Calvin and Hobbes

[Malloon]

(Benjamin Lichter continues from A sea view to rest the soul.)

After leaving the beach, Ben had gone overland, and eventually reached the other coast. There had been nothing on the other coast. Perfect, if he wanted to avoid people. Which he did. Still. He realized that if someone was to come and rescue him they would probably come by boat, but he didn't want to keep still watching the sea, so he followed the coast instead.

He hadn't cried for long. He had quickly realised that he had to keep moving. The girl with the eye-patch had stumbled onto him by accident and even if she hadn't actually tried to hurt him, others might. Not all, he had reminded himself, but enough that he couldn't take risks. If he found someone who was obviously no danger, though...

Ben still felt bad about judging the girl, but he had rationalized it by telling himself that her appearance had really left him no other choice, with her pickaxe and scowl and blood all over her. That she had turned out to be harmless, if a little paranoid and screwed in her priorities, he chalked up to her time here on the island. He wasn't the boy he used to be either, after all.

If he saw her again, he would apologize.

He now stood on the coast near the asylum and saw a tower in the distance. He vaguely remembered hearing a bell being rung on his first day here, just on the edge of his consciousness - so maybe it was a bell tower?  Suddenly, he got the urge to climb to the top. Even if it was probably nothing like climbing a tree, or large rock, the height would still be satisfying. He hadn't climbed anything significant in months, but now...

And, maybe, we can spot where other people are, or at least see them before they get close.

Well, that settled it. If they were in agreement, he would definitely do it.

Just be careful nobody spots you.

...

There was already somebody at the bell tower. That person was dead. Ben had always thought he'd be disgusted at the sight of a corpse, terrified even, perhaps. But instead, all he felt was dull surprise.

The guy lay at the bottom of the tower, with a shirt covering his face. Ben remembered that one person from the first announcement had fallen to his death, having been pushed off something by a guy called Alvaro. Barry... Banks? Yeah, Barry Banks. He remembered him now, a large afro-american kid who was quite popular at Cochise. He was dead now, and there were flies buzzing around his body. That someone could do this to a person, end their life, just like that...

Ben knew that people were killing and dying, but the sight of Barry's body brought that truth home in full force. He would not be like Barry. He would not die like Barry did.

But perhaps he could help him. Ben wavered for a moment, then knelt down on the ground. He wasn't prepared for this, so he thought about what he wanted to say before clasping his hands together and praying: "God, er, Jesus, please resurrect Barry too when you resurrect everyone. He... he didn't deserve this, and deserves a second chance. Please. Amen."

It was at that moment that Ben felt something land on his head. He jerked, and looked to the sky in surprise. Then he felt the top of his head. It was wet. It was starting to rain. He sat there in wonder while more and more drops fell on him and around him. Was this a sign? Ben wasn't the type to just call something a miracle, but this, right after he had prayed, seemed so... miraculous. He laughed, and spread his arms, feeling as if the rain might wash away his worries and suffering.

That is, until he got soaked. The moment the cold water penetrated his shirt and snapped him back to reality was when he noticed that the rain wasn't showing any sign of stopping. Suddenly deathly afraid of catching a cold, he wrapped his arms around himself and hurried to the only shelter in the vicinity - the tower itself.

He closed the door behind him and climbed a couple of steps, then sat down on one of them. "I know, I know, that was stupid," he muttered, while laying his bag beside him. He pinched his shirt, trying to stop it from sticking to him, but it was no use. It was soaked through and through. He sighed, and sat waiting for it to dry.

It wasn't too long after this that he realized something - he didn't know if he was alone. He hadn't checked the rest of the tower after all. Should he, though? He was by the exit, and if he had to run, he didn't want to have to run down the long flight of stairs. Best to wait out the rain here.

But the rain didn't stop. After opening the door again, Ben sat watching it for what felt like hours. Eventually, the sun started to go down. That was when he knew that this was where he was going to spend the night.

So, after working up enough courage, he tip-toed up the stairs. And when he got to the top, it was empty. The rain hammered on the roof of the tower and there was a leak in one corner, but for the rest, it was a good place to stay. He walked over to where the railing was broken and glanced down. There, half-hidden in the rain and the twilight, was Barry's body. This was where he had fallen. Ben made sure not to lean on the railings after that.

He lay down on the floor of the tower and took out the photo of his family. He wasn't any closer to escaping, but he was still alive. He might still see them again!

"Might"? Might.

And with that despairing thought, he curled up to a dreamless sleep.

...

The next morning he woke with the announcements. He didn't really listen, but he did pick up on a few names that were becoming standard. Kimiko, Isabelle, Nancy, Alvaro.

If only he could put faces to the last three. That would make him feel much safer.

He stood up right as a gust of wind blew through the tower. He hadn't realised how cold he was, but the gust sent his teeth chattering. Then he looked up to the sky and saw it was still dark, but the rain had stopped at least. He looked around the island, but he realised his advantage was minimal, at best. He couldn't really be sure of spotting people, and the tower was sure to be visited sometime.

So he left.

(Benjamin Lichter continues in If We Could Have Tomorrow in Technicolor)