I Would Drive On To The End With You

A few weeks later Gerard stood nervously waiting in the church as Beth walked down the aisle on their wedding day to stand by his side.

It was midday and as she walked down the aisle the sun shone in through the stained glass windows casting her white dress in prisms of rainbow colours. Every shade on her white dress was an aspect of the beautiful woman’s personality to Gerard.

Her white wedding dress was soft lace and frills flowing all around her gracefully as she walked down the aisle smiling only at him. She took his hand and he kissed it gently smiling only at her. The ceremony was over soon, and they left the church together as one now, man and wife for eternity.

The reception was a glorious swirl of colour and life, happiness and joy. It passed so quickly, that when it came time for everyone to wave goodbye to the bride and groom it felt like only a few seconds had passed and not an entire day.

As Gerard looked all around for his Beth, he was surprised to find Ray running up to him and breathlessly hand a black envelope to him with a smile. Gerard carefully opened the envelope and freed the letter, it was a small note written in Beth’s pretty handwriting,

My dearest Gerard,

I have a surprise for you.

Come find me where the wind whispers through the trees,

And the dead lie sleeping in peace,

Follow the roses to your beloved

And there you will find me.

Forever yours, Beth.

He smiled and set off straight for the cemetery without a backward glance.

When he arrived at the gates, it had become so dark and cold. The wind rustled eerily through the trees and he sensed that something didn’t feel right. He brushed off the shiver rolling down his spine and walked through the gates. The first thing he spotted was a single red rose tied to bench, so he picked it up and followed the rest of the trail deeper into the darkness.

Gerard’s sense of unease grew more intense with every rose he found, and with every step further into the dark cemetery that he took.

It didn’t take long before Gerard followed the rose trail to what seemed to be a dead end. The last rose was blood red against the dark tombstone by which it lay still at the feet of. Gerard picked up the rose added it to the large bunch already now gathered in his hands.

Gerard had only finished arranging the bunch, when a soft noise came from behind him. The sound was like the note’s of a beautiful flute and his heart leapt when he recognised his beloved Beth’s singing a lullaby which he had wrote for her.

He turned around slowly, and there she was. His Beth, all beauty and radiance in her white wedding dress looking like an angel in the pale moonlight.

“Ah Beth my love” he whispered as he took her hands and pulled her towards him, kissing her softly and then passionately as their mouths pressed in a harmony of movements and their intensity grew.

Beth released Gerard from their embrace, but still holding hands she smiled, “Come with me Gerard, I have something to show you”.

Beth danced lightly across the dark grass still singing, and with a grin on his face Gerard followed her into an open mausoleum.

There were candles all over the small space and the glow cast a warm light over them both, filling them with an un-expected warmth in such a cold place.

Beth then pulled Gerard close to her, letting her hands rest a moment on his waist before slowly drawing them up across his back, while he closed his eyes and smiled at the sensation.

She began to take his jacket off, laughing quietly to herself while she deliberately and most teasingly drew her hands across his chest and brought them down to rest on his belt buckle. Gerard gasped and opened his eyes. He cautiously observed her eyes to determine what plan she had in store for him, and found a fire glowing in her. He brushed his hands over her arms before moving them across her back and finding the knot of the white corset she wore, began to untie it.

By this time Gerard and Beth were both breathing heavier as their hearts raced in longing for them to be finally together. They were oblivious to their surroundings almost completely until a resounding bang startled them out of their trance and they both found themselves looking around for the source of the disturbance.

“What was that?” she asked Gerard, her wonderful eyes startled and unsure.

Gerard was about to reply when another bang cracked through the midnight silence.

He rushed out of the Mausoleum and Beth quickly followed him. Holding hands, they stopped and both looked around into the darkness trying to locate the sound. The cold wind rustled in the trees making the hairs of their necks stand up and spread to an unease which began to cause violent shivers. Something was very wrong.

It was then that a voice came out of the dark trees across the way from them both. A dark laugh dripping of malice and revenge echoed all around.

“I believe congratulations is in order” he drawled walking forward to meet them. “To Mr and Mrs Way, till death do you part” he motioned in the fashion of a toast, while holding up a black metallic object in place of a glass.

Gerard and Beth stood frozen in shock, and tightly squeezed each others hands as they both recognised the metallic glint of a gun, held by a malicious and haggard looking Graham.