The gunshot's thunderous crack still reverberates in the heavy silence. I slowly lower my sidearm, the weight of what I've just done settling over me like a suffocating shroud. Chavo's lifeless body lies crumpled at my feet, a ruin of blood and shattered flesh where mere moments ago burned the twisted embers of his sinister ambitions.
I feel unmoored, adrift in the sudden stillness. As if by snuffing out that bitter spark of vile depravity, I've lost the trajectory that guided me for so long through this waking nightmare. My entire being cries out, uncomprehending of how to exist in a reality where Chavo's shadow no longer looms.
Strong arms encircle me from behind, Greg's solid warmth and reassuring scent enveloping me like a tether grounding me to this world. I lean back into his emb
