"I'm sorry." I said.
"No." Bruce growled, "You're not. You cannot possibly understand what is like to lose a child. You have no children. Hell, you are a child. Every day, for the last several years, I've been visiting the place of Sam's disappearance. Every day, I gather research on the Beast, hoping that it will somehow ease the pain. But it doesn't. Nothing does."
He stepped outside, taking in the strange landscape that he had been staring at for two decades. He appeared to be most in thought. Then, he said, "I can't do this, anymore. That's why I passed on that message to you, Charlie. That's why I was so adamant to help John out, after he began receiving those letters. I needed a replacement."
"Wait…" I said, "You wrote the letters?"
Bruce chuckled. "No." He said, "That was someone else, though I don't know whom. But, anyway, I just found the letters to be a convenience. I needed someone to to fulfill my work, so I played along, leaving John unaware of my true identity. I didn't want to worry him."
"I don't mean to make things worse." Tommy said, "But John's dead. He committed suicide."
"No, he didn't." Bruce said, tearfully, "I killed him."
"What?"
"He was my dear friend." Bruce said, "I didn't want him to continue delving into this. If he would have found this place, it would have ruined him. So, to ease his inevitable pain, I forced his pills down his throat."
"You didn't have to do that." Jeremy said, "You could have just told him to stay away."
"I know…" Bruce said, "But one cannot change the past." He paused, for a moment, and added, "But you can change other things."
"What do you mean?" I puzzled.
Bruce breathed deeply. "Once you've been in this place for long enough," he began, "You learn to manipulate it." With that, he outstetched his arm, and telekinetically collapsed a rollercoaster. Then, he proceeded to destroy the remainder of the structures, leaving nothing but the small building that was behind him. As everything began to fall into the chasms, he slowly drew three bars toward himself. When they neared him, he uttered his final words.
"Forgive me, John." He said, "My research has been passed on."
With his purpose fulfilled, he allowed the metal to puncture his abdomen, and tumbled into the abyss.
"Wait…" I said, "You wrote the letters?"
Bruce chuckled. "No." He said, "That was someone else, though I don't know whom. But, anyway, I just found the letters to be a convenience. I needed someone to to fulfill my work, so I played along, leaving John unaware of my true identity. I didn't want to worry him."
"I don't mean to make things worse." Tommy said, "But John's dead. He committed suicide."
"No, he didn't." Bruce said, tearfully, "I killed him."
"What?"
"He was my dear friend." Bruce said, "I didn't want him to continue delving into this. If he would have found this place, it would have ruined him. So, to ease his inevitable pain, I forced his pills down his throat."
"You didn't have to do that." Jeremy said, "You could have just told him to stay away."
"I know…" Bruce said, "But one cannot change the past." He paused, for a moment, and added, "But you can change other things."
"What do you mean?" I puzzled.
Bruce breathed deeply. "Once you've been in this place for long enough," he began, "You learn to manipulate it." With that, he outstetched his arm, and telekinetically collapsed a rollercoaster. Then, he proceeded to destroy the remainder of the structures, leaving nothing but the small building that was behind him. As everything began to fall into the chasms, he slowly drew three bars toward himself. When they neared him, he uttered his final words.
"Forgive me, John." He said, "My research has been passed on."
With his purpose fulfilled, he allowed the metal to puncture his abdomen, and tumbled into the abyss.
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