Hollow

sixteen.

UNEDITED - To be fixed at a later date.

*

 It was such a dreary day, perhaps appropriate under the circumstances. The rain hadn't stopped in four days, the grass wet and muddy from such unusual weather for November. The tent had been set up a week in advance, not wanting to ask the family to postpone under such traumatic circumstances. It only made this affair more gloomy.

"Poor thing. I heard she wasn't found for two days. What a tragedy!" A random attendee mentioned to another woman, as they sat under the outdoor tent, out of the rain.

"Just hanging there? My god, that poor family. I couldn't imagine." The lady dressed in black replied.

"I heard that Walkin boy found her strung up in Zimmerman's old Farmhouse. Poor boy." A man butted in with more details in the row of chairs behind the gossiping women.

"That's dreadful." The lady responded.

An exceptional amount of the town had come to pay respects, even if they didn't personally know the family. The small little road leading up to the cemetery was lined with thirty cars and people still kept showing up. Among the cars was Roman's truck. He had gotten there early but hadn't made his way to the festivities.

"I wonder when the family will get here?" The first lady mumbled, just as a group of two black cars and a long black hearse pulled up in front of the large white tent.

"I think that's them," The woman dressed in black replied.

The drivers got out of each car to open the door for each passenger. Devin and Luca were first to get out, pausing beside each car awaiting their mothers'.

"You look nice," Devin whispered to Luca, referring to his black suit and tie.

"As do you," He replied with a small tight-lipped smile.

He took Cat's hand in his own as she tearfully exited the car. She appeared more emotional than Verona, as the four of them walked up to the tent, taking their seats in the front row. Cat's sniffles were muffled by her tissue and she had to look away as they mounted the casket on the machine used to lower it in to the ground.

In the crowd of seated onlookers, Emilia and Teegan sat side by side in the middle, Emilia looking worse for wear. Her greasy red hair had faded to a brassy orange, her eyes puffy and red. She hadn't slept since she got the news, the guilt weighed her down knowing what she knew.

Eric even had the audacity to show up. He was unusually put together sitting in the back row with a somber expression. Luca hadn't noticed his presence. He was too worried about acting like a sad friend and not let his unsettling rage and heartache overtake him in grief.

The ceremony commenced as the town's preacher gave the same sentiment he gave at every funeral, reading from a single passage and finishing in ten minutes that didn't give Willow justice. The burial got underway quickly, no kind words said in Willow's honor as Verona, Devin, Luca, and Catalina place a rose on her casket.

Not a single amount of emotion could be detected on Verona's face as her youngest daughter was lowered into the ground. She hadn't stopped crying in the comforts of her own home, the regret a heavy burden to bear, especially on top of her divorce and Devin's imminent departure back to college.

Roman still sat in his truck, a crinkled piece of paper held tight in his grip. He had read her note over and over again, her tear-stained goodbye. He couldn't process the words crafted on the page; the residue of her tears twisting his insides. His shock had developed into anger, a bottled hot rage awaiting to pop. He couldn't cope, the accumulating empty bottles of Jack Daniels in his truck were a testament to his struggle.