BADLANDS

ghost

PART 3: WILD

"my ghost, where'd you go?"

3 DAYS LATER

3:37 AM

sand whips around them, air howling in the wind. she's searching for something that she can't reach. something that she can't see, something she doesn't even know exists.

they're struggling against the constant windstorm, pushing their weight against it, rags clamped over their mouths. she feels like breaking down, but whenever she looks next to her she's reminded that she can't.

it's her fault that they're out here.

her fault they're alone, hungry, and tired. their skin and bones have been stripped away, throats bare and hoarse, lips cracked and chapped.

she had been the one to drug him, the one to pull him along and drive until the sun set and they ran out of gas.

the vivid blue sky is taunting them, hanging over their heads like the everlasting heat. they fight the air along the cracked pavement of the roadside.

the sand beneath their feet is a light pink, the misty quality of the desert like a dreamland. no signs of light surrounded them, just the unforgiving wind. she pushes on, gritting her teeth and shielding her eyes from the blinding sun. suddenly, she notices the lack of a presence. she stops and turns to look behind her.

he's bent over in the sand, folded over his knees, coughing roughly and violently, hair blown away from his pale skin.

"what are you doing?" she yells, but her voice is sucked into the wind. she trudges back to him, grabbing his arm roughly.

he flinches, wrestling out of her grip and pushing her away. the shock of this bitter movement stings underneath her skin. only then does she look behind them again, trying to locate the focus of his vacant stare.

she loses her breath, tension building in the pit of her stomach. ashley doesn't know if she's elated or terrified. nothing lies ahead of them but the sand, the sun, and the wild.

they've reached the end of the road.

X

"i like the sad eyes, bad guys, mouth full of white lies."

0:00 AM

his hands bring to her the sinful, dark pleasure that only the most corrupt can evoke. they're everywhere and nowhere at once, fleeting touches that can only be described as impure.

she's still like his angel, bathing in the swathing white satin sheets, bare and raw to his touch. the room around them is dark, his face hooded underneath a veil. outside of them, bright bursts of light shine down onto the sheets. smoke clouds the night air, curling sharply through their veins.

he holds her down, pinning her tightly and reveling in the lust of power. he brushes the long blue hair out of her face, tracing her jaw with his knuckles. he drags his fingers over her full, pink lips.

"who are you?" she whispers breathily into his light touch.

his dark eyes gleam underneath the hood, piercing the night, dragging a hand down her bare skin. "you know exactly who i am."