Together they walked through the forest, dry leaves crunching underfoot. It was early September, and the hazy light filtered down from the tree canopy above, the kaleidoscopic patterns all around them. The air was scented with a faint hint of leaf decay, a reminder of the impermanence of everything. Inky recalled the last time they had been here, well over a year ago now. Thorn had mentioned that nobody else really visited this place, which was just as well- the stone archway remained intact, untouched by time, almost illusory.
"Look, Thorn- it's still here," Inky said, in awe of the abandoned area and its testament to the trials of weather and seasons. The strange neutral energy still permeated the air- neither dark nor light, but a timeless combination of both, perhaps. Thorn nodded in agreement. "Of course- I told you, nobody ever comes out here, and technically it's on my property- so I'm fairly sure that the locals want nothing to do with it." Inky looked around, eyes scanning the scenery. It was almost as if they'd stepped into another realm- the opposite of the Red Void.
It didn't take her long to find the panel of mirror- and she vividly remembered the last time they'd been here- that particular memory causing heat to rise to the surface of her skin. Their reflected images together, Thorn staring at her, forcing her to confront her own reflection when they were together... No, you can't look away...I want you to watch. This time she did not avoid eye contact, and smiled knowingly at him when he noticed the expression on her face. However- they needed to collect the panel of mirrored glass for the strange trap that they had planned to set for the abomination.
It was covered in a slight layer of dust and cobwebs, and Inky brushed them away from the reflective silver surface, seeing her own face reflected back, how strange it was to be here again after everything that had taken place. "Help me carry this back, damn thing is awkward," she told Thorn, who was still observing her reaction with mild amusement. They each grabbed one side of the glass panel, careful not to drop it, or injure themselves on the edges. They awkwardly carried the mirror panel back through the forest, Thorn cursing loudly when Inky tripped over a tree root and almost sent the mirror flying into oblivion. She tried not to laugh at the string of expletives- she didn't think she'd ever heard him swear so much, even when he was angry. An errant branch almost hit her in the face while she was distracted, and she tried not to think of the absurdity of this whole scenario.
Once the mirrored glass was safely stowed away in the backseat of her Dodge, Inky burst out laughing, and Thorn just looked at her in confusion, a puzzled expression in his dark eyes. "What the hell is so damn funny, Inky? You could have gotten hurt- and we could have broken the mirror- which we need for your plan," he muttered in irritation. "It's just- I've never heard you swear so much- or that- colorfully- it was kind of hilarious, you have to admit," Inky answered, trying to keep a straight face. Thorn looked away, seeming rather caught off-guard. "It's not that funny," he replied dejectedly, closing the car door. Inky rolled her eyes, getting into the driver's seat and starting the engine. "Actually it was- nobody in the world swears like that- half of the shit you said wasn't even an actual curse word- and here I thought I was dyslexic," she teased sarcastically, lighting a cigarette.
"Never mind- I guess next time I'll have to watch my language," Thorn said, seeming unimpressed with the whole situation. He looked away from her, out the open window of her car, and back at the dark building he lived in- they now both lived in- together. Inky flicked the end of the cigarette ash out the window, trying to keep the taunting grin off her face, to no avail. "What did half of that even mean?" she continued, the nonsensical curse words still fresh in her mind. Usually he was not one to speak like that, and was generally rather polite unless aggravated. "It doesn't matter- would you just drop it, I was just concerned about you hurting yourself in the woods. Maybe I shouldn't be," he replied, taking the cigarette from her hand, taking a drag.
"What the hell, Thorn- you don't even smoke," Inky protested, trying to retrieve her stolen cigarette. "Well, maybe I should take up smoking," Thorn answered sarcastically, handing the cigarette back to her. He looked completely agitated with her now, she hadn't meant to start an argument or escalate the situation. "You can have one if you really want," Inky said, handing him the pack of smokes, trying to make a peace offering. "Fuck off," he said quietly, under his breath. Now it was Inky's turn to be completely irritated with him. "Fuck off? How about fuck YOU," she replied, stubbing out the end of the cigarette in the ashtray. Even her old car made a sound of protest, and then the engine rattled and abruptly died.
"I wish you would," he said, serious and yet provoking at once. Inky just stared at him, at a loss for words. First they'd gotten what they'd came for in the woods, then the argument, then her car just died- and now what? She'd assumed that he was angry with her, and now he wanted to- Inky couldn't even finish the thought, it was so irrational. Thorn wasn't even acting like himself today, he seemed quite out of character, possibly slipping towards some strange mental collapse. She didn't want to aggravate him further by saying the wrong thing, even in a joking manner.
I always forget- he's still a serial killer- he might not have killed anyone for a while- but that doesn't necessarily mean that he doesn't still think about it, that the dark urges aren't still there... Perhaps what he'd said at her art show was on his mind more than either of them wanted to admit. They sat in the dead car in awkward silence for a few minutes- or it could have been a few hours, Inky couldn't really tell. The sky had gotten darker and was threatening rain. She couldn't even leave now because the car's battery had died- or something- and she was definitely not in the mood to tinker with it right now. The plan would take several days to set up properly anyway, and she didn't want to do anything that even had to do with the Red Void while Thorn was still upset with her. She tried to rationalize what had just happened, but was still feeling extremely confused and conflicted.
"What do you mean?" she finally asked him, nervous to hear his reply. Thorn stared back at her, his eyes seeming cold, devoid of emotion- like when they'd first met. That dark, unnerving stare, like he could see right through her. "Are you- still afraid of me or something?" he asked her, eyes unblinking. Inky almost laughed again, but forced herself not to react inappropriately to the situation- after all, she'd accidentally caused their inadvertent argument, and was feeling guilty- she'd acted like a bitch, and had tried to piss him off on purpose for whatever reason. Seeing him upset at her was rather strange- Inky didn't think that Thorn had ever been upset, mad- anything in that vein- at her. Seeing it directed at her was a foreign concept, and not one she particularly cared for, though she was the instigator.
"Of course I'm not afraid of you- after all this time, why would I be?" Inky answered honestly, wondering what caused Thorn to even think like that. He continued to stare at her, eyes like a dark abyss. "It's been almost a month since we were down in the dark together- and after the sleep paralysis episode, I thought that maybe you were afraid of me again. I wanted you to move in with me after the art show- so you could see that I'm not..." he trailed off, searching for words that he could not find. "I had a bad dream that I- killed you, Inky. Your blood was on my hands, my knife. You know that I would never do anything like that, right? I was so upset that you'd think less of me for saying it- even if it was only a dream."
