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.
"No, I'm not a private investigator," I growled as I opened the email. Turns out it wasn't requesting me to be a P.I., but rather the opposite. This person was wondering if I would employ them. "From an Alex Kirkland," I muttered as I read the email. I scowled as I didn't see a resume attached, or any letters of recommendations. They did suggest meeting for coffee tomorrow morning at Starbucks. "At least they know I like my vanilla bean frappe's," I said as I emailed Alex back, confirming I would meet with him. I slowly got to my feet, still feeling the small sting from the bullet wounds, and walked towards the door. I had a few people I needed to go see.
I headed towards the graveyard, avoiding eye contact as I went. If people recognized me, I would be stopped and commended for my bravery during my time with Black. I hated when people did that. It wasn't bravery that kept me there. It was Black, and only Black. I shuddered at the bitter memories. I knew those memories would haunt me for the rest of my life, and I told myself to go ahead and get over them. But, that was easier said than done. There was no way one could just forget all those days of torture. I walked into the cemetery, and stood in front of my grandparents gravestones. I smiled down at them as I ran a hand over the smooth surface of the stone. I did feel guilty, knowing it was my fault they had died. Although it was Black who killed them, I felt as if I killed them myself by moving in with them. I didn't linger long in front of theirs and I made my way over towards Ally's. Seeing her gravestone still brought tears to my eyes.
"I do wear dresses," I whispered to her grave with a laugh. "On some occasions. I wear them only for you. But, I still hate them. I still don't see why you liked them so much." To this day, I regretted not being able to protect Ally. Had I been more attentive, the events with Black may never have happened. No, I told myself, he would've gotten hold of you in other ways. But maybe then, Ally's life would've been spared. I would never know what would have happened. I chuckled though, as the image of Black's empty, lifeless eyes passed through my mind. "Karma's a bitch Black," I said. I moved on from Ally's gravestone to Bethany's. My dad and I came to visit often, but I still had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact she was my mother. It pained me I never knew her. She was right in front of me, and yet, my own mother was a stranger. I glanced down and noticed flowers had been placed at the base of my mother's grave. I leaned down, and noticed they were fresh.
"Maybe Dad came by earlier," I said softly as I ran my fingers over the soft, fine petals. I sighed as I stood up, and turned around to find a man standing off to a distance, watching me. I felt my blood freeze. Why was there a man watching me? I raised an eyebrow as he started chuckling.
"Fancy meeting you here. I hope you didn't mind me placing those flowers there. I heard this is where your loved ones were buried, so I wanted to pay them a visit."
"Who are you?" I asked. The man chuckled.
"Are you always so quick to demand an identity from someone?" I cocked my head to the side and slightly narrowed my eyes.
"I'm always quick to question when strange men are following me. You'll have to forgive me for being cautious." The man smiled and shook his head.
"My name is Alex Kirkland. I didn't think I'd actually meet you until tomorrow. I had heard you come here often, so I was hoping you would show up."
"Are you serious?" I asked as my mouth dropped open. The man started to walk over, and I noticed what he was wearing. The man was wearing loose fitted blue jeans, and a muscle shirt. He stopped in front of me, and my breath caught in my throat. All words abandoned me as this man smiled warmly down at me.
"Well, not really. I knew you visited the cemetery on this day so I sent you the email anyway. By the way, I still want to get coffee." It took a moment for me to regain my composure. I smiled mischievously at the man.
"So, a P.I., huh? I'm not even going to ask how you got my email."
"You'd be amazed. I'm really good at getting and finding information. Practically done it my whole life."
"I noticed you didn't attach any resumes or letters of recommendations," I replied as the smile continued to grow on my face. The man shrugged and his smile turned wicked.
"Well, the previous employer is out of business due to a fatality shot, so I am looking for another one. He didn't have the time to write me a letter." I gazed into the man's beautiful blue eyes, the eyes that could put the ocean blue to shame.
"Or maybe we can go get coffee now?" I suggested, and the man smiled.
"Fine with me. I wouldn't mind having a chat earlier than expected. I'm not buying though," he laughed. "Last time I bought a meal for a girl, a gang of meth heads attacked her." Before he could turn to walk out, I threw my arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. The man froze for a moment, then, with his strong arms, embraced me back, lifting me up off the ground so he didn't have to bend down. I could feel his breath on the nape of my neck, and in my heart I didn't know how to express the joy I was feeling as I hugged the man who saved my life.
"It's good to see you, Drake," I whispered in his ear.
"How have you been, little bunny?" he whispered back.
And so, now you know my story; how I managed to walk into my nightmare and how I was able to come crawling out of it. I know the story isn't pretty, and it wasn't meant to be. Did it seem impossible at first? Hell yeah it did. But like everything in life, you over come your demons, despite never seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. That light will appear faster than you think. In life, you create demons and guardians. My demon, as you are all aware, was created at the innocence of my childhood. But most importantly, so was my guardian.
THE END
I really hope you guys enjoyed this story! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope it was entertaining for you guys as well. Let me know how you liked it, and once again, thank you so much for reading, for the wonderful/hilarious comments, and the votes. All you do is greatly appreciated! ^_^