by B. Groves
She heard from one of the agents that helped that Carter’s wound wasn’t serious and he was expected to recover but nothing on Kyle.
Alison leaned against the concrete wall. It was cool and it kept her from dozing off.
Her mind raced through the events of the night. She tried to hold back more sobs as her guilt swept through her. Kyle had told her to go, but she shouldn’t have. She shouldn’t have left him alone.
Fresh tears ran down her face and she swiped them away. Another agent arrived. Alison knew him and they talked for several minutes about the events of the night.
He said he’d find out Kyle’s condition as soon as he was able. He also gave her a cigarette, which Alison was grateful for.
She lit it up right there, not caring about the red “No Smoking” sign above her.
Olivia had sat up again and rubbed her eyes trying to fight off sleep.
Alison rubbed a hand through her hair and said, “We know who the real hero is tonight.”
Olivia turned to Alison with her tired dark eyes and said, “Reverend Kyle. I finished it.”
Alison smiled sadly. “You did. You were so brave and smart.”
The glass doors at the entrance to the ER slid open.
She saw Miguel walk outside. He turned and stared at them for several seconds without saying a word.
Alison didn’t need him to say anything. His eyes were wet and bloodshot. His whole body trembled as he stumbled over to them.
Alison knew it in the car on their way over, but the shock of the news made her whole body turn numb.
She never heard Olivia cry or felt Miguel’s arms wrap around her as he sobbed into her shoulder.
Chapter 54
Journal Entry, Present Day
Kyle’s parents will be arriving soon, so I’ll have to leave the house.
I can’t even stand right now. All I want to do is stay here forever. I’m tired of losing those I love.
Chapter 55
Alison threw down her laptop and turned over in bed, ignoring her body aches. She brought Kyle’s pillow closer to her face and buried it into the soft fabric until she had to come up for air.
She stared at the wall. The house was silent except when the central air conditioner kicked on. Sometimes, she’d hear the clock ticking away on the wall in the living room.
Simon was on the floor next to her. She fed, walked, and played with him, but she would crawl back into bed and stare at the walls or the ceiling. She ignored texts and voicemails.
Alison hadn’t slept since she arrived at the house, and after walking through the door, she raided Kyle’s liquor cabinet.
She needed to clean up the broken glass and the spill she caused when she threw the glass at the big wooden cross in the living room in a fit of anger. She didn’t want Simon to cut himself, but she didn’t have the energy to clean up her mess.
Alison ran a hand through her hair and swallowed several times. She needed to drink some water but wanted to stay in bed.
Simon perked up and ran through the bedroom door barking.
“Simon, come back here,” Alison said weakly.
The screen door creaked, and her eyes opened wide when a familiar male voice greeted Simon.
“Hey, buddy! I’ve missed you.” He said. “You’ve gotten so big!”
Brady laughed at Simon’s happy barks with his nails scraping against the wood flooring.
Alison sat up on the side of the bed and waited.
Dog and human footsteps made their way down the hallway.
Simon entered the bedroom first and Brady stood in the doorway with a sympathetic smile.
“Hi, beautiful,” he said softly from the doorway.
Brady and Alison had their differences in how they hunted, and they had their differences in their personal lives, but they’d always stayed friends although they’d broken up years ago. She hadn’t seen Brady in two years, but when he appeared in the doorway, Alison realized she needed someone familiar to lean on and his timing couldn’t have been better.
Alison’s eyes blurred and fresh tears fell down her cheeks.
She stood and stumbled into Brady’s open arms.
He wrapped his arms around her and his hand stroked her hair while she sobbed into his shoulder.
His words soothed her as he directed her back to the bed. He sat down next to her while she cried and her grief flowed through her.
Brady stood up and searched for some tissues.
“In the cabinet under the sink,” Alison said.
“Ah. There they are,” he answered.
Alison gazed at him as he exited the bathroom and despite her mood, she chuckled.
“What?” Brady asked as he handed her the box of tissue.
“A man bun? Really?” She asked, blowing her nose.
Brady reached up and tugged at the bun on the back of his head and laughed. “I was stuck in Brazil for six months training Damita because she was having a hard time, and the rainforest doesn’t exactly have salons on every corner.”
Alison smiled. “How is she doing?”
“Much better. She’s more confident with her abilities.”
Brady adjusted his light brown hair again and said, “Chelcie likes the hipster look.”
“Is she here?”
Chelcie was Brady’s girlfriend and also a hunter from Yorkshire. She grew up on a horse farm and a fall from a horse sparked her powers.
Brady checked his phone. “She’s on her flight now.”
