PERVERSE - Apply Fic

16

Leo gets to the steps of the church after Kaylee has left, but he is unaware. He leans against one of the doors of the church, his shoulder pressed against it. He tries to listen for sound past it but is aware of every sound he makes. Not just of his heart thumping in his ears, but the rustling of his sleeve against his chest as he breathes in and out deeply. He swears that on streets far away he hears the sounds of trucks driving past. Nothing past the door.

Gods often ask for sacrifices. Leo gave up his life for salvation once. It seems whatever power infects the church determined his offering was enough. It takes and takes. And now, it takes every sound in the church.

He presses up against the door.

"It's your fault, you know."

Leo bursts into the church. The door swings on its hinges. He isn't sure why he expected to see Miko on the other side. He had gotten used to hearing her voice, to seeing her where she wasn't supposed to be. Leo hasn't taken his pills since the day before he died. He hadn't expected to need them again.

That isn't what it feels like though.

Leo stumbles into the church, staring up at the pulpit. He wonders if he sees a shadow.

Then, he stumbles downstairs. He bursts through the door. In the kitchenette, Este is washing dishes. They glance back at him, the first soft smile of what might be many more.

"Isn't it cruel to make Nico carry all the groceries?" Este asks.

"Are they gone?" Leo's voice is horse.

Este laughs, "who? If you're asking if it's just me, yes."

Leo peers down at the beds, perhaps expecting to find someone there. Maybe Miko. Instead, Leo looks back at Este. They start to hum, the song Fallon played earlier. Leo doesn't know the song, doesn't recognize it, and all he starts to worry it's a hymn. Then, he runs back up the stairs, beginning to check all the rooms of the church.

In the graveyard, everything is as settled as it could be. Ajay doesn't cover the grave very well. He has pushed his body to its limits too many times now. He kicked in the piles of dirt, using his shovel to the best of his ability to push it in. At one point, Eva got in and lied on the ground, and Ajay didn't care. He just kept going. She popped back up to help him, and he didn't care. Then, once the grass one shoved on top haphazardly, he ran back to the church.

Eva left too, and now she still follows in his footsteps.. She is caked in the dirt. It peppers her hair, makes her skin itch, and she is sure looks like she is what crawled out of the grave. She skips through the streets after Ajay, even though she lost him half an hour ago. Eva doesn't mind being alone. Her edgy friends in high school always said they were born alone and they'd die alone. Neither of those things are true of Eva. Being alone in the street is nice enough. She tips her body back, head pointed up, and she howls into the sky.

Somewhere far away, Ambrose hears the sound. His head twists behind him to follow it.

"Are you done?" Audrey asks.

Ambrose glares at her. Eva's body is in the bag in front of him. A body. Not a God. Partially bones at least, but the little flesh that remains is putrid. Audrey has been plugging her nose as she struts through the streets and Ambrose has been subjected to it. Although, that is not why he stopped. The bag is heavy. It carries the weight of a life, after all.

He tries to pick it up, but his arms can't carry it anymore. Audrey rolls her eyes.

"You can't pretend you find it gross now," she crosses her arms. "What did you expect to find in there?"