The parking lot at Hawkins High is empty when we arrive. Squid tells me to go to Delilah's locker and wait there; someone will get me when they're ready. Surprisingly, Squid has keys to the school so they let me into the closest entrance near Delilah's locker.
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Her memorial has grown even larger since the last time I was here. More flowers, pictures, letters, candles, and drawings all dedicated to her. I didn't know there were this many good portrait artists in Hawkins.
I kneel down and start reading the letters, all of which are open:
"Rest In Paradise, Queen. Never stop singing for the losers like us."
"I can sing but I was too scared to pursue it. But I'm not anymore thanks to you. Fly, Angel, Fly. I hope I can live up to be as amazing as you were."
"On the off chance that your boyfriend is reading this, here's a poem by James Whitcomb Riley that made me think of him:
'I cannot say and will not say
That she is dead—She is just away!
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With a cheery smile and a wave of the hand
She has wandered into an unknown land,
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And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be since she lingers there.
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And you—O you, who the wildest yearn
For the old-time step and the glad return—,
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Think of her faring on, as dear as the love of There as the Love of Here;'"
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"Judas?"
I turn around to see Stacy in a wheelchair. Seeing her now. Alive and well. It makes me feel rejuvenated.
"Hey, Stacy," I say, grinning, "I guess you're here to pick me up?"
"Correct. You wouldn't mind pushing me to the gym would you?"
I get behind her and begin wheeling her to the gymnasium.
"I'm gonna make a full recovery," She tells me, "I'm gonna have to re-learn how to walk again but the stuff that's challenging is worth doing, ya know?"
I don't say anything. I just walk us to the Gym.
Once we arrive at the gym doors I let go of her handles and she turns around to face me.
"Judas, can you promise me something?" Her hazel eyes are sparkling.
"What is it?"
"Can you promise that no matter what happens, you'll learn to not regret what you've done? I'd be dead if it weren't for you. Probably many more. But—I know you lost the one thing you cared about most. It's fucking cruel and I don't get it but—I texted my mom goodbye Judas. I texted her I loved her because I thought I was going to die. And then you changed that."
"What's behind those doors?"
"We know you don't like surprises. But we're asking you to have faith in us. When you go in there, there's gonna be a projector, a chair, and a screen. Just hit play on the projector take a seat and watch."
I sigh, rubbing my hands through my face.
"Okay. Expect the worst. Hope for the best," I say aloud, entering the gym.
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The gym is completely vacant and dark when I enter except for the aforementioned chair, projector, and giant tarp screen. One spotlight is shining on the lone chair and projector, beckoning for me to use them. I approach them, hit play on the projector, and take a seat in the chair facing the tarp screen.
The projector begins to play, showing a countdown from six. Then the picture opens up to the Hawkins choir, four members in total, three men and one woman and they're all looking past the camera toward something.
"It's missing something," A familiar voice in the gym's sound system says. No—no way.
"It needs to sound more child-like," her voice says, "Like a children's choir. Let's try that from the top. Ready?"
The mystery woman off-screen strums her guitar and sings: "You can not stop what's said in love..."
The choir chimes in with child-like whimsicalness, "I'm like a falling angel; I'm also rising above it..."
"Perfect," she says from behind the camera, "Let's take five."
The choir team disperses and then she sits in front of the camera; Delilah Lor. Alive and well. Her hair is fading so it was before the talent show. She's wearing a white jacket that's unzipped revealing a crop top that shows off her stomach. I remember that outfit. This was back in October before Lucy took me.
"Daniel says I should be documenting everything when it comes to this project so... here I am!" She announces. Her smile shows those dimples I thought I'd never see again. My eyes begin to become blurry with tears.
"What do I say into this?" she asks someone off camera.
"Just—everything," the voice, which sounds like Daniels, says, "What you're doing. How you feel. What you would want to say to him if you weren't here."
"Right... well Judas," She looks back at the camera, staring at me in the chair, "I've been working on something for you..."
At this point my right hand is reaching out for her on the screen, tears streaming down my face. She's talking about something when she stops and seems to focus on me. The screen sort of ripples, and she pauses, smiling in an amused way, and moves her head just so right at the moment when my hand reaches her cheek on the screen.
Like she can feel it.
She laughs, "Hey, handsome," she says in a voice like she's in the room and not in the video on the projector, staring at me down at the chair. I pull my arm back, holding onto it for dear life. Is this what Death is like from now on? Making contact with your dead loved ones through art they've made?
"If you haven't figured it out yet, this is why I've been sneaking around with Daniel," she says. "He's been helping me with this project and since he and I can relate in a way. We've been working on this in secret just in case. Judas, there's gonna be people out there who will hate you because you're you. They'll say and do whatever they want to deface you and your name. But you know what's one thing they can't deny? Your actions. The past doesn't define you. I know who you are. The man you are. And I am proud of the man I see before me."
The camera cuts and Delilah is standing in front while the choir is playing separate instruments. One bass, Delilah guitar, one drums, and another guitar. Delilah counts down from three and then the song starts immediately. With her strumming at her guitar and saying the first line of the song:
"When I was younger I gave up on love just to meet an exception..."
The band then joins in and Hallelujah. I think this is my new favorite rock band. With Delilah as the lead:
"Please give me the power I need to heal his situations
Oh, I can't believe you lost me, I can't believe you lost me
You said I look gorgeous, I said that's just Jesus talking
Oh, I can't believe you lost me
But in spite of it all, you choke it down and keep on trying
I can't believe you lost me; can't believe you lost me..."
Then the chorus kicks in, all of the shredding on their instruments with ire:
"I'm never going to let you go
You're not alone
They said you're just crazy and naive
Just listen to this song...
