BADLANDS

strange love

[sorry for the wait... but it's really long so i hope that makes up for it.]

PART 4: INSANITY

x

"that's the beauty of a secret."
1:28 AM
his eyes are flickering with dark pleasure, smoke unfurling from full lips. he's hanging over her, hair falling on his face as he throws his head back.

it's the same scene every time.

except it was different now.

"what the fuck?" she cries out, pushing her hands against his chest, blindly struggling against his grasp. memories flash through her mind, jarring distortions of jagged mountains and the glowing sun. her vision is blurry, nothing makes sense. "where am i, what's fucking happening?" she can't remember, she can't remember anything.

"i've been waiting so long for you," he whispers. "but in reality, no time has really passed, right?"

zacks face is lit with a manic happiness, eyes glowing underneath soft red strands of light. "where the fuck is peter?" she screams blindly, stumbling off the bed onto the floor desperately.

"tell me what happened," she whispers, crumbling to her knees. this can't be real, she has to be stuck in a dream. the city lights buzz outside, brushes of color stuck on loop. her heart is pulsing rapidly, eyes wild.

she's back in the badlands. she's risked everything to escape, but somehow she's woken up back here. taken a step into the golden light and ended up in the abyss

he laughs, sinking into a chair next to the bed and taking a drag of his cigarette. "why don't you," he sighs out the smoke, "explain everything first."

"i don't have to fucking tell you anything!" she shrieks, vicarious anger rushing through her head. she rips herself off of the floor, pale skin illuminated in the moonlight, long blue hair trailing to her waist.

she desperately yanks at the door, but it's stuck shut. she slams against it, throwing all of her weight into it.

"get me out of here, get me the fuck out out of here now," she hisses, shaking with silent anger. "i swear to fucking god,"

he breathily lets the smoke escape his lips, again breaking into a short laugh. "none of this is real, haven't you figured that out by now? im not real, you're not real, you've made up this story in your mind." the words leave his mouth but they don't register in her head. all she can hear is the deafening ringing in her ears, a shrill sound enveloping the darkness of the room. the lights flash outside, in and out of focus. breathe in. breathe out.

"tell me where he fucking is, now," she threatens, taking a step closer. "before i..."

he smiles. no response.

"ill kill you," ashley screams, and she doesn't have to look but she knows that there's a gun on the bed, doesn't know how but it's pressed into the sheets, she's shoving it into her hand and feeling the cold weight of it underneath her fingertips. "i'll do it," she repeats quietly, aiming for his head, body trembling.

"you'll do it, i believe you," zack says calmly, "but then what? what's going to happen then?" she grits her teeth, clenches her hands tighter around the black gun.

"shut up," she whispers. "shut up, shut up."

"i'm not the villain in this world, i'm just following your script. it's the world you've invented. it's just you."