C5 Chapter 5

Chapter-Five: The Funeral

The Day of Funeral

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the small cemetery. I stood in front of two freshly-dug graves, my heart heavy with grief and his mind consumed by an overwhelming sense of guilt. I couldn't believe that i was the only one left, the sole survivor of a tragedy that had claimed the lives of my entire family.

As the finality of the moment sunk in, a wave of despair washed over me. My legs gave way beneath me, and i sank to my knees, the weight of my loss too much to bear. The wind rustled through the trees, as if mourning alongside me, adding to the sorrowful atmosphere.

Its been two weeks now since the death of my wife and daughter. Today was the day of their funeral, it still all felt like a bad dream i wish i could wake up from. Only a few friends and family gathered to send their remains off to their eternal resting place, even Gabriella's sister and parents also attended.

I didn't really have much to bury since the bodies were burnt beyond recognition,so i choose to use Catherine favorite doll and the pink Floral gown Gabriella always loved to wear and buried them instead. After the funeral began,the priest started with the opening prayers and sermons. After that,hymns were sung and everyone began to give to their condolences. I just sat down quietly,i wasn't really a religious person so all those didn't matter to me. After the guests present had given their farewell prayers and thrown their last flowers to the coffin,i was called to give my final farewell speech.

"Uhm........, i actually don't even know where to begin, but what i do know is that When someone so close to you passes away it seems always impossible to cope. loosing a loved one is something that changes a person for life,it completely shatters the whole being of your existence just knowing the fact that the reason to wake up every day, to keep on living and to be a better person in life, in a twinkle of an eye is gone.

My late wife Gabriella, she was not just a great companion to me but also a very wonderful human being having touched the lives of many. A woman so beautiful both from the inside and out; a lady so divine, so righteous, so just; a goddess so pure, so innocent, yet so strong, my soul mate and life partner.

My daughter Catherine,my little angel,she was so smart and beautiful. She always had that charming smile on her face that always made my heart melt. I never thought that i would live to see the day that she would be no more,the day i would have to bury her with my own two hands. If i could only turn back the hands of time, I would happily give up my life for theirs but now its too late.

Loosing a loved is truly painful It's a loss that can't be repaired with words, there will be a void that will remain in my heart forever and am not really sure if am ever going to get over it ,but i hope their souls rest in perfect peace. I said finally ending the speech, i tried as much as possible to stop the tears from falling but i couldn't, suddenly i began to hear a loud applause, i looked up to see who it was and to my surprise it was Claudeth, Gabriella's sister.

"Wonderful speech Jay, you really do have your ways when it comes to using sweet words to convince people of your lies,now i see why my sister had fallen for you in the first place. Claudeth interrupted trying to create a scene.

"Claudeth please, this is not the time nor place for you to create a scene". I pleaded trying to avoid any confrontation.

"And why not, after you've finally succeeded in killing my sister and niece, you don't want me to create a scene, why is that??? or maybe you are ashamed or scared to let people know that its all your fault they died in the first place,and here you are speaking like a saint as if you had absolutely nothing to do with their deaths. You're a bloody murderer Jay, and i hope you suffer for the rest of your miserable life". She cursed,angrily storming out of the funeral followed by Gabriella's family and then one after the other, they began to leave until there was no one left. They had already been laid to rest now, what becomes of me.???

Whispers of blame began to circulate within the small town. Some accused me of being responsible for the accident that had claimed the lives of my loved ones, pointing fingers and speculating on my involvement. The weight of their accusations grew heavier with each passing day, creating a suffocating cloud of condemnation around me.

Isolated and burdened by guilt, i found myself struggling to find reasons to carry on. I felt as though i had failed as a protector, watching helplessly as tragedy struck my family. The darkness that enveloped me consumed every flicker of hope, pushing him further into a downward spiral of despair.

Days turned into weeks, and i withdrew from the world, seeking solace in the solitude of my empty home. The will to live had deserted me, leaving a hollow void where my dreams and aspirations once thrived. Each morning brought with it a painful reminder of mg loss, and the weight of my grief threatened to crush me.

But in the midst of this darkest moments, a glimmer of light appeared. Amidst the sea of accusing whispers, there were still some who stood by me, refusing to believe the rumors. They saw the anguish etched on my face, recognizing the depths of my pain and saw the goodness in my heart . These individuals offered their support, lending a hand to pull me out of the abyss that threatened to consume me entirely.

A month later

Its been a month since i lost my family, my life had completely turned upside down. All i did every single day was to drink alcohol morning till evening, just so that i could forget the pain. I had moved back to our old house, i didn't really care if Vandel was going to come for me or not, all i just wanted to do was forget the pain. Today was no exception,i woke up early and went straight to the bar to get some alcohol, just before i could take a sip,my phone began to ring.

"Hello". I said not really caring about who the caller was.

"Hello Jay, how have you been brother, its been weeks since you last visited me at the hospital, are you alright". Mason asked sounding very worried.

"Yeah am fine, am sorry i couldn't drop by lately, things has been really tough for me this past few weeks, but don't worry, i will definitely drop by today". I promised.

"Alright then, i will see you later." Mason replied and hung up the phone.

Flashback

On the day that i tragically lost of my family,i was in mourning when i received a phone call, it was from St George hospital, the caller told me that Mason was just involved in an accident and seeing that i was the last person to speak to him they decided to call me instead. I quickly rushed to the hospital. On getting there, i immediately asked the nurse on duty about the room Mason was admitted in and how his condition was, she simply directed me to the doctor in charge.

