Sackcloth and ashes

CH.1

regret
/rɪˈɡrɛt/:
feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over something that one has done or failed to do.

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He thinks he has no soul, but if he ever had one then rue had swallowed it whole.
But no matter, he's still determined to do right by them, his one and only chance at salvation.

He smiles when he thinks Elijah would have been proud of him, had he not killed him.

She sees him standing beside his parked car,her heart drops to the pit of her stomach at the startling sight. she can't read his expression but it can't be anything good ,

"Hope, sweetie why don't you go inside? mommy will be right back"

She smiles as she cups her little girl's face. His eyes follow her and he feels achingly empty, the force of how much he had really messed up hits him like a brick wall.

She walks as fast as she can towards the door, maybe if she sees him as a figment of her wicked imagination he'll disappear

He doesn't, not this time

He moves as fast as she does

"Hayley please-"

"Stay the fuck away from me"

He ignores her words as he goes after her. She slams the door in his face, feeling her heart racing

"Mom?"

Hope's fearful voice pulls her out of her thoughts,
she kneels so that she's eye to eye with her daughter, her voice demanding

"Listen to me sweetheart, i need you to go to your room now and lock the door, don't leave until i tell you to"

Hope nods as Hayley gives her forehead a hasty kiss.

The banging on the door gets progressively more aggressive,

"Love, please open the door"

As gentler methods prove to be unavailing he resorts to threats

"If you don't open the door right this fucking second I swear i'l-"

"Go Away!"

He had half a mind to just take the door off its hinges but he didn't want to scare  his probably already terrified daughter even more ,

Or hurt Hayley since she's basically glued to the door,

As if it can ever stop him from breaking inside.

He bangs on the door one more time,

"Fine,go ahead and hide, but you mark my words Hayley,i will have my daughter back if i had to step over your rotten corpse to do so"

And with that final foretoken he gets in his car and leaves,

As a panic attack washes over her,she hugs her knees and cries when she feels hope's tiny frame hugging her,

So she simply pulls her closer, placing gentle kisses on her head,at least she still has her for now

Yet she fully realizes that she'll have to be prepared for the straw in the wind