The Masks That We Wear

Epilogue

Epilogue

“Did you find him yet?”

Sarah was beyond anxious as she waited outside the hotel that was the hideout of the infamous Masks gang, in the rain, under an umbrella, waiting for any sign of Myles.

She wasn’t sure what she should be more afraid of, the possibility of Myles having gotten away with The Lady of The Masks, or the possibility of him having died in the fire that SWAT Team set unintentionally.

Turning, she watched David and a few other officers push a trio of shouting boys and a set of young twins into the back of a SWAT Van, followed by a number of other now demasked gang members, and the familiar form of the small boy, Riley, who had broken into the police station.

Sarah was shocked, she hadn’t known how many there were in the gang.

The SWAT Teams were somewhat outnumbered, Sarah was sure a few might have gotten away, but, the majority had been captured and arrested.

Yet, there was still no sign of Myles, or The Lady of The Masks herself.

One of the SWAT officers shouted to one of the paramedics that was on site for anyone affected by the fire, and a few of them rushed into the building carrying a couple of stretchers, most likely for someone who had been harmed.

She chewed on her lip, shivering as she prayed that it wasn’t Myles.

After a while, she heard a voice at her side.

“Detective, we-“

“Did you find him yet?” She interrupted, before she opened her eyes, and, to her horror, she saw for herself the two bodies that had been retrieved from the lower level of the building.

One was Aria Carlisle, which confused Sarah for a moment before she saw the mask resting on her chest and realized that this woman was The Lady of The Masks, as she had been suspected of.

The other, which filled Sarah’s heart with despair, was Myles, his face calm, dyed blond hair falling over his closed eyelids as one hand rested on his mask, which had also been placed on his chest by one of the paramedics.

They were both dead.

“No! You killed Cyrus and The Lady-“

“-you bastards, you’ll pay for that!”

The officers swore at the pair of twins, who, once they had caught sight of the two on the stretchers, had begun to scream in anger and struggle against the SWAT Teams.

Sarah hugged herself tightly as she silently watched the paramedics slide the two bodies into the back of the ambulance.

As they lay beside each other, their hands, laying limply at their sides, seemed to be almost wanting to hold onto the others’ in between the two.

~*~*~*~

Sarah, Detective Johnson, David, Cindy, and a few other detectives and officers stood around the set of fresh graves at the back of Spencer Cemetery.

She could barely look at the first headstone without crying.

Myles David White

02/03/1987 – 22/12/2013

Beloved friend, partner, and ally.

No one could really think of anything else to say, Sarah had tried, but, there were too many things she wanted to say to him, that she couldn’t because it was too late.

Thought, she felt she did him one last act of kindness, when, seeing how he and The Lady had come out of the demolished library together, had them buried side by side, and had even gotten her a headstone using information from her files.

Aria Minerva Carlisle

31/10/1988 – 22/12/2013

A tortured soul seeking only acceptance.

Sarah had read enough of her file to understand what had driven her to the acts and crimes she committed, and knew that the epitaph was only fitting.

As the others slowly left, Johnson handed Sarah the masks belonging to both Myles and The Lady, before he turned and departed as well.

Slowly and silently, Sarah placed the masks on their corresponding grave, and stood back up, staring down with a solemn expression.

She wanted to say something, but, couldn’t find the words, so, she simply gave a respective nod to each grave, and wiped a tear away that had fallen down her cheek, before she turned to leave.

“I’m so, so sorry…”