Little Red Wulf In The Big Bad H.O.O.D

Epilogue ~Saying Goodbye~

Strykers POV

The day was bright and cheery a complete offset to the mood in the air that whisked around me tossing my now long black hair around my face. My jaw lined with day old stubble that was itchy and irritating.

I had neglected myself for this lapse in time. Where my mind felt void of meaning and life. It sounded cheesy and cliché but really when you lose somebody you love there is no other way to describe it.

Birds raced over head circling, diving, and rising higher in the bright blue sky. Bright crisp white wisps of clouds drifted in the sweet summer wind that rustled the tree’s. The robins sweet song drifted over the deafening silence that roared around me. I stood along in a sea of bright emerald green grass my hands tucked in my pockets.

The sun was bright and warm if you stood in the light, it was Reds favourite kind of day. The sky was her favourite colours, Blue and white The white clouds dragged memories up. I could still hear the creepy music she had been listening to that day.

The pieces of paper strewn about her bed and floor and the thousands of paper snow flakes dangling from her ceiling. The first time she had seen snow, She would love it here, despite the fact this was a cemetery. 

I stood in front of the grave staring hollowly at the tombstone in front of me. Webb and Fate waited at the line of trees next to the gravel driveway, the mourners had all dispersed hours ago. My tears had dried up and left me with an aching pain in my chest. 

I didn’t want to see the burial to watch the dark ebony casket slip into the ground and solidify reality. The pain in my chest was still to raw, I swallowed the rising anger and turned away in disgust. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that I couldn’t hold her, that I couldn’t hear her voice.

“Stryker” Fates voice made me flinch, it had hurt the softness to his tone.

Red… I couldn’t see her smile, hear her smart ass remarks, feel her soft skin under hand. Why did she step between Helios’s gun and me. She didn’t have to, I would have been happy to die for her. I shut my eyes, and as much as it pained me now, I smiled. 

I knew why. 

My beautiful stubborn ass of a Mate loved me, she did, despite trying to hide it. I loved her, and she had been shot because of me. I wish I could apologize to her, to see her give that half smirk smile in response, her eyes filled with playful laughter. Was I not allowed to be happy?

“Damn you Hunter, and Damn you Helios” I hissed through my teeth.

I turned opening my eyes and slowly looking down at the dull grey tombstone, the neat black lettering surrounded by sickeningly bright cheerful coloured flowers. Their scent nauseating and their meaning angering.

Nobody that had showed shed a single tear, nor did any of them care for the lives lost. Neither did I but still, By showing up it was as if they forgave everything bad, and everything wrong he had done.

“You got better than what you deserved Helios Orion. For the things you put her through you deserved to suffer more” I growled down at the stone.

Fate moved up to my side, “Why did you asked to come here Stryker” He asked looking from the stone then up to my face.

I looked up at him and gave an agitated smile, the corners of my mouth twitched in annoyance. But I smiled none the less, I rubbed my stubble lined jaw and gave a dry laugh. Why had I shown up to this man funeral? I had trusted him once, he had been the reason I had been able to meet Red. In a twisted screwed up way I owed him, but then again I didn’t. He had taken away what he had given me.

I settled on a simple open blank answer, “To keep face,” I paused and turned to look at him, “Has there been any change?” I asked my voice empty of all hope.

Fate closed his eyes shaking his head, My hands tightened and I looked back at the grave. Temptation to spit at the letters engraved for eternity was growing by the minute. 

“Why bury an empty casket?” Fate murmured.

“Some people need to do something in order to move on with their life. Simple as that” I turned away walking towards the line of trees where Webb stood silent and alone, the large black SUV waiting behind him to take us all home.

I wished with all my being that the drivers door would swing open and her head would pop over the roof of the truck. She would cross her arms and rest her head on them and curse me for being so slow. But that image was gone, she wasn’t going to appear. She wasn’t here, and I had Helios to thank for that. I walked up to Webb and grabbed his shoulder giving it a tight squeeze.

“Stryker?” He looked down at me confusion washing over his features.

I looked up at him darkly, “We’re going to bring down the Families of City” I growled.

“You really think we can do that? Knowing what they are?” Webb asked looking at me with consideration.

“I really couldn’t give two fucks, They owe me and I’m going to make them pay”

Fate snorted in laughter shaking his head and wiping away his eyes, “God Stryker that sounded so corny” He laughed waving at me as he walked away.

“Screw you” I hissed under my breath.

Webb walked forward punching my shoulder making me wince, it had been days since Helios had died in a tragic accident where a water line in the ceiling burst and shorted out circuits causing a horrific fire that tragically claimed his life. Only days since my life emptied.

“It may have been corny, but it had good meaning Stryker” Webb sighed looking up at the sky, “She liked days like this, the sky and the clouds”

“They were her favourite colours” I looked up squinting my eyes from the sun.

Webb glanced down at me, “We’ll get them back Stryker, all of them will pay for what they’ve done to her”

I smiled dropping my head forward to stare at the primly cut green grass that looked so bright and lively that I questioned its reality. But I nodded my head, because that’s all I could do right at that moment. 

“Yeah” My voice broke and I coughed trying to cover it, “Yeah we will” I turned and walked over to the car.

I glanced back at him as he grinned nodding his head, We would bring them down for Red.