WHERE THERE'S TROUBLE End Chapter 1

     As Hays was about to speak an icy chill ran down the length of his spine and, even though he was sunburned and feverish, his skin began to crawl as the little hairs on the nape of his neck stood up on end. He began to feel as if he were in a dream, talking through a fog, as he said. "It was the strangest thing, to sit behind the glass as this scene played out in front of us all. It was like we were watching a movie, it seemed so surreal. Then Charles, poetic 'til the end said 'Thank you all for coming to see me on my way.'" Hays paused as it was all so clear in his mind, he continued "Then he said 'Though I do not deserve your company, it was good of you to come.' he said ' I am sorry you have to witness this happen, I hope it brings you the satisfaction you deserve.' Charles asked them 'I hope you can remember me, one day, as I was, for I have loved you all.'" Hays paused once more as he looked over at Bengiman Pruce who sat there hanging on his every word. "It was all so bizarre. Then he said to Aphina, Serena and Felina 'If I had stopped, for one moment, to think how much pain and desolation I would cause you my dear sweet ladies, I tell you I should have shot myself in the head instead.' Then the injection took place.., it doesn't kill them as fast as you would think, because then he said, his eyes on us the entire time, 'Please pray for me, who loves you so!' then there was a quick silence and he took in a deep breath and said 'Life without meaning is pointless. Happiness and joy are priceless, but everything is Death to me. For I have never been afraid to die, but I have always been afraid to live.' Then Charles closed his eyes and he was gone.
     Now the two sat there in silence staring at one another for a very long time. Hays could see the flashes of bitterness and rage in Bengiman's eye's as he watched his mind turning 'round the thoughts and endless question's in his head. "It was difficult,' Hays continued "the reporters in the room on their cell phones instantly relaying the story. We were shown out to our cars, it was over in about twenty minutes." Hays relayed a bit more of the story to him. "It was very strange. He was very brave." Hays commented thinking of all the fear in the eyes of the men he had brought to Death's door. They were all cowards, but not Charles he was different, deadly but different.
     "So what happened to his body?" Mr.Pruce asked for some reason.
     Hays laughed. "Melissa claimed his body, can you fucking believe it?"
     "What? Who is this woman that she cares about Charles so much? What the fuck happened between those two?" Mr.Pruce fumed confused and unsure how Charles spent one night with this woman and the next day all Hell breaks loose. "What did she say to him? Why would Charles betray an entire family that took care of him and welcomed as one of their own?"
     "That's what we would like to know." Hays said with a dark look of destruction in his eyes. "Bengiman! We're going back to Texas."
     Mr.Pruce felt a terrible sinking in the pit of his stomach as he said in a whisper as tense as wire "I don't want to go back to Texas."
     "Don't worry, we won't be there long. We'll be picking someone up." Hays smiled.
     "Who?" Mr.Pruce asked with an overwhelming feeling this would end badly.
     "Who do you think?"