Dark Passions

Chapter Thirty-Nine

News of Black's true identity scattered to every corner of the United States. All of his businesses were shut down by Garrison, including the Crimson Crow. The crimes Black was accused of were brought to light, and sincere apologies from the public, as well as the jury, were sent my way. Everything Black had been working on was shut down and discarded, never to see the light again. All of Black's business partners and co-conspirators were arrested and sent to live the remainder of their lives in prison. Some, however, managed to escape before the police could get to them, one of these men being Mr. Tenner. Secret files Black had stored away were sent to the government, so they could patrol the areas in case one of Black's subordinates who managed to evade capture tried to start up the businesses again. Black was convicted for the murders of Ally Hamilton and Justin Freel; however, other murders were still in progress of reviewing. Ally's parents received the closure they needed, which was all I wanted for them. I had to recount recent events to the court, to give them the entire story. This is time I had strong evidence; the evidence being my legs, my mom's body, and ironically, Black's body. Funnily enough, they believed me the second time around.

Drake seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth. No one could find him, not even a small hint towards his location. I was happy they couldn't find Drake. He deserved to live his life in peace, knowing he dealt with Black all his life. I was concerned for his well-being. I mean, he did confess to me he enjoyed killing. Soon the law enforcement gave up on finding him, as they could no longer access his own records. Someone had gone in and deleted them. I wanted to address Garrison about it, but I figured I should let it drop. If Drake was dead to the public and his record was no longer out there to hurt him, then I was fine. I only prayed that he was doing well. As for me, I moved back in with my dad and went back to school. I attained my degree in Law, hoping to become the lawyer Garrison was. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. Black was no more than a shadow on the wall now. Unfortunately, Black still had the tendencies to haunt me in my dreams. Thanks to Black, I spent at least 10 months in a wheelchair before I gained the ability to walk again. It was in those 10 months I found it ironic; Black still stole my freedom from me for those months. When I could finally walk again, I felt the freedom I hadn't experienced in over a year and a half. I could not believe so much time had passed since I met Black in the Crimson Crow. All of it seemed to blur together, combining into one big nightmare. With the dark days behind me, I took a step towards a brighter future.

I leaned back on the couch, smiling at my computer as I had case after case pile into my inbox. I was wearing shorts, and I looked down at my legs. I may have been able to restore my ability to walk, but the bullet holes in my legs would always remain. They were there, along with the many other scars on my body to remind me of the horrors I had left behind. I actually took on a part time job, given to me by the FBI. I was to investigate underground businesses and shut them down. They were impressed by what I could find on Black in just a short amount of time they thought they could put it to use. Little did they know it was my hatred driving me the entire time. Whatever made them happy, that's what I let them believe. Many wanted me to share my story of survival, but I politely declined. My version of polite didn't seem to be what the public expected. More or less, I told them to suck it and to leave me alone. It was a story I didn't want to share, nor did I feel like other people should know about it. Yes it happened, but no one believed me until it was the very end. I had a new start ahead of me, and I certainly didn't want to start it reliving my days with Black.

I sighed as I scanned through my email. My dad was gone to work, so I was home alone. A few years ago I would've been terrified to be left alone. Now, I was at peace. I still jumped at sudden sounds, and I still heard Black whispering into my ear. The nightmares didn't go away either, and I refused to attend another therapy session. No one would be able to understand it. The one person who did had vanished off the face of the earth years ago. My inbox binged, and I saw a new email I received labeled Private Investigator Request. I groaned when I saw this, feeling irritated all over again.