Author's Note: Inspired by Pantera's Cemetery Gates, the following fic explores the inevitable event of the death of one of our beloved main characters (Post Rapture of course). Please review. Hope ya enjoy!
Passing the Cemetery Gates
Daniel sat in the front row of pews dressed in all black. His face bared no emotion, only a raw, untouchable calm etched into his features. He knew that this would eventually dawn upon him. Death, a force harsh enough to rip his beloved from his arms without a hint of sympathy. His gaze never left the open casket, though it only intensified as the preacher took his place at the pulpit.
"We are all gathered here tonight, to remember the life of Lucinda Price." The older man's gaze fell softly on Daniel after scanning the room as he continued on his tangent, about how life and death are all apart of life's grand cycle. After the preacher finished, a quick prayer followed before loved ones of the deceased began to take their place to say a few parting words. There was her parents, who tearfully recounted the best moments of Luce's life, then all eyes fell on the lone man sitting alone.
Daniel took in a sharp, deep breath before standing up, his feet felt rooted to the floor, they seemed to creak loudly as he forced himself up the stairs towards the podium. "Luce, my dearest," he began softly, "What can words say about you that haven't already been conveyed? I love you more than my own life. There is a void that I will never be able to fill in my life." He turned back to her, hoping that the intensity of his stare would cause her to spring to life.
It was shortly thereafter that the funeral concluded, and Daniel stood, head hung low, in the pouring rain. He knew what the rain represented, for she too felt the agony of separation. All Daniel could see was her face, burned into his subconscious. Sighing heavily, he got into his car. He had forgotten how much time had past, but he thought a few hours at least because the sky was now a dreary, aimless black. He headed in no particular direction, seeming lost in his own thoughts.
He stopped the car when he approached the cemetery. Just before that lay the ruins of Sword & Cross. Daniel remembered the school well, and the stories that seemed to everyone else like urban legend. He parked the car and slowly made his way through the marshy terrain to the closed iron gates. He suddenly felt a numbing chill envelop his body. He quickly turned back and exited the grounds.
It wasn't for a few more weeks until Daniel got the courage to try again. He approached the gates again, but stopped and turned to a woman who stood beside them.
"Believe the word, unlock the door and pass the cemetery gates." The woman whispered
Daniel scoffed and proceeded through the unlocked gates. He found what he was looking for at the back of the cemetery. He knelt down and placed his hand on the headstone before him. He traced her name with his index finger. He began to weep softly, the sound echoing effortlessly off the other graves.
"I love you Luce, more than you'll ever understand. I know that we'll meet again someday." Softly he kissed her name.
Upon pulling out of the cemetery, he again saw the woman standing in the middle of the deserted one lane road. She smiled, reaching out to Daniel, shouting clearly above the wind, "Remember the love your souls were sworn to make."
Daniel smiled slightly and kept driving.
Author's Note: Hope you can recognize the cameo from the nameless woman... It's our beloved Lauren Kate!