Archive of Our Own

Ashley wakes up with a start, a terrified shriek echoing through the master bedroom as she grasps at her throat. She trembles and pants as flashes of the vision linger for a moment longer, until finally she realizes that she’s awake again. Ashley lies still, going over everything she saw. Why... why would Andy do that? No, that was just a nightmare, right? Please, god, don’t let that actually be her vision. What could she have possibly done to piss him off that badly?

Her thoughts are interrupted by loud thumps against the floor quickly approaching their parents’ room, footsteps similar to the ones that pursued her moments ago.

Andrew appears in the doorway, a panicked look on his face as he stares at her. “What the hell happened?” The worry in his tone actually calms her slightly, and she prays to whatever being willing to listen that this is still her Andy.

Once her breathing is back to normal, Ashley sits up. She rubs her face with shaking hands, her fingers threading through her hair as she debates answering honestly. No. She can’t. Who knows what might happen if she does... “It’s nothing. Really.”

“Like hell it was!” Her brother already looks frustrated by her reluctance. “I heard you scream. What did you see?”

What can she do? His patience is clearly waning but if she tells him what she saw, that might only encourage him to see it through. She’s staring back at him like a deer in headlights, unsure of how to handle this. “I... I already forgot.” Her voice is so small compared to how she usually talks. It’s jarring, even for her.

Andrew presses his palm over his face. “Are you fucking serious...” Ashley thinks she hears the tiniest hint of a laugh as he processes this. It’s scary. “I knew I should’ve held onto that damn thing. That’s why I said I should be the one to see the vision, because time and time again you’ve proven to be irresponsible. But no! ”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Ashley scoots to the edge of the bed. “You act like I’m the only person ever to forget a dream. I can’t control that!”

“Ashley, you’re shit at lying. I know you didn’t forget the vision.” Even with the distance between them, she can feel his eyes boring into hers. “Something clearly happened to us, but you can’t be assed to say what. Why? Are you trying to get back at me or something?”

Trying to get back at him? Ashley glares at her brother. “Fuck off, Andrew. Not everything is about you.”

“ This IS about me-! ” Andrew looks like he’s about to advance on her, but stops when he sees her cower back. He seems surprised by her reaction, but then he shakes it off. “Whatever. Keep your secrets. Let’s just focus on our immediate problem right now.” Right, their parents. Andrew leaves the room, and Ashley only spends a moment of hesitation before following after him.

-

Their birthers meet a watery grave, and it isn’t as bittersweet as she thought it would be. Well, Ashley never felt any real affection for either of her parents, so that’s not much surprise. But it’s weird seeing Andrew not react accordingly. He just looks... numb. Ashley wonders for a moment if this is her fault.

The next week is agonizing due to the fact that Andrew won’t even talk to her unless absolutely necessary, and even then he refuses to look her in the eye. It’s like living with a shell of his former self. The only time she ever gets an ounce of emotion from him is when she tries to push him into talking, which is then met with him snapping at her to just leave him alone. Perhaps she should listen, because if she doesn’t, that vision could easily become a reality.

Their next victim ends up being a cop who pulled them over once their license plate was recognized. Of course this triggers another argument about how they should’ve ditched the damn vehicle days ago, and this is somehow all Ashley’s fault. Luckily they were able to do away with him before backup was called, and the only thing they take from him is his gun and some money. Another sacrifice later, and they’re back on the road, this time on foot. They end up spending the night at a cheap place that thankfully doesn’t require identification.

Ashley falls asleep with high hopes for a more lighthearted vision this time, but life’s too cruel for that. She’s confused when she arrives in the between realm again, and her stomach drops when a familiar banging is heard from behind a door. Surely this isn’t... is it?

It’s all too familiar, and Ashley has to wonder what the hell that demon is getting from any of this. But at least she knows what to do from here. She grabs the axe and uses it to chop the large sign down so she can use it as a bridge. She gets lost a few times, but with how confusing this labyrinth is, that isn’t surprising. She finds the two locked doors, and after finding the key, she goes into the one she knows the demon is hiding in.

Except it isn’t here. What the hell. The souls are here though, with an addition of one. That one looks hesitant to come near her, but the rest seem to be judging her. Especially the gray soul. Ashley can’t waste anymore time, so she leaves the room and heads to the next one. Like the first time, her pursuer turns out to be Andrew. She wonders if there’s anything she can do here to change the outcome. She glances down at her axe, but thinks better of it. Andrew notices that though.

“Don’t use a weapon you wouldn’t want used against you, Leyley.” What’s that supposed to mean? Obviously she doesn’t want ANY weapon to be used against her!

Ashley grits her teeth, then drops the axe before sprinting in the opposite direction. It’s pointless though. Andrew catches her just like he did before, and her breath catches when she realizes what’s about to happen next. He holds her back by her ponytail, which hurts like a bitch, and he leans in till his lips are practically touching her ear. “I knew you couldn’t do it. Leaving the dirty work for me once again, I see. I guess some things never change.” The first time Andrew got her, her weapon was empty due to her brother using it up on that hitman. But Ashley now has the cop’s gun...

She ends up following in his footsteps, emptying the entire thing into the brain of the deranged monster wearing her sibling’s skin, crying and laughing the entire time.

Her post vision clarity isn’t much better than the first as she wakes up sobbing. The sight of her brother’s dead body was too much to handle, even if she was the one to cause it. She hasn’t cried this hard since she was a child.

The source of her misery climbs into bed with her not long after, and takes her into what would normally be a comforting embrace. She wants to push him away and tell him he doesn’t deserve to touch her. These are the very hands that will eventually take her life, how dare he hold her like this? But instead, she buries her face into his chest and cries until there are no more tears to shed.

It feels like hours, and Ashley is about to finally fall back asleep until she hears Andrew’s gentle voice. “What did you see?”

Ashley feels sick. She presses her lips into a thin line out of fear of saying something too damning. Instead of answering, she turns herself around and faces away from her brother. She hears a dejected sigh, and then nothing more. The rest of her night is thankfully uneventful.

-

She wakes up to the smell of coffee, and she has to take a minute to wipe her eyes. Dried tears don’t feel all that pleasant. Once she’s up, she notices Andrew sitting on his bed eating a pastry from downstairs. On their tiny table is another pastry along with a banana and a cup of coffee. Ashley still feels sick, so she just takes the coffee for now.

