The Following
Peace, Love, and Happiness
Episode 14:
Yellow Brick Road
Ryan was in too much of a shock to move. He stood there staring at Claire's bloody body in horror. He made a fist as an angry feeling grew worse with every second. Tears continued to roll down his cheeks as he told himself to move, but he couldn't. The tragedy before him paralyzed him.
He wondered if he had gotten here any sooner, if she'd be alive. If he never went home in the first place and came here instead. If he called Mike and Max on the way, instead of wasting the time for them to come to his apartment. She couldn't have been stabbed not too long, before they came.
He didn't want to believe she was dead. The first time he saw her in the hospital after Molly stabbed the both of them, he knew she was in a bad state, but he thought she'd survive. Yet, when he woke, he found out she succumbed to her wounds.
After that, he felt as if his world turned upside down and almost ended. It led to alcohol abuse and worse. Family and friends came to him and tried to tell him about his problem, but just like an addict who is often delusional about it, he felt the same way. He told them he was okay and that he knew exactly what he was doing. That of course was wrong, but at that time he thought he was correct.
Then when he had finally moved on and accepted everything, she came back. Claire at his apartment doorstep ready to come back in his life again. It took him a long to realize that what she did was for her safety as well as her family. He was confused by it, but understood the reasoning. He was happy to have her back in his life and she was as well. She did seem distant, but he didn't want to confront her about it. She had been through a major ordeal just like him and maybe it was her way of coping with it.
Now that all changed. He came here and watched her die. Die right before his eyes and he couldn't do anything to help. By the time he came, she was too close to death. He was thankful that he was able to say goodbye. That was the silver lining. It gave him very little clarity though.
Max entered the room talking to him, but stopped when she saw Claire's body. She saw her distraught uncle and grew teary eyed. Mike entered moments later and then cursed when he saw her body.
"We were too late," Ryan sadly said. His lower lip trembled.
"I'm so sorry," Max said reaching toward him.
Ryan turned away from her and took Claire's hand. He didn't even notice Max reaching out to him. He leaned forward and then kissed her forehead. He then let go of her and took the book out of her grasp. The book was written by Amable. Max and Mike gave him confused looks when he began to skim through the book, reading random paragraphs.
"Dr. Straus had the both of them write books expressing their desire and love for murder," Ryan said tossing the book in the garbage bin that was in the corner of the room. "It was his way of making it more creative. More intimate." He looked at the both of them emotionally. "A vile sickness."
"The rest of the house is empty," Mike said glancing briefly at the book in the garbage. "SWATT will be here in twenty minutes."
"Tell them there is nothing here," Ryan said sniffling and blinking away tears. "Amable went after Molly."
"I'm guessing we are going there?" Max asked feeling horrible about what he must be going through.
Ryan looked at the both of them. "You don't have to come with me," He said seriously. "I don't know what will happen."
Max shook her head. "Are you that selfish?" She asked looking at him surprised. "Do you really think we would let you go there all alone?"
"No I didn't," Ryan said with a pained smile.
"Good," Mike said in agreement. "Because I know that if I let anything happen to you, Max would kill me."
Ryan forced a laugh knowing that Mike was right. He sighed and glanced at Claire's body. "We can't leave her like that," He said emotionally.
"Well when the forensic team comes to sweep the place, they will take her to the morgue," Mike suggested. "I don't recommend waiting for them to come here."
"I don't plan on it," Ryan said with another sigh. "We would be losing a valuable chance that we may not get for a while." He kept his eyes on Claire, unable to remove them. "I hate to leave her, but we really have no choice."
Max stepped in front of her uncle and looked him in the eyes. "As you just said," She said in a serious tone. "If we wait here any longer, than we will lose the chance to kill two birds with one stone."
Ryan knew that she was telling the truth. If they left now, they could get there in time to find Amable and Molly fighting it out. Maybe one killed the other, so it would make the whole ordeal a whole lot easier. Perhaps they killed each other and when they get there, it would be over. Or both are alive and it would be a slugfest between the good guys and bad guys. Either way, he knew they'd have to leave now.
"Come," Ryan said glancing at the both of them determined. "Let's do this."
Jacob was so distracted but what Molly had shown him, that he didn't hear his sister waking up. He was certain that there was no way his father could kill those people. It was all a set up and he was being framed. Yet, he couldn't take his mind off all the gore he saw. Seeing it in movies was far different than seeing it on tables before him.
