GHASTLY.

BOOK TWO

❝ frostbite is considerably difficult to heal from. ❞

❝ there is poetry in brutal efficiency. ❞

❝ people would take your raging far more seriously if you weren’t crying the entire time. ❞

❝ what made you so vindictive? ❞

❝ some bodies may be temples, but all are ruins at your feet. ❞

❝ your contempt will always taste like grief. ❞

❝ you are the bone-deep fury of an abscessed tooth. ❞

❝ You are notorious for rubbing salt in the wound. cheap vodka in the wound. battery acid in the wound! ❞

❝ vehicular arson is not the answer. ❞

❝ hate is a verb. ❞

BOOK THREE

❝ the sooner you accept your impending expiration, the sooner you can stop trying to swallow the sun. ❞

❝ embrace the inevitable. snuggle with the inevitable. take the inevitable out to a nice, candlelit dinner. ❞

❝ there are forces outside of your control. most of them don’t care for you. ❞

❝ when it all goes to hell, just remember that it’s what’s inside that counts - though not many would find you very appetizing. ❞

❝ not all things have significance, which is scary. the things you overlooked tend to have the most, which is scarier. ❞

❝ your teeth are only porcelain, your ribcage simply glass. like all delicate things, they can know no permanence. ❞

❝ in time you’ll learn that ‘just’ and ‘right’ only mean the same thing when they’re coming from very specific people. ❞

❝ you may not want to change, but the world is unforgiving, and will do it for you anyway. ❞

❝ sometimes we put our hearts in the wrong places. ❞

❝ sometimes we put our hearts in the wrong places - what the fuck is it doing between your teeth? ❞

❝ nothing can stay. ❞

❝ you can put all the flowers in your mouth you want, but dying is dying and rot is rot. ❞

❝ loneliness is a fracture that never heals quite right. ❞

BOOK FOUR

❝ lay them to rest. ❞

❝ they are there, hovering nervously. you will watch the skies. you will wait. ❞

❝ eat the other. ❞

❝ there will be scrapes and sutures, viciousness and victory. ❞

❝ no loose ends. ❞

❝ an eye for an eye. a tooth for a tooth. a knife for the ribs. ❞

❝ you will not be swayed by the morally destitute. ❞

❝ decay will feed the bloom. ❞

❝ devour death like crows, for all the feathers between your teeth. ❞

❝ twisting, screaming, uncompromising. every inch, every iota. ❞

❝ once, answers were found in mouths, bathtubs, and bottles. this time around, get inventive. ❞

BOOK FIVE

❝ romancing yourself is possible, narcissistic, and recommended. ❞

❝ contrary to popular belief, it’s unwise to temper creatures of flesh and bone like steel. ❞

❝ one bad apple ruins a bunch. two bad apples leaves no witnesses. ❞

❝ you know it’s the real deal when you can see past the meatsuit and into the yawning dread. ❞

❝ break your teeth on love. ❞

❝ when people ask for someone ‘out of this world,’ they often don’t mean it literally. ❞

❝ when it’s good, it’s great. when it’s great, it’s a small calamity. ❞

❝ you are every mother’s cautionary tale. ❞

❝ harpoons, while more effective than arrows, are not as wieldy. ❞

❝ a study in complacency. an essay on sensibility. a dissertation of disenchantment.  ❞

❝ make up your fucking mind. ❞

❝ there are plenty of fish in the sea. some just happen to be imbibed with mercury. ❞

BOOK SIX

❝ your humanity is the biggest burden you will wear. ❞

❝ decorating your meltdowns is good and all, but a trainwreck is a trainwreck, and it might be time to get a paramedic. ❞

❝ they say ‘there is nothing to fear but fear itself,’ but you have seen yourself in the mirror. ❞

❝ you may have been gutted, but your mouth is soft, your tongue is silver, and your teeth are gemstones cut to size. ❞

❝ it’s less like biting off more than you can chew, and more like dislocating your jaw. ❞

❝ even specters can tire. ❞

❝ seeing yourself for who you really are would be great if you knew where to start looking. ❞

❝ it pays to kill with kindness when you’re your own worst enemy. ❞

❝ you’re only armed to the teeth because you’re more brittle than you care to admit. ❞

