Human Shrapnel

Day 29 of StoryADay September.

The Prompt:

In no more than 600 words write the ending of a story. This is effectively the final scene, the denouement, the resolution or however you want the story to end.

(This is the ending of a short story in which a woman travels back in time to prevent the death of a friend. The friend’s death had resulted in her group of friends drifting apart. She will do anything to keep them together, but has a hard time finding the way to make that happen.)

I finally figured it out. There is a way to keep our odd little family together. Someone HAS to die. Just not Trevor.

When Trevor died, it blew us apart, we couldn’t hold the pieces together. When I saved him, the same thing happened. The only difference was that Trevor was still alive. I still lost you. We were all still miserable. And alone.

I’ve realized that something has to change; our family has to move forward. We have to lose one piece to keep the rest together. The piece we need to lose is me. I have to die.

I know that sounds crazy. But it’s true. I’m the least important member of our group. I may have been the nucleus that our family formed around, that drew us all together. At this point you could take me out and the rest would remain intact.

I bought a gun this morning.

I’m going to go to Trevor’s apartment again today. I’ll be earlier than I was before, and I won’t knock on his door. When he finds me dead in the parking lot he won’t go to work. He won’t die. But I will be gone.

You will all shift and adjust, I’m sure. But you will be fine. You will all stay together. You will move on.

I didn’t know if I should tell you or not. I finally decided to write all of this down, explain the story. I need you to know how much I love you, how much I want you to be happy. I would do anything for you.