A gray haze obscures a figure.
“Thirty years on the job…”
The indistinguishable figure blurs within the background.
“I was the first in my family to go into the Arcadian Police Department. My father was a criminal and my brother fell into that life too. Pop worked for the underbelly, running down debts and killing for hire.”
The haze slowly begins to clear, revealing Blankenship.
“The police knocked at our door daily in the Slums. It was there that I got my first look at one. I was just a boy, then. I saw them in their proud blue uniforms, creases ironed down the leg… I wanted to badly to be one. It didn’t matter how badly my pop treated them; they had an air of authority that mesmerized me.”
Tombstone’s voice echoes from above.
“Does it sound familiar, Jackson?”
As if he couldn’t hear Tombstone, Blankenship continues.
“I never wanted a war with a monster. I didn’t sign up for that. The monsters like my father were bad enough, but I could handle them. How do you fight something you can’t see? How do you outmuscle someone with infinite power? How do you stop the unstoppable? I didn’t ask for Jackson Cade to be sheriff. I didn’t ask for him to cost me my life after thirty years on the job.”
Just then, Tombstone appears behind Blankenship, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s time to go.”
The Ferryman beckons. Blankenship lowers his head, turning to face Tombstone.
“Speak your final words.”
Blankenship nods gratefully and Tombstone removes his hand.
“You got me killed, Jackson Cade. You fuckin’ did that, kid. Your war with a monster was yours, not ours. I didn’t deserve what you did to me.”
Tombstone looks down at him.
“You joined the Arcadian Police Department to make a difference, Jackson. A boy, like Blankenship, you saw the man your father had became and wanted to be something different. You were desperate to craft a new path to tread.”
The Ferryman puts his hand on Blankenship’s shoulder once more, indicating that it’s time to go.
“But inside the realms of law, you’ve become an outlaw. You’ve taken the law to mean whatever you deem it to be. You’ve cost countless men their lives and at every turn, you’ve lost a piece of that innocence that brought you here. But this is the end, Jackson. This is the end of the road you’ve created.”
He walks with Tombstone, drifting away into the gray haze. As they vanish, his words “you fucking did that kid” echo into the darkness.
Moments later, Tombstone returns.
“And you should never fear the end…
Because the end is where we meet and where it’s my hand upon your shoulder instead…
And I will send you… on your way.”