𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀

his smile grew wider at her response. the cowboy let out a soft and surprised ah ! at her announcement, ‘ a present, roma? i sure wasn’t expectin’ that. ’ she was always kind to him, and whether he was oblivious to her intentions or in denial, he’d always returned the kindness in a friendly manner. never seeking to take a step forward, force of habit.

‘ peaches! ’ glee slipped in his tone involuntarily, and it was genuine, ‘ well thank you, you truly are a sweetheart, ’ he gave a brief pause, as if leaving time for thought between the both of them, unwillingly, before he added, ‘ listen, as much as i’d like to selfishly devour these sweet peaches on my own, what do ya say we share ‘em? right here, right now. i’m a little peckish. ’

❝          guess     you     could     say     i’m     just     full     of     surprises          .          ❞          ribs     to     cage     declarations     not     yet     said     out     loud          (     would     swear     the     sun     is     at     his     mercy     when     he     smiles     and     his     laugh     something     like     a     nightingale’s     song     )          ,          instead     swallows     down     truths     and     admissions          .          can’t     recall     when     the     paradigm     shifted     and     his     word     meant     glory     or     when     she     saw     his     being     as     godhood          ,          only     knows     now     that     when     he     looks     to     her     she     feels     something     like     providence     settle     in     her     bones          .          ❝          well          …          ❞          crinkled     brows     and     index     finger     to     the     chin          ,          feigning     contemplation          .          ❝          i     can’t     say     i’d     be     opposed     to     something     a     lil’     sweet     after     the     muck     we’ve     been     eating          …          ❞          bitten     lips     deviating     into     a     smile          —-          habitual     around     him          ,          like     she’s     found     heaven     in     his     wake          .          ❝          consider     it     a     date          .          now     get     that     thing     open     before     somebody     comes     and     we’re     forced     to     share     with     them     too          .          ❞          languid     smirk     and     knowing     wink          .          ❝          it’ll     be     our     little     secret          .          ❞

      UNEASINESS HAD TAKEN PLACE IN THE pit of her stomach for the entirety of the day for reasons not understood by claire in the least. it simply happened. the anxiousness which made the pace of her heart’s beating quicken with each breath she took couldn’t be remedied by the warmest beams of light nor the pastel hues in the sky at sundown. but now? the man’s immeasurable, gruff voice sent heated familiarity to the depths of her chest. delicate fire contained by a comforting barrier… like blackened nights illuminated by gleaming stars above endless fields and the solace claire took while staring into the flickering camp fire that wrapped her in an inescapable homeliness. strange, she thought… how a voice could be so comfortable to her without her knowing its owner. the malaise had subsided when fawn hued eyes focused on his face. and jesus, did she feel  c r i m i n a l  at the way he knew her name while she hadn’t had the pleasure of learning his. ghost of a smile on the stranger’s lips certainly did not go unnoticed by her though - - in fact, she took it as a small victory. it was all they had left here, those small things. ❝ right… ❞ words softened in nearly a purr, ❝ i’m sorry, i can’t say i know yours… ❞ hesitation endured only a moment before the woman was walking in tandem with his steps although she wasn’t quite sure about their destination. circling the site was almost always her go-to. alway the perceptive one, his trembling hands shielded in his pockets caught her glance though she’d never draw attention to it. nights were so much colder when suffering through such a disease - - that was her mother would cry to her. there was no way to know if he felt the same, but there would be no hesitation in offering her second blanket should he need it. ❝ are you new here? ❞

if     he     feels     a     particular     warmth     settle     in     his     bones          ,          doesn’t     acknowledge     it          .          sees     instead     to     cast     irises     to     the     ground          ,          pearls     clenched     and     jaw     taut          .          she     brings     the     moon     to     its     knees     and     all     the     stars     in     the     sky     to     follow          ,          sunlight     that     she     is          .          when     she     speaks          ,          reverence     blooming     in     a     chest     wrought     with     venom     and     poisoned     earth          .          ❝          yeah          ,          kinda     the     new     meat     around     here     i     guess          .          ❞          something     sickly     sweet     catches     on     his     tongue          ,          a     hard     swallow          .          ❝          um     i’m     garrett     but          —-          call     me     ward          .          ❞

case     file          :          ward     ,     garrett               curtains     and     white     clouds     i     can     only     stain     with     crimson     blood

associations          :          lighting     striking     a     dead     and     hollow     tree          —          cherry     embers     chasing     the     dry     wood     and     smoke     rising     to     greet     a     new     world          .          twilight     as     it     sets     upon     a     placid     town          (     ignorant     to     any     horror          ,          any     dystopia     that     suggests     the     quiet     is     in     thanks     to     the     dead     )          .          the     habitual     and     innate     need     to     condemn     a     self     to     ruin     and     collapse          /          hoping     desperately     for     divine     intervention     from     a     free     fall     into     hell          .