Both siblings enjoy their modest breakfast in silence, though Ashley can feel Andrew staring at her every now and then. Why is he looking at her? Stop looking at her! Ashley makes the mistake of glancing at him, and he speaks up.

“How are you feeling?”

Oh. She was expecting him to just get right to asking about the vision. Ashley attempts to answer, but her throat is hoarse from all of the crying from last night. She clears her throat. “I’m fine.”

He’s still staring at her, and she can’t meet his gaze. “Do you want to talk about it?” She knows he’s just trying to worm into the topic without upsetting her. Well too bad, she’s already upset. Andrew sighs again when Ashley shakes her head. “Please? If something is going to happen to us, then I’d like to know.”

Please, he’s more concerned about if he’s going to get caught. He has nothing to worry about. Andrew may have died in last night’s vision, but that’s only because Ashley knew what to expect. The true outcome will always be in her death, and Andrew will continue on as if it’s nothing. He gets the best outcome from this.

Apparently she took too long to respond again, because Andrew scoffs. “This is about what I said to mom, isn’t it? Yeah, that must be it. You’re still pissed off after twisting my words and now you want revenge. Guess I’m better off sleeping with one eye open from now on since you can’t be trusted.”

“Twisting your words? Admit it, if I hadn’t come back when I did you would have happily accepted their offer. Hell, maybe I should’ve just taken the money and ran!” Now Ashley’s too sick to drink her coffee. She’s got half a mind to throw the rest at Andrew.

“Yeah, I bet that would’ve gone well, rocks for brains. You’d be dead without me.”

On the contrary...

“I’d be just fine without you. Need I remind you I can see into the future?” A lot of good that does when she literally had a repeated vision. Ashley gets up and takes her coffee to the bathroom sink to pour it out.

Andrew scoffs again before standing and grabbing the fruit he brought. He starts to peel it open. “What’s the use when you won’t even tell me? Supposedly we’re in this together, but it just looks like you’re trying to get rid of me.” He takes a bite out of the banana and mumbles. “‘ I don’t know why I keep him around .’”

The coffee runs down the drain, leaving just its aroma in its wake. Ashley crushes the paper cup and tosses it in their tiny trash bin. “...I didn’t mean it that way, Andy. You know how I joke. Besides, if I really wanted you gone, I wouldn’t need to rely on fate.” It seemed easy enough to overpower Andrew in her vision. Though maybe he was just caught off guard.

“Ah yes, how comforting. So it’s not a matter of who might catch me, but when you finally snap and do me in yourself.”

What a fucking asshole. Ashley turns around and steps up to Andrew, glaring at him. “If you feel that threatened by me, then leave.”

He glares back down at her, and if looks could kill, she’d be six feet under already. “Don’t kid yourself. You don’t fucking scare me. The only reason I’m still here is because the last remaining bit of hope I had for a normal life died with our parents.” He turns away, and starts to gather his very few items together. Looks like it’s time to move on.

Before, Andrew had swore up and down he was only talking about their current situation. But it doesn’t take rocket science to figure out how he genuinely felt about Ashley, if her vision wasn’t enough proof. He didn’t even defend her when their mom talked shit about her. Ashley wonders if maybe she really should have taken the money for herself. Andrew and their parents could be rebuilding their lives together, just the three of them, as it should have been from the very start. “I’m sorry you feel so stuck.” The last time she said that, Andrew reassured her with a hug and a kiss that he wasn’t. She’d give anything to have that moment back. She grabs her own stuff which doesn’t take long at all, then looks over at her brother. “What do we do now?”

Another sigh. “You already know what I’m going to say to that. Just make a decision and I’ll follow.”

Making her choose again? They don’t really have a true goal anymore aside from ‘survive the day.’ Ashley shrugs. “Let’s just walk around.” Andrew doesn’t like to draw attention, so he’s less likely to yell at her in public. They’re out of town, so the chances of running into someone they know is less likely.

Andrew doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t tell her no, so that’s something. Ashley grabs her pastry and they both leave the motel room. They leave the building after returning their key, and before they make it off property Ashley’s vision is slightly obscured by a partially eaten banana.

“Here. I only wanted half.” Andrew says casually while holding it out to her. It’s strangely normal compared to the conversation they just had in the room. Maybe it’s a peace offering? A proper apology is preferred, but she’ll take what she can get.

Ashley takes it and smiles for what feels like the first time in a decade. “Oh~ An indirect kiss from Andy. I’m blushing.” No response. Ashley corrects herself. “Um. Andrew. I meant Andrew.”

Still nothing. Guess things aren’t going back to how they once were any time soon. The two of them don’t share another word as they head off to their next unknown destination.

-

The siblings make sure to stay away from overpopulated areas, either taking backstreets or wooded spots with plenty of trees. Ashley thinks this is pointless, since their faces haven’t appeared on the news. There has been word of a married couple having disappeared without a trace, but so far there aren’t any leads. After all, their two children tragically perished in a fire.

Ashley wipes a bit of sweat from her forehead and curses the sun for it’s personal offense against her. She then looks to her brother, who still hasn’t spoken to her since they left the motel. She can see sweat beading down his neck, but his expression is just as unbothered as ever. “Couldn’t we at least snatch someone’s car or something? Hell, I’ll even go with a motorcycle at this point.” Ashley says miserably.

“The idea is to draw the least amount of attention to us as possible.” Andrew’s response sounds automatic and rehearsed. It’s what he says every time Ashley tries to bring up any sort of idea that might make their lives simpler. Jerk.

“Man, we’re the worst criminals ever.” She says before kicking a stone. “Shouldn’t we be terrorizing villages, kicking ass, and taking names?”

“You might relish in being a menace to society, but I’d like to hold on to whatever bit of humanity I have left.”

Ashley grins. “What humanity? We’ve cannibalized, stole, killed, summoned demons, and fought the law.”

“All of which were your idea.” He’s so quick to blame, its funny.

“No sense in pointing fingers when you’ve had ample opportunity to stop it this whole time. No one forced your hand, Andy, so no one’s gonna feel sorry for you.”

Andrew rubs his face and mumbles something about needing to smoke. And well timed too, because once they reach the clearing, they see an old dirty gas station that’s surprisingly in operation.

Ashley rolls her eyes. “You won’t pay for new identities but you’ll spend precious resources for cancer sticks.” Hopefully this place doesn’t ask for ID. Andrew doesn’t answer her, which is only expected at this point, and she has to try and keep up with him as he all too eagerly strides to the gas station.

