BADLANDS

roman holiday

"i remember the fear in your eyes the very first time we snuck into the city pool."

11:13 PM

her feet skim across the lulling waves, dragging ripples through the clear, light- webbed pool. her pale toes curl as they slide into the icy cold water. side by side, they sit on the edge of the pool, feet dangling under the water.

he's breathless, his eyes full of the kind of fear you can only achieve from exhilaration. it reminds her of when they had snuck out months before, drinking and smoking around the city. they had now broken into the city's empty indoor pool in the spur of the moment.

but this time, the stakes were different.

ashley had fled the church in a daze, haunted by the vision imprinted on the back of her eyes. peter was waiting at their apartment, restless and eager to bring her somewhere. she couldn't ruin it for him, couldn't tell him the truth.

it's kind of eery how the town is laid out: large, vast skyscrapers and buildings spanning the city, but not a single person living there besides them. the streets were empty, besides the barren settlement to the west, full of the religion, the plague, and the secrets that chilled her to think about.

with a single move, she brushes her thoughts away, smooth skin sliding under the surface of the water, head submerging. she gasps for air as she resurfaces, burning eyes blinking hard from the water. the walls around them are glass, darkness pressed tightly against them. the hollow city encompassing them emits no light.

"come in," she invites, voice echoing off of the empty walls, legs flexing as she keeps herself afloat. he studies her for a second, reflected in the shimmering water, before plunging underneath.

she laughs quickly, closing the space between them by swimming towards him. his trembling hands cradle her face, and they embrace the silence in the tide.

"i like it," he mumbles absentmindedly, tracing his fingers down her jaw. "your hair," he pauses. "you look so much stronger with it."

she just sighs into his touch, brushing the pads of her hands across his bare chest, water lapping around them. "mhm."

"we could stay here..." he looks straight at her. his damp, dark hair curls around the side of his face. "forever. the whole city to ourselves."

she feels guilt pooling in her chest for keeping so much from him. the blood on the walls, the girl's head on the floor. but she still can't form the words she needs to say.

this place is hell, ashley needs to tell him.

we are still in the badlands.

but this fades away when he drags his hands to her hips, wet t-shirt clinging to her skin, bare underneath it.

his grip brings an audible gasp to her lips, fingers clutching his hair as he messily kisses down her neck. she forgets everything she wants in a rush of heat and water, lips bitter and skin dripping underneath her fingertips.

he's so unlike anyone she's ever met. he says barely anything, conveying everything through touch and song. it's like she knows almost nothing about him, nothing about his life in the badlands, nothing about his deal with zack, his sins, his other loves.

but it's as if this doesn't even matter to her, because she's running her hands through his hair, dragging out his lower lip with her teeth. they're trusting each other with themselves anyways, trusting each other to survive.

"can i?" his fingers hesitantly hover over the hem of her white shirt, plastered to her skin. he slides it up slowly, waves rippling around them.

he reveals the fleshy wound underneath it, still pink and raw. he traces it lightly. "im still mad i didn't stop this," he clenches his jaw. "they had to hold me back from chasing the guy down, you know."