Wild West of the Heart
NINETY FOUR

Mira had never been on water before, so she only just realized she might be scared of it. The ship kept sailing against the winds and into the darkness, but there was a bright light above them that somehow covered the skies. Mira was seated on the starboard side, looking below the rowing sides of the sides. She realized that her wires had lost connection with Dare's, and she was still in a process of admitting her fate. They weren't the only ones on the ship, there were people in the cabin below them-

but they were alone on the deck.

She pressed her hands against her hair as she turned to the direction she heard footsteps. "Hey" Vlad raised his hands defensively, holding two drinks in his hands. "It's just me."

"I don't drink" Mira immediately said as he pulled out a seat in front of her. Vlad was playing into the entire game, as if he had no idea what was going on. He was cunning to say the least, but he was also a targeted murderer. "I thought as much" He whispered. "It's why i got sex on the beach for me" He chuckled. "It's a cocktail, and St Regie for you. We also have Pierre" He turned over his shoulders, now in a silk vintage shirt without his jacket. Mira was hesitant, staring at the drink before her. "Don't worry it's just ginger and white cranberry. I promise it wouldn't interfere with any of your " He struck a finger to her. "Any of your hormones or whatever" He smirked. Mira felt uncomfortable.

"I'm not on any yet" She flatly said, changing the whole course of the conversation and Vlad sat forward. "I thought you said you were trans?"

"There is also social transitioning as well as medical transitioning. You don't need to go under hormone therapy and top surgery to be regarded as a trans person. Some people rather transition socially, and i on the other hand, i'm just taking my time exploring my options" She replied as he took a sip of his cocktail. "So you're still a man now?"

Mira felt a sharp pain pierce her chest. "No."

"But you're not-❞

"Surgery can be a part of the transition process for many, but it isn't for all. At the end of the day, it's what you're really comfortable with" She gritted through her teeth, barely acknowledging any eye contact between them. "Why?"

The ship didn't halt for one second, and by this time it was obvious they were well away from the shores. Dare had run in the same direction till he got there. And Sara was just right behind. He took his shoes, scrambling around the banks for a boat-but to no avail.

"No." He kicked the sands.

"What?" Mira looked to Vlad. "Why do all of that?" He asked and Mira pushed a lump down her throat. "Why go through all of that to change who you really are?" "Because i am a woman"

"No" Vlad shook his head as Mira sat forward. "No?" She echoed. "I tell you what i am and you say no?" She added.

"Living as a man never suited me. It was as if k was dying, each time i act accordingly to who i think i'm supposed to be and to what i think is expected of me, i was dying and it caused me alot of trauma for many years. Because i thought if i wasn't a man, i was less than perfect. Perfect for my parents, perfect for society and perfect for myself"

"I was miserable" There was a crack in her voice. "And every day, every lit candle or shooting star, i always wished that i was different because i thought i could never change from what everyone knew me as. I would pray as it grew worse and worse to the point where i made any mistakes, i would destroy myself mentally, i had to be perfect. And that sums up pretty much my entire teenage years" She said.

"That is of course when things began to change. I began to change"

"But that's the thing. You can't just wake up one day and decide you want to be a woman. You can't change" Vlad was enraged, finally showing his true colors. "And you, a white cis man with privileges think it's up to you to decide what i do with my body?" Her voice cracked.

"Oh my God" He exclaimed. "This doesn't have anything to do with race or anything or- It is normal. It is tradition" Mira slammed her fists into the table, tipping over the glass of cocktail. "I am normal" She yelled at him.

"No you aren't" He stood, and she did as well. "You're sick. Everyone of you that thinks this is okay, you're sick. You're a sinner and you should be stopped" He raised his voice as Mira backed away, almost tripping in the direction of the ship. "And you're a murderer" She yelled back.

Vlad let out a dark chuckle. "Wow" He jeered.

"You killed my friend and you stand there and say I'm the sinner for being who i am-Speak of hypocrisy" She raised a finger at him, she realized if she was to go down tonight, she would at least do it fighting. Vlad paced all the way to her, grasping her by the arm. "Your friend had it coming for her but i didn't kill her. Look at what you people have done. Innocent people are dying every day from your disease and i lost my father back in States to this. It should be you- Every bad thing should happen to you" He said.