Inky averted her eyes, it was all too easy for her to imagine herself- throat slit, bleeding out in the dark somewhere- after all, he had admitted to her that he'd wanted to kill her at first- the last time they'd- oh. Wait- does he think that I'm scared of him still because of what he said that day we slept together? She looked up at him in shock, unnerved to see that Thorn was still staring. She didn't think that he'd even looked away once. The more psychopathic tendencies he had tended to emerge when he was in this strange mood. Not anger- but frustration.
"I- didn't intend on you thinking that- you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry if I made it seem that way- after everything you've done for me," Inky said quietly, reaching her hand out to his. Thorn held onto her hand, finally staring out the window again instead of the look of murderous intention he'd been giving her. He carefully traced the pale blue veins at her wrist with one fingertip, eyes staring vacantly out towards the sea. Inky knew that he was trying desperately to repress something terrible, that he was trying not to scare her away. I'm still not afraid of you- I already know what you're capable of... Inky wasn't sure if this weird mood he was in was influenced by the abomination, or just because it had been over a year since- hell, Cayson was the last murder victim, and Thorn had admitted that he'd killed the Gallery owner because he'd been acting inappropriately towards Inky and not appreciating her artwork. He's already killed for you once... it was convenient for the Red Void to show up afterwards...
"I don't know if I can stop thinking like this," Thorn said quietly. "My mind has been- wrong- for such a long time, even before the Red Void, before I met you. I'm trying to suppress it, but I don't think that it's possible." He looked back at Inky, dark eyes filled with something resembling regret. "So do you think that you're going to kill somebody again?" she asked hesitantly. Thorn shook his head. "Honestly? I don't know. Maybe- probably. Like I said, I don't know how long I can force myself to be- normal. I know what I am, Inky. I can try to deny it all I want, deny it to you- but I don't think there's anything anyone can do to change it." He looked down at their hands, the conflicted, trapped expression on his face not fading. "I would understand if you didn't want to be around me anymore, but I'm glad that you decided to stay."
Inky sighed in frustration. "I already told you- I'm not going anywhere. I've already had to- clean up crime scenes for you, hide what I already know. It really doesn't matter to me anymore if you have to kill someone- just- try to find someone that actually deserves it. I don't even know what morals are anymore, I'm trying my best to help you." She held tightly onto his hand, as if she was afraid that he was going to try to leave again. "I'm sorry that I upset you earlier," she said apologetically, hoping that he would forgive her.
Thorn laughed humorlessly. "I wasn't really even upset about that- I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I just- sometimes I still wonder if anyone even wants to be around me after knowing all I've done. How can anyone even stand to look at me- I'm a murderer. A psychopath. That doesn't negate how I feel about you, though. No matter what happens, the dark places my mind wanders- I'll always protect you, even from myself. I love you too much to let anything happen to you," he confessed, staring into her eyes with the familiar dark intensity. I love you too, she thought but did not say.
"Do you want to get out of here? I have to figure out what's up with my car-but it looks like it's going to rain," Inky said, unlocking her car door, changing the subject. She didn't quite know how to respond to his complete honesty. "Where did you want to go?" Thorn asked her, still holding her hand. "Maybe somewhere within walking distance? I mean, I have to go back to my studio tomorrow and sign some paperwork and get the sculpture- so we can get that damn thing out of our lives once and for all." He smiled slightly at her. "I can rent a car I guess, I'm pretty sure your car might be out of commission for a while. It didn't sound great the last few times you've been driving- I just didn't want to worry you." Inky laughed. "Yeah- it's an old bastard shitmobile- but it's gotten me where I've needed to go. I appreciate you trying to help me though," she told him, staring back into his eyes.
They got out of her car and began walking down the dusty road away from the dark building. The sky overhead had turned a darker shade of grey, tinged with a sickly, jaundiced yellow color. Perhaps there will be another storm tonight, Inky thought, strangely hopeful. Ever since the night they'd spent out in the thunderstorm, she'd felt an affinity for otherwise ominous weather patterns. Even in the rain and darkness, I find peace, especially when I'm with you. I know that you are violent, destructive at times- but at least you're real... and you'd never hurt me. She lit up another cigarette as they walked towards the dusty town, a crack of thunder in the darkening sky overhead startling her slightly. Thorn was still holding her hand, as if he was somehow still afraid that she'd change her mind and try to leave again. I'll never leave you- we can't do this alone- we are the parallels- Inky thought, and now more than ever, they had to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with the Red Void one last time. At least, she hoped it would be the last time either of them would have to be subjected to that terrible, suffocating chaos.
She felt a few drops of rain hit her face, and looked upwards into the grey sky. "Remember the last time we were out in the storm?" she asked shyly, a strange tension building in the back of her mind. "Of course," Thorn answered. "How could I ever forget- that was one of the best nights of my life- especially after what had taken place earlier. I had to- destroy myself- to replace that feeling. When I'm with you, though- I don't feel as dead inside. I feel- completely alive." He stared at her, a serious, honest expression on his face. In the dim grey light that was emanating from the stormy sky, Inky could tell that he probably hadn't been sleeping well again, the peculiar light making him look tired, withdrawn, dark circles under his eyes more prominent than usual. "Have you been experiencing sleep paralysis again?" she asked him, looking up into his black eyes. He nodded regretfully, then remained silent. Inky wished that he would tell her what had been keeping him locked in this strange mental state, but she already had a pretty good idea about what was wrong.
The cold rain had started to fall, soaking into the dusty road. Inky's jacket had already been covered in small drops of rain, and she was starting to feel the effects of the cold. It had been so hot in the summer, she was not used to the sudden change in temperature. It didn't seem to affect Thorn, or he didn't mention it, though his black hair was wet, sticking to the sides of his face. "I feel like a drowned rat," Inky laughed, brushing water droplets off of her skin. "We can find somewhere to get out of the rain," he replied, taking off his jacket and holding it around her to protect her from the cold. God, for a self-admitted psychopath, you are- so protective of me, Inky thought, moving closer to him. They walked across a path of crunchy wet gravel, her boots splashing through the small, oily puddles that had started to form, a metallic, iridescent sheen of film sticking to the black leather. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, the storm was moving from over the sea towards the town. Inky thought that there was an odd red tint showing through the clouds, but it was probably just a figment of her imagination.
