Of Mice and Men - Alternative Ending

An unexpected turn for the classic novel "Of Mice and Men" that makes it's beginning at the end.

 

            The bullet swiftly flew out of its gun and into its destination. The body fell to the ground softly and without hesitation. The Luger was lowered to the owner’s side, yet had not yet ceased emitting a nimble smoke where the shot had left. Every little detail of the surrounding world seemed silent and trivial. All that mattered was what now lay in front of George. It felt unreal, for something so difficult to happen so briefly. Lennie was the only one who cared about a smart-a*s migrant worker like George, and now he was gone forever.

            Head in hands, the distraught man knelt beside the still corpse. Time passed. George wasn’t sure how much and he didn’t care. All that mattered to him was the very thing he just ended. Now he waited for anything or anyone to rescue him from his terrible deed. But no one came. Not Slim, not Candy, not even Curley. Guilt began to flow through George, then a wave of regret.

            “What have I done?” thought George. “Nobody’s here, I could have run away from them other guys with Lennie.”

            What seemed like valuable time was now wasted. Lennie’s fate was already decided. Any chance George had of escaping with his friend was now gone.

But where was everyone else? Had they abandoned the search? Had they gotten lost? George had too many questions racing through his head, but none of them led to a reasonable conclusion. They should have heard the gunshot and come running. Curley would never end the search until he found his revenge in Lennie’s death. It was also impossible for any of the men to forget the simplistic layout of the land. Every answer drew him farther and farther away from the truth. And the truth was that something was deeply wrong.

After a few hours �" or what seemed like a few hours �" George finally pulled himself off the ground. He looked down at Lennie’s body, which had remained in the same rigid position since it’s collapse. It wasn’t decent to leave his friend in such a way, so George began to ease the large man over to a tree. He sat Lennie against the trunk, with his hat over his eyes and his arms lying limp to each side.

“Almost looks like he’s jus’ takin’ a nap,” George said to himself as he looked over the body. “I’m gonna miss you, ya’ crazy b*****d.”

He then started his slow journey back to the farm, not being able to decide if he wished to put more or less distance between him and his dead companion. Each step was full of self-judgment, wondering if he should forget or accept what he had just done. Besides the leaves crunching under George’s boots, all was soundless beneath the forest. Even the hushed swaying of the trees seemed to have quieted down, as if they had fallen asleep alongside Lennie. The sun had finally set over the distant mountains, covering the land with a soft dusk that strengthened the uneasy feeling inside George. Soon, a steady fog arose from the ground, making it difficult to see anything just a few trees away.

“Hell, it’s like that bullet killed Lennie an’ every other dang thing on this planet,” cried out George, mostly to break the stubborn silence. “Wait…hey! Hey! Carlson!”

In the distance was the sulking figure of Carlson, who slowly stumbled his way towards George, weak from exhaustion. Only a silhouette could be seen, while the fog strained to conceal the man underneath. Yet, George recognized the big-bellied migrant worker all the same.

“Carlson!”

No answer.

“Carlson, I got Lennie…” explained George. “He had yer’ gun but I got it back.”

Carlson kept at the same sluggish pace towards George, ignoring everything the man said. His arms then lifted idly to reach straight out towards their target. The hands remained hanging limply towards the ground.

“What’s the matter with ya’?” asked George suspiciously. “Ya’ don’t look too good.”

Before receiving an answer, the weary Carson suddenly jolted into action and began a lopsided sprint towards George. A series of moans and shrieks began to fill the air, as the attacker burst through the wall of fog. It was now close enough for Carlson to reveal his pale cut-up skin, bright blood-shot eyes, and his blood-dripping jaw, which chomped up and down fiercely. This was no longer Carlson.

George froze at the horrific sight of the man he once knew. He had no time to run or fight, all he could do was shut his eyes in petrified desperation. If Lennie’s death had felt like a dream, it was nothing compared to the situation that George faced now.

A single gunshot fired, echoing throughout the forest. George kept his body tightened, bracing for impact, and heard Carlson fall to the ground with a loud thump.  He slowly opened his eyes, still anxious about the creature that lay numb in front of him. From the direction that Carlson had come was a figure, this one looking more human than the last.  The man lowered his rifle, to reveal his bold face and a raged Stetson hat. Slim strode over to George, stopping as he reached Carlson sprawled across the dirt between the two men.

“Slim, who…what’s wrong with Carlson?” George muttered out in disbelief.

“I wish I could tell ya’,” said Slim looking down at the body. “But all I know is that it’s been happenin’ to every folk at the farm. It started with Curley’s wife, I heard. She jus’ got up from the ground like she was fine and all, but then next thin’ ya’ know she’s tryin’ to bite everyone! After we heard she was standin’ awright we stopped the search to head back. But we came back to all the men runnin’ aroun’ like lunatics, tryin’ to bite and claw at us! The whole place was taken’ over, and I didn’t know what to do, George. Curley went to look for his Pa, Candy was killed by those things, and I was separated from the rest so I ran.”

            George didn’t believe a word that Slim had said, so he just stood there, not sure what to do. Yet, Carlson’s frozen corpse and the sincere sadness in Slim’s eyes convinced George that it was the truth.

            “Well then,” said the man shaking. “What are we gonna do?”

            As if preparing his answer, Slim quickly replied, “We gotta run, go find help or somethin’. There ain’t more we can do.”

            They both agreed to head in the opposite direction of the farm, to avoid any more encounters with the undead. George didn’t know what to think, everything was happening so fast that he barley had time to organize his emotions. All he knew was that he needed to escape with Slim, who seemed to have an idea of what to do. The silence that had once consumed the forest was now a distant memory, for now the trees were full of noises. Every little twig snapping or animal scurrying across the dirt caused George’s head to snap side to side in distress. The moon was the only comfort away from the fear. Its glow emitted enough light for the two migrant workers to push their way through the fog without losing each other.

            After some time, the two men stopped at a pond for some water. The shadowy trees around the men left them tense, and no words were spoken. As they drank from the cold pool, George realized something.

            “This is where I shot Lennie.”

            “Wait, wha-“ Slim was cut off as a large heavy figure pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. George spun around to find his friend being torn to pieces, yelling for help frantically. By the short amount of time it took for George to reach for Carlson’s Luger, Slim had already stopped screaming.

            Lennie stood before George, but he was no longer the kind-hearted, protective friend he was before. There was nothing human in him to control his urge to kill George, just as he had killed Slim. Yet, the time it took for Lennie to move his way over to his next victim felt like forever. It seemed as if he didn’t want to hurt George, but he needed to. The eyes of the two brothers kept still on each other, not breaking their gaze. George raised the Luger at Lennie as he realized what he needed to do.

            “Look at what you’ve done Lennie!” George chuckled as tears ran down his face. “If I was alone I could live so easy, but I got you!”

            Lennie continued to stagger forwards.

            “But I ain’t never been mad at you.” George sobbed. “I love you Lennie, and you’re makin’ me kill ya’ all over again. I’m gonna miss you, ya’ crazy b*****d.”

            The bullet swiftly flew out of its gun and into its destination.