flames | The Lost Boys (1987) | revised

| TWELVE |

My first thought when I woke up was that my body ached, and it ached quite a bit, and I felt tired. There was a sleepiness to my bones that I couldn't shake even as I began to collect myself. It was also incredibly dark, so dark that I couldn't even see my hands stretched out in front of me. Where was I? The last thing I remembered was passing out on the couch.

I pulled myself off the ground slowly. The floor was stone, and when I reached around for a bit, I found that the walls were stone, too. The only place I could think to be was the cave, but if I was, I was pretty far back. I dropped back onto the ground with a sigh. There was no point in trying to figure my way out considering I couldn't see anything.

I patted my pockets, trying to figure out if I had any matches with me only to realize that I was wearing someone else's jacket. I hadn't even noticed until now, but as I ran my hand down the front, I knew it was David's. It was long, falling to below my knees if I stood up, and it was incredibly warm. I smiled to myself and closed it around me, leaning against the wall behind me.

I closed my eyes and took slow breaths. It was incredibly quiet, the only noise being a dripping somewhere near me. Then, there was the sound of boots followed by a flashlight shining through a hole in the room. I lifted myself again, keeping close to the wall.

"Ivy," a voice I easily recognized as Marko called out. I called back to him, and he stepped into the room a few moments later, shining the light in my eye as he looked for me.

I winced and covered my face with my hands. "Marko, you dumbass, stop that!" My voice was lighthearted, and he laughed at my exclamation.

He pulled the light away and angled it towards the ceiling so the room was flooded with light. I gave him a smile and dropped my hands. He sauntered up and placed his hand on the wall by my head, leaning in close to my face. "So, uh, you come here often?"

We both fell into giggles, and he pulled away. I grabbed his coat, though, and pulled him forward, wrapping my arms around his neck in a tight hug. His arms wound around my waist, and he let out a deep breath. "This is nice," I mumbled against his coat, and he hummed an affirmation. "Why am I all the way back here?" I questioned as we pulled away from each other.

Marko froze for a moment before taking my hand in his and leading me away from the room, the flashlight as our source of light. "Well, we didn't want to leave you out in the sunlight because it'd be uncomfortable for you. You just ended up sleeping longer than we expected."

"Why would the sunlight be uncomfortable?" I asked only for everything to click into place. I stopped walking, and Marko's hand slipped from my grasp. "You did what I think you did, didn't you?" Had they turned me?

Marko hung his head as he answered. "You were going to die."

I was silent for a few moments before I nodded. "Okay," I said simply and took his hand in mine again.

"Okay?"

I laughed under my breath. "You did what you had to. Thank you."

I began walking again, and he followed, but he didn't talk. The rest of the walk was incredibly short, and I wasn't as far into the cave as I originally thought I was. As we emerged into the fully lit living area, I smiled at the boys and sat down on one of the couches. Marko went off in another direction, and Paul jumped over the back of the couch to sit beside me. He looked worried, but I wasn't sure why.

"Are you okay?" I asked, throwing my legs over his lap.

He responded by pulling me over until I was sitting on his lap, facing the others. He placed his head on my shoulder. "Aren't I supposed to ask you that, Ivy?"