They took shelter in a decaying barn, once used for various livestock. The scent of moldy, wet hay filled the air, irritating her senses. She made a face of distaste, wishing that there was somewhere else for them to avoid the storm. Thorn noticed, and apologetically looked at her and shrugged. "Sorry- this place is a bit-disgusting," he commented, kicking a rusty tin can out of the way with his boot. The rain overhead ran in thick rivulets down the roof of the barn, seeping through the cracks in the decrepit wood above them. Inky shook her head, shivering from the cold. "At least it's dry in here- for the most part," she answered, handing him back his black jacket. Thorn hung the wet article of clothing on a rusty nail that protruded from the wall, and another flash of lightning overhead lit up the interior of their makeshift shelter. There were several old, rusty lanterns hanging from hooks in the rafters, glass broken out long ago from vandalism or age. A metal trough on the ground was full of mud and rotten leaf detritus, and rusted horseshoes littered the ancient dirt floor under their feet.
"Well- I know it's not ideal, but this is going to have to work for the time being," Thorn told her, eyes wandering around the dingy old barn. "Work for what?" Inky asked tentatively, though a part of her mind could guess what he was implying. "About our argument earlier- I didn't really mean to tell you to fuck off- I was just- still am- extremely frustrated, in every sense of the word. I want to kill someone again, but not if it makes you feel uncomfortable. I want to be with you more," he confessed, stepping closer to her in the small, dusty space they were in. "I'm sorry if I haven't been- present- I've just been distracted by my art show, moving- starting my new job. I never meant for you to think that I didn't want to be with you," Inky replied, staring up into his eyes, this time refusing to look away. "I've never felt like this about anyone in my life, either, in fact, you're- the first, the only person that I've ever- been with, in...that kind of way," she admitted, feeling the color rising in her cheeks. Thorn looked away slightly uncomfortably, almost as if embarrassed that she had told him. "So- that time out in the field- was the first time you..." he trailed off, not sure how to react to her blatant honesty.
You just admitted a slightly awkward truth- why did you feel the need to tell him something so personal? Perhaps it was because she'd always felt so alone, invisible to the rest of the world. How broken her mind must be to have the only relationship of her life be with- a serial killer? Though Inky did not care about this fact, he was more honest and understanding with her than anyone else had ever tried to be, and there was no manipulation. She'd been far too awkward, quiet and self-conscious in high school and college, her only friends the two siblings that had now excommunicated her. That, and she'd never really experienced any kind of normal attraction to anybody until she'd met Thorn. Though he might have his own darkness, even still, she could not deny how she still felt about him. Was it still so wrong that she was in love with someone who'd committed such atrocities? Her mind was no longer conflicted about such thoughts, it was the truth, and she didn't care what the rest of society thought. To hell with their false morality.
Thorn helped her climb up a rickety wooden ladder into the loft overhead, the scratchy hay making her skin itch, her eyes feeling irritated and watery. "I think I'm allergic to this damn barn," she muttered, wondering if her eyes looked as bloodshot and terrible as they felt. "It should be better up here- maybe a little dusty, but they haven't used this area as storage in years. It's just full of old machinery parts. Maybe we can even find something you can use in your art," he replied. Inky laughed in response. "Ah- always the optimist," she said, taking his hand as he pulled her the rest of the way up into the loft. "Are you sure that it's structurally sound up here?" she asked him nervously. Thorn laughed at her technical wording. "Well- I guess we're about to find out," he answered, a trace of humor in his response.
Indeed there were various old, rusted and oily mechanical parts in the loft, though picking through them- there was nothing of any interest to Inky. It was all too big or weathered to utilize in any of her artwork, but she did find a mostly-clean black tarpaulin folded up in one corner, not contaminated by dust, mold, or hay particles. Thorn unfolded the tarp in the driest part of the loft, and the thunder boomed loudly overhead in the sky, reminding her why they were here- avoiding being caught out in the cold downpour again. Inky shivered, her shirt and jacket had gotten soaked through with rain, even under Thorn's jacket. Her skin was cold, it was much colder than it had been in the spring over a year ago. She took off her own pathetically thin jacket, wringing out the rain. "Are you going to be okay?" Thorn asked, seeming concerned that the rain had permeated her clothes, which could possibly lead to hypothermia. Inky shook her head in uncertainty, her black ripped jeans sticking uncomfortably to her legs from the rainwater. She suddenly felt strangely self-conscious, standing there in the old barn's loft soaked in rain. This time Thorn was not staring at her intently, as if he could sense how cold and uncomfortable she was. She knew that he was trying to hold back his dark intentions, perhaps her admission had made him uncomfortable as well.
"I'm not trying to be a creep- hell, I won't even look- but you should probably get out of those wet clothes. I don't want you to get sick, Inky," he insisted softly. I'm already sick- just in a different way, she thought. Inky turned around, peeling off the soggy articles of clothing, the offending material sticking to her skin like moist seaweed. She hung them to dry on a slab of deteriorating sheet metal, and peeked over her shoulder to see if Thorn was watching her. She felt extremely embarrassed to be half-naked in the dusty loft, her choppy, wet hair soaked, dripping rainwater at her feet, now only wearing dark blue lace underwear and her heavy black boots. Thorn had turned away, keeping his promise not to observe her in this vulnerable state- though it was obvious that he'd seen her in many more compromising situations than this.
The rain poured incessantly on the roof of the barn, a staccato rhythm that matched her uneasy heartbeat. "I found this- if you're cold," he said, reaching back to hand her an old but still mostly intact horse blanket. Inky gratefully accepted it, wrapping the cloth around herself to keep away the chill that had crept its way into her bones. She shivered again, trying to maintain her body temperature. "Are you feeling any better?" Thorn asked, still sounding worried. He turned around halfway to face her, dark eyes not quite meeting hers. Inky nodded halfheartedly, though she could feel her body shaking, threatening to betray her at any instant. "Inky, you look really pale- I'm worried about you," he admitted, standing still and watchful by the wall of the loft. Then, quietly, "I'm not going to hurt you, or do anything that you don't want to do. I might be a psychopath- hell, you've seen me at my worst- but I would never put you in a compromising situation unless you allowed it."
Inky slowly crossed the space between them, the rough horse blanket scratching against her bare skin underneath. She folded her arms around his back, trying to absorb some of his warmth, and realized that he was just as cold and rain-soaked as she was- but had blocked out his own discomfort to make her feel safe. "Thorn- if anyone's going to get hypothermia, it's you," she told him insistently, her wet hair sticking to the side of his neck. They were both going to freeze out here before they could even do anything to stop the Red Void and the abomination from returning... The storm overhead showed no signs of abating, and who knew how long they'd be stuck here. "I never said that I didn't want you to touch me- sometimes I'm just scared of how intensely I feel- and if I've forced you to feel emotions that you're unable to process. You've been through so much- even whatever you haven't been able to share with me, but I still only want you," Inky said softly, brushing his wet hair away from his eyes.
