Ashes to Ashes

Who: Gabe
Where: The cemetery
When: Evening

It had been too sunny for a funeral. Gabe expected rain, or at least good cloud cover, but they hadn't even had that. This time of year, it would have been snow. Anything would have been better than the sun. It didn't fit his mood, though the biting cold was a reminder that even the most beautiful day could have it's harsh side. As the sun set, Gabe found himself lingering in the cemetery, staring down at Chrissy's grave. Reality was hard, even when it was staring him in the face.

Her death marked an end of a stage in his life, an abrupt and fateful turn down a road he'd never even seen coming. These things happened, always without warning. Two drastically different girls. Two closed coffins. His life altered once more. Why did the two things always seem to coincide? Chrissy's death, on any other night, still would have been a loss for him, but to be bitten by the same monster that had torn her to shreds didn't feel like a coincidence. Together they'd shared laughter, sometimes tears, and eventually blood.

Gabe took a seat beside the grave, resting his back against the headstone. It felt wrong to abandon her just yet, though her parents had long ago. "I'll stay with you till dark," he muttered softly, as if there was someone there to hear him. "You sure know how to make an exit, don't you?" Looking down at the freshly filled grave, Gabe ran his fingers through the dirt and breathed deeply. The sun set slowly, and eventually darkness began to fall. For once the quiet seemed peaceful, rather than creepy. Peace was the best thing he could hope for for her, wherever she might be. He liked to think Heaven, though he didn't know what to make of that these days.

"Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return," he whispered, sitting in silence for a few seconds, his eyes closed tight. When the moment passed, he brushed his hands off, then paused, examining his fingers on one hand. Two of them were burnt, on the inside, just above the knuckle, but he couldn't remember injuring them. It seemed like something he should remember.

"Tell her hi for me," he said as he climbed to his feet, a little smile curling up on his lips. "Try not to kill each other." It was never easy to say goodbye, so Gabe turned away, his feet slowly leading him towards the car. "I'll miss you," he whispered, though he thought she knew. He wouldn't have been there if he didn't. As long as he lived, she would not be forgotten.