Ashlen Sepulveda
Chapter 13: The Death of a Hero
Ralph looked back at the island watching its shape fade into the distance. He turned back to the ship and looked at the other boys who were also silent. He turned to Jack, who had been his friend then his enemy and was now his friend again.
“I won’t miss it,” jack said looking back at the island,
“I am so glad that we are finally going home” Ralph saw the tears burning his eyes. All of the boys on the island had been scared, they would all go on with there lives and try to forget the horrible things that had happened on that island but none of them would truly forget. The naval officer came up the stairs.
“You should all come down now, its starting to get chilly” they all looked at Ralph to see if that was what he had wanted. Ever since they had gotten of the island Ralph had taken the position of being the leader.
“He’s right, let’s go down before we catch a cold” Ralph's voice was hard he had not forgiven them for killing two of his friends. He walked down the stairs letting them sit in the cold with harsh wind. A couple seconds later the rest of them descended the stairs into the warmth of the cabin.
“Dinner will be soon so don't start something now” the captain said.
“But you guys can go play or something”
He smiled trying to put as much warmth into his smile as he could. He thought about the expressions on the children's faces when he had found them. He shivered inwardly. They had looked like animals with all that blood and dirt. There faces had shown fear but also a rage that was too mature for there small children's faces. The one with the red hair, he had looked like he was about to kill that kid. If I hadn't got there in time, he walked to the kitchen thinking about how things would be different.
Jack stared at the wall. He was bored out of his mind. After they had gotten of the island everything had changed. He was no longer the hunter but he was the killer, the one no one wanted to be with, no one understood him, his life. As a child he had been mistreated. He had always wished that he could be away from that hell of a life. His parents had sent him to a boarding school not being able to handle him. He had been so exited, finally he could start over. But everything had gone so wrong. The plane had shaken and he knew he was going to die. He had been thankful to be alone with himself at least we wasn’t with his family. But he hadn’t died. He had woken up to the bright sun which he would soon know all too well. And now he was returning home to the on place he hated most.
Ralph walked into him room; it was weird not having the open sky above. He felt trapped, that if something happened he wouldn’t be able to escape. An animal instinct had been drilled into all of them on the island and it would never go away. The distinct to survive no matter what.
“Lets go get something to eat” Ralph said, Jack stood up and walked to the door ignoring him as he walked past Ralph looked at him as he passed by. Even thought he tried to hide it Ralph knew that Jack was soft and venerable on the inside, Ralph had seen the bloodshot red eyes from crying. Poor Jack Ralph thought and followed Jack into the dinning hall.
They sat down at the table and started eating. None of them were used to eating food yet. There bodies were so unused to normal food after staving for months. They all dug in like animals forgetting all of the manners they had ever been taught.
The officer sat there eating with his knife and fork wondering what had God done wrong for these children end up like this? The officer felt awkward sitting there with all these children grunting and tearing apart there meat with there teeth. Finally he had to say something.
“Do you boys remember anything of when you lived in England” The naval officer hadn’t wanted to approach the subject of how long they were on the island and how many people had there been. He knew that two of the children had been killed but he didn’t want to know. Finally the tall blond one Ralph answered.
“We do, but it’s sometimes hard to remember…”
The naval officer looked at him shocked by his answer
“How long were you on that island” he whispered afraid to know the answer. There was a long pause then he said.
“I can’t honestly remember”
“I think it might have been more than a year, we are not sure. There’s something about this island, it’s weird. Time passes faster on the island that it does out side.”
“When were you born lad”
“1928 he said slowly”
I gasped that was impossible he was just as old as me and yet he looked so young, I turned looking out the window to where the island was supposed to be… but it was no longer there. Just a plain expanse of water stood before us. I turned back to them wondering for the first time what was real and what fantasy was.
“You’re just as old as me” I choked out unable to speak.
“Yes I am” he said slowly, we haven’t told everyone about this small… fact. We don’t want people looking for the island.
“But if the island doesn’t want to be found it wont be” said a sweet child’s voice. A little boy no older that 9 walked in. He looked up at me through long eyelashes and smiled.
“Percival! What are you doing here?” Ralph said
“Oh I was just seeing the other ships and who was on them, I mean we don’t want to leave anyone behind do we?”
