Rise of a Queen

Chapter 32

    Only a member true to the Tribe would see this begotten lot as beautiful, only a soul as simple as Dustin's would be so moved by the unpretentious sight.

    My palm fell over his heart and I drummed my fingers to the beat of his quickened pulse, "Welcome home, Dustin."

    We pulled through the gate and our bodies noticeably lightened. The lot was exactly as we left it; picnic tables congregated to the side around a small firepit, a single lawn chair patiently waiting for Lumiere, a garage similar to the one that burned down but newly rebuilt with better support and stronger beams made from metal rather than wood in the happenstance we ever experience another attack such as the last one. The scraps of motorcycles usually dispatched at the back of the compound had been simplified and organized into lanes with paths and walkways cleared between piles to allow easier passage of those wishing to find more parts for their motorcycle.

    And the warehouse itself towered over it all, an unmovable surveillance that has survived the passing of time and waging of wars upon her grounds. She could not be conquered or brought to her knees because the compound is not a place that bows before foes. Rather she watches in supreme reign as her adversaries bleed at her feet, delivered to hell by the soldiers she has cast as her protectors.

    This is the compound, a place of both nightmares and dreams; which one you get depends on who you piss off.

    At the far end of the property, a lone figure was crossing the lot in slow stride, hands in his pockets and his head dropped low, causing dusty brown hair to flop into his eyes while he watched the toes of his boots kick at pebbles with every torpid step.

    It was Eli, sweet and selfless Eli.

    I recognized his walk from the many times I watched him circle the perimeter after Dustin's death. He spent a great deal of time on those solitary strolls, and it was during that time when he allowed his sorrow to release, only momentarily, so that his remorse and vulnerability could drown him in solidarity without witnesses. But he never let it stay. By the time he returned to the warehouse after his walks, his face was one of stone and his emotions were locked behind thick walls. He knew there were others depending on him to be strong and for those he loved, he could not afford to be crippled by sadness.

    For Corinth, he refused to weak.

    The crunch of rock below our tires caused the figure to glance up and squint into the sunlight. Brown hair shifted out of his honey eyes, and shock replaced his previously sullen mood. A tear-filled gasp sounded from Corinth's seat only a moment before she threw the door open and lurched from the van before it came to a full stop.

    Then she was sprinting across the lot towards Eli.

    The moment he saw her, Eli was running too.

    Corinth reached him in seconds and leapt into Eli's arms with the velocity of a linebacker, practically tackling him. Her momentum caused Eli to stagger while he held her then knocked them both to the ground in a fit of echoing laughter and tangled limbs.

    Lumiere parked the van in front of the garage and the rest of us filed out of the vehicle, making way for where Corinth and Eli were huddled in the dirt. He was holding her, and laughing, and kissing her. She was crying and kissing him just as hard. Their sentiment exploded all around us and the compound was greatly embellished by forgotten passion, dearly missed adoration, and the purity of true love.

    Even the birth of stars did not burn as hot or as bright as the love these two shared.

    Eli sat them up so he could look her over, running his fingers over her face and her shoulders, through her hair and across her cheeks, all the while rambling incoherently, "You're here, holy shit I can't believe you are actually here! Are you okay? What happened? Did you find Dustin? Oh my fuck, you are here!"