The inside is much cleaner, though it’s not much different from any other one she’s been to. While Andrew talks to the old man at the counter, Ashley decides to browse around for any snacks or drinks she might want. That pastry and half fruit wore off a while ago. She needs nourishment. She reads chip bag labels while tracing price tags, and finds a cheep off brand that doesn’t feel like mostly air.

“Great choice, if you like the taste of styrofoam.”

Ashley looks, and sees a young man who appears to be around the age of her and Andrew. He sips from an extra large slushy and smirks. Ashley checks behind her, but sure enough he’s talking to her. “Okay? And what would you recommend?”

“Ah, these babies definitely.” He reaches for a bag from the top shelf and shows it to her. “Addictive as hell. It’s like they sprinkle crack in them.”

Hm. She’s not amused. But she lets out a tiny laugh anyways. “I’ll pass. I’m trying to watch my spending.” All because her hypocrite of a brother likes to criticize how she wastes their money on garbage like sugary sodas while it’s perfectly fine for him to buy cigs.

The stranger doesn’t back down. “Hang on now, these are worth every penny! Super cheesy and greasy with a nice satisfying crunch.”

“Cheesy and greasy. Describing yourself there?” This guy’s a weirdo. Where’s Andrew? Come rescue her already!

It’s clear her insult didn’t land the way she planned, because that just makes him laugh. “I like your spunk. Here, try it for yourself.” After tucking his slushy into his arm, he pops the bag open.

Ashley blinks in surprise, not expecting him to just do that with all the cameras in place. But she reaches for a chip when he offers the bag to her. “Damn. They just let you get away with that?” She eats it, and it’s as he described it. It’s not exactly sending off any fireworks though.

“All the time! Though I guess being the owner’s son gives me an unfair advantage.” He chuckles before sipping on his drink again. That must have been free too, if he’s telling the truth. “Well? What are your thoughts? Best processed garbage you ever had?”

Ashley raises an eyebrow, then turns to walk down the aisle. “You really need to work on your promotional skills. It’s not bad though.” Still not good enough for her to spend money on it. She heads to where the bottled drinks are, and looks at the different sodas.

“‘Not bad’ is still better than ‘absolute dog shit’ so that’s a win!” Lord Unknown get this guy AWAY from her. “So what’s your name? Don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before.”

She’s about to give her actual name, but quickly decides against it. She may not have her brand new identity yet but she can still pretend. “Lily. And you haven’t. We’re just passing through.”

“We?” She doesn’t miss the slight intrigue in his voice.

“Yeah. Me and my b-... boyfriend.” Ashley can’t help but smile when she sees intrigue turn into disappointment. Yeah, that’s right. She’s taken. So leave her alone!

Unfortunately, that’s still not enough to turn greasy chip boy away. He paints a new smile and places a hand over his chest. “Ah, two young lovers traveling the world together? How romantic. The name’s Chance. And I like to take them whenever I can.” Chance winks at her, and Ashley’s positive he sees her cringe.

She can’t be bothered to fake her amusement. Really? Even after she claimed to be with someone this clown is still talking to her? Where the hell is Andrew? How long does it take to buy cigarettes? “Yup. Lovers. We are very much in love. Actually, I really should go find him. He gets crazy jealous over nothing.” That last part is true at least. She opens a cooler and takes out a cheap soda, and if this guy even dares to try and up-sell her again she’s going to cause a scene.

Instead, the open bag of chips is offered to her once again. “Here. A little something for the road, on me.” He’s still smiling at her, but she’s skeptical.

“You’re giving those to me? Just like that?” Yeah it’s just a bag of chips, but everything in life comes with a price. Ashley squints at him in suspicion. “What’s the catch? Surely you want something.” And she can already guess what that something is. What do men usually want in return for favors? Yeah. That’s what she thought.

Chance waves dismissively. “I’m a simple man. My only price is a smile from a pretty girl.”

That actually gets a laugh from her. “Well damn. If only I knew where to find one of those.” Ah shit, she’s smiling.

“Kaching! Pleasure doing business with you!” The bag is pressed into her hand, and hey, the portion inside is actually pretty generous...

Suddenly a hand grips her shoulder from behind, and the look on Chance’s face is almost funny. Finally her rescuer is here. “Are you done? I’m ready to go.”

Ashley can’t help the huge smile stretching her lips. “Took you long enough. Just gotta pay for the soda. The chips are a gift.”

Chance laughs a little awkwardly, then nods to the tall man looming over Ashley before looking to her. “That yours?”

THAT? That? Ashley was used to being called ‘that’ by their parents and neighbors ever since she was a kid. But this was the first time she heard Andrew be on the receiving end. She’s not sure how to feel about it, but the way Andrew’s nails bite into her shoulder is delicious. “Yup. This here is the love of my life. Isn’t that right, my little pookie bear?” She giggles when that hand quickly removes itself.

“The hell are you on about? Let’s just get out of here.” Andrew heads up to the front counter, and Ashley gives a tiny wave to Chance before following behind him.

She sets her soda on the counter and waits for the old man to ring her up. She hands over the money and then immediately cracks into the bottle. The old man looks at her, then up at Andrew before speaking in that whispery wheezing voice some old guys have for some reason. “Consider my offer, son. Running will only get you so far.”

Huh? Who even is this guy? Before she can even question it, Andrew pulls her out of the gas station by the arm, and keeps his hold on her till they are completely out of the parking lot. He lets go of her a bit harshly, then walks down the path at a normal pace. Ashley sips her soda while glancing up at him in concern. “What was that about? You got old people hitting on you now?”

“Shut the fuck up, Ashley. The guy was just senile. More importantly, what was that back there? Pookie bear? And who was that guy?” Andrew checks behind, as if expecting either the owner or his son to be following them.

Ashley just smiles. “Sorry, can’t answer. Too busy shutting the fuck up.” She takes a chip out and pops the whole thing into her mouth. If Andrew’s gonna be a bitch and leave her in the dark, she’ll do the same.

Andrew lets out a growl of frustration, but doesn’t push her any further.

-

Turns out you can’t make it far without a set of wheels. It ends up raining hard for the rest of the day, so they end up finding a motel to stay at. It’s pretty far from their previous place, which means very far from the Graves house. But of course that’s still not good enough for Andrew. He probably won’t be satisfied until they’re at the other end of the planet. Or dead.