"Jacob" Ashley called out to him. She reached out touching his hand.
He looked at her emotionally not there. She could sense that there was something different about him. Something that recently change. She didn't know what it was and even if she asked, he probably wouldn't say. He looked out for her and kept things from her to keep her safe. She knew that and loved him for it. Now it was her turn.
"What's the matter?" She asked looking him in the eyes.
Jacob forced a smile trying to brave. He couldn't tell her about the pictures Molly showed him. He couldn't tell her about how their father was being convicted of murdering all those people. He couldn't and he wouldn't.
"I'm okay," He said scooting closer to her. He reached out and hugged her with one arm. "Had a nightmare."
"I had one earlier," She said with a faraway look. She thought of the dream and shuddered. "The evil woman who took us here killed you and then me."
"Hey," He said interrupting her. "It was just a dream." He hugged her again. "I am alive and here."
At that moment a loud gunshot was heard causing the both of them to jump. Ashley began to cry and hugged her brother tightly. Jacob grew fearful and stared at the door as Molly ran passed the door cursing.
"No," Ashley sobbed on to his shoulder terrified. She gripped his shirt tightly. "Just like in the dream."
Jacob had his eyes glued on the door unable to remove them. He heard more bullets and screaming from the rest of the house. He wanted to tell his sister that everything would be okay, but he was speechless. All he could do was stare at the door wide eyed in horror.
Gina stepped into her house and set her purse on the small table next to the coat closet. She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of red wine from the pantry. She grabbed a large glass and then poured herself some. It had been a while for her, but with Jeffrey telling her she wasn't ready to work again, she was in the mood for alcohol. It would help clear her mind and hopefully liven her mood. If not, she would at least a good amount of sleep which has been something she hasn't had in a long time. Pretty much since her near death experience.
She checked her missed messages as she sipped the wine. There was three and all of them from the credit card companies mention about her due balance. She had been without work for too long and even with her health insurance covering the hospital bills, she was still debt. She was hoping that she would go back on the field, but since the answer was no, there would have to be another way. She did have connection and could get a desk job for now.
She left the kitchen and made her way into the living room. Even though it wasn't winter, she found it cold in her apartment and was in the mood to prepare a fire in the fireplace. It was more than just to heat up, it would be relaxing. Just the look of the open fire would help clear her mind.
Once the fire was set and burning, she set the wine on her small coffee table and then turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels and began to watch the movie Sideways. It seemed to be the perfect movie to watch while drinking. About a quarter into it, she grabbed the bottle of wine from the kitchen and poured herself another glass. She drank it and continued to watch the movie, tying to forget about her problems. But the more intoxicated she became, the more her problems seemed to resurface.
Her mind drifted away from the movie and to her last relationship. Jana Murphy. The woman of her dreams. At least in the beginning she thought it was her. Both worked in the FBI and were madly in love. Everyone was able to tell just by looking at them. For her, life was perfect. It was her dream.
Then everything unraveled when the Joe Carroll case came to be. She became obsessed with it and didn't realize that with every piece of evidence she gained, she lost with her family. Jana turned distant and kicked her out of their house. Soon she was living in the house she was in now, waiting for the time for Jana to forgive her. Waiting for her to say she missed her and that she wanted to move back in.
But that never did. Her world turned upside down when she found evidence on Jana's involvement with Joe. She found out that Joe visited her and Jana gave her money, fake ID's and a passport. She asked her about it a few times, but got nothing but lies. It was then when she realized the relationship was over.
Her thoughts came back to Earth when she saw the movie ended and the credits were rolling. She turned it off and stumbled toward the fireplace. She stoked it and then added another log. The fire crackled and grew larger. She eyed it for a few moments drunkenly before she turned away and saw a small box on top of the bookshelf across from the TV.
The box was full of items from her marriage with Jana. She was keeping it for the moment when Jana forgave her and allowed her back in the house. Yet, after she was stabbed and hospitalized, she forgot all about it.
She took the box and opened it. Inside were pictures from her wedding, the birth of their kids from a donor, their birthdays, and family trips. She looked through them setting aside all of the pictures that Jana wasn't in. The one she was in, she slowly tossed them into the fire one by one. When she was finished, she watched them burn with a look of bitter satisfaction on her face.
