"If you go with him, you won't find happiness. Stein dosen't love. He's always alone."
Nygus's words reverberated through Marie's head, making it harder to think clearly while she walked. Marie gripped Stein's hand a little harder as she leaded him along with her. He walked so quietly behind her that a few times she thought he might have somehow gotten away from her. She would feel her heart skip a beat as she spun her head around to check to see if he was still there. Yet, every time he was there; staring vacantly ahead of her, as if he were barely conscious. After a few moments of looking him up and down, she would take a deep breath to calm herself down before slowly turning back around to continue their journey.
They had left the graveyard over three hours ago, and dawn was just starting to break. The birds began to emerge from their nests, chirping happily as they searched for worms to feed their young.
She gradually became more and more exhausted as she slightly stumbled forward. Her legs ached and she started to run out of breath, but she forced herself forward. She'd been through way worse, right? She shouldn't be this exhausted yet. But it seemed like the very air around her was trying to push her down. She felt like she was walking through syrup, and the birds almost seemed to be mocking her; bragging about how they could effortlessly soar through the air, while she was struggling to simply remain upright.
She was so focused on trying to keep going, that she almost walked right into a tree. She abruptly stopped walking, letting go of Stein's hand to stop herself from crashing into the trunk. Yet another thing that seemed to be convincing her to stop. But she found herself already leaning against the tree. Her willpower faded away as she let the tree completely support her
She needed to keep walking. She needed to keep going. Why couldn't she get up? She had to get up. She had to keep Joe's promise that she would watch over Stein.
At that thought, the fragile wall she had built to keep memories of Joe from entering her mind crumbled. She remembered how he put in so much effort to be masculine and chivalrous to her. He remembered how flustered he looked when she reminded him of when he used his shirt as a coat for her. She remembered how he liked his coffee with only half a packet of sugar in it. She remembered his warm, welcoming smile that spread across his face whenever she walked into a room.
Marie hung her head low, finding herself not able to look at Stein.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Joe." She whispered so quietly that it was practically inaudible.
Tears fell down her face, landing in the soft ground beneath her. Her healing wavelength had all but completely disappeared from his clouded, barely functioning soul perception. A new, darker wavelength took it's place; wrapping itself around her weakened soul. He watched as it consumed it and her shoulders began to shake.
She lost someone she loved.
Stein walked forward a few steps towards her. Sobs started to become audible.
She was in agony.
He knew words meant nothing. Words would never amount to anything right now. Especially not his, the man who most likely murdered BJ.
He gently pulled her head towards him into what he attempted to be a comforting embrace. She practically fell into him; clutching his shirt and crying heavily into it. He listened to the sounds of her own personal torture escape from her mouth.
Whoever killed Joe was going to pay. Pay dearly for putting Marie in this much pain.
Even if it was himself.