It was the middle of the night when Gabe woke up next. He'd been thinking about the murder when he fell asleep. As he padded outside and poured himself a drink, his thoughts however, were different. Usually, at the hour when thoughts of Her plagued him, tonight he was thinking about Autumn and her words.
Outside, he sat on the swing and looked up at the sky. It had been so long... "Ari... are you okay up there? You are aren't you? Away from all the monsters that haunted you? Away from the voices and the hurt? hmm?"
Of course the only answer her got was the blowing of the wind. He inhaled deeply, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to fall. " You must be okay, alright? Do you remember the time when we used to play together, you were such a snooty little brat...I... I'm sorry, Ari...for not being able to protect you... for not giving you a choice in your protection."