Brady put his phone away and let out a breath. “They only saved ten.”
Alison lowered her head and shook it. “It’s not a horrible number, but I wish it had been more.” Alison turned back to Brady and asked, “How is everything else?”
“The federal agents are helping and trying to keep order in the town. They’re concocting a serial killer story since the past life of Samuel Manes had a sick thing with prostitutes. It’ll be easier to explain it away. They will pin Emma as an accomplice.”
Alison sighed. Well, that wasn’t a lie. Poor Emma, Alison thought. No matter how selfish and shallow she was, she didn’t deserve her fate.
“They’re trying to keep the media away until it’s cleaned up more.”
“Anything else?”
Brady smiled at her. “Miguel told me Kyle’s parents landed in Charlotte an hour ago, I thought I’d warn you before they arrive because he said the old man is on a warpath for us.”
Alison scoffed. “Shocker.” Fresh tears burned Alison’s eyes. “I should have stayed with him. I should have never left him alone.”
Alison sobbed again. Brady squeezed her shoulders. “You had to make a choice and you decided on the child. It’s not your fault.”
Alison dabbed at her eyes and blew her nose. “I knew he was gone in the car right when we pulled into the ER. He tried to say something to me, but I’ll never know what it was.”
She leaned into Brady again and cried.
“I’ll bet he was telling you what he felt for you. I also see the feeling was mutual.”
Alison nodded. “I know we never had an official rule about becoming involved with the ones we help, but Brady he…”
“Hey, it’s okay. You’ve been through Hell with Heather and now Reverend Ellis. From what John told me about the guy, he wasn’t like other preachers we’ve come across.”
Alison sniffed and tried to suppress her grief for a moment.
“How’s Miguel and Olivia?” Alison asked.
She stood up to gather her things. She still had the cabin rented out and she could go there and stay until after the funeral. Brady stood up and helped her.
“They’re fine. Miguel is pretty beat up, but it’s minor. The kid seems okay. She’s taking Reverend Ellis’s death hard, though,” Brady said.
Alison didn’t say much more while Brady helped her pack. Brady cleaned up the broken glass while Alison walked around the house one last time, lost in her memories.
In Kyle’s bathroom, she found another neckla
ce with a silver cross. She lifted the cool metal into her palm and stared at it. She glanced in the mirror but didn’t care that she looked like a mess.
Alison placed the necklace into her pocket. She then took her phone from her pocket. In her photos was a selfie she took with Kyle and Simon before they left for the festival. She would cherish that picture forever.
She placed the phone back into her pocket and left the house, placing the spare key back where she found it.
As she and Brady were packing up her car, Alison glanced at the church. Flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals were already piling up outside of the church doors.
Alison didn’t have the heart to walk over and read the messages. She wanted to leave and be alone for a while.
Chapter 56
Hundreds of people attended Kyle’s viewing and funeral. All the attendees packed the church to capacity. Most of the residents of Wolfpine attended except the possessed who still ran loose around the area. Hunters were scouting the area with Simon searching for the ones that escaped, but Alison knew they were long gone.
The town was still in shock over their beloved mayor’s past coming to light, the victims, and Emma Leavens’ violent end.
No one knew how Kyle found out the truth about Mayor Manes and no one cared because Chief Carter hailed him as a hero for trying to rescue those people that Samuel supposedly kept “prisoner” in a news conference.
Alison kept her distance from Kyle’s parents but John told her how Kyle’s father screamed at him for two hours, threatening to take down The Network. John had been able to calm the man down temporarily but from Alison’s viewpoint, the man might have burst like a balloon any minute.
Alison walked to the front of the church. Two big portraits sat on either side of the casket of Kyle dressed in his military uniform and his clerical collar. Kyle’s parents greeted mourners and family members. Kyle’s mother stood by her son’s casket struggling to keep her composure. Her heart went out to the woman, she’d lost both of her children and Alison could tell she barely held it together for the service.
Brady and Chelcie were behind her as she gazed at Kyle inside his casket. He seemed at peace. His calm expression made it seem like he’d finally completed a lifelong mission.
Alison’s body shook and she almost had to grip the casket’s side to stay upright as Brady placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She gazed down at Kyle again. His parents chose a light gray suit and tie. His hands were folded together with an American flag and small wooden cross underneath them.
Alison didn’t like his shaved face, but it wasn’t for her to decide.
Above his head on the lid, was a gold embroidered cross, a Bible, and the Army logo. It was beautifully and tastefully done.
Alison intended to say her last goodbye when something caught her eye. A wine-colored birthmark circled Kyle’s right ring finger.