❝ your ego cannot afford cremation or caskets. ❞

❝ frequent tastes of your own medicine can get poisonous real quick. ❞

❝ self-reflection is important! whether you like what you see is up for debate. whether it can be contained in a dark basement is another matter entirely. ❞

BOOK SEVEN

❝ you are a quiet god, and your hunger is cavernous. ❞

❝ at times your body is simply a prison laid in gold. ❞

❝ death, dust, party, repeat. ❞

❝ devour the monsters, and you can call any place home. ❞

❝ you’re only as lucky as your expectations are low. ❞

❝ worse than having many secrets is having no secrets at all. ❞

❝ if seeing is believing, you might be in some trouble. ❞

❝ suspend belief. expel fear. throw reason into a frigid cell, never to be seen again. ❞

❝ killing the monsters is the easy bit. it’s finding them that’s the hard part. ❞

❝ there exists a tipping point between gods and monsters. ❞

❝ a mouthful of ashes bested by a life of smoke and mirrors. ❞

❝ what’s to be gained from keeping the heaviest treasures between your teeth? ❞

BOOK EIGHT

❝ you might not be afraid to die, but that doesn’t mean you’re ready. ❞

❝ you were a plague none were prepared for. ❞

❝ you are the mind and the malady, the medicine and the machine. ❞

❝ assholery is incurable, unfortunately. ❞

❝ nobody’s going to notice the difference between you pushing dandelions or daisies, so leave them something worth talking about. ❞

❝ there’s no rule stating that parasites can’t be pretty. ❞

❝ you aren’t obligated to be anyone’s cure. ❞

❝ some are the bandage, some are the knife, some get creative. ❞

❝ soothe what you can, fight what you can’t. ❞

❝ the only difference between a pathogen and a person is that one is far more creative with how they’ll infect you. ❞

BOOK NINE

❝ stranger things have happened. like you. you are happening all the time, and should probably stop. ❞

❝ let none be the noose. ❞

❝ take what you can and run. ❞

❝ gratuitous violence; unnecessary, satisfying, heartbreaking, and so like everything else you love. ❞

❝ understanding builds bridges, suffering grows gardens, antipathy sets both on fire for shits and giggles. ❞

❝ there is a variety of sadness that makes a home in your guts and never quite leaves. ❞

❝ you could have been anybody, operating this body. the good news is you won! the bad news is you’re stuck with it. ❞

❝ being loathsome and lovely in equal measure is probably a talent, somewhere. ❞

❝ why fear the dead, when you could fear the living? corpses in motion, cruelty and kindness. ❞

❝ if you’re forging your own path, be prepared to light your own pyre. ❞

❝ what possessed you to come this far? no, really. was it cute? ❞

❝ you can’t wrestle apologies from the sea or the sun, but by fuck, are you sure going to try. ❞

BOOK TEN

❝ pick a place and die there. ❞

❝ i know you mean well. ❞

❝ may fortune favor the fuckups. ❞

❝ remarkable that one plane of existence can host so much - and so little - distance. the spaces between people, ideals, fingertips, the sea and the sky. ❞

❝ learn when it’s best to bite your tongue. temper the nest of hornets inside your loveless mouth. ❞

❝ i worry. ❞

❝ time sours, rots, renews, and sours again. ❞

❝ grief and growth live hand-in-hand. ❞

❝ sleeping, like dying, delivers you from one world to the next - to rest in crypts and wake in gardens. ❞

❝ words in couples carry weight. ‘fuck you.’ ‘hell no.’ ‘oh, god.’ ‘sorry, mom.’ ❞

❝ make room for small, fragile things, even with bones of cement and a leaden heart. ❞

❝ you win some, you lose some. you lie, cheat, and swindle some. you vanish on a crisp winter’s day, never to be seen again. ❞

BOOK ELEVEN

❝ quiet reflection is next to impossible if your mental landscape is one long scream. ❞

❝ you inspire me to be better! ❞

❝ you inspire me to be better! a better ‘what’ is up for interpretation; person? arsonist? alien? ❞

❝ we don’t know where you came from, but we need you to go back. ❞

❝ the dark doesn’t intend to hurt you, only the creatures who plot during the cruel, cold light of day. ❞

