Chloe went back up to her bedroom after her talk with Nancy. Brady was still sleeping soundly on her bed. Chloe climbed in and got beside him. She rested her head on his chest and drifted off to sleep.
Brady stirred a bit and rolled toward Chloe, putting his arm around her.
********
The black leather shoes moved through the muddy surface of the ground. Gripping at the side of the soles, making it difficult to walk without slipping. The extra weight digging into the mens shoulders did not help the situation. It was pulling them into the ground like quicksand. They had to keep moving otherwise they would get stuck.
The sky was concentrated with putrid shades of grey and brown. The clouds were abundant and pregnant with rain. It was threatening to fall at any moment. The skies would open up and the lifeblood of the plants would bleed out. Bringing new life to a place where death emanated.
The eery call of a crow, was penetrating through the stillness of the day, in the distance. Everything else seemed to be black and white.
The men stopped before the carved out hole. They set the heavy, wooden casket down and stepped aside.
Her bare feet squished through the sandy mud as she walked past the multitude of crying people. She wore a simple, black, flowing gown and a black Vail over her face. She carried a rose in her gloved hands. It's magenta hue standing out amongst all of the other bleak colourlessness. Her eyes were filled with stinging tears as she bent down to open the mahogany casket.
He laid on a bed of feathery pillows. His eyes permanently closed. The suit he wore was pressed and clean. A deep, rich black asserting his boldness. He wore a turquoise tie, the colour of the freed soul. His broad shoulders still looking so strong. His lips a pale white to match the rest of his powdery skin.
She knelt down on the cold surface below her. Her dress absorbing the dirt under her. She reached to touch his face. His cold, unfamiliar face. It shattered like a porcelain mask, then turned to dust. Whisked away from the strong gust of wind that appeared out of nowhere. Suddenly she was standing alone.
Alone in a grassy field, she looked up at the sky. She screamed but made no noise. Scanning her surroundings, she found there was nothing for miles and miles. She felt empty inside. She walked. Her feet now adorned in running shoes. The black garment had been replaced by blue jeans and a pink sweater. She began to pick up the pace until she was running. She ran harder and faster until her legs burned. Still, she ran.
Finally she saw something in front of her. Something other than the flat grassy surface below her. She climbed the jagged rocks, scraping her hands on the sharp edges. The blood trickled from her open wounds. She wiped her damaged hands on her jeans and persisted in climbing. Finally at the top she fell to her knees.
The sweat and blood combining on her stained clothing. There it stood, in the centre of the lonely hill. This is what she had come for. She had to see for herself. She had to have the proof. She crawled on all fours ignoring the pain welling up inside of her. Not just from her legs and arms but also from her heart. The jackhammer beat against her chest was getting stronger as she approached.
Alone it stood, tall and proud. The marker of a fallen love. The only reminder of a life that seemed too long ago. It was there in clear, black, unforgiving letters, Brady Victor Black. She clung to the cold stone and let the tears devour her body. Covering her face and clothing. He was truly gone. She was truly alone.
Again she looked to the sky. The shallow, heartless sky. The sun shining, mocking her. Again she found herself screaming wildly. Cursing the world and her existence. If he was dead, she too wanted to be dead.
************
"Chloe? Chloe? Wake up"
Brady was hovering above Chloe, lightly caressing her cheek.
Chloe opened her eyes unsure of what was happening. The beads of sweat were formed on her face and her hair clung to her fair skin.
"Chloe, are you okay?"
"What?"
"You were screaming in your sleep. God, I've never been so scared. What happened?"
"I...I don't know."
"Were you having a nightmare?" Brady said, moving her sweat soaked hair out of her face.
It all came flooding back to her. His face in the coffin. The way he simply dissolved in front of her eyes. How she stood alone on the endless plains.
She hugged him, and rocked, back and forth like a scared child.
"Oh Brady it was awful. It just keeps coming back to me. I thought it would be all over when you got home but it just keeps following me."
"What does? Chloe, talk to me."
"The feeling...the feeling that you're going to leave me and I'll be alone. There's nothing I can do about it. I just watch it happen and I can't do anything."
"I'm not going anywhere Chloe."
"I know but I just can't shake the feeling."
"Chloe, I promise I don't ever want to leave you."
"Don't leave me alone Brady." She said, sobbing.
"I won't"
Nancy stepped into the room after hearing the screams from downstairs. She looked at Brady who was hugging Chloe tightly kissing the top of her head.
"What's going on?"
"Everything's fine now. Can you just give us a minute?" Brady said, politely.
"Sure Brady" Nancy walked back downstairs to ponder what was happening.
"Chloe, look at me."
Chloe strained to see Brady through her tears. "I'm here. Okay? From now on I'm here."
Chloe reached up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips before getting lost in his arms again.
"I think we should get away for a few days. What do you think? Do you like that idea? Just me and you. No distractions, just us."
"I'll have to ask Nancy"
"I think she'll understand that we need this time to ourselves."
Brady continued to hug her as she tried to regain her composure.
To be continued..........