Thorn had hung up his wet clothes next to Inky's, and she noticed that he looked paler than usual as well, she already knew that he hadn't been sleeping much lately- and he also appeared somewhat thinner, as if he hadn't been able to eat, or even function properly. If he'd been haunted by visions of the abomination, he'd been able to hide it much better than she could. Inky saw that there was a fresh, still-healing cut across the side of his ribs, a slight bruising around the edges. He hadn't mentioned anything about having to cut himself again, perhaps the whole situation with the Red Void had gotten worse than she'd imagined. Thorn noticed Inky staring silently at the new injury, and averted his eyes shamefully. "After the sleep paralysis," he explained, sounding vague. "It's okay, Thorn- you don't have to tell me. Soon we won't have to contend with this hell any longer, and you'll never have to do that to yourself again. There will always be worse monsters that you can- take it out on," she added darkly. Thorn smiled, the expression not quite reaching his black eyes. "Are you condoning murder now?" he asked, a hint of depravity in his tone. Inky didn't answer, instead just wrapped the blanket around both of them tightly, like a scratchy cocoon.
"Honestly- I don't even know anymore. Maybe- what you had to do to those people- they deserved it in some way or another," Inky said quietly. "Does it disgust you when I hurt myself instead?" Thorn asked her, searching her expression. She shook her head. "Nothing you've done would disgust me. I know at first- I did find it disturbing, that you killed people, but you had your reasons. You were just trying to protect me, even from yourself. Maybe a part of me always knew- and I just tried to deny it, because I wasn't sure how to react. How you wanted me to react. I feel like I keep repeating myself, if only to convince you that- no matter what- I'll be with you." Inky stared up into his eyes, the dark part of her mind wanting to connect with his. Thorn stood there solemnly, hands still by his sides, not touching her. She found this slightly disturbing, as usually they had no impulse control around each other. Perhaps the darkness in his mind was slowly consuming all rational thought, and he was secretly terrified that he would do something to hurt her. This thought both terrified and frustrated Inky- after all, he was the one who insinuated wanting some type of- interaction. How do I convince you that what I'm telling you is the truth? she wondered, holding both of his cold hands in hers, their fingers intertwined.
A deafening crash sounded nearby, like a building collapsing; a tree falling down. Inky hoped that it was just the chaos of the storm, and not anything more sinister and unwanted. A sound like metal parts scraping filled the air, along with a low static hum. She could feel her hands shaking, the fear of the Red Void screaming in her brain. Inky did not want to face the abomination right now, especially with both of them in this vulnerable state. Which one of us will have to make the blood sacrifice this time? she wondered, eyes closed, trying to block out the world outside. Inky heard Thorn calling her name, and realized that she'd been starting to slip into a dissociative trance. "Hey- it's nothing- the void isn't here right now. I think that the lightning must have hit that old oak tree, and there were some piles of scrap metal underneath," he explained, extracting his hands from her tense, white-knuckled grip. Inky tried to steady her uneven breathing, but the stale barn air smelled sour, and it was somewhat easier to just hold her breath or breathe shallowly.
She realized with a growing sense of apprehension that it had gotten late, and was now dark outside the barn. The thunderstorm and rain raged on- yet thankfully there was no sign of the Red Void. Great- we're probably going to have to stay in this musty old place tonight, Inky thought, disappointed that they would have to stay here- cold, wet, and uncomfortable- instead of whatever destination they were attempting to reach in the town. She blamed herself for their misadventure- after all, it was her suggestion to wander off into the cold unknown, then wish for bad weather.
The scratchy blanket fell off of her shoulders as she sat down next to the wall, feeling cold, tired and defeated. She no longer felt strangely self-conscious, just blank, as though her emotions had been bleached away like bloodstains on her soul. Inky stared at her pale legs, covered in a multitude of random small bruises, then at her oil-slick stained boots. The rain tapped persistently outside, as if it was trying to reach her, wash her away into the storm, just another piece of unsubstantial debris on the face of the Earth. What are these thoughts? Just a while ago- during your art show- you felt- important, valid. Is this the power of the abomination trying to regain control over you? she thought silently.
"I feel like the abomination knows that it's about to lose, and it's trying to force us apart," Inky said quietly, staring blankly into the dark. Thorn sat down beside her, covering her with the old wool blanket again. "You're right- the dream I had, even our argument. It knows that we are stronger together, it wanted us to- destroy each other, or something. It isn't going to win, Inky. I can feel it, too- but I won't let it succeed- we've gone too far for this to end now." She turned towards him, meeting his eyes in the now-dark loft. "We have to contain the Red Void- trap the abomination. There has to be some sort of ritual, and it must happen soon. I don't want you to get trapped in the void again, Thorn. I don't think my mind could take it again." He stared back at her through the dark. "I won't let it happen again. We're going to fight it together- I promise," Thorn told her, and Inky could tell that he was nervous- because the plan might not even work. "Tomorrow?" she asked, eyes level with his. "Tomorrow. Definitely," Thorn agreed, the intensity in his expression a bit disarming. Tomorrow is the day that we stop the abomination- we go to war with the Red Void...and this time, we're going to win. No more doubt- there will be no betrayal- I am not going to let that terrible creature keep us apart ever again...
The air in the musty barn was cold and still around them, promising silent threats, unspoken horrors. The rain had quieted to a drip, but it was much colder now. Inky couldn't sleep, listening to the strange sounds outside from the aftermath of the storm was giving her anxiety. Thorn had fallen asleep, and she was glad at least one of them could rest- they had to prepare for the worst the next day, and doing what had to be done, weighed down by the shroud of insomnia seemed terrifying, difficult. She looked over at him, even while asleep, Inky thought that he didn't seem to ever get any rest. He appeared to be barely breathing, heart rate eerily slow. She hoped that he wouldn't experience sleep paralysis again tonight, he seemed so cold and defenseless in this state. Inky pulled the blanket closer around them, trying to keep out the cold and damp. Though they were still partially undressed, the rain-soaked clothes left out to dry, Thorn hadn't tried to touch her, he seemed avoidant and distant. He had turned away from her in his sleep, and Inky didn't protest, instead trying to focus on keeping them warm, her arms wrapped around him, her face pressed against his back, listening to his heartbeat. "I love you," she whispered softly into the dark.
