FOREVER (Billdip)

Can we talk? Part 1

Note: Sorry for the disappearance everyone, but unfortunately on top of work and planning a wedding I was hit with Covid-19. Thank goodness it was only a mild case, but I've found it very difficult to concentrate on anything. I got married in October and moved into a new place with my Hubby on top of trying to get into college. However, I am on the mend so I'm back to writing. 
Also I split this into two parts since I found this chapter difficult to write.

The sky above us was stark unending blue, the slight breeze providing relief from the sun beating down on our heads. Ford kept a brisk pace ahead of the of us his head buried in the map. Stan followed on his brothers heels complaining aloud about Ford falling because of his head being buried in as he put it "That damn piece of paper" While Stan and Ford began to quibble over the accuracy of the map over my Uncle Stan's navigational skills, me and Mabel walked in silence. 

I glanced over at my sister in her paint stained jeans and smiling t-shirt. She had a long streak of sunscreen on her nose, which reminded me of our parents putting sunscreen on our noses because at the time we had very fair skin. However, our skin had become more naturally tanned after five years in the harsh wastelands of Weirdmageddon We walked side by side our sneakers sending loose rocks tumbling off the path and down the hill. The birds around us were singing, flying over head and I caught myself wondering about Bill. He'd left so suddenly and he'd barely spoken to me that morning, he was mumbling incoherently before transforming and flying away. Ever since Bill left my skin had begun to crawl, there's been a cold chill running up and down my spine. I couldn't shake this feeling like something was stalking us, like a predator stalks its prey. My heart was racing and my body was tense, blood pulsing in my ears. It was as if I was ready to run from danger, but every time I turned to look at the clusters of trees behind me I saw nothing. 

I stared at the trees the branches, was something moving? I strained my eyes at the shadows as they danced in the swaying branches. They seemed to move and convulse almost unnaturally, swelling and contracting, almost like they were breathing. I stared intently at them straining my eyes against the sun in my face, the shade almost seemed to take form. It wasn't quite humanoid but the shadows were so dense that it looked as though I could touch it. Suddenly two bright gold-green eyes stared at me and I shuddered the hairs on my arms standing on end. Within the shadows the faint green glow of her tattoos shone through the dark of her silhouette, moving around her like writhing snakes. A flash of perfect white teeth began grinning at me and the shadow starting coming towards me. Item' s movement was uneven the shadows now pouring off her growing form like wisps of smoke stretching outwards in the air twisting like searching fingers. They crawled along the ground in the same movement of her tattoos, sucking the color from the world as they moved. 

I tried to turn to run but my feet were planted to the floor as the smoke began to crawl up my leg. It felt like ice, so cold that it burned; it continued creeping up my legs reaching under my shirt. I let out out a pained gasp instinctively trying to swipe at the smoke, but my hands merely passed through it. The smoke was still circling my stomach as my ribs and chest began to burn from the freezing cold. I wanted to scream but my jaw was locked in place, the pain bringing my eyes to tears as the pain continued to spread. A shape of two hands in the smoke reach for my face behind them those gold-green eyes, my skull begins to throb. 

"Soon MASON!" 

The sound rang in my ears as the shadow screamed in my face, my vision blurred and I could no longer see what was before me. All I was aware of was the pain as the smoke buried itself into my skin, the heat of my blood being a small feeling of relief to the cold. I closed my eyes the salt of my tears rolling into my slightly open mouth, as my arms go completely numb falling uselessly to my sides. I can hear the voice of a woman calling my name.