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Get up, Judas, brace your neck, stand straight as the rope is getting tighter
Oh, I can't believe you lost me
I'd travel across the universe just to get to you
I'm telling you that you're amazing
Just listen to me, as I tell you this, I will never lose you again
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I'm never going to let you go
You're not alone
They said you're just crazy and naive
Just listen to this song..."
Then the song slows way down to just Delilah and the drummer. It's like a completely different song. And then Delilah's angelic voice starts singing:
"Sing to me your "I love you," and I will sing you mine
My hands are nowhere near perfect but they are yours forever..."
Then the band starts to slowly join in, the music slowly building up.
"You can not stop what's said in love"
Then the rest of them sing it like they rehearsed in the beginning except for the girl that's with Delilah.
"(I'm like a falling angel; I'm also rising above it)
When everything is lost, that's when you find it in life
(I'm like a falling angel; I'm also rising above it all)"
Then the other girl, a girl I've seen in the hallways but I never knew could sing before sings the next lines, and oh man.
"You can not stop what's said in love
(I'm like a falling angel; I'm also rising above it)
When everything is lost, that's when you find it in life..."
Then Delilah picks it up, and they just start blending together like a divine vocal smoothie.
"My hands are nowhere near perfect but they are yours forever
You can not stop what's said in love
Sing to me your "I love you," and I will sing you mine(I'm like an angel falling; I'm also rising above it)
When everything is lost, that's when you find it in life
(I'm like a falling angel)
And I will sing you mine
You can not stop what's said in love
Sing to me your "I love you," and I will sing you mine(I'm like a falling angel; I'm also rising above it)
When everything is lost, that's when you find it in life
(I'm like a falling angel; I'm also rising above it all)
When everything is lost, that's when you find it in life..."
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The sound fades out and they're all high-fiving each other. Then I hear Delilah's voice commentating over the video.
"My hope is that you don't have to see this video," She says, "My hope is that this song never sees the light of day. But Judas, if you're watching this. I didn't make it. Either by my hand or fate—I'm dead. I know you must be going through a lot right now. But know that I love you and I will always be there with you."
The video cuts to her and she's in her bedroom. Same outfit. She's holding a piece of paper in front of her.
"I never thought I'd read out a will before," she half-jokes, "Ahem. Judas Korver. You will have fifty percent of my earnings from all my music—everything in my checking and savings account. Everything in my room including my instruments and musical equipment is yours. I don't think I'm missing anything, am I? Oh! Get out of Hawkins, Handsome, okay? I still don't know if you can sing yet but. I kinda gotta hunch you can. You gotta a rocker vibe about ya. Maybe LA? You told me you wanted to seek and save the lost, right? What better place to do that? Anyway, I gotta go. I love ya."
She kisses her hand then touches the lens with it and the video ends. I'm left with all of that. Even in Death, Delilah finds a way to get to me. I guess that tells you how much she loves me.
Message received, D. I'll do whatever it takes to complete your dying wish.
The lights come on and I have to squint to avoid being blinded. When my eyes adjust, I see Daniel approaching from the other side of the gym with caution.
"We good?" He asks.
I sigh, "We're good."
He's beside me now.
"I'm sorry about all the secrets and shit man," he starts, "Women, am I right? I really wanted to tell you, I did. But she made me swear not to."
I pat him on the chest, "I get it. She has that effect on people. How's the face?"
"Oh. Not bad. Had to get a new tooth. But I like having a gold canine. Makes me look gangster." He flashes it like a vampire and sure enough, he has a golden canine from where I punched him. I begin to walk with him out of the gym.
"So what you gonna do now?" He asks.
"Just one last thing. I gotta get a hold of Nick first."
I find Squid at the front of the school talking to Nick. They then see me and make their way toward me.
"Squid told me you found out," Nick bluntly puts out there.
"I did. Yeah. Where is she?" I ask.
"I can't tell you that—"
"Please—Nick. I have a right to know."
"She's at Crimson Mountain Regional Prison. For life."
"That's it? I don't think she's very well. There has to be more we can do for her."
"What can you do?"
"A bit more don't you think?"
"She got tried as an adult, Judas. She killed three people. Injured numerous others. Lit an entire church and anchor of land on fire. She's a danger to society. I tried to help her—I did. But I was too late. And now she's gone."
My hands ball into fists. That can't be the end of it. There has to be more.
"How did she escape anyway?" I ask.
"She orchestrated a riot," Nick tells us, "She and a few other inmates escaped. They're the reason for the fire at Willow Creek and the phones being down during the shooting. We've detained all of them."
"She's a resourceful one," Daniel comments.
"Able to convince many to her cause," Nick picks up, "She's manipulative and dangerous. I still don't know why you want to help her, Judas."
"Because I still believe she's just a kid like me. She has to be. She didn't mean to kill Delilah when she shot me. She was just trying to stop me. We can't just condemn our Devils for eternity and forget about them like discarded trash. Otherwise, they're going to find a place where they are accepted and rise to harm us. We have to heal it at the source to prevent any more damage."
"But she killed Delilah, Judas," Squid retorts, "We both watched her die in your arms. Judas—Delilah was my friend. How do you think she would feel about all of this?"
"I know exactly how she would feel about all of this," I spit, they all seem surprised by this, "Which is why I need Nick's help. Nick, you can get a van that can carry an electric wheelchair right?"
"I can. But why?" Nick asks.
"I need to go to Denver. There's two people I need to take to Delilah's funeral," I say.
"I forgot that was today," Squid says, "That's why you pushed your release to today. I thought you weren't going."
"I need to swallow my pride for this one," I tell them, "Delilah's brother and mother deserve to go to her funeral today."277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzSizOW7FS
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