°°·.⬧︎ ᴀꜱᴛʀᴏɴᴏᴍʏ ⬧︎.·°° | ʀᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ |

#12: ᴜʀꜱᴀ ᴍɪɴᴏʀ

I stared up at the sky, which dimmed its usual blue color and melted into a pinkish and yellowed mixture of cotton candy ice cream. It almost looked as if someone from up above dipped a paintbrush into a paint bucket of the sky, and swirled it everywhere. The tusks of clouds seemed to fade and reveal the small reflection of the large, white moon, that only peaked through the sunset. 

"Romantic, wouldn't you say, Eds?" I folded my arms like a person admiring a painting in an art museum, taking a rest break from walking to seat myself onto the crisp, mildewy ground that became littered with the small noises of the shifting evening. 

Eddie looked thoughtfully up at the sky for a moment, before standing awkwardly beside me, unsure if he should sit or not. "No."

I shrugged and leaned back best I could, on my back, partially hoping that it would stretch and crack the sore muscles along my shoulder blades. I stared up at the dying, disappearing sun, slowly making its way to rest in peace under the horizon line of Derry. "Looks like a place where a two teenage lovers would meet under a tree to fuck without their fathers knowing, don't you think?"

Eddie sighed uneasily and sat himself down onto the soft grass, feeling the cold evening breeze brush past his arms. He shuddered, and I gained the temptation to rub his arms up and down. But, let's be real, if I did that, the kid would have a seizure. "As long as I'm left out of all that, sure."

"Worth a shot."

Eddie clutched his elbows, I could sense the regret on his face. He certainly wished he had worn a longer sleeved shirt before being thrown into freezing cold Derry water. Now he was dripping from head to toe, and the water droplets were slowly starting to freeze, one by one.

I leaned lower against the ground, and rested my arms behind my head. I stared up at the blurred colors of the sky, feeling the pulse of my headache and various cuts, scratches, and bruises seem to melt away with the breeze. 

"We're gonna feel this in the morning," I murmured, knowing the numbness of the pain was only the beginning. "Every last bruise."

"No shit," Eddie huffed.

Despite the crawling sensation of the vacant and numbed pain, I could still find it inside myself to enjoy the gorgeous color that the sunset was turning the sky. It looked like a rare dessert you would find at a fair, perhaps. It was pretty and colorful and scattered with a few remaining clouds that were ready to be replaced with stars.

I subconsiously glanced over at Eddie and watched as his chest heaved in the attempt to take a few more gasps of air. His lungs probably ached from breathing so quick and having to keep him afloat, so he was finally getting to relax for the first time in a while. 

The silence crept in and the crickets began to make their early music, before the nighttime had even made itself present. My eyes flickered back and forth between Eddie's distracted face, and the sky. "Sorry that he ruined our fun, Eds."

Eddie seemed peeved and made it seem like he wanted to bash me for using the nickname he hated, but he was far too tired. "It's alright. This isn't the last Friday we'll ever see."

I wanted to agree, but I didn't know anything. For all I knew, Henry could kill us tomorrow. Hell, the fucker could kill us today. He could be waiting behind a tree, stalking his prey, ready to strike as soon as we made a single sudden movement. 

This may very well be the last Friday we'll ever see, but I didn't care much anymore. I was with Eddie, and I didn't have any energy to run anyway. If Henry was ready to remove the life from my soul, he could. I wouldn't try to fight back this time.