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Dec. 16th, 2023 at 5:56 PM
[Racing down the interstate as fast as they fucking can, Johnnie tugs Chrissy closer and ducks low over his bike. They're streamlined now, they'll pick up just a little bit more speed, and then they can outride this giant evil fucking wasp for sure -
His eyes blink slowly against the light in the room, and then he frowns and lifts his pillow from under his head and flings it at the alarm clock on the bedside table. That shouldn't work, except that it falls off the table and unplugs in the process, leaving the room blissfully silent.
And now he doesn't have a pillow. Shit.]
Ugh. Hey, you up?
[Like Chrissy could sleep through that.
Soon enough though, he rolls on out of bed, gets the water going, tugs fresh clean clothing out of his bag, then checks on that shower. Yep, nice and hot. Time to get clean and ready for the day.]
Whatcha think? Wanna check out the cafe for breakfast? Maybe we can make 'em do some eggs an' pancakes even though they're gonna say it's dinner only now. I hate when places do that, it's such fuckin' bullshit.
His eyes blink slowly against the light in the room, and then he frowns and lifts his pillow from under his head and flings it at the alarm clock on the bedside table. That shouldn't work, except that it falls off the table and unplugs in the process, leaving the room blissfully silent.
And now he doesn't have a pillow. Shit.]
Ugh. Hey, you up?
[Like Chrissy could sleep through that.
Soon enough though, he rolls on out of bed, gets the water going, tugs fresh clean clothing out of his bag, then checks on that shower. Yep, nice and hot. Time to get clean and ready for the day.]
Whatcha think? Wanna check out the cafe for breakfast? Maybe we can make 'em do some eggs an' pancakes even though they're gonna say it's dinner only now. I hate when places do that, it's such fuckin' bullshit.
Comments
[No, he got picked up and spat out here, but he'll take credit for it for the moment. Now doesn't feel like the time to sit and wonder about the details.
They're given a momentary break from the things grabbing at her, and Johnnie takes Chrissy by the hand and holds tight. Is it gearing up for worse? Probably. Whatever this is, it doesn't seem to want to leave her alone.]
C'mon, we can't beat this thing in our underwear, let's get the fuck outta here.
[He's not so sure they can outrun it either, but they can try. They came, they faced this thing as best they could, but now getting out is the best answer. To stay here and give up, that's surrender, and he wants to fucking get her back to the surface, that is the fight this time around.]
This isn't her home. She refuses to let it be. Her home is with Johnnie, with the World Enders. And right now, they need to find a way back. That's a good goal to focus on, and she looks around until her eyes settle on the murky water about ten feet away from them.]
When I came through the water, it felt like I was being torn apart. I think we have to swim back down until everything feels like we're being turned right side up again.
[Her head turns, looking back toward the infinite stretch of jagged, dark terrain. That's definitely not the right way to go. The water is their only choice.]
I don't want to let go of you and try to swim though. I'm afraid we'll be pulled apart again.
[Man, they started far away from this spot, but he can't begin to guess at how these pools of water connect this place to the world he knows. Maybe this will put them back, maybe it will put them on the other side of the fucking planet. Maybe it won't put them on Earth at all.
But none of it matters that much. Yeah, their stuff is on the other side of the right pond but it's just stuff, they can replace it if they have to. Nothing back there is irreplaceable - well, no, his guitar is.
But fuck it, he doesn't have any better ideas.]
All right, then. Better jump at the same time, you ready? On three.
[He counts. He takes a running leap with her hand tight in his. And once the water accepts them both, he fucking kicks as hard as he can to find whatever the other end of that shit is, because he wants out of here.]
That's when she feels like she's being pulled and turned every which way, and a pressure starts to steal her breath away. She slows down, unable to keep going. But her hand never lets go of his, even when she fears she's weighing him down. Her vision starts to go black at the edges, and that's when the sensation of the darkness that she felt in New Orleans surrounds them. It closes in tight around them, pushing them close together.
Both of her arms wrap around him, and her face presses against his chest. They're being torn and turned every which way, but they're together. That same protective darkness yanks them free, and the last thing Chrissy feels before she blacks out is the sensation of moving through water at breakneck speed. They're rocketed out of the water and deposited on land, right beside the possessions they left behind.