❝ i lived better when i was ignorant of the sun, tucked away in your chest. ❞

❝ there’s asking for forgiveness, there’s asking for permission, and then there’s saying ‘fuck it’ and doing what you may. ❞

❝ if only it were easy, to wish and want for nothing. if only you weren’t less human for it, wishing and wanting for nothing. ❞

❝ in the end, there is no blaze of glory. ❞

❝ love to distraction, die due to carelessness. ❞

❝ in the span of your life, there’s plenty to avoid; the wicked, the merciless, and the things you want for no reason other than wanting them. ❞

❝ you are dazzling and terrifying. these words are not as removed from one another as you may think. ❞

❝ flirt with death, tease the inevitable, give the void a saucy wink. ❞

BOOK TWELVE

❝ things to bother believing in: love, switchblades, and extraterrestrials. ❞

❝ let the record show that they were ill-equipped to deal with you. which is unsurprising, because you’re ill-equipped to deal with you. ❞

❝ you’ll be fertilizer regardless; might as well have interesting stories for the dirt. ❞

❝ there is an exhaustion that comes with living in an embrace like a vice, a kiss like a canker sore. ❞

❝ fear is an absence of understanding. horror is the act of understanding perfectly. ❞

❝ labor in love, toil in tenderness. ❞

❝ your love will always be rooted deeper than any grave. ❞

❝ you’ve seen your downfall spelled out in another’s bones. ❞

❝ the victor spoils, the loser learns. ❞

❝ the body is rot waiting to happen. ❞

❝ you will have never loved for nothing. ❞

AARON BURR, SIR

❝ Pardon me, are you (name)? ❞

❝ That depends, who’s asking? ❞

❝ I’m (name). I’m at your service. ❞

❝ I have been looking for you. ❞

❝ I’m getting nervous. ❞

❝ I may have punched him. It’s a blur. ❞

❝ I wanted to do what you did - graduate and join the revolution. ❞

❝ He looked at me like I was stupid. I’m not stupid. ❞

❝ So how’d you do it? ❞

❝ It was my parents’ dying wish before they passed. ❞

❝ You’re an orphan? ❞

❝ I’m an orphan. ❞

❝ I wish there was a war - then we could prove that we’re worth more than anyone bargained for. ❞

❝ Can I buy you a drink? ❞

❝ While we’re talking, let me offer you some free advice. ❞

❝ Talk less. Smile more. ❞

❝ Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for. ❞

❝ You can’t be serious. ❞

❝ You wanna get ahead? ❞

❝ Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead. ❞

❝ Let’s raise a couple more to the revolution! ❞

❝ If you stand for nothing, (name), what’ll you fall for? ❞

❝ Who is this kid, what’s he gonna do? ❞

MY SHOT

❝ I am not throwing away my shot. ❞

❝ I’ve got a lot of brains, but no polish. ❞

❝ I’ve gotta holler just to be heard. ❞

❝ I shoulder every burden, every disadvantage. ❞

❝ I have learned to manage. ❞

❝ The plan is to fan this spark into a flame. ❞

 ❝ Damn, it’s getting dark. ❞

❝ Lower your voices. ❞

❝ You keep out of trouble, you double your choices. ❞

❝ I’m with you, but the situation is fraught. ❞

❝ You've got to be carefully taught. ❞

❝ If you talk, you’re gonna get shot. ❞

❝ What are the odds the gods would put us all in one spot? ❞

❝ Am I talking to loud? ❞

❝ Sometimes I get overexcited, shoot off at the mouth. ❞

❝ I’ve never had a group of friends before - I promise that I’ll make you proud. ❞

❝ Rise up. ❞

❝ When you’re living on your knees, you’ve gotta rise up. ❞

❝ Tell your brother that he’s gotta rise up. ❞

❝ Tell your sister that she’s gotta rise up. ❞

❝ I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory. ❞

❝ I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory. When’s it gonna get me? In my sleep? Seven feet ahead of me? ❞

❝ If I see it coming, do I run or do I let it be? ❞

❝ I never thought I’d live past twenty. ❞

❝ We have to make this moment last. ❞

❝ If we win our independence, is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants, or will the blood we shed begin an endless cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants? ❞