She furrowed her brow. She didn’t remember the wine-colored birthmark before as she searched her memory. For a moment, her grief turned to confusion as her gaze returned to his face trying to remember if she’d noticed from all the time they’d spent together.
A strange thought came to her but she ignored it and blew it off thinking she may have missed it.
Alison shook off the weird feeling and bent down to place a kiss on his cold forehead. She didn’t care that Kyle’s father was glaring at her a few feet away.
“I love you,” she whispered before stepping away to let other mourners view Kyle’s body to say their personal goodbyes.
Alison turned and Kyle’s mother stood in her way. The woman didn’t say a word to Alison.
Her dark hair was cut into a bob at her shoulders, with streaks of gray running through some strands. She wore a black dress with a shawl over her shoulders. Her eyes were bloodshot and her mouth turned down in her grief.
His mother embraced Alison which took her by surprise and at first, she stood there with her arms hanging to her side. She returned the embrace after a moment and when Kyle’s mother pulled away, she gave Alison a slight smile and walked back to her husband who never turned to acknowledge Alison.
As Alison walked away, she noticed a woman with wavy dark hair and wearing designer clothes sitting front and center in the first pew. The woman eyed Alison curiously but did not speak to her. Alison guessed that person was Kyle’s ex-wife.
Alison walked to the middle of the church and took her seat beside Olivia and Miguel. Olivia leaned into her and Miguel took her hand and squeezed it.
The church was hot, and the overpowering smell of flowers and perfume were driving her crazy, but all her thoughts were on Kyle and the little memories she had of their time together.
From the day he showed up at her apartment to the night they separated for the last time, Alison wished she’d told him how she felt before she walked away with Olivia that night at the festival.
Alison cleared her throat, trying to hold back fresh tears as the last of the mourners settled in.
Another army chaplain and a friend of Kyle’s presided over the service.
The man stood up and welcomed everyone, started off with a prayer, and then told funny stories about their time in the army.
Many others stood up to read their eulogies including Charles Cox, who broke down in the middle of his speech. Kyle’s father’s voice boomed through the church and Alison’s stiff muscles relaxed when he finished.
Olivia and Miguel stood up. Olivia insisted on eulogizing Reverend Kyle.
Alison sat there like a proud mother as Olivia read her eulogy with grace and stoicism, calling Kyle her friend and how he helped her through her grief when she lost her mother.
Her tears flowed when Olivia’s voice cracked at the end and her father escorted her back to the pew.
Alison held Olivia’s hand for the rest of the service which took hours from all the speakers.
After another hour, Alison decided to leave the church for some air as the service came to an end. It was hot outside, but it was better than the stuffy church.
She walked outside with most of the other mourners and made her way to some trees to stand in the shade a short distance from the cemetery.
Kyle requested burial in the cemetery next to the church, although his father talked about moving his remains back to Dallas.
Alison pushed strands of hair from her face that blew in the summer breeze. She reached into her handbag and grabbed a cigarette and a lighter.
She watched the rest of the service from afar as the Honor Guard carried Kyle’s casket—covered in an American flag—into the cemetery. She listened with her eyes closed when the Honor Guard shot their rifles and TAPS played to honor their fallen brother.
She tugged at her dress and removed her heels, standing barefoot in the dirt.
“Alison,” Dennis called.
She turned and lit up when she spotted Simon running to her with Dennis towing behind.
Alison kneeled down and let Simon lick her face, so happy to see him after this rough day.
Dennis stood next to her for a few moments as he listened to the chaplain speak from afar.
“I only knew the guy for a few hours, but he was a great guy,” Dennis said.
Alison nodded. “Did you find any?”
Dennis shook his head. “Nah. They’re long gone, but they’ll always be more.”
Dennis walked over to join the service to say his goodbyes to Kyle, but Alison stayed since she had Simon back with her.
Alison watched as the crowds broke up and people were talking in their own respective circles.
Alison spotted Miguel and Olivia making their way through the crowd and over to her.
Olivia ran up and wrapped her arms around Alison’s waist and Alison returned the embrace.
“Take Simon for a minute while I talk to your dad,” Alison said, handing the leash to Olivia.
Miguel loosened his tie and cringed from the pain of his injuries.
“Fucking hypocrites,�
� he muttered as he bummed a cigarette from Alison. “Those church elders eulogies were so fake.”
“Karma has already been handed to them,” Alison said.
“I hope it gets worse,” Miguel said puffing on the cigarette. He turned to Alison with an eyebrow raised. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us to California? The doctor said he would love to have you around.”