The pale golden light filtered through the slats in the barn's roof, and Inky rubbed her bloodshot eyes, not ready to face the day. She had finally gotten a few hours of sleep, her mind eventually succumbing to unconsciousness; fitful, restless sleep. Thorn had woken up before her, and had neatly folded her now-dry pile of clothes beside her in their makeshift shelter. "I need some coffee or something," she complained, mouth dry and unable to form proper words. "Let's go into town- there's not a whole lot there but I know a little hole-in-the-wall cafe we can go to, the coffee isn't the best but you'll probably overload it with sugar anyway," he replied, looking at her in amusement. Inky sat up, the rough wool blanket partially concealing her state of undress.
She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the old metal paneling- her rain-soaked hair had dried in wild, messy curls framing her face, and she looked tired- but not terrible as she'd previously envisioned. Thorn climbed down the rickety ladder, presumably to give her privacy while she redressed. Inky reluctantly got up, pulling on the dark attire, which was a bit damp in some places, the rain giving it a strange, uncomfortable texture against her skin. She absently wondered why Thorn hadn't tried anything-inappropriate- as she'd been under the impression that was why they took refuge in the abandoned barn in the first place. Perhaps he knew something she didn't...
After they'd ordered their coffee, they walked to the place where Thorn picked up a rental car, and he drove them back to the dark building. She helped him carry the mirrored glass panel, loading it into the trunk of the car. "Well- I guess that this is it," he commented, adding "I hope that this works and we don't die or something." He was introspectively quiet on the drive back to Inky's old apartment, where they dragged the shrouded sculpture of the abomination down the stairs and into the backseat of the car. Inky finished signing some paperwork, dropping off her now-useless keys and leaving her old dwelling without a second glance back. It's now the time to begin again, she thought, taking a deep breath before getting into the passenger's seat of the rental car. Thorn drove them slowly out to the wooded area where the abandoned warehouse and its dark sub-basement awaited them for the second time.
"Are you ready for whatever happens next?" Thorn asked her quietly. "I think I have to be," Inky answered, nervously tugging at the hem of the soft, blood-red dress she had changed into for this particular occasion. They looked more like they were attending a formal event than fighting a secret war- Thorn wore his charcoal grey suit that he'd had on the night she first saw him, the white, starched button-down shirt underneath free of bloodstains- for now. His black hair covered his eyes, and Inky felt a strange sense of nostalgia- she remembered when she'd first seen him at Tapestry- onstage amongst the chaotic music and blood- that she had found him undeniably attractive, even then, with the knife in his hand and a dark, cold look in his eyes. The same eyes that always stared at her so intensely, haunted by his singular obsession and the dark deeds he'd had to commit, for the price of sanity.
She herself had chosen to wear red, considering the occasion- locking away the Red Void, it only seemed appropriate given the circumstances. Well, that- and the comment he'd made at her art exhibit, how red was- her color. She'd seen the way he couldn't stop staring at her, the look in his black eyes focused only on her, though it no longer made her feel self-conscious, only fueled a strange, dark desire. At any rate, at least if they were going to die, they might as well dress up for the occasion. Once more they descended into the dank, cold building, following the stairwell down into the damp chamber that they would use to trap the abomination within. Thorn carried the sculpture awkwardly, as if wishing to not come into physical contact with it. Inky didn't blame him, and she carefully carried the mirror panel, walking closely behind him, the space around them only illuminated by a small hand-held lantern that Thorn had brought.
He switched on the main lighting in the flower and candle decorated room, then set the shrouded sculpture in front of the panel of stained glass. It took them some time to fully light all of the candles, a multitude of small, flickering flames surrounding them and casting shadows on the walls. The idea was that the botanical and religious imagery, combined with all the light, the mirror reflecting back the abomination's own evils, would trap it within. The last part of the ritual was the final blood sacrifice required to appease the Red Void. This way, the evil was reflected back onto itself. Inky felt an unfamiliar excitement growing- would this be the way that they would finally be free from the Red Void? "We have to- make a sacrifice of blood," Thorn said, after they'd set up the other two halves of the trap. "Blood is the third part of the ritual- the binding element." At this point, Inky was no longer afraid of physical pain- especially if it helped them banish the abomination, trap it within this realm that they had created- casting it back into the void from whence it originated. Since neither of them were actually able to destroy it, this was their only conclusion. Thorn was- supposed to destroy it, but refused to do so, as it would kill Inky in the process, as she was its creator.
Thorn took the sharp scalpel blade out of a jacket pocket, holding it up in the candlelight to inspect it carefully. "This will have to do," he said quietly, more to himself than her. Inky was slightly nervous- not from the prospect of pain, but whether or not this was actually going to work- theory made practice. "What if we can't trap the abomination?" she asked, eyes fixated on the sharp blade. "We can at least try, it's better than nothing," Thorn replied, staring intently back at her. They stood facing each other, the sculpture in the middle of the room- the totem of the abomination- surrounded by lit candles and the panels of mirrored glass from the forest on one side; the holy botanical stained glass on the other. Reflective parallels. "Hold out your hand," he instructed, dark eyes locked on hers.
Inky hesitantly held out her right hand, hoping that this would be the last time that either of them would have to face the abomination, the horrors of the Red Void. "This isn't going to hurt- much," he explained, taking Inky's hand in his. She watched calmly as Thorn sliced a thin line down the palm of his own hand, then hers. Indeed- she barely felt a thing when the cold steel cut into her skin- the bright red that flowed out of her palm matched the dress she was wearing. Even more now, it seemed appropriate given the occasion- a blood oath to keep the demons at bay- to repress the unspeakable evils within the Red Void. Thorn held her hand, their blood mixing together and slowly dripping onto the concrete floor of the sub-basement room.
There was nothing at first, the still silence looming in the air around them- oppressive, slowly torturous. Inky noticed that their blood had stained the dried flower petals on the floor. Then, the air began to shimmer darkly around them, smelling like thick petrichor and burnt parchment paper, singed feathers and putrefying flesh. The combined scent made her feel instantaneously nauseous, and Inky could sense that they were not the only ones in the room anymore. A low, rattling buzz started, one that could be felt in her nerves more than it was actually audible. She tasted blood in her mouth, and wondered if Thorn was experiencing the same thing as well. She looked at him, and could tell that there was something -wrong- with his eyes. The black had become even more intense, as if his eyes were excessively dilated, though it was hard to be sure. "Thorn? What's wrong?" she asked, feeling the temperature in the air around them drop by several degrees. She could hear a low static crackle in the distance, followed by a high-pitched ringing, an eerie whining wail. He did not reply, instead held her bloody hand tightly in his, locking their fingers together. The blood dripped down through their fingers, and her hand felt sticky, unpleasant. She became curious as to just how deep he'd cut their hands, as she could feel the strange sensation of their blood mixing together- a dark transfusion, a transfer of power, the endless cycle of creation and destruction.