He still hasn’t spoken to her since leaving the gas station. Maybe she shouldn’t have been smart with him. Is she going to apologize though? No way. Not until he does first. Those chips have already worn off, but with how bad the weather is, they won’t have access to any food till morning. So it’s off to bed with her. She settles in under the covers and ignores the fact that Andrew’s staring at her before forcing herself to go to sleep.

Ashley wakes up to a familiar red hue, and she looks around in confusion. She feels too awake for this to be a dream, but they didn’t sacrifice anyone. So how is she having a vision now?

A little white blob floats by, and something about it reminds her of someone. The way it simply exists with no real purpose in life, like a pathetic leaf just waiting for a gust of wind to control it’s every movement. Ah, right, dad! Now it all makes sense. Up until now, she had been keeping the trinket beside her on the nightstand, which means she still had a spare soul powering it. Nice! Ashley walks up to the soul, and it jumps when it notices her.

“Long time no see.” She says in a condescending tone. “How’s purgatory treating you? Better than that dusty old job, I’d guess.” The soul trembles as it listens to her, and a thought comes to mind. Seeing dad on his own is like finding a bear cub alone, which means mama bear is watching from the shadows somewhere.

Her heart jumps into her throat when she suddenly hears a familiar banging.

W... What?

Just when she thought this vision was going to be different! Ashley runs past the soul and grabs the axe. After cutting the sign down, she moves it to the large gap over the endless chasm and forms a bridge. More commotion catches her attention, and she looks behind her to see the gray soul knocking over the junk barricading the door. “HEY! Stop that, you salty bitch!” Ashley trips over her own feet and then scrambles over to fix everything back up. What a waste of time! It’s like these things want her to be killed! Once that’s done, she turns back around just in time to see the sign fall over the ledge. The two souls stare at her, then leave through the door together.

...Shit.

Ashley paces around, trying to come up with a new solution. It’s too far to jump, and none of the remaining items around here are big enough to use instead. Time runs out faster than expected and she hears the door bust open. It’s like her brain completely shuts down and she freezes in place. It’s already over. He’s going to kill her again.

“ Ashley. ”

She doesn’t want to look at him. She doesn’t want to stare into those lifeless eyes again. She doesn’t want to feel his painful grip on her hair, or hear his hateful words... And most of all she can’t bring herself to kill him again.

He doesn’t get the satisfaction of slicing her neck because in one swift movement she pulls out her gun and presses the barrel under her chin.

-

So much for that freebie. Even beyond the grave their parents are fucking her over. Ashley gasps as she comes back to the present, shooting up in bed and clashing her forehead against Andrew’s. What the hell? Was he hovering over her? Andrew sits back while rubbing his head, groaning and hissing from the pain. Ashley isn’t much better off as she lets herself lay back down. “Andy, what the hell? Why are you watching me while I sleep?” It’d be easy to make a dirty joke from this but frankly, she’s not feeling too hot after what she just experienced.

Andrew frowns, and Ashley can’t tell if it’s because of the nickname or something else. “Well pardon me , but I figured since you’re refusing to tell me your visions, I may as well try and study your reaction.”

Huh?? Where does he get the gall- “For your information, I wasn’t having a vision. How could I? We didn’t even sacrifice anyone!” Andrew’s hand claps over her mouth, and she promptly licks his palm.

He recoils, immediately pulling his hand away and wiping it on his pants. “Maybe don’t shout stuff like that? These walls aren’t thick.” Andrew sighs, rubbing the spot on his head once again. “Alright, fine. But are you gonna finally tell me what you saw?”

Ashley averts her gaze, her hands ball into fists under the sheets. She’s been scared to death over how Andrew might react to finding out that the person he hates most finally meets a gruesome end by his hand. But if she’s honest, she doesn’t want to live through that vision a fourth time. At this point she hopes he’ll just do it and release her from this torment. “Nothing happens to you. There. Are you satisfied?”

Despite all of that, she still can’t bring herself to fully say it.

Andrew is silent as he takes in what she’s just said. Ashley expects to see a look of relief, but is instead met with confusion. Did she need to elaborate? She’d rather not. “And... what about you?” He asks.

“Does it even matter? I told you what you wanted to hear. So just drop it already.” Ashley turns over onto her side with full intentions of falling back asleep, but the hand on her shoulder tells her that’s not about to happen.

“ Ashley. ” It’s the same warning tone he carried in her vision, and her heartbeat quickens. “Stop hiding from me. You’re waking up screaming and crying, and I need to know why.”

Okay. This is the part where she tells him. Tell him right now, you worthless piece of shit. The sooner you get this over with, the better. Ashley wonders if Andrew is currently armed. She also wonders if she asks nicely, he’ll just make it quick. She knows she needs to tell him, but her brain is starting to short circuit. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. She’s breathing heavily as if she can’t get enough air, and it feels like a large weight is pressing down on her chest. She hates appearing so vulnerable in front of him, but nothing can stop the waterworks from starting.

Andrew’s eye widen as he watches her little stunt. Get a fucking grip, you dumb bitch. He sighs and moves away from her. “Fuck this. We’re leaving right now. Get your things.” He starts doing just that, grabbing his small bag of belongings.

“Huh? Andrew, no!” Ashley flops around like a fish till she’s finally off of the bed and she follows him. “No one knows us here, so we’re safe. We don’t need to leave!”

“Clearly we do.” He picks up her bag and shoves it into her arms, the impact making her stomach hurt. “With what that sketchy geezer said along with you freaking out from your visions, I don’t wanna stay here another damn minute.”

Huh? What is he talking about? But then she remembers what happened right before they left the gas station. “You never did tell me what that old guy said. How is he bothering you so much?”

“Why should I tell you? You won’t even tell me what you saw!” Andrew tries to subtly pull down the blinds so that he can make sure there’s no one suspicious outside. He thinks over what he said for a moment before sighing. “He... noticed I didn’t have an ID when I went to buy the cigs. I didn’t tell him our situation, but... he somehow just knew we were shitty people on the run. He offered to give us fake identities free of charge, but I don’t know.” He steps away from the window, running his fingers through his hair. “Who offers something like that for free? Surely he wants something. And I didn’t like how that other guy was looking at you. I’d rather we just leave while no one’s aware.”

Seriously? Andrew was losing his mind over this? “You mean to tell me someone offered to make our lives better... for free... and you said NO?” She could feel herself getting heated. Leave it to her paranoid brother to assume the worst out of things. “It’s a father and son running a crusty old gas station! What could they possibly do to us that we can’t handle?”

