Page 44 of Wreck and Ruin
“You’re a coward! You’re a sick, fucking bastard! She’s just a little girl and you let your messengers fucking eat her!They were eating her. She’s just a little girl,”I’m whispering now, because I know that God isn’t listening.
Heavy droplets fall from my eyes and slide down my face. A sharp stabbing pain ripples through my body, and I fall to my knees, begging for someone to wake me up from this nightmare.
I am too late.
I failed her, the woman, from all those years ago.
I imagine Mikaiah, all alone, wondering what she had done wrong to be taken away from her mother. Wondering when her momma would come to save her, begging for someone,anyone,to save her,but they never did.
Not me.
NotGod.
No one.
“I am so sorry I failed you,”I’m sobbing now. “Why does everything I touch become sick with darkness and death?” I say to no one, because the only person who would care to listen was taken from me. “Why, no matter how hard I try, do I fail at everything?” I say this to myself.
I didn’t want to fail, not at this.
I stare into Mikaiah’s eyes, her mother’s eyes, and gently brush the strands of hair that stick to the sides of her blood covered face behind her ears.
“Your momma told me to tell you that she loved you more than the stars, till her very last breath. That, everything she did, she did for you. To find and save you, and, man, she tried, I just know that she did. She would have done anything for her little girl. Your momma was so, so proud of you, and god she was brave. And I am so sorry for what I’ve done. I don’t know what kinda waiting room she’s in, but I know that she’ll be right there by your side when you get there. She’s been waiting up there in the skies for you. She’s been there the whole time, watching over you. Your guardian angel. You’ll be safe up there with her, and you won’t have to be alone anymore. I’m so sorry that this world let you both down. I’m sorry thatIlet you both down. You deserved better than this life. Tell your mom—tell your mom that they’ll get what’s coming for them. Every last one of them will pay for what they did to you. Rest in peace, angel.I’m sorry.”With a shaky hand, I softly brush my palm over her eyes, closing them for the last time. I curse myself for the bloodied state that I’m in.
Mikaiah deserves better than this.
Carefully, I shift closer to the edge of the dock, Mikaiah still in my arms, and place her gently into the ocean. “Be free, angel,” I say as the tide carries her away.
Broken and empty, I stand. My head tilts to the side as I look up at the corrupt cathedral, looming over the sea like the horror story that it is.
They will pay for the pain and suffering they’ve caused. None of them will get out of this alive.
“I’ll save that fucking priest till last,”I tell myself, as I walk back down the dock to save my girl.
Chapter23
EZEKIEL
My head is reeling, pulsing hard beneath my skull, and my stomach twists in knots as I climb the stone staircase up to the only floor I haven’t been to yet. There are no signs of blood up here. It’s much cleaner than the lower levels.
Let’s fucking change that, shall we?
I don’t give a single fuck if they can hear me coming. I want them to. I want that filthy fucking priest to shake in his boots, knowing his corrupt plans are all going to shit because of me.
I want him to know that he’s about to die.
The concrete floors downstairs are long gone as I walk along the polished checkered marble. The walls up here are painted black, so I suppose it is easier to hide the evidence of their sins. The smell of incense fills the air, and I follow the scent like a fucking bloodhound.
I unlock the first door, pushing it open to see a woman sitting on the end of a stretcher bed, looking up at me, fear swimming in her bruised eyes. She’s wearing a dress,rags, much similar to Airlie’s, and I’m starting to realize a trend here.
Father Grimsbyhas favorites.
I raise a finger to my lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet, and then I hold my hands up to either side of me, showing her that I am unarmed. These victims aren’t the ones who should be afraid of me.
“You’re safe. You’re safe. I need your help. Nod if you understand,” I whisper. The woman straightens her shoulders a little, nodding her head in answer, as her eyes roll over my blood-covered body. “Do you know where they are?” I ask, and her shocked expression changes from one of panic to hopeful in a matter of seconds.
Her bloodshot eyes flick to my left, followed by a slight nod of her head, silently confirming that she knows exactly who I mean bythey.
I didn’t notice any other stairs, which means that this must be the top floor. Airlie has to be in one of these rooms. I feel sick as dread coils inside my stomach.