1977          ,          usa               i     am     not     afraid     of     my     demons     and     maybe     that     is     what     scares     me     most

synopsis          :          oh          ,          did     he     love     to     dream          ,          to     place     himself     in     a     utopia     not     plagued     by     rotten     boyhood     or     naloxone     burning     a     hole     in     the     bathroom     cabinet          .          swore     to     never     be     like     him          :          scarred     arms     like     constellations     on     the     skin          ,          hollow-eyed     look          ,          striking     tongue     with     fists     to     match          .          when     addiction     comes          ,          welcomes     it     at     the     price     of     a     lost     daughter          .          would     keep     his     promise          ,          would     save     a     childhood     not-yet     tainted          .          the     sting     of     tears     that     refuse     to     be     shed          ,          silent     kiss     to     a     sleeping     forehead          ,          bed     cold     when     all     awake          .          was     always     something     fearsome          ,          calamity     made     alive     and     given     bones     to     rise          —-          wildfire     burning     himself     and     any     that     think     to     touch     growing     flames          .

full     name          :          garrett     silas     ward

nicknames          :          ward          ,          and     will     punch     anybody     in     the     face     who     even     thinks     of     calling     him     by     his     real     name

birthdate          :          december     20

hometown          :          knoxville          ,          usa

current     location          :          gatlinburg           ,           usa

languages     spoken          :          english

distinguishing     features          :          scars     along     his     arms     from     years     of     drug     use     and     almost     always     sporting     a     busted     lip     or     bruise     of     some     sort

positive          :          assiduous          ,          adamantine

negative          :          parlous          ,          bellicose

fears          :          becoming     like     his     father     and     inflicting     the     same     pain     he     caused     upon     others

for such a small woman , summer grasped quite the temper and it was a short one at that . maybe it was the years she’d spent in foster homes or the inability to have things that were her own for a good six years of her life or the shitty people she let break her heart in the great prospect that was new york city — either way , she wasn’t always butterflies and sunshine . optimistic or not , with california in wrecks like the rest of the world returning home was looking dim so she was trying to make the best of georgia . if the world wasn’t basically on fire , the humidity lingering in the air almost constantly and the fabric of her clothes sticking to her might’ve roused more complaints . what she’d constantly give for a hot shower or a proper haircut . and it wasn’t that she was on a level of irritation every moment , she’d spent about a month in new york city’s qz before that crumbled fast but she wasn’t yet adjusted to the people in atlanta . civil was something she could always manage but isaac , charming as he’d like to think he was , constantly got on her nerves and not in a good way . sometimes she enjoyed their little arguments , it made her feel like the world was a little normal again but right now she wasn’t particularly in the mood .

“ aren’t you supposed to be doing something important … like i don’t know, guarding? “

a     pause     in     idle     enterprises          ,          digits     dancing     along     unkempt     tendrils          .          thing     is          ,          apathy     makes     a     home     in     his     head          ,          makes     placidity     out     of     a     melancholic     lull          .          can’t     see     the     day     as     anything     other     than     boring          —-          knows     where     to     satiate     this     ache          ,          or     rather     who          .          when     she     greets     him     with     rolled     eyes     and     a     seasoned     indignation          ,          sinks     fangs     into     his     own     lower     lip     and     muffles     a     growing     smirk          .          ❝          aww          ,          baby          ...          ❞          syllables     pulled     taut     to     emphasize     a     childish     vexation          .          even     holds     her     chin     between     thumb     and     index          ,          lip     pout     and     eyes     swollen     with     a     kind     of     faux     infatuation          (     doesn’t     know     when     this     pretend     love     became     so     easy          ,          so     second     nature     )          .          ❝          you     thinking     of     me     again          ?          you’re     real     cute     for     that          .          but     hey          ,          i’ll     let     you     know     when     my     next     shift     is     so     you     don’t     have     to     worry     your     pretty     little     face     off          .          ❞

