you doing here?" He asked, suddenly scared. He remembered what he saw on the television. "Everything alright mate?" He asked. Jack nodded, his fear increasing by the moment. Roger moved forward. "Think I can get something to eat?" He asked. Jack silently moved towards the kitchen and found something in the fridge for Roger to eat. He knew he had to be careful and clever if her wanted to get out alive and get Roger into the prison. He had to be smart. "So…" He tried to divert the hungry killer to make his move. Roger looked up, smiling at his old friend, it was just that he hadn't realized how much this old friend had changed. "What brings you here?" Jack asked. "I take it you haven't been up to date with the current news. Its a good thing." Roger coughed. "Think I can get some water?" Jack nodded and walked into the kitchen. Sighing and thinking real fast, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen self and a water bottle. Flipping his hair back, he reached for his phone in his jeans. With a shock, Jack realized that his phone was on the table, where Roger was sitting. He quickly walked back to the living room. Jack gathered his courage as he sat down on the couch. "Uh…" Roger looked up and grabbed the water bottle. "You know, you've got very less security for a mayor." He said. "I….I just sent them out. On business. And the others are with my family."
"Family?"
"I've got wife and kids now Roger. Her name's Lucy McGarth."
"And the kids?"
"Sam is the older one and Eric is the younger. They are three years apart. Eric is 8." Jack moved his hand in the direction of the phone.
Roger quickly pulled a knife out and pushed it through the gap between Jack's fingers. Jack froze. "Wouldn't call the cops Jack. I mean, Percival, I can imagine. He was stupid and we were never really mates, but you? I didn't expect this from you."
"We all changed, Roger. For good. We chose the right path. After what we did? After we killed Simon and Piggy? They were just children!" Jack got up and turned around, with Roger getting up just as fast.
"We were children too, Jack. But we knew the ways. We knew how to survive on that wretched island! We weren't cowards! We weren't like Ralph! We knew what to do! How to save those people!"
"No we didn't, Roger. We were the ones who killed them. Snatched them off their right to live!" Jack turned around to face his old friend.
"I thought you would understand, Jack. I got out of there, searching for you!" Roger's temper increased with every word.
"Understand what? How you killed Percival?"
"Percival was out of line. He revealed our secrets. He told the people about Simon's death! That we killed him. On purpose! He broke the oath!"
"It was an oath to save ourselves, Roger. From guilt, from the punishments. We were criminals. And we hid it!" Jack said.
"Nevertheless, he broke it. We need to be safe. We have to kill the others, Jack. Save ourselves. If Percival, my friend could do such a thing, there is a risk of the others doing it too. We need to start with Raplh. He was the core of all these problems Jack. He is the one who did this to you. Rule them Jack. Rule them like how you ruled us! Take them in the path they should go, Jack. You are the leader. Remember Jack. The power, the thrill. Remember it Jack." Jack moved backwards and fell on the couch. He remembered the first time he killed a pig. How that made him feel so powerful. He remembered his rule. How everyone bowed to him. They were scared, but they obeyed him. They were scared of him. All of them. Harold, Percival, Ralph, the liluns…SamnEric. Jack stopped. Sam and Eric. He named his kids after them. He then remembered the things he had done. He led the others, but to savagery and bloodlust. He led them the wrong way. He led them to kill one another. He led them the wrong way. He wouldn't do it again.
"Jack…." He heard Roger. "Come with me, mate. We will rule. Again. Not like this. No rule except for ours. Nobody other than us. We should do this. Remember."
Jack took a deep breath. "Why?" He asked.
"What?"
"Why did you throw the boulder down the rock? Why did you kill Piggy?" He asked, his voice cracking.
"Because. I wanted to kill. I wanted to feel the thrill again. I wanted to stop the fight once and for all. I wanted our enemies to be dead. Because…just because. Because you know the reason, Jack. We both know the reason."
"No, Roger. Not anymore. I don't do that anymore. I realized on the ship that day. What I was, What I had become. I was a monster. There wasn't a beastie, Roger. It was us. We had the beast in us. They weren't our enemies, Roger. We were our own enemies. Fighting with ourselves. Our conscience, our guilt, our problems and our lust for blood. It was OUR fault." Jack tried to not let Roger get to him.
"Look, I don't have time for this. Do you want to come, or not? I have to leave. I have a job to finish."
"That is not a job, Roger. Its a mistake. A sin." Jack tried to persuade his old friend. Roger smirked at him.
"You've changed, old friend. We could've ruled the world. Like the old Jack and Roger. But you've changed and the only thing I can do is, kill you. I don't have an option. You know the truth mate. You will tell. May be not today, but tomorrow, you will tell. And I can't take that risk. I am sorry." Roger quickly moved towards Jack and slashed his knife. It cut his right arm as Jack shielded himself, just in time. He pulled the knife he had been hiding all along and fought. It was hard. Roger was cold and fast. Jack tried to defend himself. Only defend himself. Not hurt him. Roger quickly ran towards him and kicked him hard. He pinned him onto the floor and put a knife on Jack's throat. "I didn't want it to end this way Jack. I didn't. But I don't have a choice. I am sorry." At that moment, Jack knew what he had to do. Kill Roger. Get the knife through him. But he hesitated for a moment. What if that was a mistake. Then he remembered Simon. Piggy. The rescue and Percival. Jack's anger got better of him. He realized that was the only thing he could do. Holding the knife tight in his hand, Jack used all of his strength and pushed him off and got the knife through Roger's heart. The home of all evil. Jack saw pain in Roger's eyes. And then he saw a smile. "You've still killed somebody today, mate. You've done what I did. You've become me." He let an evil chuckle out and Jack saw his life go out him. Startled, he got up and fell back onto the couch. He had killed somebody. Another person. He knew it wasn't wrong, but he killed someone. Again. And then Jack did something he hadn't done something in years. 12 years, in fact. Something he hadn't done side he was rescued off the island. Jack rolled up and cried. He cried out loud and cried like a little kid.