Just To Be In Your Hands

Thorns

Life had suddenly come to a stop, everything seemed dull and dead, every single little noise felt like static; going through one ear and coming out the other. That's at least how Rayne felt.

They were so disassociated from the world that they didn't even feel it when Ash carried them away from the murder scene and back to his pickup truck. He didn't know what to say either, seeing his partner so upset, over something he didn't have any control over; he knew what went on in there, how their friend met her end in the jaws of the one model he found so charming.

Oh, how he wanted to break inside and swing his fists until they were painted in red, but he knew better, he couldn't just mindlessly attack a celebrity. Yet, most importantly, he felt ashamed. Ashamed of liking a person who had harmed his beloved so horribly, now all he could do was try and comfort them to the best of his abilities, even with himself being the same type of monster who was responsible for the death of Kiera.

He carried them inside the truck as he raised up his palms which contained them closer to his face, of course, also far enough in hopes of making it more comfortable for them.

Rayne didn't even notice the change of location or Ash bringing them up to his face. They curled up into a ball as they stared off to the curves of Ash's palm underneath his fishnet glove. Ash felt even worse at the sight of that, maybe even a little awkward. He slowly but surely opened his mouth to try and get Rayne's attention.

"Hey...I know you probably wouldn't want to talk right now and that's completely fine, I can only imagine how devastating this must've been for you. I just want you to know that I'm still here for you, and always will be, alright?"

Rayne didn't answer, lowering their head down even further as they hid their face out of sight. The only noise that could be heard from them being the faint sounds coming from their nose sniffling.

"Rainstorm?"

Ash called out to them, he didn't expect them to be this silent, it only broke his heart further; though to his surprise, they actually answered him.

"Just place me back inside the cup holder and drive us back to the forest, please."

They muttered out, not even daring to look up at him. Ash still felt the guilt of having his hands tied in this situation, it gnawed at him deeply; alas, all he could do was just obey as he set them down and started driving.

While Ash and Rayne were heading back to the forest, someone else was already in the said forest, Lana. Ever since last night, she had been stranded in the woods, walking in deeper and deeper. She searched left and right without a drop of sleep or calm, if it wasn't for her extreme luck, she would've been fed to the wolves already.

She kept hearing things, voices, whispers; yet she did not look their way, not even once. All that mattered was finding Kiera and even if it cost her all her leftover sanity, she would find her.

Suddenly, she found herself being surrounded, helpless, and unable to move. She looked around to be met with a woman staring at her; a lifeless-looking woman. Her body was mangled up with her limbs facing the wrong way asides from her missing leg as the flesh on her face and bones was melting away with a weird substance dripping down from the melted patches of flesh, her skull peeking out from underneath what was left of her face and a few strands of differently coloured hairs; red, black and blonde.

With one eye out of its socket, hanging off by just the optic nerve, the other still inside the socket; a glowing green colour, staring into the depths of Lana's soul.

She looked oddly familiar as Lana saw her oddly comforting green iris staring right into hers. Before Lana could say anything, the woman whispered to her,
"Leave this place, get away.".