Ashes to Ashes

The miscarriage affected her more than she could have imagined. The grief was deep and dark. The void in Lita was not only physical but it was emotional and mental too. Lita was plagued by guilt, anger and sadness. She should have been happy. The baby she hadn't planned for or wanted was gone and yet Lita couldn't stop grieving for it. In her mind, over and over, kept replaying the image of her son surrounded by blood, wrapped in the blanket. It's features were so small yet distinguishable. A boy. It would have been a boy. Lita had been so scared that it would look freakish. She had imagined it having a tail and horns. That image was almost laughable now if it hadn't been so sad. Lita was ashamed of herself that she could have been deluded enough to think that way. Had it been born after 9 months it would have been perfect. She envisioned a small boy, dark reddish hair, pale skin, with golden brown eyes. A perfect combination of her and Kane's features. The more Lita thought about it, the more depressed and saddened she became. It was true that initially she had despised the pregnancy, she hadn't wanted the baby and had gone to lengths to terminate it. But by the time she had entered her second trimester, something had changed and Lita had accepted and indeed wanted the baby. She had come to peace with the idea of motherhood and was determined to be a good mother to it, despite how it had been conceived and who fathered it. Her baby had been an innocent party in all of this, the only innocent one. How he had been conceived hadn't been his fault or choice.

After being discharged from the hospital, Lita finally returned to her own apartment. She hadn't heard from Kane at all since their final encounter at the hospital. She hadn't reached out to him and he hadn't tried to contact her despite the fact that they were still legally married. But maybe that was for the best for now. Lita was too focused on the grieving process. Her thoughts for her deceased baby consumed her mind. She had asked the hospital to release the body of her baby to her for burial but to her shock they told her that someone had already made arrangements for its burial. When Lita asked who had made the arrangements, she was met with silence. It was odd and strange and Lita was perplexed as to who would have taken it upon themselves to interfere with the burial of her dead baby. Awaiting her in the mail was a letter. It had no return address and the envelope was grey and black, colors of mourning and death. It was an invitation to the burial, to be held in Texas, located at an old cemetery. The language and details were cryptic and yet Lita wasn't angry, and in fact she felt a peace about it. There was only one person who could have organized such an event.

Wearing all black, Lita stood beside the small burial plot. The small patch of earth had been removed leaving a narrow yet deep hole. The grave was positioned next to older, more decrepit tombstones with the last name of Callaway. The weather in Texas was unusually grey and cool. The sun was beginning to set with pink and orange highlights staining the sky. The small white casket was surrounded by a large white wreath. Except for the latino priest and grave yard attendee, Lita stood alone. Kane was nowhere.

"…..And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true.' Then He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.…" The priest's words from the Book of Revelations brought comfort to Lita. They were cathartic and provided consolation in her time of despair.

In the corner of her right eye, Lita noticed a tall dark figure several metre's away. She recognized the long black coat, the long dark hair and the wide brimmed traveller's hat immediately. The Undertaker. The Deadman. The Phenom in the flesh. He stood still like a statue, unmoving and larger than life in the distance. The casket was lowered slowly into the ground. Lita placed a red rose as the brown dirt was sprinkled on the top. She had laid her baby to rest. The priest made the sign of the cross before departing. Lita walked over to the Undertaker, slowly, to give her time to think of what to say.

"Thank you." She began. "For that."

He looked down at her, his height intimidating her.

"Without a proper burial, a soul cannot rest." He said in his trademark deep voice.

"Where is my son now." Lita asked him.

"He has moved on. He is with family." The Undertaker looked off into the distance, staring towards the horizon.

"I never knew him. I never got the chance."

"I know." His somberness was evident in his tone.

There was a moment of pause between them.

"He hurt me." Lita said referring to Kane.

"I cannot excuse his actions but Kane never had a family and so he wanted to create one of his own."

"He has caused so much destruction."

"Kane cannot help what he is, any more than I can." The Undertaker explained as he looked out to the distance.

"Where is he?"

"You would be wise to keep your distance from Kane. He is planning on wrecking vengeance against Snitsky at his own expense."

"I hope he does."

"Hmmm…." The Undertaker lamented. "From the moment we were born, Kane and I have been on a path of destruction. Snitsky will be added to the list but at what cost I am unsure."

"How will this end?" Lita wanted to know.

"For Snitsky… Not well."