It was a strange feeling- opening the Red Void on purpose, just to seal it away. Candle wax dripped on the floor at their feet, and the ominous sounds grew closer, louder in their frequency and pitch- more persistent, insistent. The shroud had shriveled away to a rotten husk, exposing the abomination in all its terrible glory. Its very countenance was dreadful to look upon, and Inky averted her eyes. The bleeding on her palm had worsened, and she wondered idly how much blood it was going to take for them to stop the abomination for good. "If you see the Buddha on the road, kill the Buddha," Thorn muttered nonsensically, his eyes staring blankly like those of a madman. Perhaps this had finally caused his mind to snap, and now they were both in danger of falling victim to the evils of the Red Void. He held up both of their bloodied hands together, and she watched as he smeared the blood across the visage of the abomination. There was an awful sound, a murky sucking and then a snap like the rending of bones. The earth below them seemed to tilt drunkenly to the side, red light glowing hellishly all around them. Was their blood oath a pathway to complete destruction after all? This was utter chaos, a terrible nightmare come to life, and she could only watch it unfurl in front of her eyes, now unable to look away.
They were falling through time and space, endlessly, relentlessly- and there was no way of knowing if they would crash, burning like dying comets in the night sky. She sensed that she was floating above her physical body- disembodied- either this was a terrible astral projection gone wrong or they were both dead, she couldn't be sure. Red, wet chunks of viscera fell slowly through the sky, and the abomination laughed and laughed. Have we failed? Were we so misguided in our efforts that this last sacrifice sent us to the very place we tried to lock away? A horrible noise echoed; the clanging of bells tolling endlessly, ticking clocks that were all out of time. Inky saw the Red Void opening like a zipper in reality, the unrelenting pressure making her feel like she was collapsing internally, folding in on herself. She was aware that this was the edge of madness, but still fought back, determined not to be consumed by her despised creation. This time though- Inky did not have to fight it alone- Thorn was beside her, staring into the Red Void, no trace of fear in his eyes.
"I've already been to hell and back- you can't take anything else away from me!" he shouted at the creeping monstrosities within the void. Inky shivered, the dark intensity in his eyes was indescribable, an endless depth of some emotion that she had never witnessed before. He was angry at the void, filled with undefined fury at what the abomination had taken from him, was still trying to take. At first Inky had been mistaken that the Red Void had finally pushed him over the edge to insanity, but this- this was not the mindless anger of an insane person, Thorn was clearly enraged at the evil entities that were a threat to their very existence. His rage was full of clarity- destruction was what defined him, gave him purpose, self-preservation. Most of all, Inky knew that even in his anger, he wanted to protect her, would kill for her, even die for her if it came down to it. She also knew that he would never abandon or betray her, and she knew that nothing would ever stand between them, tear them apart again. I would rather die than let the Red Void take you away again, you never deserved any of the terrible things that have happened to you. You never deserved to live in isolation for so long, hating yourself, your own mind.
Inky held Thorn's hand, staring with him into the void, at the demented, soulless creatures within. Nightmarish, ghastly beings of all form and figure crept below, some climbing on the walls created from viscera and bone, others sprawled and oozing along the floor, seeping back and forth from the pit, their bodies neither solid nor liquid, as if matter had no meaning here, defying the very laws of god and science. Even now, she wondered how she'd been the one to open this portal- a place worse than hell, responsible for endless mental and physical torment. The Red Void fed on fear, death, insanity- and most of all: blood. She watched their blood slowly fall into the void, their hands clasped together, the vertigo from the blood loss the least of her concerns right now. "I created you- ABOMINATION!" she called out, screaming into the vast and terrible abyss. "You are not welcome anymore- you never belonged to this world, and we do NOT belong to you." Inky knew that the terrible being was not a rational one, yet because she was responsible for its creation, she felt an inherent need to take her frustration out on the disgusting aberrations that dwelled in this wretched pit, running rampant with hatred.
The Abomination, knowing its true name and nature, felt detached from the world that it had tried to inhabit. Inky watched as the strange red light that emanated from the sculpture started to fade, the metallic smell of blood in the air mixed with ozone. The Red Void appeared to be folding in on itself like some obscene origami, thousands of folds, covered in blood and dizzying to watch. The coldness of the room started to dissipate, the warm glow of the candles reappearing, the scent of melting beeswax replacing the foul stench of rot and decay. Now the void was the size of a small drop of blood, seeming laughably harmless, as it settled on the top of the now lifeless sculpture, seeping through a tiny crack in its veneer. There was an audible pop, like splintered glass, and the Red Void was locked away, the Abomination now trapped within, consumed by its own mindless, impotent hatred. Inky could feel her consciousness slowly returning to her body, an odd pins-and-needles feeling, like a numb limb coming back to life, her nerves feeling frayed, almost on fire. They had succeeded in trapping the Abomination, and were still alive, and mostly sane as a result. She looked at Thorn, who stared back, a strange emotion on his face. "We did it, Inky. Your plan worked," he said slowly, looking around almost in disbelief. The sculpture stood harmlessly between the panels of glass, stained with their blood- a necessary sacrificial sacrament to banish the void from both of their lives- forever.
Both of them were tired, senses drained, but they had won the war. Inky wasn't sure how to feel, they had undergone a terrible ordeal and survived. How strange it was, an unfamiliar freedom- knowing that now they were able to live without the constant fear and paranoia caused by the void. She looked around the room, as if she were in a dream. "It's finally over, Thorn- we did it together," she answered softly, gently letting go of his hand. This time, it was the complete opposite of the previous time they'd spent together in the dark. The multitude of candles were lit, their glow pervading the small space, vibrantly illuminating the room so that every detail was visible. The sculpture of the Abomination stood harmless and motionless between the mirrored glass and the colorful church relic, and the dried flowers strewn around the floor of the sub-basement seemed almost alive in the candlelight. No longer did Inky feel self-conscious or awkward, even with the thousands of small flames glowing radiantly off of her pale skin.
