inFAMOUS: Legacy of the Beast

Chapter 5

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." ~Norman Cousins

His heart heavy and shoulders slumped, Eddy took his niece, Nina, into his arms while Cole followed him out carrying the sister.

Without shovels to dig a proper grave, they walked the cemetery just east of the cul de sac he once called home until they were able to find two empty stone coffins among the thousands of occupied crypts and headstones.

Gently, they set them inside as if they were made of the most fragile glass, crossing their arms and hands over their hearts. The only sound that could be heard were the quiet gasps for air as tears well up in Eddy's eyes and trickled down his face.

Seeing his grief as they performed the deed reminded Cole of the day he buried his girlfriend, Trish, in Empire City. He had slaved for hours into the night, stopping only after making a small cross from pieces of splintered wood and placing his most cherished photo of her above the grave. Somehow, he had managed to fall asleep beside her one last time. Faintly, he remembered waking up to sticky wet stains on his cheek.

As deep as his wound was, he knew that what he had experienced was nearly pleasant in comparison to what Eddy was feeling. He hadn't lost a dear friend—he had lost family. He had spent his whole life getting to know and love them, working long hours to give them a comfortable living at his own expense.

Guilt stabbed at Cole's heart as Eddy placed one hand on the cover of his niece's coffin, closing his eyes and trying to hold back his sorrow for one moment of silent prayer.

No one else deserved the blame more than him. He had the chance to stop this from happening, even dared to take back his sin. By the time shame had told him to turn back, he had already crossed the line.

Once his prayer had been delivered, Eddy opened his eyes and ran his hand across the cross carved into the stone. Hardly above a whisper without sustenance he asked, "What kind of world is this where someone so young can be thrown away so easily?"

'A world I chose to create...' thought Cole, feeling his fingers curl into a fist.

There were so many things he wanted to say. But the only thing that made it past his lips was, "I'm sorry, Eddy..."

"Don't be," he replied without looking away. "God just had different plans for them than me. You did it to save the ones that could be saved. There was nothing else you could do."

Eddy's ignorance might as well have been a punch in the gut and two fingers jabbed in his eyes.

"Cole...." Kuo whispered his name. Looking to her, she nodded her head toward his balled hand with intense eyes.

He followed her gaze to find his skin burning in fire and cinder. His pulse skipped, making sure Eddy hadn't noticed before hiding it behind his back. His anger toward himself had sparked the flame.

His lack of control embarrassed him. He was a hypocrite, trying to teach others how to control their new powers when his grip was just as slippery as theirs.

The last thing he needed was the Conduits knowing what he really was. Their trust in him was only fastened by the promise he could get them out of the city safely.

If they knew the creature that destroyed their homes and slaughtered their families stood only an arm's length away from them, the panic and distrust would be irreparable. Without that trust, they wouldn't follow him anywhere let alone onto a helicopter across the bay.