Molly was in her room laying down for a nap. She hadn't gotten much sleep over the past few days and seemed to only catch up with small naps throughout the day. Call her old, it did refresh her. Country music from Spotify played on shuffle from her phone. The lights dimmed so she could feel more comfortable.
The window was opened a crack allowing a gentle breeze. The room was on the colder side, which she liked. When it was too warm it made her sweat and sticky. But when it was cold, she cuddled beneath the covers within the warmth of the blanket like a cocoon.
Her thoughts drifted to her parents. Her dad was a lawyer and her mom stayed at home. She hardly saw her dad, who seemed to constantly go on business trips around the world. Her mother, quiet, had a cigarette in one hand and a bottle in the other. She constantly lived her life in a blur whether he was home or on his trips.
Her father cared about the family when he was at home and tried to fix the issues that he caused, but it never worked. From the moment he started cheating for reasons Molly never knew, the marriage was over and the family was in shambles. The family never actually had a chance.
About five years prior, her mother began to cough up blood. She gave up cigarettes but still drank. The doctors told her she had lung cancer and had a month to live at most. She fought on for a year of hell before she died. From that moment on, Molly felt her world fall apart even worse than she ever thought it could.
Her father was there for a week and then left for a business trip. Except this time he never came back. A few years later, Joe helped her track him down. She found him in Italy living with a model looking type later. She waited until they were asleep before she broke in and killed them both. No one knew she was there and committed the crime.
Molly heard a gunshot which caused her to open her eyes in shock. She sat up quickly and jumped out of her bed. She reached for her gun on the dresser beside the bed hastily, knocking over the lamp in the process. It cracked on the floor from the contact.
She ignored it and ran out hoping it was a false alarm. She made her way downstairs cursing and saw to her horror, Tanya on the floor covered in her own blood. Another gunshot rang out, hitting somewhere in the kitchen.
"Amable," She growled. It had to be him.
She gripped her gun tightly waiting to hear another gunshot, but he she heard none. She waited a few more minutes, hiding behind the wall and on the fourth stair. All she heard was silence. Tyler was nowhere to be found. Was he dead as well? She hoped not. He was the toughest in the group and would help her take down Amable.
She took a few cautious steps down the stairs when she heard a floor board creak close to the kitchen. She turned and aimed her gun in the direction of the noise as a chill ran up her spine. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and the hair on her arms and legs made her clothes feel like static.
The moment she turned toward the kitchen, she jumped to see Tyler there with a determined look on his face. He glanced at her not saying anything, before he saw with his peripheral vision, Annabelle enter through the front door with a shotgun in her grasp. She pointed it at them with an angry look on her face.
"Get down," Tyler shouted as he pushed Molly away.
He dove at the same time Annabelle fired the gun. The bullet shells struck the wall cracking it. Some of the shells stayed stuck, while others, dropped to the floor beside Molly and Tyler. She cocked the shotgun and prepared to fire again.
Tyler shot her, catching her in the leg. She cried out as she fired again, missing as well. Fragments struck the ceiling cracking it. She collapsed on the floor squirming in pain. He stood up with a small smile on his face and aimed the gun at her. She reached for her shotgun with a blood hand, but he just kicked it away.
Molly reached for her gun and stood up to see Amable walk into the house with his gun pointed at her. He gave her a small smile of hello and then motioned for her to lower the weapon. She continued to stand there with her gun in her hand not wanting to listen.
"Don't be a hero," Amable said taking a step toward her. "It's over." He chuckled. "I won."
Molly forced a smile. "To hell," She said shaking her head. She aimed her gun at him. "We have a standoff here and I feel this is where everything really gets interesting."
"Does it?" He asked taking a step toward her.
"Of course it does," She said with a chuckle. "You see both of us are killers. It runs in our blood. So we both know that we will press the trigger." Her eyes twinkled dangerously. "The question is, who is a better shooter?"
Ryan pulled his car up a little ways away from the second address he got from Joe. He turned it off and got out of the car. Mike and Max followed suit. All three of them gazed at the house from the distance for a brief few moments, before slowly making their way toward the house cautiously.
"I know that we should be waiting for SWATT," Ryan said keeping his eyes on the house. "But we are here now and if we wait, we may lose this chance."
