Epilogue
Gabriel fought against the worms wanting to take over his entire being. On rubbery legs, he made it back to his seat. He didn’t dare look at the men sitting on the other side of the aisle in the courtroom, didn’t dare meet their eyes. They still appeared in his nightmares from time to time; he still feared they, or someone else, would come and take Chris away from him.
The sun shone in through the windows, melting the icicles that hung from the window ledge, and it was all he could see. He heard the judge talk, heard the attorney argue some point, but it was all too far away to reach him.
The bang of the gavel echoed in the room, and Chris reached over from the row behind to squeeze his shoulder.
“You did it.”
Gabriel slumped in the chair. It was finally over.
The men had