Chrissy is limp and cold in his arms, not breathing.]
Johnnie groans, ears ringing, and tries to sit up but there's a dead weight across his middle. He gives her a second as he opens his eyes and orients himself. It's the same sky, the same desert landscape beside the same goddamned abyss puddle. It feels like maybe the sun slipped farther in the sky than he would've expected, like maybe they were there longer than it felt like, but his clothes are still here so it can't have been that long. His knife is here, in its sheath attached to his belt about two feet from his head, and that's a comfort.]
Fuuuuck. Okay, get up.
[That's partly to himself and partly to her. She doesn't stir immediately, so he nudges her shoulder, then tries to sit up again, this time alarmed by her lack of response.]
Chrissy? Hey! Hey, you with me?
[Her chest isn't moving, and he sure doesn't know what to do, but he grabs her by the shoulder and tries to shake her like maybe that'll snap her out of it.]
Only to have it torn from her as the void turns in on her, flooding her insides. She can't breathe, and starts coughing to try and get it up. A searing heat courses through her, making her cry out in pain. It's enough to get her to open her eyes, and sunlight floods her vision as she coughs up enough water to make her throat burn.
She slips off of him and goes to her hands and knees, water pouring out of her nose and mouth until there's nothing left in her. Exhausted after that, she collapses cheek down in the dirt.]
I'm okay.
[Look, she's even trying to give him a shaky thumbs up so he knows she's doing great.]
[He doesn't exactly believe her, but he'll let her get away with saying it for now. It's not like there's anything he can do, and she coughed up a bunch of water so it's probably all out of her now. Maybe she's not really okay right now, but close enough is close enough.
He reaches forward to give her a pat on the butt, since it's what he can reach right now, then pulls himself free of her legs and thinks about standing. He doesn't get any farther than thinking about it just yet, though, because trying to push himself up makes all his limbs feel like jello.]
Well, that was sure something, huh? Guess if nothin' else we can say we swam in the abyss an' it spat us right back out.
They weren't messing around when they tried to warn us away.
[She feels a little bad for ignoring that sign someone made. The abyss doesn't fuck around, it really is a doozy.
Slowly but surely she starts to move. First she rolls over onto her back, then she wiggles her fingers and toes. Her limbs feel like jello, and her middle feels like pudding. ]
It feels like I'm on a bad trip right now.
[But she's able to sit up with a little effort, so she's making good progress. Her head cranes over to look at him, and she can't stop herself from letting a smile light up her face. She just loves him so much, and is so so grateful to still be with him.]
Are you holding up okay?
Yeah, think so. That last part made me pretty fuckin' dizzy but I'm keepin' it together. Funny thing is I feel like I could go for a drink of water.
[And isn't that some irony? But he's not about to jump up and grab that canteen, he needs a minute. At least he'll dry off quickly and easily here in the sun, and it's doing a great job of warming him right up, too.]
Maybe I'll work on my tan a couple minutes first.
[It's a joke, and he snickers. Fashionable tanning is for people who aren't mostly nocturnal.]
[She's trying really hard to appear light and jovial, when all she wants to do is collapse and cry and then sleep it all off. But the last thing she wants to do is worry him, so she tries her best to crawl over to him so she can rest her head against his chest. What ends up happening is she crawls a little before collapsing up against him, landing face first against his stomach.
That's going to have to be close enough.
She huffs as she lifts her head and turns it so only her cheek is against him. ]
Well, I'm the one that needs to get the tan. I'm so pale I actually look like a ghost.
[She's joking around, laughing. Everything's fine.]
[Chuckling, he joins his fingers together to make a crab claw with his thumb, then pinches her nose.
Poor girl's exhausted though, that's obvious. He strokes fingers through her hair, then reaches for his jeans to drag them over so he can put his head on them. Better than having the crunchy gravel of that old road for a pillow.
After a few minutes of lying there though he starts to feel like he's baking.]
Car's so fuckin' far away. You think if I help you back there, you can make it? I kinda think we need the shade. We can sit back with the windows down, have some water, I'll roll us up a joint if you want. Got all our shit in the trunk still.
