Ghost Of You (Formally Titled Sebastian The Traveler)

Chapter Four (REWRITTEN)

Avery ran, trying desperately to escape the dark sky that stalked her.

Black, gray, and green, tumbled high behind her, an ominous cloud of smoke that dangerously nipped at her heels. The atmosphere before her didn't look much better, but dark red and maroon seemed the safer option in comparison.

A head, rows of metal buildings sprang up from the ground. She weaved her way through the narrow gravel pathways, her lungs on fire and a scream demanding release from her throat. White garage doors whipped past her, the crackling of rocks beneath her heavy footfalls the only sound for miles. She briefly wondered if any were unlocked. Surely, it would be a protected haven against the monstrous storm that chased her. However, she would not chance the few seconds it may have taken to check.

"Why are you running?" A disembodied voice inquired. It was such a modulated and smoky sound that Avery immediately skidded to a complete halt. She scanned her surroundings wildly, searching for the source. As afraid as she had once been to look behind her now seemed ridiculous, her eyes doing it out of their own accord. The monstrosity she left in the dust was expeditiously closing in, reminding her that a voice with no body was less important than her life.

Turning with the intent to continue her plight, her legs moving before her brain at time to catch up, she slammed into something she was certain was not previously there. She cried out—of alarm or startlement or just plain pain, she didn't know. She stumbled to keep up right. Somehow her butt knew slamming onto gravel would be just as painful as running straight into a brick wall.

"Um, ouch," the voice connected to an actual body this time and Avery raised a surprised brow. She had not seen a single soul for miles, in any direction... how had this one instantly appeared out of thin air?

Her sight focused on his chest first, his hand rubbing the apparent affliction in his sternum caused solely by her. "Ope! Sorry!" She winced.

Ope?

The midwesterner in her was showing. She internally rolled her eyes, way to go Avery.

"Ye-ah. Okay," he smirked. Amusement danced in the hazel eyes that now stared down at her and Avery suddenly had yet another, although entirely different, reason to feel so out of breath. Instantaneously aware of their closeness, she took a step back and allowed the awkwardness to settle around them in quiet reverie.

With a tilt of his head, his thickened honey voice broke the silence once more, "Now that you've slowed your roll, wanna tell me why you're running?"

Avery wanted a lot of things at this very moment but an explanation for the cause of her running was not in the top ten of those things. In fact, she couldn't even remember the what, better yet the why. "I-I don't..." she flustered, "remember."

He crossed his arms over his broad chest, bringing a single hand up to his face. His previous observance of her changed to whatever was past her shoulder. Between his lips, he placed his thumb nail, "Hm." A loose curl of light brown hair fell over his forehead, just short enough to keep those brown-green eyes unhidden from her entrancement. It wasn't a hard decision for Avery to not also look back. The view in front of her was much more desirable.

After what felt like forever but probably wasn't, he gave her a slight shrug, shoving his hands in the pockets of his slacked blue jeans, "Well, there's nothing there now.

"Are you sure?"

He must have found her question amusing, throwing his head back in unabashed laughter. Creases within his cheeks turned to deep dimples as he shook his head. Her heart fluttered, a feeling so foreign to Avery that she no longer knew what to do with herself.

She chose to fiddle with her fingers.

Grinning, he leaned into her space by his hips, "I would never lie to you." His eyes sparkled with mirth as their connected stare lasted longer than was appropriate for common strangers.

She whispered, not trusting what her vocals would do if fully utilized, "Okay."

"So should I call you Speedy, or do you have a real name?" He straightened, once again crossing his arms over his chest.

Her eyes flickered lightly back and forth between his, "Avery."

He gave her an affirmative nod, revealing nothing she could possibly discern. "Avery..." Her name rolled off his tongue easily and so nonchalantly that it took her half a second to realize he was not saying it like he wanted to test drive a new vehicle. He wasn't saying it like he was impressed or that it was the most beautiful name he had ever heard. And when he glance behind her, she knew exactly why her name coming from his lips felt disappointing. He frowned, "You better start running again."

A sudden shrill alarm rang through the air. Avery instinctively slammed her hands against her ears as a feeble attempt to drown out that insufferable siren. The handsome stranger backed away, leaving her with a sorrowful smile before disappearing completely.