Conga Line of the Dead

Epilogue or The ending is a great place to finish

The rain was gone and the sky above was clear and blue, making it possible for anyone to see the beautiful green scenery past their own nose for miles around. And there was one man walking along the sidewalk in the middle of it all alone.

Peter came to a stop next to a large oak tree, his hands deep in his pants pockets looking down at the mound of ground and the two markers that now stood before him.

The polished stone on the left was engraved with the name 'Tarah Reese Worthers', below it a birth and death date. The almost identical stone to the right was engraved 'Theodore Allen Kincade Worthers' a birth and death date below it, and below that in smaller lettering was a single quote:

"You came and you gave without taking." Ashley read as she walked up from behind to join him before his parents. "Barry Manilow isn't it? Mandy, right?"

"Wow, nothing gets past you huh." Then a nod, "I think he'd approve."

"I didn't know him very well, but I'm going to agree with you on that." Ashley wrapped her arm around Peters as they stood there, looking down at the graves. "Your father was a decorated war hero; he could have been buried at Arlington National cemetery, where he belongs. Why here?" she asked, looking at the beauty around them. "Why so quietly and hidden away?"

"Because I want them to have the normal life they didn't get to have, together." He answered as he pulled a slightly melted blackened Spider-Man Pez dispenser from his pocket, took a single step closer and set it carefully on top of Theodore's stone.

She smiled as he did this, and he joined her where she stood a few steps away.

"So now what?" she asked, gently whipping her free hand across the bandage on his forehead.

Peter gave a low whistle, "Well, the papers say that your mansion is beyond repair and will have to be torn down, the cops blame it on Halloween pranksters and are looking for a gang of kids. There's no mention of any of us by them or your mother. Whatever Toke did, it seems put all the spirits there to rest finally."

She ran a hand through his hair; "That's not what I meant."

He knew what she meant, and for some reason saying it aloud would make it more real, and worse than it really was.

"I know what you mean." He paused, "No, I haven't seen Troy or any other spirits since I came back. Nothing." He noticed he had been holding his breath and let it out, "It's completely quiet in my head. I, I don't honestly know what to do. I'm used to constantly having entities around me and trying to help them in one way or another. But now, what do I do with myself?" he looked at her and could see genuine care in her eyes. "I'm all alone for the first time in my life and I'm scared."

Ashley pulled his hand from his pocket and laced her fingers through his. "You're not alone. And we will face your fears together."

"Why? Why me? Why do you care?" he asked, honestly puzzled by her feelings towards him seeing as how this was the first time a woman had ever felt this way towards him in his life.

"You saved my life, you saved my sons life. You risked your life without question for someone you didn't even know, I don't even have childhood friends who would do even a fraction of that for me. Call me old fashioned, but things like that tend to make you see people for who they are inside and not the tough guy loner act they put on for the rest of the world. "

He said nothing, only giving a nod. "Plus I took a shovel for you."

She laughed, "Here we go with the shovel again. You're a big baby is what you are."