Five Days of Darkness by Greg Hall

Author:Greg Hall [Hall, Greg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-22T22:00:00+00:00

19

There is a difference of weight between our words and our actions. No matter how many ways we say something, our words are worthless unless we perform by our spoken standards when called to action.

Modeste waited for Henri to turn around before she spoke to him. She hoped he would have followed her when she stormed off, even though Henri let her down, that wasn’t the way she wanted to leave it. She had words for Henri, and if he was going to go off and find the killer with a slave catcher, then this was the time to tell him.

She couldn’t muster the patience to wait for Henri to look at her. She hadn’t yet turned when she yelled, “What do you think you’re doing?” Modeste asked.

Her words struck Henri to the core. He brought his shoulders up in a frightened motion as if he were protecting himself from her wrath.

“I need a tracker,” Henri responded, without turning to face her.

“I? I thought we were a team?” Modeste asked.

Henri finally turned to her. “We are. I didn’t mean that. It was a slip of the tongue.”

Modeste made sure to remain a few steps away. She was wrong about the man she had grown to trust. He was just like every white male who claimed they wanted change. When Henri moved closer to her, she took the same steps back.

“I’m trying to stop the bloodsucker.”

“But at what cost?” Modeste asked but wasn’t expecting a response. She continued, “Some people’s true colors are exposed when pushed. I see who you are.”

“What? Just because of what he used to do?”

“He was a slave hunter. He hunted my people. Hunted men and women who were only seeking freedom. Seeking a better life. A life free from torture, free from torture, freefrom abuse, free from masters and rapists and childstealing.”

“He’s not a slave catcher anymore.”

“And his sins are not washed away,” Modeste said, silencing Henri.

“I’m lost, Modeste,” Henri said.

The words lingered in the air and silenced Modeste for the moment. It was the most honest, sincere statement Henri made during their whole trip. Modeste was unsure how to respond. Until this point, she viewed Henri as a “white savior” who was set on redeeming himself from his past failures. She found herself trapped in a moral dilemma. On one side, trying to use a slave catcher was unforgivable, but on the other side, he was making headway in stopping the bloodsucker.

“And that’s why I came along. To help guide you. But if you go into the woods off of his suggestions, then we are done. We will go our separate ways.”

Modeste stared at him long and hard. There were so many things she wanted to tell him. She wanted to open Henri’s eyes to the world that people like him would never understand. Make him understand the cruelties that he would never fully understand. She wished he knew what it felt like to be forced into the back of the train like livestock. The feeling of being glared at in every town they visited.

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