Rebel Red Hope

13

     Finally having caught our breath, my chuckles fade while opening my eyes seeing all the long-dead flowers, leaves, and branches that decorated the cavern from when Clancy and I were here for that spring. Walking around here without him feels almost like blasphemy, but it's a safe haven with or without him. Looking over at Alex, my lungs let out a breathy chuckle of relief to see them asleep on the ground, exhausted from our sprint out of the city, but still dressed in that uniform. Taking a breath and setting my bag down carefully, doing my best to quietly open it and grab some clothing out of it for them, but looking at the size, I know it's all going to be big on them. Better than what they're wearing I guess. So, setting one of my shirts and a pair of pants next to them, I start looking around the cavern for anything Clancy might have left from last time, and indeed, something catches my eye: The photos I took with his camera were still face down on the rock bench. Smiling while lifting them up, my eyes soften looking at them. One is of me, the other of Tyler laying in the water, but both had dates and a small message on them. 

     'A new Arlyn' is written on the one he took of me.

    'Tyler taking a bath" is written on the one of Tyler.

     "dumb-ass-" I softly whisper with a stupid smile on my face before placing them back down and looking around more. There isn't much left. So it was true. He did go back on his own. 

     After a bit more looking, I finally decide to sit and write some in my journal for a bit. After all, if I do forget any of this then chances are the shadow would take over me. Neon, not shadow. Would the shadow do anything?

Yes

     Shifting myself a small bit, my arm burns again under my sleeve. A reminder that Clancy has the bandana, but why are my arms burning? Taking off the jacket to assess the damage, my mind goes blank seeing the black smear marks the whole length of my forearm in an attempt not to wake up Alex with my panic so instead, I stare at it,

     "Starting to get it now?" the shadow person says draped dramatically over the bolder roughly in front of me before almost glitching to a sitting position, legs wide, but its elbows rest on its knees, "Hello, earth to-"

     "shut up." I interrupt it causing it to recoil as if offended, hand over heart,

     "Oh my, I'm surprised the big red man never got your tongue for that kinda sass," it mocks me, "But honestly, the kid over there," it gestures over to Alex and I straighten up, ready to fight whatever this thing is, "the kid can't see me or hear me." they move over to Alex and scream, their tone sounding more like 6-toned with each screech before looking back up at me, "see?"

     "What even are you?" I ask quietly, still not wanting to wake up Alex,

     "Ok, so you're still bone dead stupid- Do you remember their names at least?" 

     I pause, stunned by how fast it went from insulting me to asking me a question,

     "Earth to Arlyn," it calls me, "Names, do you remember," it talks in a choppy, slow, mocking voice,

     "Whos names?"

     It roles its eyes, "oh for fuck sake, The dudes in red? The bishops?" it raises its eyebrows, "You don't remember anything do you?" it asks, the corners of what I could see of its lips drop behind the mask, "Bet you don't remember yourself either," it gives a quick and feral smile before evaporating. What in the ever-loving fuck is going on? 

     Looking back down at my arms, they appear normal again, only old scars and a few old scratches remain, but they burn. Quickly taking out some bandages from my bag, I wrap my arms in hopes that the burning would stop.