||FINISHED|| Pink Roses (JSAB Fresh x Reader)

But at What Cost...?

I stared at the clearing.

The massive dried pool of smeared blood stared back.

Throughout the past ten minutes, I've been running through lush green forest and bush, careful not to slip and fall. I did once, and thankfully I just ended up with a grazed knee and nothing major. I ran without my umbrella up since the leaves shielded me from most of the rain, but my hair still felt damp and cold. Now that I'm in a clearing, I lifted up my umbrella as I stared at the massive black stain. The rain washed most of it away, but there was still a patch of grass that was darker than the rest. The rest of the grass in the area seemed to shrink away from the tainted blades, like they were repulsed by the blackness. Despite what little light the sky did shed on the earth, the dark patch was shrouded in shadow. The general area gave me a dreadful feeling, causing my heart to quiver and shrink up against the back of my ribcage. I hugged my flannel close to my chest with shaking hands.

Did someone move Fresh's body?

I mouthed the words 'What the fuck' as I approached the black stain, wondering what the heck was going on. Nobody should've moved the body, so was I right all along and Fresh's... really alive and moving? The thought scared me and excited me at the same time.

At first I was prepared to be disappointed, but seeing the lack of a body, the facts started to sink in.

He's very most likely alive.

But where the hell is he?

I examined the darkening blades of grass, half of me wanting to touch it while the other half was repulsed by it. Hell, it might be just my imagination, but was the Pink Rose in my hand coloured brighter than usual?

I stared at the bush surrounding me. Searching around for a bit, I eventually found something odd. It was a trail of weird black pieces of... something. Like tiny rose petals that were coloured the ugliest shade of grey, or maybe even ashes from a dying fire.

They looked like a much duller colour of Annihilate Fresh's skin.

I didn't even realise I had picked one up until I was feeling the smooth material in my fingers. It was cold to the touch, like it was snatching away all the warmth in my fingers for its own. Several more of its companions laid in the bushes, forming a trail. I stepped over bushes and past trees. Now that I examine it, I notice that most of the path was relatively in bad shape compared to the undisturbed bushes beside it. Like something... or someone had crashed through it, stumbling as their legs couldn't handle their weight.

My heart was pounding so fast I started to feel somewhat sick. It wasn't a bad thing, it was just feeling the excitement and heat of adrenaline and glee after half a month of... well, death was not something my body was accustomed to. My heartbeat soared and I walked into the bush, following the trail with a quick pace.

But if he was alive... what would he be like?

A Twisted monster? Lost his mind? Paralysed? Comatose? Amnesiac? Catatonic? Purified?

I really hope it's the last one, but the universe just LOVES proving me wrong.

After a few dozen meters, I start slowing down.

Lying in the middle of the makeshift path on top of a bed of green and brown... Was a single boot.

It was leather, the size of which was larger than my entire forearm. If I were to put it on, it would reach up to my knees. Its soles were pink.

And it was the left boot.

My eyes slowly lifted up to the path in front of me. A smile spread across my face despite the stomach-churning concoction of conflicting emotions in my stomach.