     PALE CERULEAN SKIES OVERHEAD HAD retired into a lavender and amber before the rich darkness had begun to overcome the stretch of land. the campsite had since been illuminated by their torches and salvages, rusting lamps in preparation for the night all while her perceptive hazel gaze fixated on the pattern in which the stars showed themselves to those below. it was the same order each evening - - though there were certain constellations and planets which chose to stay hidden at times given the weather and season. a usual routine was cut short at the sight of a newcomer - - or at least another she hadn’t seen before, although claire believed herself to be rather observant when it came to those she lived with. more so, the fatigued look in those icey eyes of his was more familiar than she liked. it was unmistakable; after all, claire had seen her mother suffer through the same experience time and time again. it was likely hell on earth to be going through a withdrawal at a time like this… 

     and in her years of living with her mother through similar times, claire knew a handful of tricks that may be of help. he was headed past her way, and the closer he got, the more she could see his roughened exterior. what on earth had he been through? it was as if the look behind those eyes were nothing but haunted. ❝ a walk sounds nice right about now, mind if i join you? ❞ 

palms     grinding     at     closed     lids     heavy     with     lethargy               —-               calamity     of     static          ,          colours     blooming          .          twilight     paints     him     in     chromatic     hues          (     something     melancholic          ,          ruinous          ,          deserving     nonetheless     )          and     he     recognizes     only     passing     blurs     as     he     walks          .          head     hangs     heavy     with     the     cadavers     of     memories     long     since     buried     and     mourned     and     he     prays     for     something     akin     to     peace          ,          for     a     freedom     from     thoughts     too     turbulent     to     be     locked     inside          .          maybe     he’s     just     meant     for     ruin     and     wreckage     but     oh     was     it     nice     to     dream     otherwise          .          voice     like     honey     where     it     greets     his     approaching     figure     and     he     thinks     of     summer     days     and     strawberry     juice     on     sticky     fingers     and     the     sun          ,          warm     where     it     kisses     skin          .          her     home     is     in     elysian     fields     and     he     yearns     for     even     a     teasing     taste     of     it          .          ❝          huh          ?          oh          —-          yeah          .          yeah          ,          i     don’t     mind          .          ❞          ivories     whisper     behind     parted     petals          /          ghost     of     a     smile     sheltered     behind     calmed     disposition          .          ❝          you’re     claire     right          ?          a     teacher     around     here          ?          ❞          shaking     hands     shielded     from     sight     where     they     rest     in     his     pockets          .          maybe     he’s     made     for     this     life     and     maybe     ruins     will     always     be     in     smoke          .

LENNIE CHUCKLED AT THE DOOR OPENING , not bothering with turning her attention to the unwanted company in the bar. “if you’re looking for alcohol like i was, some lucky bastard already got to it.” it was pathetic, really. she didn’t even grab for her gun holstered on her hip. if she were honest with herself, this wasn’t her. she was a police officer before the world went to the dogs and she wouldn’t be caught dead brooding in a bar. but now? she was without her daughter and refusing to be much of anything but a brooding stranger to the person who had just entered the building. 

honey     swells     from     the     brown     of     irises     where     sunlight     kisses     their     profile          .          saccharine     voice     like     birdsong     to     ears     acquainted     with     screams     and     dying     breaths          .          ❝          you’ve     gotta’     be     shitting     me          .          ❞          stems     crossed     where     they     sit     opposite     a     foreign     figure     amongst     dust     and     something     sticky     they     refuse     to     think     is     anything     but     candy          (     because     what     alternative     was     there          ?          certainly     not     anything     comforting     to     think     about     )          .          ❝          what     was     the     point     in     waiting     until     twenty-one     to     drink     if     the     whole     world     was     gonna     end     anyways          .          see          ,          that’s     why     i’ve     always     encouraged     underaged     drinking          —-          builds     character          .          ❞

reggie had a little brain baby forming as a way to distract her from all that was going down. so, she sat down and scribbled down formulas, playing with widdled blocks of wood and pieces of scrap metal, discussing audibly to herself about mass increasing momentum, building off friction, throwing in some numbers, followed by more scribbling, then fiddling and clanking around with the project she was building. a shadow washed over her before she realized, she wasn’t alone. “ oh - -  !” she yelped out, frantically pushing up her glasses and dropping the pen that was running really low on ink. “ uh, hey … what’s up? i wasn’t being too loud - - or … something, right?” she muttered out, flustered and honestly embarrassed - - pushing her hair out of her face, leaving a dark smudge of grease on her cheek from her invention-to-be. 

