Dust to Dust

25

"If that isn't enough evidence, I have more."

How the fuck could he know more than that? He had basically uncovered her entire life. The only possible explanation was something supernatural was going on. But that wasn't possible, was it? There was no such thing as a god, and especially not one that knows all of that. The previous thought of them knowing each other when they were kids was thrown out the window, because he even knew what happened in the riots. Had he seen it all somehow? And if so, how? There were too many questions to count.

"Do you... really believe you know all of that... because of a god living inside your head?"

He looked disappointed at how clueless she was. "Of course I do. There's no other explanation, is there? I have these visions that come to me while I sleep. A lot of them were about you. I've seen images of your life, even though I've been here. It's not like I was there when your family was killed. You can ask anyone here, I've never left."

"But... but everyone aside from the adherents came here after the world collapsed, right? You could have been out beforehand-"

"Now you're being ridiculous. Why and how would I have done that? Also, that's incorrect. Eren and Christine arrived here before the virus. Eren was kicked out of their home for being in love with Christine, and they ran away together. They've been here longer than almost anyone."

Her mind was racing with everything he just said. It was all so much to process. "So there seriously is a voice in your head that just happens to know everything about me?"

He nodded. "Any why you, I'm guessing you're curious?"

She nodded slowly, still in disbelief.

"Well that is something that will take a very long time to explain. But all I'll tell you for now is that for a long time now, we were set to be brought together. I'd call it fate. You're here for a reason Jenny, and that reason will come within time. Please trust me on this."

How could she trust him with such little explanation? "What do you mean, fate? What is all this about?"

"I told you, I can't explain it yet. I'd rather have the adherents here, they know it all."

"They do? Even Charlotte?" She had said that she was on both Jenny and Asher's side. So she was hiding something for her sake.

"Yes. I've seen you and her talking sometimes. I think she finds entertainment in talking to someone younger than her. She was so full of energy when I first met her. Has she told you that she and the rest of the adherents escaped from a religious academy?"

"Yeah, she did. Why doesn't she just talk to you then, if she needs to hide things?"

Asher's lips parted slightly, thinking about something. "I'm not a fun person to talk to. You know that."

He wasn't wrong there. "Okay... so will you tell me eventually, please? This is really bothering me, and no offense, but I don't feel safe around you."

Asher laughed a bit even though she was completely serious. "None taken. I won't judge you for that. And yes, I promise I will get to that. But there's one more thing I have to tell you right now. It's about-"

"Jasper, yeah. You sounded so positive that he was gone. Forever. But I don't like the way you phrased that."

Asher's previous energy dropped, and he looked slightly dull now.

Jenny's heart tugged at her chest. "Something else happened, didn't it? Is he... is he in danger, Asher. God, please tell me."

He could sense her pain and sighed regretfully. "I didn't lie about him leaving. Everything I said about that is true. However, after he left, something did happen."

"How do you know? You didn't follow him, did you?"

"No. But Jenny... what I'm about to say will be extremely hard to believe, but hopefully I've gained a bit of your trust now after giving evidence that my Lord is real. I wouldn't be able to know your past any other way."

Oh god something awful had happened. She opened her mouth, ready to say something, but choked on her words. "G-go ahead. I'll listen."

Asher gazed at her petrified face. "This place is cursed. Ever since I stepped foot on it, and started making offerings. Whoever enters cannot leave. That's why I can't leave the camp. The first offering I ever made to this place is a link. I'm tethered to this place, and so is everyone else inside it. We've had people go onto further hunting grounds for a few hours, and they never returned. I hope you know where I'm going with this."

Jenny shook her head rapidly, in denial. She gripped her nails into her hair, fingers trembling. "No, I don't. What happened, Asher? What happens to the people that leave?"

Asher stepped in front of her, moving her hands away from her face. She immediately swatted him away. "Don't touch me and tell me what the fuck is going on here!"

He took a step back, and held his hands together. "You and Jasper went back to get your things from the house you were staying in. You were gone for about an hour and a half. The people we sent hunting were gone for three hours at most."

"What happened to them?"

"We found them all dead. Gun wounds through all of their hearts. Bullets from their guns were missing. They had all killed themselves."

Time seemed to stop. If she and Jasper were gone longer than that, would they have ended up in the same state? And Jasper had been gone for far longer than three hours.

"Anyone who leaves is consumed by something sinister. It drives them to violence, always seemingly self-inflicted. We've had several people go missing because of it, but to avoid a panic, I always came up with some sort of excuse. This place is cursed and there's nothing that can be done about it. You were so unlucky that Jasper found you that day. If you had stayed on the other side of the river and gone home, you never would have gotten involved in this mess. If Jasper wasn't there and talked you into staying, you would be free. But let's say you changed your mind, and after the first day you decided you wanted to go back. You would be dead right now."

The first stage of grief was always denial. And that lasted about ten seconds before it all started to sink in. She had seen enough death to see this one coming. Asher wasn't lying, he couldn't be. He had absolutely nothing to gain from it. If Jasper never was coming back, he could have just said that if this supposed curse didn't exist. So Jasper wasn't just gone.

"So he's... he's actually...

"Jenny." she realized she was being hysteric and snapped out of it to look at him. She was usually pretty good at figuring out what Asher was thinking, but now she just couldn't tell.

"I'm sorry. Jasper is dead."

She knew it. But didn't want to face the facts. Just hearing him say those three words was enough to send her into a mental collapse.

But it was strange. Once he said it, her quick beating heart had slowed, and she no longer felt that ache in her chest. This should have been her breaking point, so why did she feel calmer?

It lasted a moment, then all those symptoms came back, and panic was flooding her entire body. She couldn't stand anymore, and fell to the ground, shivering and fighting for breath.

Mom, Dad, Steph, Delilah, and now Jasper. The one person she thought was going to stick with her through all the rough times. Until the very end. He made everything feel alright, even just for a while. What she wouldn't give just to feel him lying beside her one more time, playing with her hair, all confident and cute. But now he was gone. Not just out of the camp, but dead. He wasn't anywhere alive in the world anymore. Hopefully, if there was an afterlife, he was somewhere pleasant. At peace, with no more of those attachment issues or fear. She just hoped he was happy.