consume (yellowjackets)

chapter three.

Grey was on the soccer field, struggling to keep her eyes open through the burning sensation in the base of her skull.

She gazed upon the distance and when she blinked, everything rotated.

The grounds shifted beneath her feet and she was again, standing on the same field, except now in front of the goal post, staring out into the expanse of darkness.

"We're not something to fear. Look at us, Grey." She refused to— stubbornly shaking her head and balling her hands into fists. "Look at us!"

Grey choked back a sob when her eyes found the light.

Lottie, Jackie, Shauna, Natalie, Laura Lee.. all her friends, the Yellowjackets were lined up side by side in uniform. There was a gaping hole where their hearts were supposed to be— beyond the hollow, she could see a message board that read Congratulations, Yellowjackets on your journey to nationals!

Each face had a twisted smile. Teeth coated with blood.

Jackie stepped forward, Grey fell back.

"Stop- please stop. You're scaring me." Grey pleaded, shuffling across the grass until her back met the cold steel of the goal post.

Jackie stopped.

She crouched down, and lowered her hands. Inside her palm was a heart, still beating.

Grey bit her lip. "Why're you doing this?"

"To survive, you have to feed."

"What?" She shook her head. "Go away. You're not real. Get away from me!"

Jackie started to laugh, soon more cruel giggles came from the lineup. "I exist inside your head, of course I'm real."

"You're just a figment of my imagination. You're a fucking-"

Grey jolted awake. She was drenched with sweat. She looked down, attempting to count how many fingers she had but a weight shuffled around beside her.

"Bad dream?"

Jackie's voice made Grey's skin crawl. As she turned her head. That face, those eyes, those lips. Jackie was smirking at her. "Come back to bed, I can help you forget all about your nightmare."

Grey screamed, waking up for the third and final time. Mari's arms were around her, reminding her what's real. "You were thrashing around in your sleep."

"I had a bad dream."

"Wanna talk about it?" Mari asked softly, raking her nails across Grey's forearm to soothe her. "I'm a good listener."

"When you want to be."

"And I want to be right now." Mari mumbled. "Was Jackie in your dream?"

Seeing Grey's face pale, Mari chuckled. "Oh so she was? That bad huh?"

"It was twisted. She was offering me her heart to eat and you were there, standing there with this sca-."

"I was there too? Was this a sex dream. You're so scandalous, Beckett."

Grey pulled from her embrace and punched Mari's shoulder. "You asshole. I'm trying to talk to you about this."

"I'm sorry, I'll be serious now."

"Why does my cheek hurt?"

Mari raised her eyebrows. "Hmm?"

"My cheek. It feels like I got slapped."

"Oh yeah, something fell from the shelf above the bed."

"Mari, I don't have a shelf above my bed."

"You were tossing and turning and screaming and I didn't know what else to do.. so I slapped you and then you woke up, yay. I potentially saved your life."