“Nothing in this world is free, Ashley! Get it through your thick skull!” Now Andrew is starting to look panicked, as if every second spent here increases their chance of getting caught.

“Calm down! Goddamn!” He was really starting to get on her nerves over this. “I mean, I don’t know, his son seemed pretty trustworthy. He gave me free food with no favors.”

Andrew looks flabbergasted. “Why are you so stupid? First it’s a bag of chips, next it’ll be something even bigger. He was clearly baiting you and you fell for it!”

“Do you really wanna keep running like this for the rest of our pathetic lives? We’ve finally been offered an olive branch, so we should take it. We owe ourselves this!”

“The only thing we’re ‘owed’ is death row.” He laughs bitterly. “And frankly, that’s sounding a whole lot better than being forever indebted to someone. I can’t live with that or your vision hanging over my head like this.”

“Then I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll leave.” Ashley swings her bag over her shoulder and stomps out of the motel room. She can already tell Andrew is following her. It’s still raining, but only a drizzle at this point. She doesn’t want to separate herself from the only friend she’s ever known, but it has to be for the best. Maybe she’ll avoid the events of her vision if they’re away from each other.

“Ashley, that’s not happening. Like hell I’m just gonna- Will you STOP-“ He reaches out and grabs her by the ponytail, and suddenly a feeling of terror shoots through her whole body.

“ LET GO OF ME OR I’LL KILL YOU! ”

In an instant, she’s pulled into an almost death grip before a hand is once again smacked over her mouth to muffle her. But it’s like she’s no longer in control of her body as it thrashes around in an attempt to free herself. She’s screaming in complete fear for her life and images of her final moments from the visions are flashing by. This is it. He’s going to do it.

She’s dragged back inside of their motel room and her world spins for a moment before she realizes she’s being pressed into the floor. She feels Andrew straddling her and forcing all of his weight onto her to keep her still, his hand is pressing so hard against her face that pain is pounding right through her head. But she continues to scream despite it all.

She ends up choking on nothing when she hears Andrew growl into her ear. “Shut the hell up right now before I knock you out.” She tries to get ahold of herself, but just melts into quiet sobs. That seems to be good enough for Andrew, but he doesn’t release her just yet. He glances off to the side and listens carefully, trying to figure out if neighbors heard. Of course somebody must have heard; how could they not? It’s just a matter of who cares enough to do anything about it. When nothing happens, Andrew brings his face down till he’s only an inch away from her. “I know you hate my guts but I’ll be damned if you sabotage me all over a tantrum.” He hisses, his hand adding more pressure against her head. It feels like he’s going to crush her. “We’re leaving first thing in the morning. You can either come willingly, or I will drag you by the ankle. It’s your choice. But don’t think for one second I’m letting you go after everything you’ve done to ruin my life.”

Her head is ringing, and when Andrew finally removes his weight she curls up like a fetus. Fighting isn’t new for them at all, but Andrew would usually hug her and apologize if he accidentally hurt her. But there is no comfort. Only the sound of his feet shuffling against the floor as he goes back to bed. Ashley wonders if maybe she’s somehow made things worse.

She doesn’t move from her spot until she knows for certain that Andrew is asleep. She walks out onto the balcony and stares unfocused at their shitty back view of the motel, just letting the cool air wash over her. Her heavy eyelids start to fall shut before she hears a voice.

“Lily?”

Ashley doesn’t register just yet that someone is addressing her, but she opens her eyes when she hears the voice again. They may be on the second floor, but she recognizes the young man as soon as she sees him.

“Chip boy?” Okay, so she already forgot his name. She knew it started with a ‘Ch’ though. “What are you doing behind our motel?” And at this unholy hour, she might add.

“Just out for a moonlight stroll. Care to join me?” Did he actually expect her to believe that? You can’t even see the moon from back here!

She grins as she rests her chin in her palm while leaning against the railing. “Sorry. No can do.”

“Aw, come on! I’m sure ‘pookie bear’ won’t mind.” He couldn’t be more wrong actually. But hearing the nickname come from his mouth was funny.

“If only my hair were long enough, then maybe you’d be able to climb up here instead.” She regrets it as soon as she says it, because the thought of her hair being pulled again sends a chill down her spine.

Chip boy’s smile only grows though. “Who says I need hair for that?” And with that, he starts climbing, starting from the first floor’s railing.

Ashley’s eyes widen as she watches him. “Uh, I was joking. Get down.” He does not. In fact, he climbs even higher up. The image of him is slowly growing. “Seriously, stop. You’re going to fall, and then you’ll probably die, and then I’ll most likely laugh. So stop it!” She whisper shouts until he finally makes it to her floor, holding onto the rail for dear life.

“That wouldn’t be very nice.” He says while a little out of breath before chuckling. “So what gives? I thought you said you were just passing through.”

Is this guy insane?  She wants to ask him that very question, but decides it’s not worth the argument. She’s had her fill of arguing. “That was the plan before it started raining, so we had to find a place to stay the night. We’re leaving first thing in the morning though.”

He nods. “So I take it your boyfriend didn’t like my dad’s offer?”

Ashley scoffs. “He’s so dramatic. I mean he kept going on and on about how it’s too good to be true, and that we can’t trust it, and how nothing is free.” Normally she believes that too, but she’s been itching for a change in pace for a while.

“Hey, I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t trust a crazy old coot I just met either.” He laughs. “He’s looking out for you.”

“He’s looking out for himself.” Ashley says bitterly. “If push came to shove, he’d choose himself in a heartbeat.” Just stating it like it is. It still hurts to admit though.

His expression falls from that, and there’s a moment of silence before he speaks up again. “I take it the bear bit you tonight?” He immediately realizes how out of place a joke is right now, and he shakes his head. “Sorry, I mean I’m really sorry that’s going on, Lily. You deserve much better.” He looks down, thinking something over. When an idea comes to mind, he adjusts his hold on the railing. “Say, is he asleep right now?”

Ashley nods slowly, a little confused. “Yeah? Why do you ask?”

“Get your things and come with me.” He looks dead serious. “My dad and I can give you a place to stay and a new identity. You can forget all about him and your old life.” It looks like his grip is starting to loosen. She better decide fast.

“Huh? No way! He and I have been close friends ever since we were kids. I won’t even consider the thought of abandoning him.”

“Lily...” His voice shakes as he slips a little. “I’m sorry to break it to you, but he’s just not the kid you knew anymore. Someone willing to hurt you doesn’t deserve you.”

Does it count if she hurt him first?

