Burn

CHAPTER 5

"Carter?"

It was misty here. Fog entwined around his feet and along his fingers, drifting through the air like a great benevolent ghost.

It ought to have been cold, Carter thought vaguely, swirling his fingers through it. There ought to have been a distinct chill in the air, something to lend further credit to the absurdity of the weather. But it was almost as though he wasn't quite...there. Nothing seemed to truly touch him, even as the mist brushed against his shoulders and obscured his vision.

"Carter?"

The voice echoed through the empty space, it's syllables bouncing against the imperceptible edges of this strange, fogged plain. Carter found himself unable to move until it had truly faded, and then he was calling back, voice tinged with hysteria in his desperation.

"Ryu?!"

He'd know that voice anywhere, could picture every curl and talon, that fanged mouth curving to form his name.

Carter.

"Ryu?! Are you there?!"

"Carter?!"

He was there. Carter could hear him just paces away; he must be through the fog, was probably just a step away, obscured by thick swaths of mist.

All he had to do was push forward, and Ryu would be on the other side, worn trench-coat slung over his black t-shirt, inky curls spilling across his scarlet skin.

Carter's heart beat painfully against his chest as he struggled forward, but his voice seemed clogged when he tried to call out again, and despite his best attempts, his feet would not move further than an inch at a time.

"R-Ry-"

It was like trying to physically wrench the words out, and with every attempt his struggle became too great, until blood was gathering in his mouth and pooling down his chin.

Please. It was a silent plea, but it seemed to echo through the fog all the same. Please, send Ryu back.

"Carter?"

Carter whirled, suddenly free, heart in his throat-

And found himself staring into Pina's wide, mirthful eyes.

Carter awoke with a gasp.

Sweat was clinging to his skin, plastering his hair to his forehead and his sheets to his thighs. His heart galloped as he sat up and kicked back the covers, rubbing absently at his throat as he sucked in air. He remembered the pain, the blood, the desperation-

He'd been close to Ryu, so close...

"Pina?" He whispered into the dark, voice raw and raspy; perhaps he'd been crying out in his sleep. "Are you there?"

There was a pause, and then the air seemed to freeze around him, despite there being no visible change, and a moment later Pina at the end of his bed, one arm propped against the wood.

"You called, boss?"

There was teasing lilt to her fanged mouth, but it was more mocking than truly amused, and it unnerved Carter.

Fighting back a shudder, he drew his knees to his chest and pulled his covers into his lap.

"Were you in my dream?" He burst out. He'd meant to be more tactful, but the question had burned on his tongue so intently he'd been unable to keep it in. "The real you, I mean."

Pina lifted a quizzical brow. "No?"

At Carter's skeptical look, she huffed and sank primly onto the edge of his bed. "I'm not the kind of demon that can, like, travel through dreams, Carter."

"But it is possible," he prompted.

"Sure. I guess so." Pina glanced away, clearly uncomfortable, and scuffed her foot against the floor.

In the silence that followed, Carter cleared his throat and said, "Ryu was there."

Pina froze and gazed over at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"Yeah." Carter shrugged, attempting to affect nonchalance. "I heard his voice."

Pina seemed to relax, shoulders drooping. "Did you didn't actually see him?"

"Well," Carter began, "no, but-"

"Carter," Pina interrupted, and her voice was so soft, so gentle, that Carter immediately braced for her next words. "I've been...having trouble finding Ryu."

Ice seemed to claw through Carter's veins, completely at odds with the heat burning in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I'm trying," Pina promised, offering a sympathetic smile, "but its been...tough. It's like he's out of reach. Like he's...disconnected."

Her gaze grew distant, and when she remained quiet for several, a flare of frustration burst through Carter.

"Where is he?!" He demanded, raking agitated hands through his hair. "Why isn't he back here?!"

Pina's brows furrowed, discomforted in the face of such emotion. "I don't-"

"I just want my friend back," Carter whispered, and he was sobbing now, tears collecting in his eyes and dripping onto the sheets in his lap. "I just want Ryu back."

Pina swallowed and stop from the bed, glancing uncertainly over a bare pink shoulder. "I'll just...give you some time."

She turned on her heel and was gone instantly, and for the first time in a few weeks Carter let himself cry, let himself truly feel the pain as it crashed over him in unfurling waves of grief.

A/N: Please feel free leave a comment and/or vote if you enjoyed!