She stared up into Thorn's black eyes, allowing him to remove her red dress, this time not averting her eyes while he stared at her. Whenever they were together, the world could catch fire and she'd gladly watch it burn if it meant that nothing would come between them again. He looked down at their hands, at their combined blood that was starting to dry. You will always be a part of me now, she thought, holding his hand tightly in hers. "I think it worked- we've stopped the Red Void," she repeated quietly, wanting him to fully acknowledge the truth. Thorn pulled her closer, leaving a bloody handprint on her bare skin. As long as we are together, nothing can stop us now... Inky stood silently in the candlelit room with him, wearing only light layers of red lace undergarments and their blood. She no longer felt the creeping anxieties and dread of the Red Void, now that she and Thorn had successfully managed to banish it back to its own realm of existence. Now all that was left was their shared internal darkness, one complementing the other, standing together as equals. Thorn's white shirt was stained with their blood, as it had been bloodstained the day she'd first seen him, on the stage at Tapestry, holding the knife. How long ago that day seemed now, even if it had only been a little over a year and a half ago.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her, looking away almost shyly. "The night I first saw you- when we met. The horrific Red Dream you promised me you would help me control, the Abomination you helped me lock away. It's been a part of my life now for so long, I don't even know what it feels like to- have a somewhat 'normal' existence..." she confessed. Thorn nodded. "I'd wanted to talk to you for so long before that night- I just wasn't sure how to- what to say. For me, my life has never been normal, only darkness and pain. Until you." His black hair covered his eyes, the guarded emotion, and Inky held him close, feeling the blood from her hand soaking into the back of his shirt. Ironically, she would now have parallel scars on both of her hands; the first on her left hand from the night on the beach- a sacrifice to appease the Abomination- and the second on her right, to keep it locked away.
"I'm getting blood all over your shirt," she whispered, and he laughed softly. "I don't care. I should probably just get rid of the damned thing anyway. Or wear it when I paint- whatever. It's your blood this time, at least. Proof that we're both still alive." Thorn removed the bloodstained garment, and Inky saw the parallel scars running down both of his arms. What he'd done to himself before, voluntarily, to keep the Abomination away- and when he'd had to go into the Red Void. It seemed like there were more scars now than before- somehow she hadn't noticed the last time because the room was so dark, and he always wore long-sleeved shirts now, even in the dead heat of summer. Possibly, he'd done this again while trapped in the Red Void- to keep the monsters from reaching her. He'd said the recent cut was a reaction to the sleep paralysis episode, but she wasn't sure.
Inky held his wrist, recalling the first night they'd met, how she was woken from what she'd thought to be only a vision, a terrible hallucination. She remembered when he was trapped in the void, cutting into her own skin to see if the blood sacrifice would bring him back. She slowly traced the scars on his arm, wordlessly telling him that it did not disgust her, though it pained her to know that it had been mostly on her behalf. She knew that Thorn had resorted to some terrible things because of the Red Void- perhaps even with its absence- he might have still killed people, after all, he admitted to having past trauma, and that he was a psychopath, but with her, he was different. Inky knew that he was capable of feeling more than just cold indifference, apathy- at least for her, he wasn't lying about how he felt.
It was obvious in the way he looked at her, eyes dark like an ocean abyss- deeper than the lonely emptiness of the void, dark but filled with limitless potential. A capacity for emotion, love. She understood that it was difficult for him to express a feeling that he'd either lacked before- or never knew. Something repressed, suppressed- that had never been truly, fully reciprocated. He had never known real acceptance, and had hidden away in the darkness. "The Red Void is gone now, Thorn. Look at me, please," Inky whispered softly, running her hands gently over his skin. He met her eyes with the intense stare she was now used to, the dark look of intent returning to his guarded expression.
"We don't have to fight it anymore- run away- the Abomination is trapped, at least for now," Inky said, staring back into Thorn's eyes, this time neither one of them willing to look away first. I'm not scared of the dark anymore, she thought. "We won a war, didn't we?" Thorn answered, looking down at his bloody hand again. "Yes. Yes we did," she replied, feeling free from the uneasy mindset she'd held on to for most of her life. Now the Red Void will never be watching me again, the only one who will be watching me, waiting for me patiently in the dark...is you.
The Abomination had thrived off of fear and hate, suffering and insanity. Inky was glad that it wasn't able to witness them together in the candlelit room, or perhaps it somehow still could, and she hoped that it was offended by what it might see. There was no more fear of the unknown, only trust, the terrifying darkness had been lifted. At first they just waited in the silence, staring intently into each other's eyes. Inky remembered Thorn mentioning something along the lines of "making eye contact for more than 6 seconds without looking away or blinking- reveals a desire for either sex or murder..." She knew that he was never going to kill her, so it must have indicated the former rather than the latter. She felt her face grow hot, though it might have been from all the candles warmly illuminating the room, incandescent against their pale skin. Then she slowly removed the layers of red lace she wore, watching as his eyes slowly traveled across the exposed skin. Inky no longer minded that her own self-inflicted scars were visible, it was a testament to what she had to endure when he was trapped in the Red Void. She stepped closer to him, seeing her own reflection in his dark eyes, lit by a thousand flames from the candles lining the walls.
Thorn pulled her closer, the expression on his face darkly possessive, protective. She felt the blood from his cut hand, warm against her back. Absently she wondered if they would both need to get stitches, as her own hand didn't seem to stop bleeding either. Oh well- such were the after-effects of winning the war against the Abomination. This time the handprints marking each other's skin weren't ink or paint- but their own blood, a sacrifice to the darkness within their own minds, given freely to each other. Inky felt a strange desperation, an all-consuming need to be closer to him. It was always an escape from reality when they were with each other, and after all they'd been through together, Inky wanted nothing more than to escape with him, even if just for a little while. Their skin was pressed together, and she could feel his heartbeat against hers- no longer slow and calm, and she looked up into his eyes, at herself reflected back, as if staring into a dark mirror. She wondered if he could see himself in her eyes as well, hoping that he could finally completely understand the way she felt about him, how much she wanted him...She felt aware, transcendent from the constant mental pain the Red Void had caused them.
Inky felt an odd emotion overcoming her mind, though her rational thoughts were still intact. This no longer had to be a form of escape, now that they were free to be together. Regardless of what had happened before, the truth of the matter was that they would always be the parallels, drawn together with or without the presence of the Red Void. The last time they had been in the sub-basement room, Thorn had been the one to initiate their interaction, and looked slightly shocked when Inky pulled them down together on the flower-strewn concrete floor. She held the side of his face, leaving a blood trail, smiling in dark amusement. Maybe their blood oath was a form of strange alchemy, lessening the darkness in his mind and bringing it out in her. Now there was no hesitation in the way they touched each other, blood from their hands smearing on the floor and their skin.