"We are with you," Max said glancing at him seriously. "To the end."
Tyler took another threatening step toward Annabelle who had her hand on her leg. Blood oozed out over her hand and on to the floor. She watched him fearfully as he kneeled beside her with a smirk on his face. She swallowed loudly and tried to back away from him.
Tyler removed her hand and pushed the tip of the gun into her wounds. She cried out in pain as more blood poured out of it. She tried to push away from him, but was in too much pain. He removed the gun and looked at the blood on it.
"I never liked guns," He said with shaking his head. "Now knives are such a better weapon for torture and yes, I am going to torture you." He gave her a wicked smile as he set the gun on the ground a few feet from her. He reached for the knife he had clipped to his belt.
Annabelle took this moment to reach for her switchblade she had in her back pocket. She flicked it open and attempted to stab him, but he was faster and grabbed her wrist. He twisted it until he heard a crack and then stabbed her in the stomach.
"I have the bigger knife," He said twisted the knife around creating a larger wound. "I win." He stood up watching her clutch her new wound. "You lose."
Annabelle scooted toward away from him grunting in pain. Her entire was full of blood and her wrist already beginning to swell. She could hardly move her arm and leg without feeling excruciating pain. If she had the thought the first time she was shot was painful, but this was far worse.
Tyler placed his knife back in its holder and then picked up her knife. He flicked it open and then closed it. He flicked it open again and chuckled.
"A bit heavy on the blade and the handle is cheaply built," He said looking at her. "I'm guessing you bought this one off amazon." He closed it and pocketed it. "Ten bucks at most. Made in China." He gave her a twisted smile. "A load of crap. You really got ripped off here."
Tyler reached for his gun and pointed it at Annabelle. He took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly wondering where he should shoot her. Her head and heart would be an instant kill. It would be too easy. Yet, he wasn't the torture type. The head would be the best way to go. He raised the gun a bit, just as he saw three figures approaching from the distance. He recognized them as FBI agents. He cursed and then ran up the stairs.
Molly tried to keep her gun steady when she heard sudden gunshot. She heard a body thud and then Tyler speaking. From the kitchen, she couldn't really hear what he was saying clearly, but could tell that he had shot Annabelle.
"Well I can tell you that Tyler is a good shot," She said sounding snobby. "And it looks like your trophy girl is going to get rusted."
Amable felt a brief moment of panic knowing that with Tyler indeed had shot her. He was stronger and more experienced than her. Annabelle was dangerous and knew how to shoot a gun, with the best of them, but Tyler was better. He didn't think that she'd be able to beat him. He hoped he would be able to get there before he did any more damage.
"You know this reminds me of the scene from Faceoff," Molly said with a dangerous smile. She took a threatening step toward him. "Both of us with our guns pointed at each other." She took another step toward him. "Except chances are that we won't shoot at each other tons of times like in the movies." She took another step toward him just as Annabelle cried out in pain. "Ouch, that one sounded like it hurt."
Amable had to ignore Annabelle's pain. "Where are my kids?" He asked trying to hold a strong front. "I know you have them?"
"Yes I do," Molly said her smile widening.
Amable took a step toward her and tightened his grip on the gun. "Of course you are going to tell me," He said.
Molly heard Tyler curse and then run up the stairs. She took a few steps away from Amable until she was able to glance into the living room. She saw Annabelle on the floor covered in her own blood. It looked like she was moments away from death. She also saw Ryan, Max, and Mike stepping up to the front porch.
Damn," She cursed stepping into the kitchen so they wouldn't see her. "FBI is here." She looked back at Amable who was still standing there with his gun aimed at her.
"The FBI is here," Amable said pretending to be excited. "Now that should change everything."
With that he fired at her knowing that this was the best chance he had. She was distracted, so he knew that he could hit her, without her hitting him. The moment he pressed the trigger, she fired her gun as well.
His bullet struck her in the throat, while hers missed catching the window above the kitchen sink. She collapsed to the floor choking on her own blood as Amable turned abruptly and ran out of the kitchen. He knew that the moment the gunshot was heard, the FBI would come running in and he'd be caught. He had to get away and hide.
Ryan stepped into the house and kneeled beside Annabelle's bloody body. She looked at him trembling all over. Her vision was blurry and she was feeling cold all over, yet she could tell that the man beside her was Ryan Hardy. The fear she was already feeling, grew worse.
