The dirt road wound gently through the edge of town, framed by tall pines that swayed in the light morning breeze.
For a while, Monte and Sara walked in comfortable silence.
Sara's hand rested loosely in his, her gaze tracing the cracked asphalt ahead. For the first time in a long while, the town almost felt peaceful.
Monte was halfway through a quiet laugh at something she'd said when he suddenly stopped walking.
Sara turned, puzzled. "What is it?"
Monte didn't answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the tree line just beyond the road, where the shadows were still heavy.
There, half-hidden between the trunks, stood the Boy in White.
His pale figure almost blended into the morning light, but Monte saw him clearly. The sharpness in his gaze, the faint disapproving tilt of his mouth.
It was an odd expression for a child. Not angry. Not scared. Just… disappointed.
Sara followed Monte's gaze. "Monte? What's wrong?"
When Monte blinked, the boy was gone.
The woods looked normal again... quiet, still.
Monte exhaled slowly, forcing a small smile. "Nothing. Thought I saw something."
Before Sara could question him further, a familiar voice called from behind them.
"Monte!"
They turned to see Father Khatri walking toward them. His hands were tucked into his coat pockets, that calm, watchful smile on his face.
"I see you're settling into town," Khatri said, his tone polite but probing.
Monte's eyes flicked briefly back to the treeline, empty, then back to the priest. "Don't believe we've met."
Sara stepped in. "This is Father Khatri. He runs the church."
Monte nodded. "Ah. What can I do for you, Father?"
Khatri smiled faintly. "Nothing at all. Just checking in. I saw you two out walking... It's good to see new faces moving around. Keeps the place alive."
Monte nodded slowly. "Yeah. A little chilly today, though."
Khatri chuckled softly. "That it is." He gave them both a kind nod. "Anyway, I won't keep you. Have a pleasant walk."
Sara smiled politely. "Nice to see you, Father."
"And you as well, Sara," Khatri replied, his smile warm... though his eyes lingered on Monte for just a moment too long.
Then he turned away, heading down the road to speak with someone else.
Monte watched him go, his expression thoughtful.
Sara glanced at him. "You okay?"
Monte shrugged. "Yeah. Just…" His gaze drifted back to the treeline. "Thought I saw a kid. Dressed in white."
Sara frowned. "A kid? There aren't any kids out there, Monte."
Monte gave a small, uneasy laugh. "Guess I need to lay off the whiskey."
Sara squeezed his hand gently. "Maybe just for a day."
Monte smiled at that, but as they continued walking, he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on his back.
Deep in the woods, unseen by either of them, the Boy in White stood once more, his expression unreadable... watching.
...
The rumble of the truck echoed through the quiet streets as Boyd and Kenny pulled back into town.
The tarp-covered shape in the bed made people stop what they were doing and stare. Nobody asked questions. They didn't need to.
Boyd parked near the Sheriff's station and killed the engine. The silence that followed felt heavy, final.
He climbed out, motioning for Kenny to help him lower the body. Together they lifted Tobey's remains out of the truck bed, the tarp rustling softly.
The door to the station swung open. Jade stepped outside, a tired scowl on his face. "What's with all the..."
His voice broke when he saw the tarp.
"No…" He staggered forward, the color draining from his face. "No, no, no, no."
Kenny gently stepped in front of him. "Jade..."
Jade brushed him off, kneeling beside the tarp. His hands trembled as he reached for the edge, peeling it back just enough to see Tobey's face.
Whatever hope he'd been holding onto died right there.
He let out a ragged breath, it was part sob, part growl, before covering the body again.
His knees gave out, and he sat heavily on the ground, staring at the dirt like it might explain something.
"Jesus…" he whispered. "He was fine. He was... he was right there."
Kenny placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, man."
Jade shook his head. "You don't get it. He was my partner. We built everything together. We..." His words trailed off into silence.
Boyd glanced toward the nearby church as a familiar voice carried over.
"Boyd?"
Father Khatri approached, hands clasped behind his back, his long coat swaying gently in the wind. His expression was calm but sorrowful as he took in the scene.
"Ah, Father," Boyd said, stepping toward him. "Was just about to look for you. I need to speak with you about Tobey's funeral."
Khatri nodded solemnly. "Of course." He turned his gaze toward Jade, who was still kneeling beside the tarp. "My condolences. I'm so sorry for your loss."
