Chapter 689: Gloomy Rain
Chapter 689: Chapter 689: Gloomy Rain
Cries filled the room. Everyone crowded into the small space, gazing in utter grief at the peacefully departed Zion Lowell. Taylor Vance stood just outside the door, his limbs cold and his eyes vacant. His ears rang, and he couldn’t stop his fingers from trembling.
’He was alive just a moment ago. He was breathing, his body still warm. How could he be gone the second I stepped out?’
Taylor Vance staggered back a few steps. He couldn’t believe Zion Lowell was gone just like that. Just this morning, they had talked about going out to shovel snow and coming back to build a snowman for the children. The bamboo by the river was flourishing, and only yesterday Zion had been musing about weaving more baskets to store things. Last night, he had even borrowed a needle and thread from him, saying his clothes were ripped and needed patching.
He’d said that come spring, he wanted to move into the small courtyard. His friends from the card room had even made plans with him to go fishing by the downstream lake once the weather improved.
Taylor Vance’s head throbbed, and a tightness constricted his chest, making it hard to breathe. He wanted to lean against something, but his legs felt impossibly weak. The moment he tried to take a step, he collapsed backward.
"Mr. Vance!" Seeing Taylor Vance fall, Ethan Dawson rushed to catch him.
"Mr. Vance, what’s wrong? You have to be okay! Mr. Vance! Mr. Vance..."
When Taylor Vance awoke, Zoe and Annie were sitting by his bed. The moment she saw he was awake, Zoe threw her arms around him and burst into tears. The little girl’s eyes were red and swollen; she had clearly been crying for a while. Annie wiped her own tears away before slipping out to get the adults.
Taylor Vance held Zoe, gently stroking her hair. "Vance is okay now. Don’t cry."
"Vance, I just went to see Lowell. Mommy said Lowell passed away. Passed away means he’ll never wake up again. He’ll never hug me, or tell me stories, or tie my hair again. I was so scared you wouldn’t wake up either."
A sting in his nose, Taylor Vance shook his head slightly. "How could I ever leave you all? Zoe, go on outside for a moment. Vance is going to get up and wash his face, then he’ll come out and find you."
Zoe kept looking back as she walked away. "Vance, I’ll be waiting for you right outside the door."
"Okay, I’ll be right out."
The moment Zoe stepped out of the room, she saw everyone standing there.
"Vance said he’s going to wash his face and then come out to find us."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "All right, let’s give him some space."
She reached out and shut the door. The log cabin wasn’t particularly soundproof; the moment the door clicked shut, everyone heard the muffled sobs coming from the bathroom.
"Vance is crying." Tears started rolling down Zoe’s cheeks. "I want to go hug him. Vance must be really sad."
Wyatt Vaughn, his own eyes red, picked Zoe up and carried her away. "Sweetheart, let’s not bother Vance right now. How about we wait until he comes out, and then we can give him a big hug?"
The others were also weeping softly nearby. Evelyn Ford bit her lip hard, wiped away her tears, and gestured for everyone to follow her.
"Mr. Graham, Peter Owens, you two stay here and look after Mr. Vance and Mr. Lowell. The rest of you, come with me to move some wood. I’m going to make a coffin."
At her words, everyone sprang into action. Evelyn Ford pulled out some tissues and handed one to each of them.
"Stop crying, everyone. Mr. Lowell wouldn’t like to see us all blubbering like this."
But even as she said it, Evelyn couldn’t hold back her own tears. She turned away, taking deep breaths until she finally had her emotions in check.
Ronan Kendrick patted her on the shoulder and motioned for the others to head to the storage area.
"Ronan, I can’t accept this." Evelyn Ford looked at him, her eyes red-rimmed. "We didn’t even get to say goodbye. If we had known this was going to happen, we shouldn’t have gone out today, and we definitely shouldn’t have gone to work in the fields."
"He must have known his time was up. Before lying down, he’d cleaned himself up, even trimmed his beard and nails, and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He was a man of dignity; let’s make sure he leaves with that dignity intact. You said it yourself, didn’t you? Mr. Lowell wouldn’t like to see us blubbering. Come on, no more crying. Everyone’s waiting for you to help them choose the wood."
Evelyn covered her eyes. "I know. Just give me two minutes to pull myself together."
With that, Evelyn squatted down and buried her head in her hands. Ronan Kendrick stood quietly beside her, giving her a moment to compose herself.
Two minutes later, Evelyn got to her feet. She and Ronan went to the storage area. When Quincy and the others saw them approaching, they quickly wiped their eyes and stood up.
"There’s a lot of wood here. Which type should we pick?"
Evelyn’s gaze fell on a pile of mahogany in the corner. "That one."
"What should we do for Mr. Lowell’s arrangements? Take him to the base for cremation? Or take care of it here in the space?"
"We’ll ask for Mr. Vance’s opinion later. Whatever we decide, let’s follow tradition for now. We’ll hold a three-day wake."
’Mahogany is the best material for a coffin. Back when she was chopping wood, she only ever thought about using it for firewood to stay warm. She never imagined she’d one day be using it to build a coffin.’
"Is this going to be Lowell’s house now?" Zoe asked suddenly.
Everyone froze for a second. Annie pulled Zoe aside, whispered something in her ear, and then the two children walked away.
"He made it through those terrible injuries from the volcanic eruption. He’s been in great health all year, in good spirits, too. He’d even been exercising lately, running three laps around the log cabin every morning. He was so healthy... how can he just be gone?"
"It’s awful to think about. None of us were with him when it happened."
"Mr. Vance is taking this harder than any of us. Let’s stop crying and get to work. We need to help Mr. Lowell leave with dignity."
Back inside the log cabin, Taylor Vance emerged from his room. The entire house was silent. Everyone had gone out, leaving only Officer Graham and Peter Owens to keep watch by Zion Lowell’s bedside.
When they saw Taylor Vance approaching, they both looked at him with concern. Taylor Vance gave a small wave, motioning for them to step outside. He wanted some time alone with Zion Lowell.
The door clicked shut. Taylor Vance pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down, gazing quietly at Zion Lowell.
"Decades, and we’ve hardly ever been apart, you and I. And now you just leave me behind, all carefree, not even thinking about how heartbroken the kids will be. We’ve known each other all these years, been through hell and high water together. And you just up and die without so much as a goodbye. Zion Lowell, Zion Lowell... you’re really something else."
"Mr. Hawthorne disappeared, probably gone for good. And now you’re gone, too. Out of the three of us... it’s just me left."
"The others have gone to make your coffin. I know you were afraid of pain, so we won’t cremate you. You always said you wanted to go back and see the old hometown again. Don’t you worry. I’ll try my best to stay alive. And if I ever get the chance to go back, I’ll take you with me."
"Oh, Mr. Lowell... when you get to the other side, if you see Mr. Hawthorne, try not to argue with him all the time. I won’t be there to play referee. And if you see your family... make sure you atone for everything. In this life, you were good to everyone... everyone but them."
Taylor Vance took Zion Lowell’s hand, patting it gently.
"You were a lucky one. Passing in your sleep is a good way to go... no suffering at all. I’m only just noticing now... your hair has gone completely white."
"Mr. Lowell... let’s be brothers in the next life, too. That’s a promise, all right?"