colloquial     and     waves     of     static     in     tandem          /          group     happenings     echo     behind     brick     facade          .          ink     to     stationary     and     she     can     only     imagine     the     indecipherable     monologue     present     in     the     other’s     head          .          ❝          what     ‘ya     got     there          ?          ❞          silence     as     riposte          (     can’t     be     surprised          ,          the     way     digits     clench     at     the     pen     and     her     stare     somewhere     distant     )          .          opts     instead     to     move     closer          ,          to     glance     at     the     notes     scrawled     across     the     page     and     invite     herself     into     a     crowded     mind          .          ❝          no     just          —-          ❞          lip     caught     between     canines          ,          brows     strung     together          .          ❝          just     looking     at     what     all          ...          that     is          .          ❞

a cool breeze softly swept by him as he paced back and forth for what seemed to be the millionth time. he watched as residents went by their day, focused in busy tasks and conversations. despite the seeming distractions, his mind and ears were always present and alert.

the voice piqued his interest, recognizing it immediately, and the shadow of a smile crept onto his lips. 

‘ howdy, ma’am, ’ he let out, his texan drawl ever so obvious as a joke he shared with roma. ‘ well, besides the constant ramblings of my mind… ’ the guard gave a brief chuckle and nodded, ‘ i’ll say, my day’s been ever so interestin’ listenin’ to the comings and goings of everyone. in fact, i may have heard someone mention dinner. got my stomach rumblin’ like a storm. ’

‘ how’s your day been ? i certainly hope it’s been just as fascinatin’ as mine. ’ 

laugh     spilling     from     smiling     lips     and     it     tastes     foreign     across     her     tongue          —-          bliss     like     an     anomaly     in     a     world     bloated     with     chaos          .          ❝          well          ,          better     now     that     you’re     here     but     in     comparison     to     yours          ,          my     day     was     just     fantastic          .          ❞          roll     of     the     eyes     to     punctuate          .          ❝          found     an    old     shed     a     few     miles     north     and     i     might’ve     brought     you     back     a     lil’     something          .          ❞          mirth     painting     colloquial     as     digits     reach     into     the     knapsack     at     her     side          (     once     a     virgin     white     and     now     stained     with     soot     and     blood          .          might’ve     laughed     at     the     ugly     old     thing     if     circumstances     weren’t     so     dire     )          .          ❝          ta     da          !          your     very     own     can     of     peaches          !          and     look     at     that          ,          they’re     not     even     expired     either          .          you’re     getting     the     real     royal     treatment     around     here          !          ❞

        they  needed  a  new  system .      when  jay  had  helped  secure  the  mountain ,  closer  to  when  this  had  all  started      (   throwing  himself  into  the  fight  again ,  a  distraction  from  her  being  gone   ) ,      he  had  filled  up  and  stoppered  as  many  bathtubs  in  the  hotel  as  the  others  would  let  him ,  fresh  water  for  when  the  taps  stopped .  and  stop  the  taps  did  eventually ,  but  that  and  water  bottles  taken  from  whatever  grocery  stores  they  could  find  had  lasted  them  a  while .  plus ,  they  could  supplement  it  with  boiled  rain  water .  his  concern  now  was  whether  rain  water  alone  was  going  to  be  enough  …    more  people  kept  appearing ,  a  blessing  that  more  were  still  alive ,  but  they  needed  to  be  able  to  get  more  water .

       jay  is  far  too  much  in  his  own  head ,  thinking  through  the  possibilities ,  that  he  doesn’t  notice  the  other  person  enter .  he’s  pulls  his  jacket  around  his  shoulders ,  and  it  is  only  when  he  turns  to  leave  that  he  sees  them .  if  they  startled  him ,  he  doesn’t  let  it  show ,      stoic  face  of  a  soldier .      ‘   sorry ,  got  some  stuff  on  my  mind ,  didn’t  hear  you  come  in .   walk  with  me   ?   ’

indignation     rooting     itself     within     sinew     and     marrow          .          ever     the     resigned     leader          —-          a     scoff     at     the     thought          .          ❝          what     the     hell     was     that     earlier          ?          ❞          follows     him     like     a     shadow          ,          wicked     frown     to     accompany          .          lips     suffer     the     spite     of     frustration     as     teeth     bite     against     flesh          /          wishes     for     nothing     more     than     to     yell          ,          to     beat     against     soft     skin     until     it’s     broken          .          eyes     closed     and     ribs     rattling     as     she     inhales     a     ragged     breath     of     air          .          ❝          and     don’t     give     me     the     same     bullshit     excuse     that     it’s     what’s     best     for     the     group          .          who     the     hell     do     you     think     you     are          ?          ❞          silhouette     stood     before     his     frame     and     palm     to     his     chest     to     halt     further     movement          .          grave     already     dug     at     the     intrusion          ,          she     figures          ,          what’s     a     little     more     anarchy     in     the     world          ?