He glanced at her wounds knowing that they were fatal and that she was dying. He pulled out his phone and phoned for an ambulance. The moment he hung up, he heard a gunshot, this time from the kitchen. He stood up and made his way there. Inside the kitchen he found Molly on the floor with a bullet wound in her throat. She was making loud choking sounds.
"Ryan," She struggled to say.
Ryan ignored the impulse to leave her and kneeled beside her. She reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it as tightly as she could. She looked him in the eye emotionally and tried to speak, but all she could do was spit out blood down her chin. A tear trailed down her cheek and she collapsed in his arms staining his shirt with her blood.
He let her go and gently placed her on the floor. Max and Mike entered the kitchen and both saw Molly on the floor dead. He stood up and looked at the both of them. "Two down," He said, "Let's find the rest. I'll check out in the back, the two of you guys should split up and search the rest of the house."
"Sounds like a plan," Mike said turning away from Molly.
Max stepped up to her uncle and hugged him quickly, but tightly. When she let go, she look him straight in the eyes and said in a serious tone, "No heroics. We are in this together."
Ryan gave her a reassuring smile. "No heroics," He said.
He turned away from her and then made his way outside. He scanned the backyard, but all he saw was the woods surrounding them. Despite it being in the middle of the day, the trees blocked the light, so it was hard to see. He stepped out further into the backyard searching for someone. Yet, he still didn't see anyone.
He stepped into the woods searching high and low. Behind the trees and below ones in the roots where someone could hide. Yet he still didn't see anyone. He was completely alone. Whoever had killed Molly was nowhere to be found.
Ryan turned and slowly walked out of the forest. He hadn't even taken a few steps, when he saw Amable standing there before him with a gun pointed at him. "Found you," He sang as he shot him in the shoulder.
Ryan grunted in pain and reached up to touch the wound. Warm blood trickled out through his fingers like a small stream. He dropped his gun and stumbled backward. A tree root made tripped him up and he landed on the floor.
"Don't worry," Amable said glancing at the house briefly. "You niece and her boy toy are quite busy right now." He took a step toward Ryan. "But don't worry I will finish them off soon."
"Stop this," Ryan said reaching out to him with a trembling hand. "You don't have to do this."
"The famous line from the protagonist," He chuckled and took another step toward him. "Too original." He picked up Ryan's gun and spun it around on his hand like they do in the cowboy movies. "There is a famous French philosopher who said, "There is no love of life without despair of life." Both of us have lost so much. Both of us will never know complete happiness, without the memory of complete despair."
"What are you talking about?" Ryan grunted. He was losing blood fast and beginning to feel dizzy.
Amable smiled at him. "I really don't need to explain myself," He said taking another step toward him. "You know very well what I am talking about." He took another step toward him.
Ryan took this moment and palmed him in the nose breaking it. Amable staggered backward and then shook his head as if to shake away the dizzy feelings. When they passed, he saw Ryan groaning in pain and bent over. It seemed that the punch took a lot out of him.
"You are full of surprises," Amable said with a smile. He wiped away the blood from his nose and shook it off his hand. "I can see why Joe held you so high." He stepped up to him and pointed the gun at him again. "Goodbye Ryan." He gave him a fake apathetic look.
Mike and Max slowly made their way up the stairs with their guns aimed. The moment they reached the top step, Tyler jumped out of nowhere and gave Max a swift round house style kick in the face. The force sent Max into the wall cracking it and on to the floor unconscious. He turned to Mike with his hands raised ready to fight.
Mike eyed Max on the floor and saw an ugly bump on her head with blood trickling out of it. There was another cut on her cut from when she hit the wall. He swallowed nervously as an angry feeling began to grow. He looked at Tyler, who promptly began to attack him.
Mike blocked the oncoming punch with his forearm, but couldn't block the next one. The punch landed below his jaw. He felt dazed by the contact, but hardly had a moment to gain his balance before Tyler punched him again. He somehow blocked it and punched him back.
He then growled and tried to tackle him to the ground, but Tyler jabbed him in the back with his elbow. The force sent Mike to the floor roughly. Tyler then circled around him and kicked him in the ribs. Mike tried to block the kick, but wasn't able to.
"You are out of your league," Tyler said pointing at him.
