The legacy of the dark blood

Chapter 21

Chris's past

The ghastly atmosphere caused by the stellar flashes of light was gradually fading away, a phenomenon that the agents interpreted as the beginning of the end of the nightly nightmare inside that earthly hell.

On their way back to the cabin, Liz abruptly interposed herself in front of her companion, whose face revealed a deep sense of guilt. The girl forced a glance at him, appearing to be annoyed, but then gave him a teasing smile and a gentle hug.

"Just like that, you're not mad at me?" Bernard asked nervously, though Liz's subtle shake of her head showed her answer.

"You didn't do it while in a sane state" answered Liz sympathetically "believe me, I've had similar experiences for a while now and I understand what you've been going through. But next time, I'll break your nose. Just so you get over it quickly, don't take it the wrong way."

Bernard took Liz's words as a joke, since he knew her, he knew it was a common thing for her to do in simulated situations. In spite of that, it was not completely clear what had triggered that unusual behavior, unbecoming of a person like him.

"Well, as you have noticed, it will be dawn in a while," commented Chris after pointing to the windows of the cabin, "There is another interesting place that we identified from our entrance, I would like us to go there before completely leaving the cemetery."

"Don't you think it's still too dark?" Bernard objected, "Besides, I think we need to rest a little."

"I understand," Chris replied, "But as each day passes, the days will get shorter, thus reducing our time to investigate. Once we leave the cemetery, we would be back in the forest and that is when we will need more sunlight. Moreover, I strongly feel that what we have left to investigate is something big.

Bernard was not entirely comfortable with Chris's suggestions. Although she hadn't slept all night, Liz didn't feel the need to go to bed either after all she had to go through after leaving the camp.

"I think Chris is right," Liz supported him with a soft yawn, "we can sleep during daylight hours if we need to. Besides, after my first day here I think I'll sleep with the light on for the rest of my life."

Chris smiled at the agent, knowing she had someone to back her up. Bernard, seeing himself defeated by the opinion of a small majority, was resigned and was the first to leave the cabin. Liz was about to do the same; she knew that the faster they concluded the investigation of that place, the faster they could get out of the graveyard and keep tracking Max.

Before setting foot outside the cabin, Liz noticed Chris staring intently at a ring with a melancholy expression and clenching it in his fist as he closed his eyes in sadness. It was obvious to Liz that the object held some sentimental value to him.

"Everything okay with you?" Liz asked him, overcome with curiosity. Chris nodded, his answer did not satisfy the agent; he could tell and sighed before answering.

"Now that you touch the subject, I would like to tell you something, but make it private" said Chirs. The girl did not know what could be important to interrupt her departure and in turn to be discussed without Bernard's presence. Being curious about what the officer had to tell her, she looked him in the eyes without uttering a word. Chris showed her the ring that, in some way, was familiar to her. "You have been something special to me in this difficult moment, and that is why I would like to give you this as a gift," he said, showing her the silver ring with a kind of sapphire-colored gem encrusted in it."

"What's that exactly?" Liz asked a bit puzzled, completely unaware of the man's reasons for giving her such a gift.

"A ring, obviously, but not just any ring," he replied calmly. "It has a strong sentimental meaning for me, you know, because I bought it for the person I was willing to share the rest of my life with; my fiancée. Her name was Lena."

For a moment, Liz felt a sense of concern, understanding where Chris' intentions were going.

"Chris," she began, not knowing where to look and somewhat worried about Chris's reaction to her response, "Look.... I don't know what to say, but why did you decide to give it to me, we hardly know each other."

Chris smiled again.

"Don't worry, I'm not looking for any engagement with you, that's why I'm giving it to you" explained the agent with a blank stare, although Liz was now more confused "When I was together with Lena, I felt that she was everything to me, and I promised her that under no circumstances would I fall in love with another woman other than her. Unfortunately, she passed away a few months ago and since then, looking at the ring I had bought her for our engagement is a torture for me, I don't have the guts to throw it away, that's why I would like to give it to you as a gift- after receiving the ring and placing it on her ring finger, Chris went on" As I told you, you have no commitment to me. Consider it a simple reminder of our friendship, knowing that together we will overcome this horrible situation.

In the midst of that nest of doom, the last thing Liz expected was to feel flattered after receiving a detail from a partner, although at the same time it seemed a little strange what had happened; it was obvious to her that she would not give it to another man, unless he had such sexual inclinations, but hadn't she engaged in conversation with Steffi, for example. She knew that such an event usually responded to an attempt to flirt, however, the look on Chris's face when he saw the ring embedded in his new companion's finger made it clear that this was not her intention. In fact, the artifact held some sense of nostalgia that he sought to rid himself of, as dictated by his desire to fulfill the wishes of his soon-to-be fiancée.

"How did she die?" asked Liz curiously as she looked closely at the ostentatious artifact.

Before Chris could answer, Bernard appeared on the scene in the doorway watching with a smile as his companion looked Chris straight in the eye. He wanted to ask what was taking them so long to follow him; without spending any more time on that matter, they opted to return to their mission.