Chapter Sixteen
Heart of Forgiveness
The clock struck twelve. People were scattering, leaving, getting far away.
Theodore and Andrew waited by the jeep.
“Where do you think you’ll go?” Andrew asked him.
Theodore shrugged. “Who knows. What about you?”
“I’ll probably go back. Maybe save up, get to attend that fancy collage. I want to be a doctor, you know.”
“A doctor? That sounds interesting. I…” Theodore chuckled. “You’d laugh.”
“What? Tell me.”
“I want to be an artist. And maybe an author too.”
Andrew grinned and patted him on the back. “That sounds fine. Don’t be embarrassed. Oh look, here comes Marion.”
Theodore fidgeted. “So?”
“So, maybe you should talk to her. She’ll be going to her grandparents in California.”
“That far?”
“Yup.” Andrew went to get up. “I think I’ll leave you two alone.”
“Andrew wait—”
Marion sat down.
It was quiet.
“Are you feeling okay?”
Theodore looked down and shrugged. “I’m fine.”
“Where are you off to?” Her sweet tone made Theodore nervous.
“I honestly have no idea. I guess I’ll go back to Florida.”
Marion looked serious. “You sure you’ll be okay?”
Theodore sighed. He tried not to cry. “I keep telling myself Caleb is going to be fine. And that we’ll all just go back to our homes and be happy. But—the more I think about it, the more it hurts. Caleb might really go. I need him. He’s like my brother. He…” Theodore wiped away his tears. “He once said…that he will always love me and...” Theodore held onto his necklass. “I just can’t believe it’s real. It’s really real.”
Marion wrapped her arms around him and comforted him.
Erin talked to Caleb awhile. She cried while she talked. “I won’t be far. Only some of us are leaving Peru.”
Caleb smiled and tried to comfort her. But the truth couldn’t be hid forever. “I won’t be here when you come back.”
“You don’t know that. You’ve done so much good in your life, God wouldn’t just punish you.”
“Oh, Erin.” Caleb spoke softly. “It’s not a punishment. Doing what God tells me is something I want to do for the rest of my life.”
“Erin!” Avery called.
The two faced each other once more.
“Goodbye, Caleb.”
“Goodbye Erin.”
When she walked off, it got quiet. Caleb watched her until she disappeared into the shadow. Caleb was left. He was all alone. Then a voice appeared behind him.
“What are you doing? You’re going to get yourself killed.”
Caleb turned around. “Then I’ll die trying to save you.”
Matthew scoffed. “This is what you’re ending your life for? Give up. Bother someone else.”
“I’m not leaving. You’ll have to kill me first.”
Matthew walked towards him, hatred in his eyes. “I am not a murderer. But I will be if you make me.”
“Then I guess the case is closed.”
Matthew glared. He went to his truck and pulled out dynamite. “I guess you will take part in a great event. Explosives are cool, you know. This here is gonna earn me a lot of money. Once the human scent is erased, it’ll be much easier to catch the animals.”
“Oh sure, and you definitely want to catch the wild animals.” Caleb said sarcastically. He sighed with discouragement. “Why are you doing this? This is wrong, this—”
“So?” Matthew turned to face him. “What are you gonna do, preacher?”
Caleb shrugged. “Preach.”
“Oh, please.” Matthew rolled his eyes and continued wrapping the strings of dynamite around the poles and trees, soon covering every inch of the village. “Who’s gonna save you when I light it up?”
Caleb stood firm for whatever questions he would be asked. “Who will save you?”
“I have a truck, remember? Then I’ll give the call, people will come over, and I’ll get out of here.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Matthew dropped his things angrily. “What are you trying to do?”
Caleb looked him in the eye. “You heard me. I’m staying here.”
“Are you insane? You’ll die.”
“Do you care?”
“Of course not.” Matthew wrapped it around the last pole. He grinned. “I can’t wait.”
Caleb’s heart beat faster. He couldn’t let Matthew do this. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure. A man. Akin. Caleb tried to hide his fear. He watched him. What is here doing? He’s lighting the…no. He’s betraying him.
Three…two…one…
“NO!” Caleb ran as fast as he could, and just when the explosives went off, Caleb pushed Matthew out of the way and they landed abruptly on the dirt.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
They kept going.
“Matthew run!”
“Get off me!!”
Caleb grabbed his arm and ran as fast as he possibly could through the jungle away from the bombing. Akin was down the road with Matthew’s truck, never to be seen again.
Caleb looked behind him. “No.” He saw the fire. It was spreading. Akin did this on purpose. He always hated the people. He must have done it wrong.
Matthew scrambled to his feet. “You wretch. You set the fire! Why do you find joy in torturing me? Ruing all of my plans?”
“I didn’t do anything! I just saved your skin, you idiot! Go! The fire is spreading!”
Matthew ran towards it.
“What are you doing? You’ll die! STOP!” Caleb couldn’t believe the scene.
“NO!” Matthew searched for the truck. “My supplies! Akin! Come back! You traitor!”
Caleb caught up to him.
CRASH!
A tree fell, merely missing Matthew by an inch.
“Matthew, we have to go! Now!”
Matthew turned around and faced him. “You did this. You told him to betray me!!”
“You know in your heart that it’s not true. I will save you, I will! Even if you attempt to kill me, I will never give up on you! NEVER!”
CRASH!
Matthew stared him in the eye. “I hate you. Do you hear me? I hate you. More than I’ve ever hated anyone in all my life! You’ve ruined everything from the start. EVERYTHING!” Matthew screamed.
Creak…a tree was going to fall.
“Matthew, watch out!”
It was coming down as fast as lighting. Caleb pushed him from the way.
“What are you doing?!” Matthew roared.
“I just saved your life! Again!” Caleb grabbed his arm and tried to leave but Matthew refused.
“Just leave me alone! I’ve done nothing to you to make you mess up my life this much!” Matthew yelled. His eyes flashed by the fire and Caleb could see the hatred in his eyes. “You deserve to die.” He breathed heavily.
Caleb gasped for air. The smoke was rising in his lungs. “We all do. But that’s why Jesus came. He saved me, He saved Theodore, and now He’ll save you!”
“I will kill you if you don’t stop.”
“Then kill me! But I will never stop! I will never stop loving you, praying for you, looking out for you! I will never stop!” Caleb gasped for air. “Because Jesus never stopped.” He cried and he saw tears in Matthew’s eyes as well.
Crash! Went another tree.
Matthew stared into his eyes and whispered the words, “I hate you.”
Caleb looked around himself. He couldn’t bear the smoke much longer.
“I forgive you.” Was his last pained breath before Matthew disappeared into the jungle.
Smoke rose up in Caleb's lungs and felt suffocating. His eyes were so watery they burned. But he was so tired, his vision became blurred and he collapsed on the ground, the fire around him.
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