Mike groaned and tried to stand up. Tyler chuckled and kicked him in the ribs again. Pain shot throughout Mike's midsection as he eyed Max a few feet away. She stirred slightly, but seemed to still be unconscious. He groaned and tried to move but was having a hard time doing so.
Tyler stood above Mike and used a knee to pin him on the floor. He grabbed his hair and pulled his head back as he reached for his knife. He flicked it open and pressed the blade against his throat. He leaned close to him with a smile on his face.
"Like father like son," He said with an evil laugh.
He was about to cut him, when he heard Max call out weakly. She had a gun pointed at Tyler. Before he could move a muscle, she fired at him. The bullet pierced the side of his head through the ear. Blood squirted out of the wound as he let go of the knife. He fell over beside Mike in a blood heap.
Mike glanced at Tyler for a few seconds, before standing up on shaky legs. He walked to Ma and helped her to her feet. They locked eyes and then kissed deeply. When they broke apart they glanced at Tyler who was dead on the floor with a puddle of blood beside his head.
"Ryan," Max said weakly.
Mike and Max slowly walked down the stairs using each other as support. They walked through the kitchen and outside to see Ryan and Amable fighting. Ryan hit Amable in the nose, but it hardly fazed him. He saw Amable point his gun at him.
"Ryan," Max shouted, "No!"
Amable heard them but didn't move. He shot Ryan a number of times in the chest. He turned see Mike pointing a gun at him. Mike was firing in his direction but missed. Amable turned and hid behind a tree waiting for them to get closer. He glance at Ryan who was began to bleed from his mouth.
For a few seconds he stood there waiting and didn't hear anything. He knew they were walking closer, but he didn't know how far they were. He gripped his gun tightly and peeked around the tree. The moment he did that, he saw Max who promptly fired at him. Bullets missed the target, but struck the tree near where he was standing.
Mike was hiding behind another tree and using the distraction that Max was bringing. He slowly made his way closer to Amable as he used each tree as a place to hide. When he got close enough he growled and dove at Amable tackling him. He punched him with the barrel of the gun and then stood up pointing it at him.
"It's over," He said stepping away from him.
"Is it?" He asked laughing. "Are you going to arrest me? Kill me?"
Mike thought about killing him. He took a step toward him and then struck him with the gun again, this time hard enough to knock him out. He then turned to Ryan to see Max sitting beside him holding his hand and crying.
"Don't die on me," She sobbed. "Please."
"It's okay," Ryan said with a pained smile. "It is for the best."
Mike stepped up to them and then sat beside Max. "No it's not," He said tearfully.
"It is," Ryan struggled to say. "Tell Carrie that I love her." He paused and began to cough up blood. "And I am sorry." He paused again and took a deep painful breath. "I love." With that his body trembled and his head went limp.
Max sobbed even louder and buried her head into Mike's shoulder crying into it. Mike began to cry as well as SWATT came running up to them led by Jeffrey. When he saw Amable unconscious by the tree, he motioned for his team to arrest them. He then looked at Ryan briefly before reaching out to Mike and Max tenderly unsure what to tell them. Instead he kept silent with a sad expression on his face.
Carrie was sitting in her office working on the paper with a coffee in front of her. It was her third of the day, which was her usual. She was writing a piece on a store robbery that went south. Two hostages were injured, one killed and both suspects arrested. She had all the research and was nearly finished with it. Soon she'd send it to the editor who'd look it over. When it was ready, she'd get it back and then read it on the evening news.
She took another sip of her coffee when there was a knock on the door. She opened it to see Jeffrey, Mike, and Max standing there with sad looks on their faces. Max looked like she had been crying, Mike was emotionless, and Jeffrey with a distracted look.
"No," She said fearing the worse. If all three of them were there without Ryan, then it meant something happened to him. She stumbled backward and shook her head in disbelief. She began to cry. "No."
Jeffrey took a step toward her. "I'm so sorry," He said sadly.
"No," Carrie said in disbelief. She tried to say something, but was speechless. Instead, she turned away from them unable to look at them anymore.
Two Days later
The cemetery was extremely packed. Carrie stood before the plot of land that would be for Ryan's body. Her eyes brimmed with tears and puffed from lack of sleep. Mike and Max stood beside her with blank expressions on their faces. Jeffrey stood a few feet away lost within his own thoughts.
