They Don't Sleep on the Beach

[Skraal]

Bill grimaced as he glanced down at his watch before scanning the parking lot. The bus was due to leave any minute now, and based on past experience, he doubted that the other students would be much inclined to wait for any stragglers, which was why he had been ready at the door 20 minutes before he needed to leave. Unfortunately, a certain little brother of his also needed a ride to a doctor’s appointment the same morning, and that same little brother also spent half an hour looking for his shoes...

He immediately unbuckled himself as the car came to a stop, pulling open the door and stepping out onto the pavement. His hands grasped onto his suitcase as he heard his mother’s voice call out from the front seat, asking in an half-joking tone for a kiss goodbye. Bill’s response was short and terse.

“Not now, Ma, I’m gonna be late!”

A soft grunt forced its way out of his lips as he yanked his suitcase out from where it was sitting, plopping it on the ground and extending the handle. Man, it was a good thing that there were wheels on it, because there was no way that he’d be able to carry this heavy on his back for very long. As he began a brisk walk to the bus, his attention was drawn by a high-pitched voice calling back from the van, a small hand waving at him from the open window.

“Have fun in DC, Bubba!”

Bill groaned, shouting back at his brother in a voice that was clearly not in the mood for joking around.

“I told you a million times to stop calling me that!”

And with that, he turned back to the bus, breaking into a clumsy approximation of a jog as he saw them begin loading the final suitcases into the luggage compartment. He was going to make it, but just barely.

Darn kids.

B072: William “Bill” Dover – Start

It felt like years since he had gotten out of that car.

Bill kicked sullenly at the black duffel bag by his feet as he sat down on a rock, staring over the surface of the lake. If everything had gone according to plan, he would have already been home by now. As things stood, however, it was becoming painfully obvious that his final interaction with his family was going to have been an argument.

He bent over, burying his face in his hands as the image of Ms. Garcia’s head exploding forced its way into his mind yet again. This just wasn’t fair. Why did his class have to be the one that got taken? He didn’t want to be here, in this stupid game. His shoulders heaved as his eyes began welling with tears. He just wanted to be back home with his family, having the same old pointless arguments and telling the same old lame jokes.

Behind his closed eyes flashed a parade of faces, faces that he knew that he would never see again. He was going to die here, he was certain of it. There was no way a guy like him could take even one of his classmates in a fight, even if he had the stomach for it. The whole situation felt like some sort of a cruel prank.

It was in that moment that he finally understood the actions of Job's wife, who called out for her husband to curse God for his misfortunes. While Bill wasn't about to go out and start screaming out at the sky, the temptation was there, nevertheless. The air filled with a heavy sigh, the sigh of a young man utterly defeated. He had always believed that bad things happened in order to bring about a greater good, but the thought brought him little comfort. To be perfectly honest, if there was a greater good in store here, he sure as heck couldn't see it...

Several minutes passed before Bill managed to drag himself to his feet, stumbling over to the lake. He bent down and began slowly and methodically splashing his face with the cold water. He couldn’t cry now. His younger siblings would certainly be watching him, no matter what his parents would have told them. He had to be strong now. For their sake.

After few more moments of kneeling silently by the lake, he got up and lifted the duffel bag over his shoulder. It was time to leave.

((Bill Dover continued in Lonely as the Sound of Lying on the Ground of an Airplane Going Down))