Page 65 of Grave Kisses

“And for me,” I say with a smile. He waves me forward, and I step up so he can hug me. “Thank you for keeping me safe, Archer.”

“You’re welcome, Kendra,” Archer says, finally not rejecting my gratitude. He turns to Jeff, who is staring at us with a blank expression.

“You destroyed my life,” Archer says to Jeff. “You destroyed my family… I could sit here and list all of the awful things you did to me, but it’s a waste of time. You don’t care because you are incapable of emotion. Any last words?”

“You’ll burn…” Jeff starts to say, but Archer cuts him off.

“I don’t actually care,” Archer says, pulling the trigger. I yelp at the sound, but when I see that the shot landed dead center of his forehead, I laugh.

The room is frozen as we all stare at Jeff’s lifeless body. His eyes are open, his mouth is slightly ajar, but blood leaks from the hole between his eyebrows. Looking at his body makes me feel the kind of stillness that settles in after your soul’s been cracked open and stitched back together. I used to run from that silence by filling it with noise and chaos while keeping myself secluded from the world around me. Anything to drown out the ghosts. Today, I let it settle around me like a blanket. I have faced what broke me, looked my attacker in the eye, and chosen something I never thought I would… forgiveness. Not for Archer, but for me. I can finally stop bleeding from wounds that have already scarred.

Alan... God, Alan. Even in death, he found a way to save me one last time. That little metal heart he promised would be what saved me… It led us not just to safety, but to truth and justice. Now, I can move on with two men who held my shattered pieces like they were precious, not sharp. They helped me build myself into something new from the moment they met me. Two men who kissed my pain and promised me the world. I still miss Alan. I always will. He will live on in spirit through me, through Archer, and all of the memories we create with our gathered family.

As I walk upstairs, I say goodbye to the pain that kept me prisoner. With survival etched into my soul and love carrying me forward, I’m finally free, armed with hope, resilience, and grave kisses.