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The stars reflected in the water beautifully, Moderate Lee thought from his place at the edge of the lake. He gazed down into the water, small ripples from the water striders the only thing keeping the crystal clear image different from the original. The surrounding pine trees were thinly veiled with mist, and part of the centrist was satisfied that he could only see partially through them. It was easier than seeing through it perfectly and spotting the danger too soon, since there was nothing he could do about it once they arrived. It was better than a thick fog, too, as this way he could appreciate the scenery one last time.
A small hum sounded in his ears, and he sat back with a slight jolt. The bee responsible for the noise floated lazily by to perch on one of the many brightly coloured flowers surrounding Moderate Lee and the lake. The pollen from said flowers made his nose itch, but a few soft sneezes startling the field mice wouldn't be enough to make him leave just yet.
He leaned back on his hands, careful not to crush the ants marching by with bread crumbs from his earlier snack. With the moon bulging full tonight, there was enough pale light for the centrist to see his surroundings. It was a bit eerie, he thought, to see the tree tops dusted with mist and the flowers gently bent with the whispering breeze. More than that, though, he thought it was peaceful. Calming, in a time of panic for him and his fellow centrists.
Of course, he mused, delicately touching the yellow petal of a flower, the rest of his team were gone now. Wiped clean off the planet by a small gang of extremists, out for centrist blood for reasons still a bit unclear to him. They surely had a good reason to be doing this, he'd reasoned with himself and the others countless times in the past few months. Quickly, they dropped like flies, but Moderate Lee was still convinced that their intentions had to have some kind of valid basis. He was willing to give them a chance to explain, if they would ever give him a chance to listen. He wanted more than anything to just compromise with them. To put aside their differences and come to a logical solution that just wasn't so… extreme, to the point where he and everyone he cared about had to be taken out like the chewed body of a cats prey. The cat didn't care enough to eat it, the owner didn't care enough to pay it respect. To the extremists, he was nothing more than a pest to be disposed of. And in his case specifically, it would take no more effort than throwing out a half-eaten mouse.
Overhead, a hawk silently glided through the air. Moderate Lee glanced up, stiffening just slightly as the bird, seemingly alarmed, took off into the sky at a faster pace. Something was here. Calming himself before his heart started to race, the centrist gazed once more into the dark blue of the water. What did it look like during the day, he wondered? Maybe the water was so clear, one could see right to the bottom. Perhaps there were fish swimming around, living their lives in the cool lake, hoping not to be caught by a hungry, lumbering bear looking for its next meal. Maybe the sun reflected just as beautifully as the moon. He would never know.
Crashing sounds could be heard nearby. Someone, or something, was rushing through the surrounding woods, inconsiderate of birds and squirrels sleeping above, or ants and snails being crushed beneath their steps. Moderate Lee closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He wrapped his arms around his knees, hugging them close, and opened his eyes again, drinking in the serene beauty of the forest hideaway before the peace could be shattered.
Out from the trees popped four silhouetted figures. One tall and broad, one short and thin. The other two on the outskirts most certainly wielding guns. The centrist, against his better judgement, started to tremble. He tried to tell himself that he could still compromise with them. That if he couldn't, they at least had the right reasons for doing this. That even if he was wrong about all of that, at least he wouldn't have to worry anymore. About where to go, if they'd find him, what he'd say. He'd be gone, off to wherever the rest of the centrists had gone, or to nowhere at all.
A bullet whizzed by his head. He nearly choked on the cool night air, flying much too late into the flowers, crushing them beneath his weight. The ground shook and the water rippled harshly as the four figures rapidly approached. Still reflected in the lake, the moon now looked wildly different than its perfect picture had just a moment ago. Moderate Lee tensed up, too scared to move, too scared to breathe. All four extremists towered over him now, matching looks of anger or disgust on each of their faces.
Unsure of what he was saying, and unaware of the tears beginning to stream down his face, the centrist began to plead for his life. In his mind, he was behaving much more moderately. Telling himself there was a reasonable chance that they would listen, or take pity on him. Also telling himself that if they didn't, it was fine, and if they killed him, that would be fine as well. He couldn't be too hasty about this, whether or not it was a life or death situation.
A gun barrel pressing against his forehead pulled him from his thoughts and froze his speech. The blue one, he couldn't think straight, couldn't remember who was who, was much closer now, he could practically see the hatred in his eyes. This was okay, he told himself again, mind racing to give this a valid explanation. He must have a good reason to hate him. And at least it'll be over quick, he won't be beaten to death by those red and green ones. His body wouldn't listen to his reasonings. The centrist was shaking uncontrollably now, screaming at a volume he would never let himself reach if he could just get a hold of himself.
Geese squawked angrily from the other side of the lake, and rabbits bolted rapidly through the grass to hide in their burrows. Frogs ribbited at the excitement, and the extremists themselves had started yelling arguments at each other. Silence erupted louder than the combined noise after a gunshot rang out. Blood leaked into the crystal blue lake. The four ideologies, dimly lit by the full moon, realized what they'd done and began to file out of the field quietly, leaving the centrist alone among the flowers. Excitement fizzed silently between them. They had done it. They had finally completed the Centricide.
In the lake, an image of the moon, now tinted pink, once again reflected still and beautiful under the cold night sky.