There were military members on active duty and in the Selected Reserve standing behind them as well as former military members as well as those who are departed. There were also former military members who completed at least one term of enlistment or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve as well. Officers ranging from simple street cops to FBI agents were there as well.
A Priest stood next to the casket reading from the Bible. Carrie looked at him briefly unable to listen to the words he was saying. She could hear them clearly, but refused to listen to them. She couldn't bear to. She didn't want to believe that he was dead, but he was. She covered her eyes with her hand and cried into them.
The Priest finished his prayers five minutes later and then soldiers stood up straight with rifles in their hands. They raised them and shot blanks into the air a number of times, before they lowered them and then stepped away. The head of the FBI handed her the flag and then said their apologetic words. She gave them a faint smile of understanding, before they turned and walked away.
She then watched in melancholy as they began to lower the casket into the ground. Seeing this she cried even harder knowing that the physical parts of him were gone. She was still in shock. Just a few days ago, they told each other they'd have a romantic dinner together. Both were workaholics so having this night with him, meant the world to her. They never had their dinner together. She found out about his death just after lunch time.
Now he was gone forever. She could never tell him how much she loved him. How she was sorry for ever causing him any pain. How she learned to see the real him, regardless of all the baggage he claimed to carry. She didn't care about his past anymore. All she cared about was him.
Carrie sighed and continued to stand there even though the funeral was now over. Mike and Max said their goodbyes and asked if she wanted a ride home, but she shook her head no. She wanted to stay a little bit longer. When they were gone, she approached the freshly covered grave and placed a flower on the stone.
"Goodbye my love," She whispered, "I will never forget you."
Joe couldn't believe at what he was seeing. He stood against his cell door, watching as the guards transferred Frank to another cell. It was something he had been silently praying for, for ages and it had finally come true. With Frank gone, he could now get some peace and quiet. It was everything he wanted.
"Goodbye Joe," Frank sadly said as he was being led away.
"See you," Joe said watching him leave.
For the next hour or so, Joe read from one of the books the Frank lent to him. Despite his annoyance, he did have good taste in literature. But his peace and quiet was cut short when he saw who his next cell neighbor would be.
"Amable?" He asked confused as he watch the guards direct him into the cell.
One of the guards turned to him with a cold look on his face. He handed a paper to him and told him to read the headlines. Joe took it, but was too caught up with his old friend and now nemesis across from him.
"Hello Joe," Amable said eyeing with fake enthusiasm. "It is good to see you."
"Is it?" Joe asked tossing the newspaper on his bed. He watched the guards walk away.
Amable forced a smile. "No," He shook his head. "And we both know that. We are the devils rejects here."
Joe chuckled and took a step toward the cell gate. He leaned against it. "So you were finally caught?" He asked shaking his head mocking him. "I knew you would."
"It's okay," He said with a small shrug. He looked around the small cell before sitting on the bed. "I did what you couldn't do."
Joe gave him a confused look. "What was that?" He asked.
Amable smiled proudly. "I killed Ryan and Claire," He said watching Joe's reaction intently. "My book ended correctly, while yours ended with flop."
"No," Joe shook his head not wanting to believe what he just heard. He began to grow angry and sad at the same time.
"It's true," Amable said nodding his head. "Just read the papers." He laughed loudly at his own joke.
Joe grabbed the paper off his bed and opened it. He read the headline and the article that spoke about Claire and Ryan's death. It spoke about Molly's death and the fall of both cults, hers and Amable's. The only known survivors were two young siblings who were taken to an orphanage. When he finished reading it, he sat on his bed and tossed the paper aside aimlessly. Ryan was dead. Claire was dead. Molly was dead. He cared about her, but not nearly as much as Claire and Ryan. With him locked up in here, Joey would never see his father again, which almost made him an orphan.
It was over. He had failed. Everything he worked for was over. He never wanted to hurt those closest to him, but he did. Now he was alone in prison for the rest of his life with his old roommate and old best friend across from him. They now hated each other and had to deal with it. It seemed as if he truly lost everything. He felt empty and for the first time he wept. Truly wept. His life was now over.
End of Season 3
Hope you liked my story and my idea of what the upcoming season for The Following would be! Hopefully something similar to my story will be in the show :)
Thanks for reading!
Shaw18