The hard concrete floor under her back would most likely give her bruises the next day, but somehow she didn't mind- it offered more proof, evidence that they were real, they had survived. Some of the dried flowers had stuck to her skin from all the blood, and again she was reminded of the dark performance art piece- and though she knew that it was representative of the Red Void, the dark and homicidal parts of Thorn's mind- this was a different type of destruction, erasing the ego and the singular self, and Inky welcomed it, offering only herself. See, I'm not afraid anymore- you showed me the way into the darkness, without allowing me to lose myself along the way.
If the first time was releasing shared frustration and dark intensity, the second time was less chaotic, as if they were collecting the broken fragments of themselves. Thorn slowly, deliberately traced the bruises that were already starting to form on her pale skin, shadowy handprint impressions on her wrists, around her neck, her upper thighs. The bleeding on their hands had stopped, yet the incriminating crimson evidence marked their skin- the whole room looked like a strange crime scene, however nothing that she would consider an atrocity had been committed. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Thorn asked softly, inspecting a particularly dark bruise that had formed near her hipbone. Inky stared up at him, a darkly seductive look in her grey eyes. "Maybe a little bit- but it was nothing that I didn't enjoy," she replied, her fingers curling around the back of his neck. She was still slightly out of breath, her heart beating rapidly, an erratic pattern beneath her skin. The light from the candles around them made everything seem more surreal, and Inky closed her eyes, her body intensely responsive to the way that Thorn was touching her. She pressed her body closer against his, the drying blood making their skin stick together slightly. Now that the Abomination had been banished, the only darkness that remained was what they shared with each other. She leaned up, quietly whispering a perverse confession in his ear. "I like the way that you fuck me- it makes me feel alive."
After the third time, they were both completely exhausted, covered in flower petal fragments, blood stains, and bits of dirt from the concrete floor- Inky tasted blood in her mouth, having bit her lip during one of the particularly intense moments. Their black hair was messy, damp with sweat, and hopelessly tangled. This was one of the most intense experiences that they'd shared together, and they lay in the glow of the candlelight, physically and emotionally drained, yet not from fear or pain caused by the Abomination. "Fuck, Inky- are you trying to kill me?" Thorn asked jokingly, looking over at her, dark eyes appearing almost intoxicated from the aftermath of their activities. "That was- something else," she agreed, heart racing and breathing shaky, her entire body feeling electrically charged. "We should probably do something about- this," he commented, inspecting the scalpel cut on his hand.
The blood had coagulated now, thankfully she didn't think it was going to require much medical attention. "Maybe we should go home and clean up? We look like we've been through a massacre," she said, staring in astonishment at all the blood that marked the surfaces around them. Thorn laughed, tearing a strip of cloth off of the ruined white shirt, using it as a makeshift bandage for their hands. They redressed in the remainder of the clothes that weren't covered in blood, though with Inky's red dress it wasn't exactly obvious. "To hell with this damn shirt," Thorn said, using one of the lit black candles to set it ablaze. The evidence of their blood oath slowly disintegrated to embers, as they extinguished the remainder of the burning candles around the room.
Together they left the sculpture of the Abomination in the darkness of the sub-basement, still trapped between the mirror and the stained glass. They agreed that they would periodically check on it to make sure it remained dormant, unable to harm them any longer. Thorn drove them back to the dark building they now shared at the top of the hill, the sunset painting vibrant shades of deep violet, magenta and orange across the fall sky. Inky and Thorn washed off the blood that was smeared across their bodies, re-wrapping their wounded hands in layers of gauze after applying hydrogen peroxide. Inky made them tea, and they sat together on the steps outside, watching the light breeze chase the colorful clouds across the sky.
"Are you excited to be starting your new job at the museum next week?" Thorn asked her, staring up at the sunset. "Yes. I- I think I finally feel- happiness," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. The sun glowed vividly pink in the sky, and the saltwater breeze blew dried leaves across the gravel driveway. "I'll help you get your car fixed tomorrow- my boss- the art director is actually pretty mechanically inclined, and I'm sure that we could work out a deal," he told her. They sat in silence together, drinking their tea, for once- the empath and the psychopath at peace, their parallel minds no longer plagued by the horrors of the void. "Let's go on a road trip soon," Inky suggested, "I've always wanted to visit the West Coast. I've heard that there are some nice beaches there. I haven't been able to travel because of art school expenses and work- and after everything, I think we definitely deserve a vacation." Thorn agreed, "I'm growing tired of the same old scenery. This dusty old town is a bit uneventful, and you know that I would go anywhere- as long as I'm with you."
Later that night, Inky took her small red book of dark poetry out of her briefcase. After reading everything that Thorn had written in the black Moleskine, she felt it was only fair that she share some of her own dark, innermost thoughts. No longer did she feel self-conscious sharing these parts of her mind with him, not after everything that they'd been through together, winning the war against the Red Void and the Abomination. Especially after the experience they'd just had together, basically painted in each other's blood. A blush rose to her cheeks, the unwanted embarrassment coming naturally. "Would you like to read some poetry I've been working on? After all- I read everything you wrote, and this- it's all how I feel about you, everything that's been so complicated to express," she asked him, staring with absolute honesty into his dark eyes. "Why don't you read it to me," Thorn replied, "I could listen to your words all day."
Inky stared back at Thorn, who handed her a glass of wine across the round coffee table. She took a drink, staring down at the words written in sloppy dark blue ink, the cursive writing partially neat and legible, partly chaotic. She stared into his black eyes while she read her poem, willingly falling into a deep, dark abyss, but a calm, protective one- that waited for no one except for her. Then, she read her poem...
***
My body is a temple,
albeit a dark one
crumbling sanctuary of dark despair
I fucking love
self-discovery
-all of my
beautiful internal
darkness
spilling out into
the light
like black ink, mixed with my blood
create a new reality
the void avoided
combining together
like
saltwater and ink
YOU ARE READING
Saltwater & Ink
Mystery / ThrillerBook 1 in the Red Void Series *** Ad Astra Per Aspera ~ to the stars through difficulties~ ****** Inky is an introverted, socially awkward artist living in a seaside town. Her dark artwork leads her into a...
