HAUNTED
six

6

Back in his room, he didn’t remember when or how he fell asleep but he did remember walking up to the smell of food. He bulleted out of bed, wondering if his mom and dad had come for one of their surprise visits. Ran straight for the kitchen at human pace.

She faced the pan on the stove, nearly burning what she was cooking, “what are you making,” he asked as he peeked.

“I’m sorry for raiding your fridge,” she had an apologetic grin, “I was starving… it’s a goulash, mix whatever I find, and it always tastes good.”

He chose to trust her. He just smiled and walked away. Less than a minute later she was dumping the mixture into a couple of plates, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” he reminded himself, she glared at him, “what… it looks grouse.” He tasted a bit, “but tastes awesome,” he spoke with his mouth full. He really didn’t think it would. It was like nothing he had ever tasted before, just a perfect balance of taste.

Neither of them spoke until they were done. She finished first as he went back for seconds, “so, are you okay,” he glanced up at her, mouth full. He ate a lot because teleporting took a lot out of him.

“Me?!” he asked confused when he finally swallowed. She nodded and he responded, “Yeah… Why?”

“You left for your room weirdly last night,” she put the plate she had used away, “my journalistic curiosity is bothering me to keep asking why… but I don’t think it’s my place.”

He was quiet for a moment then a subconscious answer rose, “because it hurt me to see you hurt.” He didn’t look at her.

“Why,” she had to stop asking, she regretted it as soon as the word spilt out.

“I don’t know,” he finally caught her gaze and she awkwardly turned away. Too caught in that momentary gaze that left her confused.

She walked back to the lounge leaving him to finish his food. She packed all the stuff she had brought in. she didn’t want to burden him with her presence. She had caused so much trouble already.

“What are you doing?” he asked as she swung her backpack onto her back, the one she had when she left her aunts place.

“You have done a lot for me already. I owe you for that. I can’t afford to owe you for anymore because I don’t even know how I can pay you back for helping,” she hated feeling like a burden. Like the weak one. The one thing life had taught her was once you let people in they are sure to break you. She was barely together she didn’t need to be broken.

“Why,” he asked, she walked past him toward the door, he grabbed her arm tenderly before she got too far, “why,” he asked again. With glare that cut right into her soul and grabbed her heart. She took a breath to clear her thoughts.

He didn’t want her to leave, not yet. “Because I want to disappear,” honesty leaked out of her, existence hurt she didn’t want it anymore. She needed to find herself. She needed to be away.

“I won’t let you just leave,” then he realised how weird those words sounded. He let go of his tender grip on her arm, scratched his head, “in a non-serial-killer-weird way. I just…” feel like you need to be here with me, he finished off in his head.

She reached for the door handle to the outside.

“Lex, wait!” she stopped, “you want to pay me back right. There is a way you can return the favour,” she was listening now, she turned back to him.

“How,” hoping they could be even, she didn’t want to owe him anything.

“Stay for a day or two… then I will teleport you wherever you want to go.”

“We won’t be even by me letting you do me some more favours,” she walked towards him and lay her hand on his cheek, “thank you,” she was caught in his eyes as she spoke. “We will be even some day,” she smiled and let go but he held on to her wrist, caught in an oddly familiar moment… he pulled her closer and their lips locked bring life to the existence of worn souls.

Confused by thought and feeling, she saw… she saw the first one they infected, the army they made, and the power they gained…

“Do you see me as an equal,” she asked glancing at him from the sea’s view.

“Do you see me as an equal,” he asked as he wrapped his arm around her. She looked around to see if anyone was watching almost terrified before she let him continue.

The dead piling nation by nation, winning more territory losing more humanity.

“Do you see what we have done?!” he yelled at her below deck. “We have to end this. It has gone too far Lex. We could stop now and history will still know you as alexander the great. No one else must die.”

“We need to finish what we started,” she ordered.

A tear fell.

“Do you not see what you have become… what we have become. We need to stop,” so many dead killed by their creatures/ soldiers.

Flashes, battle, hurt pain, children crying, fathers dying, mothers too broken to put back together.

“I will always love you,” he looked at her from above broken in his eyes. She kissed him, happy, a feeling she hardly recognised, and it shifted,

“Please, let me die and may God have mercy on my soul,” she felt weak worn out.

“I can’t let that happen,” he shoved something into her arm.

It changed again, random explosions of thought like memories rushing back to an amnesiac’s mind. She didn’t even know if they were real or not. He knew, despite the horrors, he longed for her more than he could ever understand.

She felt death, and his grip tighten on her hand, “Why isn’t it working,” desperate, her grip loosened in his, “Lex!” hot tears streaming on his cheeks.

“Jacob,” she murmured, ‘love,’ the thought and it all went blank.

She shoved him away. And stumbled back.

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