Chapter 21 - *Alternate Ending*

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       A cloud of smoke surrounded the stocky man as Luna took a seat. She waved it away, momentarily drawing his attention from the card table. He tossed a few chips onto the worn velvet and continued observing players. It was like he was intentionally ignoring her—a challenge she was willing to face, but then he spoke. 

“I haven’t seen you around here before. New?” 

Luna smiled. “Hey Warren, am I new here?”

“New?” grunted the man across from her. “I’m surprised the doors not engraved with your name.”

“Interesting…” the stocky man cocked a brow. “That means you’re the person who knows the answers?”

Luna leaned in closer and placed her hand on his thigh. “And what would you like to know?”

“Is your name Luna?”

“Yes,” she replied, the smile fading from her lips. “How did you guess?”

“I heard you have the gift of seeing. Is that true?” Luna retracted her hand, but he snatched her wrist, causing the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a tattoo on his arm. His eyes followed her gaze to the dark ink of a snake eating its tail. He smiled. “Relax, I won’t hurt you.”

“What do you want?”

“I’m Montgomery.” He let her go. “How about we speak somewhere a little quieter? I have a room upstairs.”

“Or how about we talk right here?” Luna opened her leather jacket, revealing a revolver.

“Suit yourself,” he sighed. “I work for The Water Division. Ever heard of it?”

“Can’t say I have.”

Montgomery held back a smile. “We’ve been fighting the good fight for a while, so everyone has access to water instead of rich communities who can afford deliveries by the truckload. But now we’re starting a new campaign. We’re building factories to pull water from underground reserves for cities far from the coast. The only trouble is, we need Water Witchers to help us find these underground water tables, so we know where to build.”

“And you expect them to volunteer for it?”

“Of course. We would pay them a fair wage, and they would honor their country by lending us their skills.”

Luna chuckled. “Fat chance!”

“Why so, pessimistic?”

“Because. Groups have hunted them like trophy animals for decades, and you expect them to trust you?”

“My hope is they will. Otherwise, the government will force them, and I don’t want that. It goes against my morals. Which is why I need you.”

“Oh yeah? And how’s that?” Luna scoffed. “I’m not a Witcher.”

Montgomery fished into the breast pocket of his Hawaiian shirt for a folded sheet of paper. As he unfolded it, goosebumps spread over Luna’s neck. She shivered.

“They informed me The Hounds tracked a Water Witcher through here.” He laid the paper flat on the table and slid it to Luna. When she glanced down, she saw a sketch of Corbin’s face staring back at her. “Since you’re the gal with the answers, I need you to use your gift to locate this man.”

“Never seen him before.” Luna shrugged and slid the sketch back to him.

“You sure?” He slid it back. “Take another look.”

“Positive. That isn’t how my visions work.” She slid it back. “Plus, I would’ve heard about a witcher by now.”

“Well, if you see him, I would appreciate you letting me know.” Montgomery held up his palms. “I just want to talk to him. See if he’s willing to work for the Water Division. That’s all.”

“Sure, but I’ve never seen him, and no one has reported him. Now, if you’ll excuse me...” Luna stood from the table, but Montgomery latched onto her wrist again. When she tried pulling away, something in his eyes caught her attention. In his cloudy irises, she saw a group of people declaring war against the government.

“Jesus!” Montgomery ripped his hand away, causing the vision to dissolve. He rubbed his knuckles as if soothing a wound. “What did you do to me?”

“I did nothing.” She stepped back.

“But your eyes changed color, and it was like you left your body! Your flesh turned cold too. Glacier cold.” He shivered. “Is that how your visions work? Did you see something in my eyes?”

“Take care of yourself,” Luna replied and walked away.

“What did you see!?” he called after her, but Luna kept walking.

She headed for the exit and nodded to Archibald and Jasper by the bar. When she got outside, her heart was pounding so fast she had to bend with her hands on her knees to relax. After blowing out big breaths, she straightened and scanned the migration of citizens walking down the main street through town. There was faint music playing, smoke rising from individual firepits, children running through clothesline mazes of laundry, and the echo of hammering from the factory.

Was her peaceful city in danger?

The brewery door opened, and the men in her life slipped out. Archibald’s expression filled with concern when he spotted her. “What happened back there? Why was he shouting at you?”

“Let’s find Corbin and get him out of here.” She began walking to their truck. As they followed, she explained, “That man in there works for the Water Division, and he’s looking for Corbin. He showed me a sketch. He wants him to work for them, but if Corbin chooses not to, they’ll force him.”

