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I dropped hi into a crouch, he bared the knife still red froainst me I own you Give up now and die like the traitor you are"

I snarled, "Never" Exploding forward, I threay ht, grunting and growling He struck tith his blade, sending heat spilling downbut the objective of killing

"Pity you don’t have any more family, Fox We’d make them pay for your disobedience" He punched ot the upper hand and sla in my ear, he said, "You alere a little bitch, Fox Maybe I should fuck you and remind you of your place"

His hand slappedpoint

I snapped

I hated thishated

Kill Sever Bleed Devour

In thea soul free from its mortal body, I switched from human to machine I didn’t want to dispatch hi he’d done to me, topay for his trespasses and then he would burn in hell

My e

I watched her

From my place in the shadows, I watched the wo

I didn’t mean to stalk her To follow in secret and witness her private sorrow, but I couldn’t go to her Tis and walk to her, but I didn’t trust myself I wanted to wipe away her tears, and hold her I wanted to rock and console her, but although I’d found hope, I hadn’t found a cure

My jaw gritted as er and frustration had replaced the iciness of the conditioning After I’d finished with o, I’d showered and dressed and bandaged my wounds I’d boarded a plane and returned from frost to sunshine and hoped it was over

Whenever I tried to recall that night, only fragments returned I couldn’t re over body parts and opening the doors wide so local scavengers could clean up my mess I remembered a red cascade of blood sluice down the drain in the shower Some of it mine, but most of it fro from a man who’d brutalized me all my life I remembered his screams, and the blessed relief I felt as the obedience of ht web aroundweakened the moment he died It was as if the orders ina reprieve froony of ice

I wanted to rejoice at my newfound freedo coinally free The Ghost persona hadn’t fully gone And I grieved everything I would lose because of it

I would never be normal I would never be able to fully relax and sleep harhts and actions

I was fucking exhausted, and there was no respite in sight

Behindplace by the cafe across the road, I watched as Hazel and Clue disappeared into a second-hand shop I hated having her out of hts and two days, I followed her I slept outside her flat in my car I had countless conversations with her in o to her and hoould apologise But every scenario didn’t end well, andwhen her daughter died? How could I beg forgiveness for being a man ould never be able to hold her?

So, I stayed in the dark and watched her go through the ave --not for Hazel, but for Clara

I used her love of horses as inspiration for her final resting place and I called the one person who I kneould executethere for Zel

When Clue answered the phone, I almost broke down and asked to talk to her To murmur condolences and tell her how I felt, but I stayed focused and stuck to the plan Clue had taken ed Zel out of the house to ed across the street Entering the second-hand shop, I roaning with knick knacks and paraphernalia A whiff of dust and ancient belongings filled my nose

Clue and Hazel were at the back of the shop Ihidden so I could hear what they said

"How about this one, Zelly?" Clue held up a bright pink, plastic pony with see-through wings

Hazel shed quietly and reached out to hug her "That’s true"

They clung to each other

My heart squeezed with jealousy I cursed the unfairness--the fucked-uptales of a little girl taken too soon But I was also grateful that Clue was there for her

The to around in a bin full of toys Glittery ponies, bright blue and rainbow ponies--they came out and were placed into a basket

"You know, I bet she’s watching us right now and laughing"

Zel looked up, her skin dull with grief "What do you asus and unicorn by now And she’ll be laughing thinking how s are" She flicked the tail of one glow in the dark horse