❝ I’m past patiently waiting. ❞

❝ What are you waiting for? ❞

❝ (Name) should take some of the credit; turns out he’s not entirely stupid. ❞

❝ The love that binds us is more important than the power we wield. ❞

❝ I’m not a killer. This isn’t me. ❞

❝ Just hold me. ❞

❝ You’re threatening me with a spoon? ❞

❝ A warrior doesn’t mourn the dead until the war is over. ❞

❝ The blood of your enemies is your armor. ❞

❝ If you’re wrong, and there is a hell. . . Then I guess I’ll see you there. ❞

❝ Screw fear. I’m telling my own story. ❞

❝ You’ve got such a big heart, (Name). People follow you. You inspire them because of your heart. ❞

❝ Victory stands on the back of sacrifice. ❞

❝ I’m pretty sure I just ate a pinecone because it told me to. ❞

❝ Life is about more than surviving. ❞

❝ Maybe there are no good guys anymore. ❞

     N.M.E

❝ Remove the gag. ❞

❝ Step away. ❞

❝ He’s suffocating. ❞

❝ You pull the strings day after day. ❞

❝ He needs a break from you. ❞

❝ Your ass is through. ❞

❝ I hope he hears these words. ❞

❝ Maybe this time he’ll learn. ❞

❝ You should escape, skip town. ❞

❝ No more excuses. ❞

❝ Abandon ship or drown. ❞

❝ Do you even have a plan? ❞

❝ You’re better on your own. ❞

❝ Okay, we get it, you’re both a happy couple! ❞

❝ We need a break from you. ❞

     FOREVER STUCK IN OUR YOUTH

❝ Here I stare at any empty bottle full of confidence. ❞

❝ It’s an empty-glass philosophy. ❞

❝ I can’t help it. ❞

❝ I can’t stop. ❞

❝ I’m a zombie with no notion of regret. ❞

❝ Grab a bucket and a mop ‘cause I’m a mess. ❞

❝ I’m on a permanent vacation. ❞

❝ We’re young, we’re dumb, and we don’t care. ❞

❝ I don’t owe an explanation. ❞

❝ My liver hates my guts. ❞

❝ I’m stuck living in a daze. ❞

❝ I drink my cells away until I meant more than I think. ❞

❝ Don’t make me tell you twice. ❞

     WHY WORRY

❝ It feels just like a hole inside your chest. ❞

❝ I know you’re thinking ‘no, no, no, it is easier said than done,’ but please let me attest. ❞

❝ I know it’s hard. ❞

❝ You’re feeling like you’re trapped. ❞

❝ That’s how you react when you cannot see the light. ❞

❝ You’re the only one standing in your way. ❞

❝ Just take a breath. ❞

❝ Relax. ❞

❝ Why worry? ❞

❝ Why do we insist on crossing bridges that do not exist? ❞

❝ Let’s take these issues step by step by step to work them out. ❞

❝ Day by day by day, we’re falling down, but life goes on. ❞

❝ I’ve got some questions! ❞

❝ Are you sick of feeling sorry? Of people saying not to worry? Sick of hearing that ‘hakuna matata’ motto from people who won the lotto? ❞