“So, this whole thing about volunteering is a trap,” Jasper replied. “Merric said The Hounds wouldn’t be the last of their kind. What if the Water Division is another slave group disguised as do-gooders? This means the new warden for this region is corrupt.”

Sliding inside the truck, Archibald started the engine. “You’re right, son, which means Lake Tahoe might not be safe anymore. So let’s grab Corbin and get out of dodge!”

“There’s more.” Luna scooted forward. “I saw something in his eyes.”

“And?” Jasper asked.

“It looked like a rebel group planning to fight back.”

Archibald glanced at her through the rearview mirror while weaving through the residential back roads. “Did the vision provide a timeframe?”

“No. Montgomery broke contact, so I only saw a few seconds’ worth.” She closed her eyes and began rubbing her temples. “I’m able to see so much more when it’s a vision that occurs naturally instead of one started by contact...”

“It’s ok, sweetheart. Like all of your visions, you’ll understand it better in time.”

When they arrived at Red’s Automotive, the place was a little too quiet. They exited the truck and approached the garage with hands hovering over their hip holsters. An old Buick sat on a car lift with tools abandoned on the ground. A grease-smudged door stood to their right, so Luna tapped nudged Archibald’s elbow towards it.

“Take the sides,” Archibald whispered.

Giving him a nod, Luna and Jasper tiptoed over with weapons ready. Archibald turned the knob slowly, trying his best not to create noise. He winced when the door squeaked, but pushed it carefully until they could step through. They continued down a short hallway, following the soft music playing and muffled voices.

Turning the corner, they spotted Red sitting on an appointment desk stacked with invoices. He was hand-feeding a sandwich to Corbin, who was strapped in a chair with blood dripping down his temple.

“It won’t be that bad. The man told me they’d pay you a fair wage. I mean, don’t you WANT to serve your country?” Red asked and brought a cloth napkin to Corbin’s mouth, wiping away mustard.

“Not by force.” He chewed slowly.

“Well, now who’s fault is that? I tried playing nice, but you wouldn’t listen! Now you’re tied to a chair.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault you’re a selfish, lying dirtbag and want to sell me for a quick buck to the Water Division?”

“Listen, if it weren’t me, it would’ve been someone else! That man is showing your sketch to everyone, so it’s only a matter of time until someone else recognizes you.”

Corbin was about to reply but spotted Archibald, Luna, and Jasper. His eyes instantly grew wide, which grabbed Red’s attention, but as he turned around, Jasper rushed forward.

“Naptime,” Jasper sang, pistol-whipping Red’s head, and he flopped sideways on the desk.

“We’re getting you out of here!” Archibald untied Corbin.

“I’m so glad to see you! But how d’you know I was in trouble?”

“A man at the brewery showed me a picture of you,” Luna explained.

“When will this nightmare end?”

“Now. It ends now. We’re getting you out of here,” Archibald replied.

“What about Red? Shouldn’t we tie him up?” 

“Leave him. Red is someone else’s problem,” Jasper answered.

“So, now what?”

“We’re all getting out of here,” Archibald answered. “I have connections in Baja. We can stay there until we understand what’s happening here and send word to the others.”

“What do you mean? What’s happening here?”

“Luna, tell him.” 

“Tell me what?” 

“When we killed The Hounds, parts of my vision came true, but what concerns me is the name I heard in the thunder. It was the same name signed at the bottom of the flyer.”

Corbin furrowed his brows. “Gavin?”

“Yes.” Luna nodded. “And I had another vision. It was people rebelling against the government.”

“Which means we need to be cautious,” Archibald added. “A lot of fast changes are happening, so we need to distance ourselves.”

“So, are you with us?” Jasper asked.

“Looks like y’all are stuck with me,” Corbin replied.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

The four of them piled into the truck and peeled out of the lot. Corbin watched the green trees and Sierra mountains transition into dusty plains through California when they pulled onto the highway. It was a rewind of his journey north, and if he closed his eyes, he could still feel himself lying on the worn mattress of his Grandfather’s bed the morning he left home. 

If only he’d known about the world before his journey. He would’ve never left the safety and comfort of home. Yet, when he reflected on the unexpected friendships and reunions, he’d never take it back, not after filling the bereft space in his heart.

His future was uncertain, but the people in his life were not, and one day he’d return to the States.

One day he would go home.

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