American Devil

Chapter 22: Confrontation With The Devil

The sun shone on tired and weeping faces. Howls and groans of loved ones remembering those they lost, unaware or uncaring of the major news media, recording their mourning for the rest of the nation. The towering pillars stretching across the wide acre of land, covered in the name of the deceased, cast shadows to offer some aspect of respect to the mourners.

A laundry list of individuals took the stage, set in the middle of the park, to both commiserate and remind everyone why they came here today, from political and religious figures to even those from the Good Faith Initiative, who helped fund the site. Their words fell on death's ears, as Kyro looked around the location, hoping to get a glimpse of his target. Instead, they only see the swarms of miserable mourners.

This memorial site was, ironically, the first thing truly built by the new government. A commemoration of those who lost their lives in the terrible fire and bombings. To those whose flesh and blood were used to help grow a new world. It's a symbol of what has happened so that no one will forget what led to the new order. An end and a beginning.

The speeches finally came to an end, and those amongst the crowd began to disperse. Some families traveled miles to be here, and so they walked along the pillars to discover their loved ones. Others came only to see the speech, recognized the somber mood, and left. Lastly, there remains a third group of individuals who didn't lose anyone but rather have morbid curiosity or a desire to learn the names of those who were sacrificed to build this utopian world, even if they were unaware that they were indeed sacrificed.

Kyro walks along the pillars, his throat closing up at the sight of all of those lives reduced to a simple name etched into stone. He trails over them, tries to acknowledge as many as he can, and apologizes to all of them for failing. It's some time before he reaches the one he is looking for. Vanessa's.

He mourned her the day he woke up from the coma, and he has continued to mourn her every second of every day since then. He strokes her name gently, reverently, as tears roll down his face. So many memories, so many opportunities, a life cut short before it could fully grow and bloom.

He hears the audible weeping of a woman next to him and sees her stroking the name of some lost soul. She calls out his name, and it's then Kyro realizes it's her son she is mourning. She is alone. Her only familial connection left was taken. She hunches over, and the tears flow endlessly. It's then Kyro takes in his surroundings completely, and hundreds of individuals and families hunkered down next to a pillar in a similar display to this woman. These stones were soaked in many tears. The noise of the location is nothing but the wails of those who have lost a part of their world. So many families, so many lives were ruined just to build this "Utopia". While it does seem idyllic, the way it was created is so far from it. Someone needs to be held accountable for all these heinous atrocities.

The fingers that are still covering Vanessa's name clench into a fist. He takes a deep breath, stops the tears, stops his anger. This isn't a place for that. This is a place for grief. For remembrance. For love.

He looks around once more, goes to move away from the wall, but stops dead in his tracks, because there, standing, hovering over a mourning family, is a man with dreads. A very specific man with dreads. A bloodthirsty man with dreads who has taken the lives of innumerable people, and now stands idle over the family of his latest victims. He almost missed the man, but he would recognize that wretched creature anywhere. Not even bothering to hide his power, Kyro vanishes.