I stood at the far end of the cemetery, watching in silence as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Tears flowed from the faces of those around me, their grief obvious as the earth slowly covered the Golden casket. It was a sorrowful sight, and with each shovelful of dirt, the weight of my guilt grew heavier. A death that should never have happened, a sorrow that could have been avoided. My heart ached with the burden of knowing I could have prevented this—if only I hadn't been a coward. If only I had answered his cries for help. If only I had found the courage to act when it mattered most.
Ed was the hero of our town, a man who was always there when we needed him. He never ignored a cry for help and treated betrayal with forgiveness. He was the reason behind so many of our smiles, and now those smiles had turned to tears—because of my cowardice. His only flaw was his trust. He trusted us, his men, like brothers. And now, that trust had cost him his life.
The News called it an accident, but everyone knew better. They could do nothing, though, as it was Ed's closest friend who declared it an accident. But I knew the truth. I knew the identity of his killers. Yet what could I do? To the public, I was just a driver, a nobody. But to Ed, I was more than that—I was his confidant, the one he trusted most. I had failed him when it mattered most, running when I should have fought.
Reporting the crime would be useless—the killers had the law in their hands. They controlled everything. And now, they were hunting me, the last remaining link to their secret. Wearing a hoodie to conceal my identity, I could see the traitors lurking, searching for me. I was the last obstacle standing in the way of their perfect crime. But I wasn't going to let them succeed.
I left the cemetery, careful not to draw attention, always checking my back. I slipped into the empty church and knelt at the altar, offering yet another prayer for forgiveness. I had been doing this every day since his death, but the guilt remained. It consumed me. I knew the only way to find peace, to forgive myself, was to end this cycle of betrayal.
I had made my decision. There was only one path forward: revenge. I would give his killers a taste of their own evil. And nothing would stop me.