Wretched & Divine

Prologue

BEFORE

Dante loosens the tie around his neck as he prepares to read the speech for his wife. He stands next to her, touching her gently as his eyes well with thick tears. 

The tears of a man burying his wife. 

"Thank you all for being here. Myoki would have loved to see all of you together like this. I only wish it were under.. Better circumstances."  He says, clearing his throat to hold back more tears. 

"My wife was the light of my life, the pinnacle of love. She was far too young to die. She didn't deserve this. I wish it were me instead. I wish that every day. She had so much planned, so many things she wanted to do in her life.. And now, all because of one cruel fucking bastard, it means nothing." He continues. He looks at her casket as he strokes the metallic dusty pink paint with his thumb. "I once promised Myoki that I would find my purpose, so I could quit drinking. And though I fear my purpose in this life was to love her with every piece of myself, I will do whatever it takes. I will do it all for you, my love. I will live for you to see."

He breaks out of his trance and looks at the audience of  sorrow ridden expressions. "Nothing else mattered when she was around. And now.. Nothing matters. Not without her. I love you forever, my sweet darling girl. Wait for me." He finishes as a whisper, his voice too hoarse to speak. A tear falls down his cheek as he walks away from her casket. 

The funeral directors look at each other and nod, beginning to lower her casket into the ground. Dante couldn't bear to watch; he couldn't imagine the cold, dark distance of 6 feet between him and his love. He looks up, blinded by the bright rays of sun in the clear blue sky. Blue skies always reminded him of Myoki, even before her death. She loved nature, and all the things enveloping it. 

After the services and people offering their condolences, Dante's day droned by in front of his TV with a bottle of liquor. His swigs were massive as he tried to fill the gaping hole in his heart. His house felt cold and empty without her. He looks at the picture frame with the photo of his wife, sitting beside him as she once did.

"What has my life become?"

NOW

On the border of the sea, there lies a small town called Redgrave. Its population was minuscule; it wouldn't even show up on a map. Crime was nonexistent with people sleeping with their home and car doors unlocked, and nobody had trouble with each other. Neighbors were friends, and friends were neighbors. Everyone knew everyone. 

This however, made it more obvious when new people came to town. People talked, gossiping about newcomers like they were aliens from another planet. The town was quiet and peaceful, though not wildly wealthy. 

So when self proclaimed businessman and realtor William Jenkinson moved to town with his wife, people began to talk. Dressed in high end and clearly wealthy clothes, everyone knew he was from another world. He was arrogant and boastful about his successes and wealth, though he garnered the trust of many Redgrave citizens. People began to notice differences in the town after his arrival however; small businesses being shut down and abandoned homes being flipped, and new businesses owned by William setting up shop in their places. Citizens tried to turn a blind eye, as they saw no immediate harm.

But that was before the uptick in crime. 

The rates of crime in the small town skyrocketed to all time highs, and the mayor seemed to be disinterested in doing anything about it. As a matter of fact, nobody had seen the mayor since William's arrival other than through fliers throughout the town.

Local young women between the ages of 15-21 began to go missing soon after. William had been accused of having involvement, but his denial and his deflection came quick after the accusations. 

Dante and his older sister Amanda live in Redgrave, and they have no idea the turn their lives are about to take.