Page 89 of Counting Quarters

Epilogue

Kyle

ThewarinBeacon Grove resulted in more casualties on both sides than we could have ever expected. Rayner's Movement Members were too detached to stand down and the Quarter Supporters were too stubborn to let them take over their town any more than they already had.

It ended in a bloody, brutal battle amongst neighbors.

At the loss of my mother and many other innocent souls. Millie had just barely managed to escape death at Rayner’s hands, though she had yet to wake up from her coma.

Carnage scattered around the sacred grounds that the original thirteen worked and sacrificed to build.

The Quarters explained through painful expressions that they took on the brunt of the fighting after Blaire and I left them to find Rayner, though the others were equally dedicated. They said they battled long and hard, up until Members began randomly moving out.

“It was the oddest thing, watching them drop their weapons and stumble off toward the woods with blank stares,” Remy had mused when I asked him about it.

We later learned that was due to whatever communication Rayner made with them after he escaped Blaire’s restraints. The haunting image of those black tentacles stretched from his back flashed through my mind as they explained the scene in bewilderment. Whatever entities he was working with were ancient and dynamic. I don't doubt that he used them to get into his Members’ heads to possess them to do such horrific things and control their movements.

Quarter Supporters quickly switched gears and mustered their last bit of strength to stop their enemy from leaving Beacon Grove's town limits. They managed to capture the majority of Movement Members who were attempting to leave and sent them back to Quarter prisons.

This time, they were left to rot in their cells until their fate could be decided.

It was archaic and brutal and against everything I knew as a police officer, but things in Beacon Grove had gone so far out of touch with the world, it was hard to defend them. They had long since left my jurisdiction and none of the Granger women had allowed me to leave my house to step in for days, anyway.

“You were dead a few days ago,” Blaire crassly reminded me when I complained that as the town's sheriff, I should have been helping rebuild, not sitting in my bed listening to her hash out the gossip from the day.

It was just as important for me to be standing beside them through such a transitional time as it was for her. I could only imagine what they were saying, especially given that the rest of the leaders of Beacon Grove had proven to be enemies.

Had they even told them that I was Blaire’s Counter?

Mayor Douglas and his ancient council members were nowhere to be found when the war broke out, and no one had seen them since. It was expected for them to sit out the fight since they were elderly and out of shape, though it was rumored that the townspeople were fully expecting the announcement of a town meeting in the days following that never came.

It was an unsurprising turn of events, given that the remains of Mark Tackle, editor of The Beacon, were likely still scattered across the street of Beacon Grove. He was one of the first Movement Members to be taken down before my eyes. The paper was still scrambling to find someone to replace him, though there wasn’t much use for it at the moment. Anyone still remaining in the town could be found in the town’s square, clearing away evidence of the horrific war. If word needed to get out, it could be done so immediately.

As for the mayor and the council, no one knew where they disappeared to, but it was clear that they picked a side and made their allegiances known.

“And you healed me completely,” I argued, grateful for the bond we shared and our ability to heal one another. Without it, I would surely still be on the other side. Rayner took a great deal of pride in his ability to destroy me.

I grabbed a random shirt from the laundry pile on the floor and tugged it over my head, determined to leave. Staring at the same four walls wasn't doing anything for my mental health.

She huffed out a breath and moved to stand in the doorway, arms crossed over her puffed chest.

I lowered my voice to a gentler tone. “You have to let me leave sometime. I have a duty to protect them, too.”

Her freckled features fell as the defensive mask melted away, revealing the insecure, terrified side of her that she'd been trying like hell to hide. I only noticed it in the rare moments we were alone and she thought I wasn't looking. And in the nightmares that kept her thrashing around in the sheets each night, but I doubted she realized it.

“It's not safe for you while he's still out there.”

The images of Rayner slinging my body around the woods like a rag doll infiltrated my mind, and I knew they were coming from her. Of course, that was why she was so protective over me. I would probably be worse had the roles been reversed. But I didn't need her worrying about me.

“He's not coming back.” At least, not until he had a plan in place.

“I don't want to risk it. There's no way to know who we can trust anymore. Especially now that everyone knows what we are to each other. I can't lose you again over this.” Her gaze fell to the floor as her voice broke on the last word.

I closed the distance between us and wrapped her hands in mine, pulling them up to my chest to remind her that I was still here. That we lived through the nightmare and made it out the other side.

“If anything, this experience has proved that nothing can come between us, Blaire. Not even death herself. And all those people out there have more than proven their loyalty toward the Quarters and Watchtower when they fought beside us against their own friends and family. Rayner's Members can't hide in the shadows anymore.”

When a single tear rolled down her cheek, I tipped her chin up with my finger and brushed a kiss against her lips, whispering assurances that we were safe. She didn't have a response, but stepped out of my way and silently followed me out the front door.

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