Wrestling the Kraken

Dante

Dante

Dante lifted his jacket and pulled out the rose. He held it between his fingers for a moment. This time marked several firsts. He had spoken to reporters before, giving them anonymous tips on where to look for the bodies, but Claire was the first reporter he gave the information face to face. She was also the first one he had opened up to since Lily. It was the first time he had been with anyone since Lily.

Thinking he had found a way out, he ran towards it, only to uncover that it was yet another dead end in this maze his life had been thrown into. The only reason he didn't leave the States altogether, and join his mother and sister in Paris, was his father. He needed to pay for what he's done, which also meant he was putting more people at risk simply by being near him. There were never answers, though there were plenty of questions.

Dante placed the rose in her hands, closing her fingers over the stem. "A rose in bloom for a soul taken too soon." He whispered. Releasing the wax seal on her forehead, he removed the note and read the contents: "You may not agree on this one and I'm sorry for that. Grieve, but know an obstacle was removed."

He stood up and took out his grey Zippo lighter. Lighting the edge of the note, he watched it curl up into ash until it was gone. It wasn't to protect his father. It was to deny him. To purge the words, the connection he thought he had been building.

Closing her eyes, he wrapped the sheer fabric around her. She was ready. My father may have intended to eliminate her, to get rid of an obstacle, but it has found its way back to him. He will face his sins.

He made his way back to the truck, removing his gloves. Now he needed to find a payphone. He didn't need to drive far. Five minutes down the road, he pulled over to the curb and made the call to the Fox Hollow Gazette. Hopefully, she left some kind of copy of her work at her desk. Once they notice who was the latest victim, they will undoubtedly track down the last story she had been working on. He could only hope. In either case, his father and the company would pay the price.

♦

Heading back to the truck, the magazine stand caught his attention. Turning to grab a paper, right on the front page was yet another piece of news to slip him. He looked up at the sky, his eyes begging...why?