Jade didn't respond. His jaw clenched, eyes red but dry.
Khatri didn't push. He placed a gentle hand on Jade's shoulder for a brief moment. A quiet gesture of respect, then stepped aside with Boyd.
Kenny stayed with Jade, silent but steady.
A few people had gathered now, watching from a distance. The sight of a body being carried through town was never routine, but it had become familiar.
Boyd and Khatri spoke quietly off to the side.
"I'll hold the service this evening," Khatri said. "People will want to pay their respects. He may not have made it here, but everyone deserves to be remembered."
Boyd nodded. "Appreciate it, Father."
Khatri's eyes flicked briefly toward the station, then back to Boyd. "Something's changing again," he murmured. "You can feel it, can't you?"
Boyd looked past him, toward the dark edge of the woods. His jaw tightened. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I can feel it."
Khatri gave a small, knowing nod and turned back toward the church.
Boyd watched him go, the priest's silhouette growing smaller against the mid-day light.
Behind him, Jade knelt in the dirt beside the tarp, whispering something too soft for anyone else to Boyd.
...
The dirt road eventually opened into one of the wide fields that bordered the edge of town.
A patch of green framed by rolling hills and whispering trees.
Monte and Sara slowed their pace, the crunch of gravel giving way to the soft rustle of grass beneath their boots.
They stopped near an old wooden fence post. The sunlight had softened, the air cooler now.
Monte leaned against the post, hands in his jacket pockets. "I guess you deserve to know," he said after a pause. "About me."
Sara looked at him expectantly, and he told her. Everything.
About Fat Tony, about Larry the Man, about how a single bad call had spiraled into blood and chaos.
When he finished, Sara was quiet for a long moment. The wind played with her hair, strands brushing her cheek as she stared at the ground.
"You've… done some awful things," she said softly.
Monte didn't argue. "Yeah. I have."
There was something in her eyes... not judgment, exactly.
Something closer to fear.
Monte saw it. He stepped closer, gently taking her hand. She flinched instinctively.
He stopped, lowering his voice. "Hey."
She looked up.
"I wouldn't hurt you. Never."
For a moment, she searched his face. Looking for a crack, a lie, something to give her reason not to believe him.
But there was nothing there except a tired kind of sincerity.
Sara nodded, her shoulders relaxing as the tension bled out of her.
"Want to hear my story?" she asked quietly.
Monte nodded. "Always."
Sara exhaled, steadying herself. "I ran away with my boyfriend when I was eighteen. We got a little apartment. Things were good for a while… until he lost his job and started drinking."
Monte stayed silent, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand.
"He hit me," she said, voice cracking slightly. "I was so scared that I called my brother. Nathan came right away. We packed everything, and left that same day. But on our way home…"
She hesitated, eyes flicking toward the woods. "We saw that tree and ended up here. That was almost two years ago."
Monte sighed. "I'm sorry."
Sara shook her head, tears in her eyes. "I've come to terms with being stuck here. But I still… I still hope."
Her voice trembled. "I just want to go home."
Monte pulled her gently into a hug. "Your nightmares," he said softly. "They're about never finding a way back?"
Sara nodded against his shoulder. "Yes. It wasn't like this before."
Monte held her closer, his voice low and certain. "Then I'll find a way."
Sara leaned back slightly, looking up at him. "How?"
Monte smiled faintly. "Don't know yet. But I'm a persistent cuss."
That made her laugh, small and watery, but real. "Yeah," she said. "And a smooth talker, too."
Monte smiled back. Without thinking, he leaned in and kissed her softly. It was brief, but grounding. His hand brushed a tear from her cheek.
They stayed like that for a heartbeat longer than they meant to, until Monte's head snapped up.
A sound. Behind them.
Monte was on his feet in an instant, pulling Sara behind him, his Glock clearing the holster before she even realized what was happening.
"Monte! Wait!"
Nathan froze at the edge of the field, both hands raised instinctively.
Monte's finger hovered just shy of the trigger. Recognition hit, and he lowered the gun.
Sara stepped forward quickly. "Nathan? What are you doing here?"
Nathan exhaled hard, his eyes darting between them. "I've been looking all over town for you. I didn't know what happened. I didn't expect to find you here with… with him?"
Sara frowned. "I just needed some air. Monte tagged along."