Mira struggled with his arm as he groped her neck. "I'm tired of you. You can dress up however you want and put as much makeup or go to hospital or do whatever it is that you want to do-"He reached for his pocket.

"Nothing would change the fact that you are a man. And you would always be a man" He hefted out a knife and threatened to hold it to her throat. Mira's eyes widened as she kicked him in the groin. He folded, letting go of her. She pushed him to the ground and he held her ankles, forcing her to fall on her face. The ship tilted to the left but he held firm to the knife, crawling from beneath her. Mira strangled his neck with her heels as she let out a shrill scream. "This is what you do" She yelled. "You lure innocent people here and you kill them for no absolute reason like the murderer you are" She reached for his knife but he quickly sliced her wrists.

Mira groaned, her blood splattering against his face. So much that he angrily yelled. "And you fell into my trap" She lost balance and he pushed her in her stomach. Holding up the knife, he grabbed her neck again and Mira succumbed below him. He wiped her blood across her face.

"You're a disease" He gritted through his teeth, one hanging loose as a result of her kick. Vlad applied pressure around her neck that she began to gasp. And a smile crept to his lips as he looked below her.

Everything flashed before Mira's eyes. All the memories with Obi, and Silva-her two favorite people. She couldn't die tonight without ever saying goodbye. She knew.

Her eyes began to fade as the knife inched closer to her. She dodged it, coming close to the blade that pierced into the deck and she pushed Vlad off her. The knife remained fixed into the wood as she wiped across her lips.

"You can't kill me" She yelled to him as he held the edge of the flagpole, pacing around it. He had malicious intent in his eyes but Mira stood her ground. "Let's see about that"

"Tell me why you killed my friend. Tell me whatever she did to deserve being stabbed multiple times and left to rot by a pavement" Mira's voice cracked as they rotated opposite each other. He laughed "I told you i didn't kill your friend. There are far much more people out there that want the exact same thing that i do" He replied.

"Aces"

"That's what you call yourself. Aces, the sick, hate group that goes about killing innocent people" She continued as he groped the flagpole. "We want normal. We just want peace-But i want revenge" He said. "For my father who still had so much ahead of him but instead he threw away for his lover and what did he get in return, he got the disease because he always wanted more" Vlad was vulnerable for the first time that night. "More than my dad" you go on a killing spree?" Mira arched her brows.

"So

"Not just me. I built to Aces to fix the society, because it's far more than what you did to my dad. The damage runs deeper than that" A gasp escaped her lips. "You're Aces?" Came a doubtful pause as she stepped backwards. Vlad immediately went to his knees and grabbed the knife from the deck. Thunder immediately rumbled in the skies above Mira as she searched the deck for him-

-when suddenly he arose, targeting the knife at her and letting go. Mira went to her knees, breaking her knees in the process that she had to let her shoes go. She looked to her bleeding wrists and tried to control the blood. "Fuck" She cussed, looking to the knife that was at a distance from her but Vlad got to it faster. She looked behind her, seeing there wasn't much room to escape from the bow. He hefted it towards her as she took a step back.

She could hear the sound of the waves hitting against the hull. And Mira had tears in her eyes. Her legs immediately hit the board behind her and she turned to look the edge of the ship. Vlad let out a loud laugh as he inched closer to her. "I told you, you can't escape this. You can't escape me"

She held out her arms.

"Don't do this" She whispered to him as the smile vanished off his face. "Think of your father, Vlad. Think of everything you could change if you stopped all of this in this very moment. If you kill me, the military have vehicles all around this place and you wouldn't be able to escape. But if you don't, you can still leave this place. I can help you leave this place" She gripped the collar of his bloody shirt. "Think of the peace, you said you want peace"

"Now think of the peace if you just stopped this. Everyone living together, no deaths, no murders while we fight the only bad thing in our society. The only enemy which is the epidemic and replace a solution together for people like your father so people like you don't go through the same thing" There was a crack in his voice as Vlad looked to Mira.

He shook his head. "It's too late Michael" He whispered as Mira sighted his grip against the end of the knife. And she looked behind her at the sea.

