Original Sin

Chapter 4

"Beautiful day for a walk."

"Yes, it is."

"Florida is always sunny, after all."

"Yeah."

Alex's one word answers were starting to annoy her. Hailey hoped he'd be more understanding, but that was impossible. The depth of Alex's commitment to her could not be described in the English language, or any current language. "I'm thinking of staying here longer than usual," Hailey whispered to break the silence. 

"Why?" Alex's voice was laced with irritation. 

"Because I want to put down roots, Alex." Hailey was already exhausted from this conversation. It was her burden she was laying out in front of him, anticipating his metaphorical footsteps trampling all over her words. "I'm ready to stop running and start over. I don't want to constantly pick up and leave every time I reach a certain age or people start questioning or you show up. I want to be able to have a chance at normalcy, even if I can never reach it fully." If Hailey had any tears left, she would've cried. Alas, it seemed her tear ducts were all dried up.

They stood on the bank of Lake Okeechobee, a body of water that stretched beyond the eye's capacity to see. It lay nestled in the southern-most tip of Florida, just above the Everglades. Spanish moss grew on the shores, full boughs leaning over to touch the still waters below. A warm, salt water breeze messed with her hair. This was as close a replication to the Garden as she had ever found. That's why she wanted to stay here. It seemed so symbolic of her actual roots in perfection.

Trying to be as calm as possible, brave, and unyielding, she faced her long-time lover, husband, and angel. "Alex, I have seen the construction, destruction, and resurrection of every major landmark in the world. I know what happened to the dinosaurs and how man survived the Ice Age. I speak fifteen known languages and countless dead ones. I understand the human capacity for self-harm better than any mortal person ever can. I know enough of the world that I don't want to experience it anymore. I want to simply exist in it, live a quiet normal life for the rest of eternity..."

"Enough." Alex stopped her, shaking his head. He had turned his head, gazing across the water. What she said hurt him, she knew, but it was the truth. Hailey thought maybe if she tried to move on, live normally for a change, without him, it might be easier for Alex to let her go. "You know we can't possibly live a normal life, Hailey. That's not how this works." 

"I know that, but I want to try," Hailey said. By saying this, she was rejecting him, leaving him.

She looked out over the lake. It was picturesque, like a Bob Ross painting. Perhaps the cheesy and typically romantic scene was what made her so brave. Their infinite conversations led Hailey to this moment where she was no longer afraid to speak her mind, where she no longer feared death. Now she feared something worse- A world that revolved around them, Hailey and Alex (Dinah and Lucifer). It already looked that way. Too many more people would die from this pointless charade if it continued on. It needed to end.

"What is it you want from me, Hailey? What do I have to do to show you that I still care?" Alex leaned against one of the Spanish moss trees. His dark complexion melted into the tree. She couldn't see his facial expressions that way. He probably didn't want her to see.

"Something you don't want to do, and I would never force you. But it is necessary...for the greater good of humanity."

Alex was not ignorant. He knew what she was referring to. Hailey felt trapped in this world. She was done, had a dead feeling inside, and this was the final act. It would break the curse and end the suffering of seven billion people.