Ashley thinks it over. She and Andy are like one body. If you sever a body, it’s sure to die. But if her visions are correct, she’s doomed to die either way. It’s a lose-lose situation. But maybe she’s less likely to die if her vision has no more grounds to thrive on.

“What do ya say, Lily? Will you take a chance on me?”

Oh! It’s finally hitting her!

“Chance! Oh my god I forgot that was your name!”

He’s surprised by her outburst, and that’s what finally does him in. Chance loses his grip and falls to the ground, his cry of fear gets cut short the moment he lands on the grass.

Ashley gapes down at him. Welp. There goes that. “Idiot. I told you you were gonna fall.”

She’s about to head back inside until she hears a faint and pathetic “I’m okay...” which draws her attention right back.

-

After grabbing her items, Ashley sneaks her way out of the motel room and heads down the steps. Once down, she moves towards the back of the motel, right where she saw Chance fall. He’s still lying there, groaning in pain. “You’re lucky you’re not dead. I warned you, so serves you right.” She helps him up and ignores his complaining about how his whole body hurts. Maybe next time he’ll think better before climbing up buildings.

Thank fuck it isn’t raining anymore. They eventually make it back to the gas station; apparently Chance and his dad live there. The old man looks up when he hears the little chime from the door, and his usual calm expression changes when he sees his son’s condition. “Chauncey! What have you gotten yourself into now?” Chauncey? But neither of them sound French. The old man walks over with a hunch and supports Chance from his other side. “To the back. He needs to lay down.”

-

Ashley wonders who’s manning the gas station while they’re all back here. Oh well. It’s no skin off her back. Speaking of backs, Chance needs to lay on his for a few days before he can come back to work. Ashley’s still surprised the man got out as well as he did. “Are you sure you don’t need to call a doctor?” She asks once again as she watches the owner finish caring for him.

“He’ll be fine. Chauncey has been through worse. When he was a boy I was always bandaging him up because he loved to climb trees.” He lets out a whispery laugh that drags a bit too long. Why are old people so weird?

“So... Chance says you can give me a clean slate?” May as well cut right to the chase.

The old man finally stops laughing and then nods. “That’s right. I could tell you and your friend were in need of help. Where is he, anyway?”

Ashley looks down, still not sure how well she’s taking this sudden change of pace. She already misses him a lot. “We’re not together anymore. That’s all there is to it.” She’d rather not go into too much detail. Being this far away from him physically hurts.

“I see. Yes, I will gladly help you. But first I must close up shop.” The owner slowly makes his way back to the front, and Ashley moves to follow him before she hears Chance’s tiny voice.

“Lily...” For someone who’s supposedly going to be okay, he’s sure being dramatic. “...Are you still there? Where are you?”

Ashley walks over to the sofa he was placed against, and looks down at him with a brow raised. “Are you actually hurting that much or are you just being a whiny bitch?”

Chance frowns. “That’s cold. Though I guess you’re not wrong. It’s mostly my ego that’s hurting right now. I can’t believe you had to see that.”

“Like I said, you brought this on yourself. Anytime I got hurt from doing something stupid, nobody spared my feelings.” She’s grinning while she goes on. “One time when I was little, I fell from the kitchen counter and hit my head against the fridge. Wanna know what my mom said when I told her?”

Chance blinks, then makes a guess in that same tiny voice. “‘Here’s a bandaid’?”

“Ha!” Ashley laughs. “She said ‘Cry about it’ and then left me to take care of it myself. Luckily my brother was there, because I didn’t know how to make an ice pack or anything. I was just a dumb kid.” Her expression falls for a moment. She’s thinking about Andy again.

He actually looks surprised by that. “What were you trying to get from the counter anyways?”

“Food. Or more specifically, cookies. I had missed out on dinner because the teacher had to keep me behind, and the cookies were the closest thing I could reach.” She talks casually as if there’s absolutely nothing wrong with what she’s saying.

Chance looks like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. “God... is that what made you start this life of crime?”

It’s actually kinda annoying how he seems to pity her. That’s not why she’s telling him this. Actually... why is she being so open with him in the first place? She barely knows him. “Of course not. It all started when our parents sold us to organ harvesters. But it’s okay, we got them back in the end.” No further context. It’s funnier to just leave it at that, she decides.

“I... What?” He sputters as he tries to understand what the hell she’s saying. The longer he thinks it over, the more uncomfortable he looks. “I... I need to find my dad...” He struggles to get up, but he manages.

“What about your back?” Is all she asks, but otherwise doesn’t do anything. If he wants to strain himself, he can have at it.

“It’s fine...” he walks to the door, now in a similar hunch to his dad, and he opens it. He peeks out, and then winces. “Shit...!”

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Ashley asks before joining him and looking out just in time to see flashing red and blue. “... Oh. ”

Those bastards .

“Lily, before you do anything, let me expla-“

Ashley backs up and pulls her gun from her pocket and aims right for Chance’s head. “Explain what? That you’re a backstabbing asswipe??” Damn it. What can she do? She could stand here and throw insults all day, but if she doesn’t do something quick, she’s going to be arrested or killed.

“Just listen to me!” He keeps his hands up while he tries to plead his case. “My dad and I have been turning in criminals for ages. Ever since my dad was attacked and forced to retire from the force, he’s made it his goal to keep fighting crime until his last breath. It’s nothing personal.”

BANG .

Chance falls and cradles his bleeding foot as he cries out in pain.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Did that hurt? It’s nothing personal, so just get over it!” She’s not sure why she switched her aim. Slime like this doesn’t deserve to live.

The sound of a knob jiggling interrupts her thoughts, and then loud banging erupts from the other side. “Chauncey?! Officers, help! My son has been shot!”

Ashley backs up, intending to escape through the back door. This isn’t good.

“Don’t!” Chance reaches out a bloody hand and shouts. “The place is probably surrounded already. They’ll kill you the second you walk through that door.”

“And why should I listen to you?” She aims for his chest this time. “I should’ve known better than to trust grease stains like you...”

“I’m sorry...” He whimpers out hopelessly. He’s expecting her to shoot again at any moment. “T-the sofa. Move the sofa out of the way...”

Left with no other alternative, she does what he says and moves the couch aside. A door? What the hell kind of gas station has a basement?

“Go. Hurry...” Chance crawls over towards her and the couch, and Ashley doesn’t waste any more time before opening the door and descending down below.