"You're not a bad person, Vlad" She suddenly said. "I think you're just hurting and I don't understand losing a father but I do understand losing a friend and I don't know what would become of me if i don't say goodbye to my friend that is sick in the hospital. Vlad, this disease is killing everyone-" Mira whispered, inching closer to him. She stepped off the board with the winds blowing into her face. "When you love someone, you'd do anything for them. I understand you, Vlad" She held his hands.

And a tear slipped down his cheeks as Mira tried to balance in her one heeled feet. Vlad pushed slowly against her, till she her back was against the bow. The lightning illuminated both their faces as they locked eyes with each other. "Don't do this" She whispered.

Her hands were against the blade but he pushed further.

"It's too late" He whispered into her ears as the knife went through. Mira felt the sharp pain as she gasped it was nothing like a syringe. This was worse, and Vlad held against the side of the ship until he let go. And Mira staggered off the bow, making one last eye contact with Vlad before she fell. She fell feet deep into the ocean with the knife in her stomach.

The waves washed over her as Vlad peered from above, the color red from her blood mixing with the saline waters.

Dare heard the line go static as he halted. "Mira" He yelled, holding the mic to his lips. "Mira. The line, i heard it" He looked to Sara who just stood there with the binoculars in her hands.

"I heard her Sara" He whispered as she pulled him in for a hug. "It's been more than an hour" She whispered into his ears. "I heard her, i swear-" He cried upon her shoulders, for the first time and Sara held him close. "There was nothing we could do"

"I should have never let her do this. I was supposed to protect her. I promised that i would protect her" He whispered as Sara soothed his back. "It's not your fault"

Footsteps approached them from behind and then turned to see Brandon panting against his knees."They're headed back to shore" He yelled before they both turned to him. "What?" "The ship turned around. They're headed back here."

-

"Are you okay?" Titi reached for Mary's hands as she stared at the papers before her. Akin had signed them and now, she didn't know what do with this new feeling. Of freedom.

"Yeah, yeah i am" She rested back into her arms while Ola was against his own doors, that is until he heard stones against his windows. He was quick to his feet, wiping the tears in his eyes.

Rushing to the windows, he pulled open the drapes to look down at Obi-it seemed like forever but he was here. And a scoff escaped his lips as the latter waved up. "I want to talk?" He yelled from below and Ola chuckled. "Me too?" He replied and they both burst out laughing. That was before he made his way out of his windows and past his mother.

"Are you going tell him?" Titi asked. "Not today" Mary replied.

-

Dee had already fallen asleep-

that was why she didn't realize the doctor standing above her. "Hey" He squeezed her shoulders. "Silva's awake. You could go see him" She rubbed her eyes as she jolted up. She looked around the corridors for Mira.

"She's not yet back" Tara said. "Well it isn't-" Dee looked back and forth. "It isn't us that wanted to uhm, it isn't us that wanted to see him" He stuttered as Tara stood. "I dont know about you but i want to. Mira can tomorrow morning" Little did she know.

"Uhm" The nurse said. "We're not sure how long he has left. The gunshot wound already left his immune system compromised and-" Dee saw someone walk into the waiting room with a suitcase in her hands. The nurse turned around as she walked forward.

And by the woman's side was a man, scanning the hallway.

"How can we help you?" The nurse stepped forward as he took of his dark glasses. "Hi, I'm David. I'm Silva's friend. And this" He pointed to the woman beside him. "I'm bode. DaSilva's mother"

"And i would love to see my son" Her voice was coarse as Dee stepped aside. "This way" The nurse pointed in the direction of his ward as David nodded to Dee. They made their way down the quiet corridors till they reached his door. And Bode twisted the handle open, letting the door give way to her son, lying limp across the bed. But the moment he saw them both, he sat forward. "Mom?" Came a quivering whisper. And she sniffled, wiping underneath her eyes. "My baby "The lesions across his face were the first things she noticed as she walked closer.

He looked to David, the next question being "Where's Mira?" Now, that was the same question everyone asked. She was sinking in the Atlantic, her eyes narrowed at the starlight skies with water filling her lungs as she drowned with the knife still in her.

"I don't know" David shook his head, taking his hands. "I'm here"

"We're here, Silva. You're not alone" Bode whispered and a tear slipped down his cheeks as he looked to Dee and the girls by the door. The truth was, even when he was unconscious, he wasn't alone, he knew. All his life, he never was because of that person.

And even in the afterlife, he wouldn't be.

To be continued...