Blackwood

Ch6: Revelations

Dominic got out of bed and made his way to the living room, where his son Ethan was already awake.

"Morning, Dad," Ethan greeted him.

"Hey, champ! What are you doing up so early?" Dominic asked, surprised.

"I just wanna spend more time with you," Ethan replied. "I feel like I don't talk to you much, so I'm doing it now."

Isabella chuckled, and so did Dominic. "Alright, you have a point," Dominic said, sitting down next to his son on the couch.

"What are you watching?" Dominic inquired, looking at the cartoon on the TV.

"It's a cartoon called Batman," Ethan answered. "It's cool!"

Dominic smiled, watching the cartoon with his son. It was centered around crime, which was cool, but it triggered some unsettling flashbacks. After a few minutes, he couldn't handle it anymore.

"Hey kiddo, I need to go eat breakfast," Dominic said, standing up, ruffling Ethan's hair, and heading to the dining table.

After finishing breakfast, he waved goodbye to his family and left for work. At the factory, he saw Mike but no sign of Lily. Dominic assumed it might be her day off, so he continued with his work.

"So, what did y'all talk about?" Mike asked when they took a break.

Dominic sighed. "It's kinda long, but it's quite surprising to me. I can't spare you all the details right now, so I'll tell you during our break."

Mike nodded in anticipation, and as they took their break, he wasted no time inquiring further.

"So, what happened yesterday?" Mike asked.

Dominic began to recount his encounter with Lily. "When I asked Lily how she knows my name, she went straight to the point and said that one of my victims was her dad. So you were right."

"I knew it," Mike whispered.

Dominic continued, "I apologized to her for what I've done, but then she started thanking me. Turns out that her father was abusive to her and her mother. As he was about to beat his wife, I came breaking the door down, and shot him right in the head."

Mike looked surprised, absorbing the information.

"Where my guilt truly comes from isn't that I killed an abusive father and saved the wife and kid," Dominic said, his voice laden with regret. "It's just how I made such a small kid witness a horrible murder in front of her own eyes."

Mike turned to look at the wall, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"She says she is relieved that I did that, yet a bit traumatized on how it unfolded in front of her eyes," Dominic continued.

"It maybe wasn't ideal that you killed him in front of her, but it was definitely the right choice for the safety of their family," Mike reassured Dominic, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Dominic looked at Mike, initially confused but then appreciative of his support. He managed a small smile, thankful for his friend's understanding.

"Sometimes doing the right thing hurts either you or another person, but it's for the better," Mike said, offering his wisdom.

"Yeah," Dominic replied, reflecting on the situation. "I hope she feels better now, though."

"You can always try to comfort her," Mike suggested, patting Dominic's shoulder before he left.

Dominic nodded, pondering Mike's words. "Maybe I should try comforting her," he said to himself. Lost in thought, he realized his break was over, stood up, and headed back to work.