[She feels terrible admitting that, but it needs to be done. Her hold on reality isn't great at the moment, and it feels like she's at risk for slipping back into the darkness at any second.]
But I'll sit with you in the back while you get high.
[That sounds pretty nice actually. So she moves off of him and wills her jelly limbs to cooperate while she tries to work her way up to her feet. It's a slow and wobbly journey, but she does eventually get there.]
[Time to try this standing thing again. Sure, it takes a little effort, but it's not too bad. He's pulling through quickly enough. Whatever she got was worse - he mostly just had to suffer through the cold and some real disorientation.
Getting dressed is harder than standing up, and he winds up sitting back down for the most difficult challenge, which is getting his socks and shoes on. But that done, weapons in place, backpack on his back, he applies the finishing touch and settles those sunglasses over his eyes, then smiles as he reaches to take Chrissy's hand.]
All right, let's do this. One step at a time until you feel good about it. Y'know how it's always shorter goin' back from a place than the first time you go there? This won't take us any time at all.
The fact he's wearing those sunglasses only makes it all the more better for her. Her head tips so she can glance up at him with a smile. They take it slow, Chrissy only taking one intentional step at a time. Her speed must be driving him crazy, but he's nothing but patient with her. Just like he always is.
After a handful of steps, her legs get with the program and start to move less rigidly. They're still wobbly, but she's able to at least walk closer to normal. Sure, it takes some time. But they do make it to the car, and she thinks that's all that matters. He helps her get into the back seat, and she sighs as she sinks back and finally relaxes.]
I can't escape that place. It's even all the way out here? That's bullshit.
[She still has no idea what to call that place, but she had hoped it was put behind her for good. To know that it isn't is a little unsettling.]
[That's all he can figure, anyway. That it killed her probably isn't coincidence. It probably draws in people from all over, all the time. Takes advantage of those weak places in the world, the gaps the Ender was talking about, and grabs on and forces its way through, maybe.
That gives him some ideas, but first he needs to get into the trunk where the pot is. He should've rolled up more joints before, but for now he'll just stuff some into rolling paper and call it good. It's clumsy, but it'll work and that's all he cares about. He shuts the trunk and slides into the back seat next to her, gives her forehead a kiss, then lights up his joint and takes a much-needed hit.]
I bet there's a way to use that place to our advantage, we just gotta understand it. Y'know, find out how it connects parts of this world, use it as a shortcut, maybe? I know it's not where you wanna be but wouldn't it be cool if you could make it work for you?
Let's talk to the Ender about it when we get back. Maybe he'll think it's time to start teaching me how to cross between places. It would be great if I could use that place to do that.
[Would it really be great? No, but it would be tolerable. If she had some kind of power over it, she'd at least be able to accept the fact she's got ties to it and it's constantly looking for ways to lure her back "home".]
I just don't like that it keeps calling itself home. I don't belong there.
[She refuses.
Now that he seems to be settled where he's sitting, she leans over so she's resting her head in his lap. Maybe she'll get a contact high laying down here.]
[He has no idea if that's true, but it doesn't really matter whether it is or isn't. What matters is that she can't believe it's actually home, can't let something like whispers in her head make her falter when she obviously knows better. Home is wherever she wants it to be, and that place sure as hell isn't it.
With a slow exhale of smoke, he strokes his fingers through her damp hair, straightening out the tangles, then offers the joint.]
You sure you don't want some? You wanna cigarette instead?
[As if she has his same vices, but he feels like an asshole if he doesn't at least ask.]
The offering of both the joint and a cigarette makes her eyes open to him, and she's smiling as she shakes her head.]
No, I don't want anything. Except maybe some water. And a snack.
[Both of which are here in the car with them. And she needs to sit up to have them. Leaving his lap is something that she's reluctant to do, but it's gotta be done. With an oomph she sits up, and stretches her arms out before she tries leaning forward to find her backpack and the canteen. It feels like she could drink five of these and still need more water, but that wouldn't leave him with very much. So she limits herself and takes a few big drinks before passing it over to him.]
