The Ballad of a Buried Beast

Chapter 16.

After the events of that night, we drove in silence. Once Gabriel, Sam, and Jason had all gotten the cheering out of their systems, there wasn't really much left to say. There were only questions, now--theories and quiet realizations. Everyone had something they wanted to know, but no one felt safe enough to ask.

But then, Sam turned the radio on, and the slow strum of a southern man's guitar streamed into our heads as we hit the bumpy out-of-town roads. We were just above an hour away from where the chaos had ensued, and with the fickle chords humming through the speakers we began to feel safe enough to finally open our mouths.

Or, at least I did.

"Mal," I found myself lying against the metal bed as the rumbling of uncharted roads shook the truck, "How-uh... Are you okay?"

She glanced at me over her shoulder and I looked away, my eyes lifting to the open sky as they found distraction in the exposed nebula. It was vast and viciously shaped, running through the veiled space above like a spilled purple cloud. I had a dream about this once, I think--one that I'd previously drowned about a year ago. I was laying down just like this, but in a patch of grass atop a hill. Far away from the lights of town, a girl and I looked up at-

A quiet hum interjected itself into my thoughts as the truck forcefully rocked. The dream sunk back into obscurity as I reeled in my head from the clouds and glanced over; Malo had joined me in my quiet laying. Her eyes were wide, and her jaw was opened as if whispering some soft mystery.

For a while, that's how she stayed. A comfortable silence lay over us like a curtain, and I found my eyes returned to their dazed stares above as the cold air whistled in her stead.

"Malo-" her voice was faint when she eventually began, just barely audible over the muffled strumming as her eyes traced over the same sparkling streams, "Has never seen a sky."

I glanced over at her. "You haven't?"

She shook her head, "No, no; Malo has only known ceiling and... Black, but," her brows furrowed for a moment, "Different black--empty black."

"-The dark nowhere?"

"Yes, the... Dark nowhere. Yes."

Her voice fell into a dreamy mumble as she continued to stare. After maybe a minute, I took it upon myself to bring her back.

"Do you like it?"

"Hm-? Does Malo like what?"

I raised an arm and spread my fingers out into a swirl. "The sky," I told her, a subtle amazement carrying the words out of my loose lips, "Does Malo like the sky?"

She scoffed at my subtle imitation. I smirked.

"Does Malo like the-? Yes," she nodded alongside me, "Yes, Malo, Malo likes the not-empty sky. She thinks she will miss it."

"Miss it?" I furrowed my brow a little as the words ran by me again, "You're saying that like you're going somewhere."

She glanced at me, then back to the sky. "Colored men," she said. "Colored men follow Malo like Malo follows paths. Colored men have tried to hurt Malo--colored men have tried to trap Malo--but... Nothing works--nothing worked--because colored men could not follow Malo inside the dark nowhere. Malo is no longer inside the dark nowhere. Malo realizes she-... Malo has real danger now--is a real danger, too and-"

Her chest began to huff as she tripped over her words, thoughts flooding the space beneath her eyes as the sky now failed to keep her focus.

"Jack should run," she whispered. "Jack shouldn't... Be with Malo--not anymore, not even before--he... He should have left with his friends."