"Doctor, what happened to him and how is his condition". I had asked.

"Well apparently, The patient has been involved in a car accident, he is currently in the operating room, after running some tests, it showed that he suffered from traumatic brain injury and concussion, his spinal cord was also severely damaged, his chances of survival is really low, but we are doing our very best to save his life, just try to stay strong for him". The doctor explained before leaving me in a state of shock.

How did this happen,what exactly is going on, earlier i received his text message telling me that he was already at my house, but now my family is dead and he is in a coma........the only way all this could have happened was if Vandel had caused the deliberately attacked Mason on his way to my house and caused the accident.

Present Day

After the phone call, i immediately went back home. I took my shower,brushed my teeth and ordered a simple breakfast. After that i decided to go for a little walk before heading to the hospital. I locked the doors to my house.

As soon as i stepped out of the door,a cool breeze swept across my face,the day seemed so cool and vibrant. As i began to walk along the street, i suddenly felt calm and inner peace, a feeling that i hadn't had in a while. I stopped by the park and sat on one of the chairs observing the scenary.

Then a family passed by ,it was a man,his wife and their little son ,the boy had kept begging his parents to get him a cone of ice cream, but the parents refused and this made the boy so upset that he ran away.

His parents didn't pay much attention to it at first, but after a while, the boy hadn't returned, they began to get worried and started searching for him but couldn't find him anywhere. I stood up from where i was seated,i looked at my watch, it was time to go, but i still felt the need to help look for their missing child.

I began to search and search until i finally found the boy, he was sitting on a bench outside the park and crying. I sat next to him for a while before finally speaking.

"Hey there, kiddo! What's your name?" I asked, curious to know.

"Jere... Jeremy Anderson is my name, sir," he replied, wiping away his tears.

"Wow, Jeremy Anderson! That's a super cool name, young man. You can call me Uncle Jay if you'd like," I suggested, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Okay, sir," he replied, still gazing towards the direction of the ice cream stand.

"Jeremy... I've got a question for you," I said, pausing for a moment.

"Yes, Mr. Jay," he responded, his eyes filled with tears.

"Why did you decide to run away?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"It's because my mom and dad don't love me anymore," he expressed, tears streaming down his face.

"And why do you think they don't love you anymore?" I inquired, wanting to understand his perspective.

"Well, before, whenever I asked them for something, they would give it to me right away. But now, they seem to ignore me and don't have time for me anymore," he explained, his voice filled with sadness.

"Listen here, kid. Just because your parents can't fulfill your every want and need doesn't mean they don't love you anymore. Sometimes, you've gotta try seeing things from their point of view and be more understanding. It's important to be grateful for what you have. And trust me, they still love you a lot. They're just going through a tough time. Do you really want to see them suffer like this?" I cautioned him gently.

"No, sir," he replied, his voice filled with sincerity.

"So, what are you going to do?" I asked, eager to hear his response.

"I'm going back to them now to apologize for making them sad," he resolved, determined to make things right.

"Jeremy". I called.

"Yes Mr Jay". He said as he turned to look at me.

"Here's 100 bucks,go get yourself some ice cream and a little apology gift for your parents too". I said handing the money over to him as a big smile slowly crept up his lips.

"Thank you Mr Jay". He appreciated as he happily collected the money and ran back to his parents.

I stood up from the bench,left the park and boarded a taxi to the hospital. After driving for a few minutes, i finally arrived. I paid the taxi fare and entered into the hospital building. I headed straight for the room Mason was admitted to check up on him.

At The Hospital

Ward 7

Room 301

"Welcome Jay, it's good you finally decided to drop by, i really could use some company". Mason expressed, adjusting his sitting position.

"As i said on the Phone earlier, am so sorry i couldn't drop by, but am glad to see that you are recovering really fast". I observed as I felt more relaxed now that I was sure he had almost fully recovered.

"Well, what can i possibly do, I've been stuck in this hospital, and also undergoing therapy for a whole month and I've gotten really tired of staying here, I just want to recover soon so that i could get back home". Mason replied.

"Mason, don't tell you haven't really gotten over your phobias of the hospitals". I teased him.

"I have, its just that i really miss the outside world a lot". Mason replied.

"You got dragged into this whole mess because of me, and i am really sorry for that". I said apologizing again.

"You've apologized over a thousand times already, don't you ever get tired of it, i don't blame you for what happened, the only one who is at fault here is that bastard Vandel, and sooner or later he's going to pay for his crimes. He asserted.

"I think that justice is going to be here much more sooner than you expect". I claimed in, giving a devilish smile.

"What do you mean by that exactly,are you planning to do something to Vandel". Mason asked looking at me suspiciously.

"Well, I think its high time i stop drowning my self in pity and start getting justice for the lives that bastard took from me. I think I've paid enough for all my past mistakes and now,its time for him to suffer the same way i did,am going to get justice, but in my own way, and if the law can't help me, then i will create my own rules, but i promise that after all this, he isn't going to walk out of this alive,that i swear on all the lives he has taken and i will not rest until that happens". I proclaimed , now more than ever, i was really determined to make Vandel pay.

"Well, whatever you decided brother, you know that i got your back". Mason volunteered, holding my hand in a brotherly way.