Chapter 35
Pitch did not hear the shocking cry of his beloved, but Erebos did. The Pegasus wailed with monstrous screams when they landed on a roof.
"Erebos, what is the matter?" Pitch asked, tugging on the reins.
The Pegasus pushed and nudged at his master and nipped at the chain that held the ring.
"You mean this?" Pitch asked, again. "It's all right, I'm nervous, too," he added, but Erebos shook his head.
Pitch was confused; the only time he saw Erebos acted like this was when the night terrors attacked them, but that was years ago.
"I wish I can understand you," the boogeyman said to the Pegasus.
Just then, a cold wind blew in and Jack Frost landed on the roof. "Pitch, thank God I found you!" he exclaimed.
"Jack, what is going on?" Pitch asked.
"Follow me! There's no time!" Jack shouted and tugged on Pitch's arm.
"Jack, tell me, what is wrong?" Pitch demanded.
"It's Grace, she's been hit by a car!" Jack bellowed.
Pitch's eyes grew wide with shock, a breath escaped from his mouth, and his blood ran cold in his veins.
Pitch got on Erebos and they followed Jack to the street where Grace's apartment was.
On the street, police cruisers and ambulances blocked the way, and a crowd gathered around the police tape.
Pitch looked beyond the tape, hoping to find Grace. The crime scene featured a car that had damage to the front and a man in a costume had been pulled to his feet by the Bobbies*, who handcuffed him. There was a white tarp a few feet away from the car and it covered something.
Pitch went down, but he feared in what he was going to see. A wind blew and the tarp moved away to reveal the dead woman's face, Grace's face.
Pitch fell to his knees; his hands shook as his fingers touched Grace's cold cheeks. Blood streamed out of her mouth and her eyes were half-way closed, but they were glued to the moon. Then, a wail of anguish escaped from the boogeyman's mouth and tears fell from his eyes, but no one seemed to hear him. Some paramedics brought a gurney and a body bag. "No, no, no," Pitch said, but he watched as Grace's body was moved onto the gurney and placed into the body bag.
Pitch turned his attention to the handcuffed man and he walked up to him. "You!" he shouted and he tried to hit the man, but his arms went right through the man. Pitch did not care; he wanted to kill this man.
Then, Jack came and pulled Pitch away from the man. The two went into an alley, where Pitch fell to his knees, again, and wailed another anguished cry.
Jack watched as Pitch cried and mourned. The winter spirit started to shed tears, they froze when they fell down his cheeks.
Erebos walked up to his master and Pitch threw his arms around the Pegasus' neck.
"Take me where they're taking Grace," Pitch said to Erebos and he got on.
The Pegasus flew up into the sky with Jack in pursuit. They flew above the skyline of London and the people were retiring for the night, unaware of what just happened.
Erebos landed on the roof of a morgue and Pitch spotted the paramedics who took Grace's body. The coroner and his assistants took the gurney and brought it inside.
Pitch watched through the skyline window as the coroner brought out Grace from the body bag. He turned his face away when they started the procedure.
Some time passed and Grace's body was finished and the coroner and his assistants left the room, but they placed a tag on her toe and a tarp over her face.
Pitch went into the room, removed the tarp and cuddled Grace in his arms. She was very cold, but Pitch ignored it and more tears fell from his eyes.
The one mortal girl he cared so much and had come to love was now gone. He never got the chance to ask the one question.
Time passed and Pitch had to leave Grace. He placed the tarp over her face, but took one last look at her, and left.
"Take me to Blackpool," he said to Erebos and got on. Jack did not follow them this time and instead, he started to mourn the loss of Grace.
During the ride to Grace's hometown, the sun began to rise and its rays shone on the coast of England.
Pitch and Erebos made it to the Dawson house, just as a police car came up the driveway. Pitch watched as two Bobbies went up to the door and knocked.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Dawson answered; they were still wearing their night clothes. "Mr. and Mrs. Dawson?" one of the Bobbies asked and they nodded.
"We regret to inform you this, but your daughter has been killed," the bobby informed.
Both Grace's parents fell to the ground and began to cry. Pitch listened, their anguish was like his.
He went into the woods where Grace first saw him as a young girl. He touched the chain that held the ring and he tore it off his neck.
He stared at it for one last time before he threw it deep in the woods. Tears flowed down from his eyes as he mourned the loss of Grace.
"I will always love you Grace," Pitch said to himself and he, along with Grace's parents continued to mourn.
From the author: Please don't hate me! There will be a surprise in the next chapter.
*Bobbies is a nickname for the police officers in the United Kingdom.