❝ We’re not that lucky. ❞

❝ Have you noticed that you’re breathing? ❞

❝ Look around and count your blessings. ❞

❝ Chin up. ❞

❝ Quit acting like you’re half dead. ❞

❝ Tears can only half fill how you’re feeling. ❞

❝ Stand up. ❞

❝ Life is too damn short. ❞

❝ The clock is ticking. ❞

❝ I’m not buying what they’re selling. ❞

     ANCIENT HISTORY

❝ There’s no denying chemistry this strong. ❞

❝ Pretend it’s right. ❞

❝ We both know it’s wrong. ❞

❝ Thinking about the storm advancing. ❞

❝ Thinking about the lightning dancing in your eyes. ❞

❝ But I can’t shake these memories. ❞

❝ I think we’re under-thinking part-time thrills. ❞

❝ I know how to drive you wild. ❞

❝ You know how to make me smile. ❞

❝ Damn. ❞

❝ Pick up the phone. ❞

❝ I’m drunk again. ❞

❝ It’s fun and games until we both get hurt. ❞

❝ We play with fire ‘cause we like the way it burns. ❞

❝ No use in patching up a sinking ship. ❞

❝ This is the last time we do this. ❞

❝ I know who you really are. ❞

❝ You know how to break my heart. ❞

❝ Got you running through my head when I know I should be sleeping. ❞

❝ We’re through. ❞

     BLEAK DECEMBER

❝ Give me the truth. ❞

❝ I can handle it. ❞

❝ You’ve been running from yourself for way too long. ❞

❝ Give me any reason not to cut you out. ❞

❝ Watch you pretend you know it all. ❞

❝ Shift any blame aside. ❞

❝ Playing the victim when it sells. ❞

❝ How do you even sleep at night? ❞

❝ You’re just too cold. ❞

❝ I need the answer. ❞

❝ How full of shit you are. ❞

❝ I really wanna know you. ❞

❝ If you’d stop trying to steal the spotlight and steal the show, maybe you’d have a better chance of not dying alone. ❞

❝ What are you to me? ❞

❝ You’re not fooling anyone. ❞

     DUALITY

❝ I can’t quite contain or explain my evil ways. ❞

❝ Explain why I’m not sane. ❞

❝ This is your warning. ❞

❝ I have a confession that you will not believe. ❞

❝ I have a confession, of a side that I hide. ❞

❝ It’s a cloak or disguise. ❞

❝ No! ❞

❝ I’ll never get away. ❞

❝ If I try to stray, it only holds me closer. ❞

❝ I love it anyway. ❞

❝ I’ll never stop. ❞

❝ The black of my tie contains all your dirty thoughts. ❞

❝ Make me an obsession. ❞

❝ Can’t count the list of things I know are wrong with me. ❞

❝ Can’t count the list of things I know are wrong with me; no need to justify them. ❞

❝ I’ll never take the blame. ❞

❝ I’ll just stay the same. ❞

     WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

❝ Beware. ❞

❝ Be skeptical of their smiles of plated gold. ❞

❝ A wolf in sheep’s clothing is more than a warning. ❞

❝ ‘Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any soul?’ No, sir, by the way, what the hell are morals? ❞

❝ Tell me how you’re sleeping easy, how you’re only thinking of yourself. ❞

❝ Show me how you justify telling all your lies like second nature. ❞

❝ Mark my words - one day, you will pay. ❞

❝ Karma’s gonna come collect your debt. ❞

❝ You stalk your prey with criminal mentality. ❞

❝ You sink your teeth into the people you depend on. ❞

❝ You’re quite the problem. ❞

❝ (name) will leave you lonely, dying in a filthy ditch.  ❞

❝ Maybe you’ll change, abandon all your wicked ways. ❞

❝ Make amends and start anew again. ❞

❝ Maybe you’ll see all the wrongs you did to me and start all over. ❞

❝ Oh, who am I kidding? ❞

❝ Let’s not get overzealous here. ❞

❝ You’ve always been a huge piece of shit. ❞

❝ If I could kill you, I would, but it’s frowned upon in all fifty states. ❞

❝ If I could kill you, I would, but it’s frowned upon in all fifty states. Having said that. . . ❞

❝ Burn in hell! ❞

     TOMORROW

❝  Tell me I’m clear to breathe this air alone tonight. ❞

❝ Take this all in. ❞

❝ The sun will dim but I’m alive. ❞

❝ They’re gonna try and clip your wings. ❞

❝ They’ll never cage your dreams. ❞

❝ We’ve got tomorrow. ❞

❝ We’re pages in the wind. ❞

❝ There’s always another day, another night. ❞

❝ We’re the authors of our lives. ❞

❝ I was obsessed, in search of success. ❞

❝ A bittersweet blessing in disguise. ❞

     BAD GUY

❝ I spend the night doing ninety in a sixty-five. ❞

❝ When you take this out on me, my knees get weak. ❞

❝ I stole the moon, I made the stars align. ❞

❝ You made me the bad guy. ❞

❝ You paint the scene with the colors of an enemy. ❞

❝ I took just one misstep and now I’m hanging by my feet. ❞

❝ I fought for you. ❞

❝ I kept you safe at night. ❞

❝ Guess I forgot. ❞

     MISS MYSTERIOUS

❝ Who are you? ❞

❝ Who’s behind those eyes? ❞

❝ Go, run for your life. ❞

❝ Tell me I’m right. ❞

❝ You broke my heart. ❞

❝ How do I get closure when you’re only ever closed off? ❞