To finish our dream, I must journey through every county in South Carolina, capturing its most beautiful and haunting places. This is the pilgrimage she and I once planned together, visiting the depots she loved and the forgotten remnants of old cotton mills. She had a fascination with the historic, the worn, the places where time stood still, and now I’ll immortalize them in a book—for her, for us. It will be a long, grueling road, one I never imagined walking alone, but Lola, my doll and steadfast companion, will be with me. She is the only anchor I have left, the one who will keep me standing strong as I complete this without Katarina.
When I last looked into Katarina’s eyes, I saw nothing—just a void where her soul used to shine. She let them take her—the troglodytes, the ones who feast on the weak and lost. I saw it happening long before it consumed her entirely. There were signs, warning after warning. One of the clearest was when I offered her a home, a sanctuary where she could live rent-free, safe, and cared for. I wanted to save her, to give her a future. But all she cared about was the bar, about staying close to the life she chose over me. Even then, I knew the truth, though I refused to accept it. She was too far gone, consumed by the demons she let in, and I could never break the chains she had wrapped around herself.
Now, I carry on alone.