Anyway, I'm going to try harder not to let that place mess with me. Whenever those vine things pulled me away from you, it felt like my heart was torn from my chest and like a part of me was missing. All I could do was lay there and cry, I couldn't find the strength or willpower to get up and fight. I thought I had become really strong, but now I know I have to try harder and become stronger. My home is with you. That's what I choose. And I need to be as strong as possible so that place can't take me away from you.
It also gives him a moment to listen to what she said and really think about it, as he goes back to stroking her hair and down her shoulder and arm.]
It don't always come all at once. 'S okay if you don't just jump on in there ready to go next time. Long as you keep tryin', it'll get easier.
[It's not that she grew up with a perfect easy life, obviously he knows that now. But there were still plenty of striking differences that led to what she sees in him as endless strength and courage. Part of it is personality, but maybe more of it is growing up how he did, frequently in one kind of conflict or another with neighbors, the cops, society at large. He just started earlier on jumping face-first into trouble, knife at the ready. She must feel like she has an endless amount of catching up to do.]
I'll keep trying. I always do.
[Her words are little more than a whisper, and she leans over to rest her head against his shoulder.]
It's just that no matter how hard I try, I'm not ever going to be as strong as you are.
[She pauses, laughing a little at what's about to come out of her mouth.]
Do you think Alex could teach me how to swing a chain? That would make me look stronger.
Sure! Yeah, ask him! Bet he'd get a kick outta that. But you don't gotta be strong strong either, right, like, not everyone in the gang could knock you down with a punch. Everyone's got their own skills. An' you an' me? We're strong together.
[And that counts for a hell of a lot. He does have to say, it's nice to have someone specifically watching his back, and it's not like he minds looking after her when she's the one who needs the hand.]
But I actually think a chain might be real great for you, y'know? Those things do a lotta fuckin' damage an' you don't have to be a fuckin' strongman to use one, just gotta know how to use it effectively. More about coordination, an' you're good at that, 'cause of the cheerleading thing.
But he keeps on talking, and she settles down, head lifting so she can look up at him. He's so attractive when he's building her up, and he's doing that in spades right now. They do make a good team, and there's no shame in knowing your strength lies in working with the person you trust and love. And she does have pretty good coordination going for her.
Soon enough, she's able to hold her head high. She's not over what's just happened to her, but she can at least act like she is.]
Maybe we can find a smaller chain. A dainty one, for someone cute like me to use to intimidate people. We're strong together, but imagine how cool it would be if I came in swinging a chain and you had your knife ready.
[He snickers, still feeling giggly especially after her tickling.]
Oh, or one that's got a knife at the end, those are cool! Oh, but a spiked ball at the end would have more weight, that'd swing real good.
[It sure is fun to imagine, and he just loves picturing his girl wrecking dudes with a cool extra-dangerous chain. He's convinced she'd be great at it, too, with a little practice.]
[And she is very intrigued by the idea. Her mind being what it is still latches onto some girlish and childish things that help her mourn the little girl she never really got to be. And then it twists everything to fit into the life she lives now, one of action and violence and danger. A pink little girly chain with a spiked ball at the end sounds like the perfect birthday present to acquire for herself once they're back home.]
I want one just like that. Pink and girly and with a spiked ball. You have to help me make one, okay?
[Just in case he needs some extra encouragement to say yes, she uses her fingertip to nudge his chin toward her so she can give him a sweet little kiss.]
Please?
Yeah yeah, of course! It'll be fun. We'll get some nails, a tennis ball, we can make somethin' cool. I dunno how well paint holds on a chain but we can figure it out for sure.
[Homemade weapons are always a fun project and this one? A custom one for her? Tons of fun, guaranteed.
He takes one more slow hit from his lazily-assembled joint, then breathes a sigh of contentment. He's feeling much better now - warmer, less upset about that hellhole they'd stumbled into. Certainly less mad at her than he'd been, briefly - fuck, it's still dumb she went into a cave underwater just because she felt like she was being called by it, but he can't be angry now, it's too late and she already feels bad enough. No, it's much better to fantasize about a cool pink spiky ball and chain combo and all the fun they'll get up to when they're back home.]