TW: Descriptions of gore
Burning flesh didn't smell special.
There was no distinct, gut-churning scent to it.
It simply smelled like beef that had been left on the grill too long, or pork fat that had been simmering in a skillet on low heat for an entire week.
It smelled unspectacular and was easily dismissible until one related the smell to its cause.
The scent was entirely different once it was determined that there was no cow or pig cooking over a bonfire.
Rather, it was a hundred-and-some human bodies, mangled and shattered, some charred black because they were too close to or actually engulfed in the flames that had consumed what were once the wings of the plane.
Liza blinked, gazing at the scene with blurry eyes for what could have been minutes or hours.
She only snapped from her daze when she leaned to the side and vomited.
Staggering closer to the debris farthest from where she'd woken, she paused, wobbling in place as she absorbed the scene.
Bone and guts and empty eyes stared back.
She vomited again, the acidity of her bile stinging the cuts on her lips.
Everything hurt, including her heart.
She was dizzy and wanted to cry or scream but had too much adrenaline to do either.
Where was Tim? What was going on?
Was no one else sharing in this nightmare?!
Wake up, wake up, wake up!
But there was no way to wake from reality, no matter how terrifying it truly was.
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The Expansion of the Universe
Romance"My name's Elijah, by the way. It's nice to meet you, window-girl." She liked that name: Elijah. "I doubt you're even listening, but, look, I'm not here to cause problems, you know? I'm just here to chat. It can get lonely when we segregate ourselv...