Nathan's gaze hardened. "You shouldn't be around him, Sara."
Monte tilted his head, calm but pointed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Nathan shot him a glare. "Your type. Gangsters. People who don't care who they hurt..."
Sara cut him off, her voice sharp. "Monte is nice. He's..." She huffed, "I don't need to explain myself to you."
Nathan's jaw tightened, ready to argue.
But before he could, the sound of bells rolled across the field.
Three slow, solemn rings, the church bell.
All three turned toward the town.
Sara said softly. "Church bells."
Monte's eyes darkened. "Probably, Tobey's funeral?"
Monte exhaled, sliding the Glock back into his belt. "Let's go, check it out."
Nathan hesitated before following, still glaring at Monte's back as they started down the hill toward the distant toll of the bell.
The field fell silent again once they were gone. The sound of the bell echoing through the valley, low and mournful.
...
The sun was beginning to sink behind the trees, painting the sky in muted golds and bruised grays.
The townsfolk gathered behind the church in the small clearing, where a single wooden cross marked the freshly dug grave.
Father Khatri stood at the front, Bible in hand. The soft wind tugged at his robes as he spoke, his voice steady but solemn.
"In this place," he said, "we do not have the luxury of understanding why things happen the way they do. All we can do is remember those we've lost... and hold on to what keeps us human."
A hush lingered over the crowd. Boyd, Kenny, and Donna standing off to the side together.
The Mathews family stood together, though Julie stood a little apart, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
Monte and Sara stood opposite them, side by side. Monte's hat was in his hands, his head bowed. Sara kept her eyes forward, her face unreadable.
Beside the grave, Jade stood frozen for a long moment, staring down at the simple coffin. His lips trembled, but no sound came.
Boyd gave him a small nod.
Jade took a breath, stepped forward, and began to speak.
"At first," he said, voice unsteady, "I thought all this was… fake. A prank. Tobey's stupid idea to get back at me for Vegas. But it's not."
His eyes flicked to the coffin again.
"It's real. Too damn real." He gave a weak laugh, though it cracked halfway through.
"He was a pain in my ass, you know? Always trying to prove me wrong. Always quoting me in meetings. Always..." His voice broke, and he had to swallow hard before he could go on.
"I'm sorry for how I acted when I first got here. I was an idiot. Still am, probably." He gave a faint, self-conscious grin. "But… thank you. For helping me. For not just… leaving me out there."
The silence that followed wasn't cold... just heavy, the way grief always was in this town.
Father Khatri stepped forward again, placing a hand gently on Jade's shoulder. "Thank you, Jade."
Jade nodded faintly, stepping back.
As Khatri continued the final prayer, Julie's attention drifted.
Her eyes found Monte across the clearing. His tall frame, quiet pressence, and that lazy confidence still clinging to him even in silence.
He stood beside Sara, their hands brushing slightly whenever the wind shifted. Sara looked up at him, a faint smile curving her lips.
Julie's stomach tightened.
Sara must have felt her stare, because she turned her head... and smirked. Just barely, but enough to sting.
Julie frowned, looking away sharply. Her throat felt tight.
Tabitha noticed the change in her daughter's expression and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"You okay?" she whispered.
Julie nodded quickly, though her eyes were distant.
Tabitha gave her a small, hopeful smile. "You can still come back with us. You don't have to stay up there at Colony House."
Julie sighed quietly, shaking her head. "Mom, please don't start again."
Tabitha squeezed her hand. "I just want you safe."
"I am safe," Julie said softly, though the uncertainty in her voice betrayed her.
Across the clearing, Father Khatri closed his Bible and spoke the final words.
"May his soul find peace beyond these walls that hold us."
The bell tolled once more. Its sound that carried through the woods.
Jade stepped forward again, dropping a single folded piece of paper onto the coffin before they began to cover it with dirt. His shoulders trembled, but he said nothing more.
Monte looked on quietly, his expression unreadable. Sara slipped her hand into his, causing a small smile to appear.
Behind them, the crowd began to disperse. Small groups breaking away, voices low and heavy with loss.
But Julie stayed where she was, her gaze once again drifting toward Monte and Sara as they turned and walked away together.
The ache in her chest was sharper this time.
Tabitha's hand lingered on her arm, grounding her.
The girl didn't notice. She was too busy watching the Monte standing on the other side of the road with someone else.