BADLANDS

young god

"you know the two of us are just young gods."

0:00

the hall is dimly lit, bathed in the slivers of blue and red light that span the dark tile floor. the bare white walls are stripped back, unfinished and seemingly forgotten. the colors that fill the space are enthralling, drawing the girl tentatively toward them in a dreamlike state. she watches as her shadow ripples across the ground, letting the cyan light fall onto her face.

it's a place she's never seen before. and she knows zach is gone for now, that she's left alone with her thoughts.

and a decision.

she feels his hands before anything else, the hesitant warmth pressed into her shoulder. those hands that she'll always recognize.

he's here with her. alive, of course.

"why couldn't i have known earlier?" she says aloud, never turning away from the light. she lets his hands slide around her waist, but can't bear to look at him. "before i had to fuck it all up. make all of this so hard."

"you did know," peter mutters. "sometimes, time just has to... take it's course before you believe something."

she gives up. she turns around to look into his eyes, cupping his face with her hands. "i don't want to leave you," she whispers softly, letting her hands trace his jaw lightly. his eyes are as piercing as ever, never leaving hers.

"then don't," he tells her. it's a jarring moment, when you look into someone's eyes. like a shock of energy transferring between them. for a flicker of a second, a feeling overcomes her that she can't explain.

he looks away. "but don't lie to yourself. you have to know why you're doing this."

"because i love you," she says, taken aback. "you're all i have, and i-"

"why?" he raises his voice, parting from her touch. "i tried to kill you, i've done all of these things but still you-"

through her spinning vision, she has to remind herself that the boy in front of her isn't and has never been real. from the dark jeans to the tattered white shirt that spans his broad shoulders, to the blue eyes that look down at her. he feels so real to her, with every touch and breath and step that he takes.

"i know it doesn't make sense," she pleads, stepping towards him. "you act so cold, but i know you care about me, in some way. about us. and after everything we went through-"

"did we?" he asks sadly, eyes filled with genuine pity. "did any of that really happen, though? how can you even know that?"

her chest tightens, a choking noise coming from her throat. "it did." she whispers in shock, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "i don't know anything, okay? i'm fucking terrified but the only thing that makes sense is the moments when i see you. because this whole thing is falling apart, except for you." her voice cracks. "and that's why i love you."

she blinks hard, staring up at him before breaking away, rushing down the hall as tears run down her face. each step clatters against the tile, staring at the tattered black clothing that hugs her knees.

she pushes against the door at the end of the hall roughly, stumbling onto the cement on the balcony. a sudden deafening scream rings through her ears, feeling smoke press around her body. that's when she sees it.