It’s dark, but she can sorta tell that this is a basement-turned-house. She hears the sound of the sofa being moved back over the door, and then a bang as cops finally break their way into the room up above. She doesn’t have much time.

“Where is she?! She couldn’t have gotten far!”

“B-back door! That’s where s-she went!”

Ashley stalks through the small house, passing by cheap furniture and family pictures. She then sees a sliding door with a lake just outside. Huh? Ah, this place was built on a hill. That works for her. She quietly slides the door open and looks around. She can hear police shouting from up above, and she tries to leave as silently as possible.

She follows Andrew’s advice and stays within the trees as she moves further and further away from that dreaded gas station. Even once she’s out of reach, she can still hear their deafening sirens.

-

Returning back to the motel is out of the question. Her face has already been recorded on the gas station’s security cameras, so it’s only a matter of time before the news gets out. Plus, Andrew warned her not to sabotage his chances at survival. No doubt if she tried to run back to him he’d just kill her. She has no idea where to go, but she certainly can’t stay here.

Ashley finds herself in a little park where the only source of light on the path is a couple of light poles. It’s freezing as hell out here, but the best she can do is just huddle up in some bushes. She just hopes there aren’t any bugs...

Movement catches her eye, and she sees a woman walking down the sidewalk. She’s clutching her jacket and trying to stay warm as she tries to quickly walk to her destination. An idea comes to mind, and right as the woman passes by Ashley reaches out and grabs her, covering her mouth to avoid making a scene. The woman is struggling against her hold, and Ashley uses her gun to knock her out. She needs a vision. She has to know if she eventually gets caught.

Ashley rests the woman in an alleyway, and then dips a finger in the wound on her head for blood. It’s risky as hell doing this out here, but where else can she go? The circle is drawn, along with the runes. There’s only one thing left to do.

She calls to the demon while keeping her voice low, and suddenly the lights out on the street flicker. A gust of wind blows, and Ashley shivers violently as she watches the scene before her eyes. The lights are snuffed out, and a familiar entity appears before her.

“TaR soUL. yOu ForGOt thE cAnDleS.”

“Cry me a damn river. I’m kinda lacking in resources at the moment.” Ashley says in a shaky voice as she tries to keep herself warm.

“i WiLl onLy ALlOw tHis ONce. nExt TImE...”

“Alright, I get it! Just take the soul already!”

It doesn’t have to be told twice. In an instant, the soul leaves the woman’s body. The entity looks around. “WhEre iS tHe brOtHer?”

“Gone.” Ashley snaps. Why does it need to know about Andrew? “We separated.”

“i sEe. UnTIl nExt tIMe, TaR soUL.”

It vanishes.

Ashley’s trinket works again, but it’s so cold, where is she going to sleep? The best she can do is find some cheap place and hope nothing bad happens.

-

Ashley throws herself onto the motel bed and presses her face into the pillow. She wonders what will happen once her face spreads nationwide. If only Andrew were here... It occurs to her that she may never see her brother or hear from him ever again.

She opens her eyes, and the sight before her already has her breaking down into tears.

“No... No No NO!” It’s the same fucking dream! Why?? What did she do to deserve this? Ashley had hoped separating herself from Andrew would change her fate. But nothing is different at all!

Her tear streaked face turns toward the door as she hears the loud bangs from the other side. He’s coming. Ashley doesn’t move, because she knows there’s absolutely no point anymore. It’ll always be the same. The objects in front of the door budge and tumble to the side as the banging continues, and eventually the door opens with a bang. There he is.

Before Andrew can step through the busted doorway, a bullet grazes his cheek.

For once, this version of Andrew is staring at her in shock. Looks like he didn’t expect that to happen.

Ashley breathes heavily as she looks her brother in the eye. “That’s just a warning. Come any closer and it’ll be between your eyes.” More tears fall as she speaks.

Her brother blinks, then that empty look returns. “Well well... Look who finally grew a pair. Threaten me all you want, Ashley; I’m not scared of you anymore.”

“Not scared of me? I’m about to kill you, idiot!” Her hand shakes, but she quickly reaffirms her aim.

Andrew chuckles darkly. “You don’t have it in you. Since the very beginning it’s always been me. Which is why-“

“I’ve killed you once before and I’ll do it again.” He looks confused, but that’s just fine. “I’ve seen this play out over and over and over again, and I’ve seen almost every outcome. I can’t take this anymore.” Her bottom lip trembles, and her vision blurs with more tears. “You should not be here... I left you... So why can’t you just leave me alone?” The fact that she knows one of them will have to die before she’ll wake up again only makes her head spin. “LEAVE ME ALONE! Please... stop torturing me like this...” Her knees shake, and it’s all she can do to keep herself upright. She wishes things could go back to how they used to be. Back when Andy still loved her and didn’t resent her.

“Are you finished?” He asks, his tone completely devoid of emotion. “Sorry, it’s just hard to feel bad for someone who dedicated years of her life to control mine. You think you're being  tormented?”  He takes a step forward, and then another when Ashley fails to live up to her promise. “Are you constantly reminded of the people you hurt? Have you lost sleep because you’re too wrought with guilt? Every time I close my eyes, I see Nina... and mom and dad... their defiled corpses...” He stops, his eyes losing focus as he relives those memories once again. He finally looks back at her. “It was all for you. Everything I did... was for you. Even now-“ He tightens his grip on the cleaver till his knuckles turn white. “All of this... is for you.”

He’s a blur, and suddenly there’s a sharp pain along her forearm. Ashley screams and ends up dropping her gun before retreating back. Andrew doesn’t waste another second before swinging again, but this time barely missing her as she backs up again. There’s a fire in Andrew’s eyes similar to when he rescued her from the warden, except this time it’s focused solely on her. His movements are quick, but uncoordinated just enough for her to dodge any vital strikes. Ashley is so focused on avoiding his attack that she almost falls over the ledge, a momentary distraction that results in a slash across her chest. The blow is enough to send her back, and she descends down the deep dark chasm.

Her senses are already failing, because she doesn’t realize she’s landed until an eerie, childish voice calls out to her. “Leyleeeeey~ Where are you?” She blinks, then slowly rises to her feet with ragged breath. She keeps a hand over the wound on her chest, trying her best to stop more blood from escaping. “Come on, Leyley... Let’s go play.” The voice is getting closer, and so Ashley heads off in the opposite direction. At first it’s hard to tell from the dim lighting, but she recognizes this place to be their grandparents’ house. A tiny place compacted with memories. She sweeps through the living room, and then takes refuge in the bedroom. She can hear giggling coming from somewhere in the house, and Ashley decides to close herself in the closet.

