BADLANDS

ghost

she wants to answer, craves the desire in this dark world of their own, but she's found herself out of breath. she can't speak. she can't even move. she's paralyzed, seized tight against the sheets.

she gasps as she looks down to her stomach, seeing a thin line of blood being etched into her glowing skin.

"you know who i am," he repeats again, smile glinting like the edge of his knife. "and i'll be seeing you again... soon."
-

"i can't find you in the body sleeping next to me."

7:07 AM

"ashley," a soft voice drifts through her head lazily, mellow tone spreading through the emptiness.

she revels in the warmth of her dreamland, allowing herself a moment more of bliss. finally, she drifts back into consciousness. "mhm," she groans, eyes fluttering open to meet the rising golden sky, flashes of color stretched across it.

guilt pools in her stomach the second she meets peters blue eyes. she still feels the lingering imprint of ghostly cold hands on her skin, still hears his deep voice ringing in her ears.

she thinks she sees a flash of empathy, compassion, before she remembers that he still hates her. 

"are you okay?" peter asks quickly, only a trace of concern left in his voice. she tears her eyes away from his face, feet dragging through the sand as she pulls herself up to her knees. they're next to a lake, filled with filmy white liquid, spanning across the cove they're in. it's disorientating and dreamlike; it shouldn't exist. nothing here seemed real- the jarring colors, the chaotic wild, mountains and deserts, the bright blue sky hanging over white water.

"yeah. it was just a bad dream," she lies through her teeth. it's already slipping away from her anyways, dark and hollow pleasure fading into the light of day. she unzips her backpack, counting the water and food they have left. it's packed full, but it's still not enough. she busies herself with repacking the supplies, trying to suppress thoughts of the dream.

it didn't matter, she reminds herself, he doesn't matter to me anymore.

"is this safe?" she wonders aloud, dipping her hand into the milky water, feeling only warmth. she glances back up at him, hearing no reply. "well, is it?" she asks more irritably. she feels the heat of his burning eyes on her.

"for fucks sake, i'm sorry," she blurts out, a rush of blended emotions. "okay? i'm sorry i dragged you into this mess. they would've killed you," she repeats, but she's not even sure if she believes it anymore. she finally looks at him, reminded of his pale skin and fogged eyes. he says nothing, but the betrayal masked on his face is enough.

he's still sick, brittle and weak. here she is, feeling sorry for herself, dreaming about zack, making stupid decisions, and he just wants to stay alive.

"we should get going," he finally voices, hoarse tone cracking at these words. "before we sit around until our food runs out."

she silently agrees, suppressing everything she wants to say and packs up.

the wind has died down, leaving the world around them eerily quiet besides their soft footsteps in the sand.

they head on, in the direction the end of the road pointed to- forward. jagged mountains lay ahead of them, capped with pink and white light. this is what their only plan is, making it past them. she tells herself that there has to be civilization behind them.