Several ships had taken eight or nine children on them, when they had first seen them they weren’t sure if they would be easily handled. They had turned out fine but they had still kept the precaution. When the crew had arrived at the island they had seen fire all over the island and were scared until they had seen the little boys running along the beach. The reason why they had found the island in the first place is because they had found several dead bodies’s floating in the water and they had made a trail straight to the island.
The men had looked at the maps and charts but nether of them had show that any island existed, they were skeptical at first that anyone could live on such an island but then they saw the some, and fires don’t make themselves. They had anchored near by and sent out a small fleet of ships to check and make sure the area was clear. They were war vessels and they had wanted to make sure it was not an enemy trap.
As the officer told the children the story of how he had found them he tried not to think about that these “children” were as old as he was. They had suffered much more than he had that was to say. Then the angry brunette boy spoke.
“Aren’t you going to ask us who died” everyone was shocked into silence by his blatant question.
“Uh...” what was I supposed to say?
“So who died when you boys were on the island?”
They speak of death like its nothing the officer thought.
“Only two people died” he said coolly,
“But that’s to no matter” he said smirking at the blond, Ralph.
“They were useless to begin with”
Ralph jumped across the table knocking glasses and food to the floor
“You take that back Jack Merridew! You take that back or ill kill you!”
Ralph was so mad, how could he say something like that. I had thought he changed Ralph thought. I was obviously wrong.
“I will not” Jack said and sneered
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Il Kill you that’s what!” Ralph said and started to strangle jack.
The naval officer tied to get there but the rest of the boys stopped him.
“This has to be done” said Percival in his innocent child’s voice
Jack’s face was starting to turn a bluish color but Ralphs hands wouldn’t back down. Ralph had put up with Jack for too long and wasn’t going to deal with him any longer. Jack struggled a few times more then was still….
How can I annoy him Jack thought to him self watching Ralphs expressions. Jack didn’t want to go home. No matter what he would not rerun home. If it meant killing himself he would do it just so long as he didn’t have to see him family ever again. He made a comment about Piggy and Simon and about how they had died and he saw the anger flare up in Ralph. Almost there he thought and made another comment. This was it. He would die but he would be happy he had had an adventure that most kids would never have. He had spent a year on an island and had lost ten years of his life. He was old. He was tired and he wanted to go to sleep.
He barley felt the hands at his thought slowly squeezing the life from his frail body. His heart pumped faster in its final attempts at saving his life. But that was not what he wanted to he lay there at peace and then his last breath escaped and he whispered.
“Thank you” his final breath was gone his body and soul had left him. He shuttered once then Jack Merridew died.
Ralph stood there looking at Jacks lifeless body. He was so pale and cold. It was if all the happiness and life had fled his body, oh yes he had heard the words “thank you” how was the thanking him for taking his life. He stood there paralyzed not knowing what to do. He felt hands on his arms pulling him away for Jacks body. He stood up and shuttered.
“This was what he wanted” Percival said. And then he explained jacks life to the waiting audience.
“Jack and I were cousin’s, the first day we landed on this island he told me not to tell anyone or show anything that might show we were related. At home jack had been born into a poor family. His dad had left him at a young age and his mother was abusive.
She never was happy for anything he did and didn’t really care about him at all. On the other hand he had grown up next to me. I had had the perfect life as a child. My mother and father were both hard working well achieving people, even though we hadn’t had a lot of money my father and mother had always worked super hard to be able to get me what I wanted. Jack had hated his home life. He had spent most of him time alone by him self. But then he had started hanging out with the bad boys from school after that he had changed he became rowdy and was mean to everyone from then on. I don’t know what they did to him but it changed him forever.
When my mother told him that we were going away to boarding school he was so happy, finally he could be away just be himself. But as you well know everything had gone wrong and we landed up on the island and he UN knowingly had slipped back into his old role of bully. He has done some horrible things in his life, but you guys must understand he has been mistreated and criticized his whole life.” Finally Percival finished his speech. By now all of the boys had tears in there eyes for there poor friend jack.
“Maybe it is better this way” Ralph said whipping burning tears from the corners of his eyes.
“He would have wonted it to be like this” Percival said and hugged Ralph.
What happened to these children to become so mature yet so old yet so young thought the officer helping then heave Jacks body over the edge of the boat.
Ralph picked up Jacks lifeless body and let him drop from the boat to the water. Jacks body hit the water with a great splash and sank deeper and deeper to the bottom of the sea.
The End
