Chapter 13 - Mourning
It didn't feel real. I had just talked to him last night and now he was dead. His body just lay there, unmoving like a marble statue staring into the distance. The sound of Scott sobbing while holding on to his son's body was the only noise as everyone sat in silence. Diana's cries soon joined in creating a sad melody of a lost child. It was heart-wrenching to watch as the two parents grieved for their son. Derek was their only child and now they had none.
When so many of the family had numerous children it was odd that Scott and Diana had only had one. Neither of them was inclined to have any more after the problems that occurred with having Derek. Diana's pregnancy was rough and they didn't want to go through that again so that left Derek to be their sole child.
My mind became a haze after finding the body. My body went through the motions but my mind was elsewhere. Someone had died and I kept wondering who would be next. It wasn't a question of if anymore, it was who. It felt shitty to hope that it wouldn't be my sister or my father and wish for the demise of other family members but a small part of me still did.
Even though someone was dead, it didn't make the bodies go away. It didn't make the spikes rebuild themselves. It didn't butcher the boars for food. The world continued and we had to continue on with it. The parents were left to hold their son and the rest of us got to work. The bodies were moved and the debris was picked up. Arrows and javelins were collected. Ashley used Cleanse on the blood and soon the battlefield was clean, except for the holes we dug and the divots from magical explosions. The grass was trampled and thrown up in spots but there wasn't anything we could do about that.
While we were cleaning up Scott walked over to the hill adjacent to ours and started to dig. He said he wished to do it alone and everyone respected his wishes. Diana just sat next to where Derek was lying with a blank look on her face. Some tried to comfort her and be there for her but it was like she wasn't even conscious, just staring off into space while she gently rubbed Derek's hand.
We couldn't keep the kids in the bunker forever and they started to fuss about being left in there for so long. We kept them in there longer than we usually would since we didn't want them to see the body. It was inevitable that they would, but everyone was just putting it off until later. Nothing would change between then and now so I thought it was best to rip the band-aid off. Then again I didn't have kids and it wasn't my decision.
My uncles got together and with some of the wood scraps that we had they built a coffin. It didn't look the best as it was made from all kinds of different wood and the mismatch of the pieces being all different sizes, but it was the thought that counted. The heartless side of my brain thought it was a waste of time but I snuffed that thought out as soon as I had it.
This wasn't for me, this was for Scott and Diana. Throughout it all the volume didn't go higher than a soft whisper, the sounds of the forest permeated the camp while we went about our work.
After the coffin was finished and the hole was dug, we all gathered around to watch and give Derek a final send-off. It wasn't a fancy funeral procession but I thought it was done with more care than some of the funerals I've been to before.
The kids were brought out of the bunker and their parents had to give them the talk. Most wouldn't understand until later what it really meant to not see someone again.
So with his family surrounding him, Derek was gently lifted and placed inside the coffin that was made for him. Scott and his brothers all grabbed a corner of the coffin and started their slow march to the adjacent hill where the grave was dug.
Watching my father and uncles be the Pallbearer for Derek was an experience I'd never thought I'd have. There were tears and crying that followed behind and eventually, the procession ended at the grave.