She tries her best to stay silent, but unfortunately isn’t all that successful due to how hard she’s breathing. At first she thinks she might be safe, until the giggling starts up again from the other side of the door. Ashley gasps, and then the closet starts to shrink in on itself. She tries the door, but it won’t budge. She bangs on it over and over, but she’s grown too weak to make any sort of impact. The closet is now so small she has to curl up just to fit. It’s getting hard to breathe. The giggling carries on, until another voice taunts her from the outside. “Today’s episode is titled: Andy and Leyley and The Bitch in a box!” Now both voices are giggling, and it then progresses into full on cackling. Ashley is desperately clawing at the sides of the box, until it finally starts to give way.

She digs and digs, splinters of wood slowly turning into grains of dirt, and she eventually makes a hole big enough to climb through. She now finds herself in a forest. It’s dark, with only the moon illuminating the pathway before her. The blood loss is really starting to get to her, and she starts to feel lightheaded as she drags her feet through the forest. Voices echo, flowing through the trees like a midnight breeze. These don’t sound hostile like the others.

“Leyley, did you skip school again?”

“So what if I did? It’s so boring, I never learn anything while I’m there anyways.”

“Leyley... mom will yell at you again.”

“Yeah? What else is new. If it’s not because of school, it’s because of something else. Nothing is good enough for her.”

Ashley hasn’t thought about days like this since... She actually doesn’t remember. She had made a habit of blocking memories like this.

“So how was it there without me? I bet it was boring.”

“You bet it was. I was bored out of my mind without you, haha... See? Skipping affects me too. So try to keep coming for my sake at least. Okay?”

“...I guess so.”

The wind changes direction, and the voices sound slightly older.

“Are you coming home anytime soon?”

“Didn’t I already say I was spending the night at my girlfriend’s place?”

“You’re always over there though. You never have time for me anymore.”

“Hey, that’s not true! I make equal amount of time for both of you. Have you tried calling your friends?”

“Ew. No. All they ever wanna do is gossip and talk about you.”

“...They talk about me?”

“Hey! Don’t think about them, you manwhore!”

“Who are you calling a manwhore?!”

Ashley lets out a small laugh. She misses how they used to bicker. Nothing like how they fight now.

“Hey, you know who Justin is, right?”

“You mean that brainless jock from rugby? Why do you ask?”

“Well Julia says she’s seen the way looks at you, and that maybe he fancies you.”

“Huh?? Oh that’s just gross!”

“Right? That’s what I said too. So... He’s definitely not your type, right?”

“Andy, if you ever insult me like that again, I’ll twist your nipples off.”

“Alright, alright! You’ve made your point. Anyways, I’m glad.”

“Oh?”

“I-... I just mean you deserve someone better than that.”

“Someone like you?”

“...Huh?”

“You heard me.”

“...I suppose. I really should hang up now. Julia will think something happened to me.”

“Sure... Don’t sleep in or I’ll miss you too much, okay? I love you.”

“You’re so dramatic...”

“I love you.”

“...Me too.”

At some point, the path meets a dead end. It’s a familiar looking door covered in foliage. Ashley tears off enough leaves so that she can turn the knob, and it opens with a loud creak.

She’s met with the very bedroom she and Andrew shared from the apartment. It looks almost untouched, and standing at the center of the room is her brother. He’s facing away from her, yet also looking at the furniture and knickknacks that litter the place. Ashley can’t carry her weight anymore, and so she drops to her knees before sitting and pressing her back against the bed. If only she had been strong enough to climb it. A soft mattress would have been the perfect final resting spot. She presses her already bloody hand against her chest, but it hardly does her any good. She coughs, and that’s when Andrew finally looks at her.

“I should be surprised you’re still hanging on, but you’ve always been stubborn.” He sits on the floor next to her and sighs. “You know, as a kid I thought it wasn’t fair how much mom and dad blamed you for everything. But I guess at some point I started to agree with them. I noticed how you were changing as we grew up, but I thought nothing of it since you were the ‘problem child.’ Even as adults, it was so easy to just blame you. Everything I did, every thought I had, as long as I could convince myself it was your fault that meant I didn’t have to acknowledge just how horrible I was.” He glances over at the cut on her chest, and he buries his face into his hands. “I’m sorry. If only I had been a better brother to you. When you were first brought home, I promised I would protect you. And yet when I saw the signs, I did nothing. And now look at us... We’re such a mess.”

Ashley doesn’t say anything. She’s not sure if she can. What could she possibly say to this? What’s done is done. She picks up the sound of Andrew quietly sobbing into his hands, and she decides the best thing she can do is hold him. That just makes him cry even harder, and he holds her so tightly she wonders if she’ll break.

“I love you. I love you so much it drives me insane. But I knew it was wrong, and that only strengthened my resentment towards you. I wish we’d had a better family, I wish you and I weren’t siblings... Hell, I wish the earth had just swallowed me whole the moment I was born.”

Ashley lets him continue to cry against her. She had been waiting to hear him say he loved her for so long. Why did it have to be now? She lets this go on for a bit longer, before she takes his face into her hands. For some reason this doesn’t feel like how it once did. In the passed, Ashley relished in the fact that she was Andrew’s only source of comfort. It made her feel more superior than anyone else. But right here in this moment... there’s an ache in her chest that she’s sure isn’t from her wound.

She leans forward and gently presses her lips against his. She feels him tense up, and she holds the kiss for only a moment before pulling away. He looks startled at first, but just as Ashley starts to second guess herself, his hands come up to grab her face and their mouths meet again with much more enthusiasm than before. This isn’t lust driven like any of the kisses Ashley had seen in movies. It’s desperate, passionate, and any other word that a hopeless romantic like Andrew would have loved. It’s so intense that Ashley’s mind starts to go numb, though now that she thinks about it that may be because of the blood loss.

Andrew eventually breaks the kiss, his eyes tightly closed as if he feels too guilty to even look at her now. She notices a bit of red staining his lips, and that’s when she realizes she’s been spitting up blood. For a moment she wonders what it would’ve been like to color his skin with traces of lipstick instead. She lets out a weak giggle. “Red looks good on you...”

Instead of reacting to her joke, he just pulls her in until her head is tucked under his chin. He leaves a kiss against her hair before wrapping his arms around her small frame. Ashley can hear the sound of his heart beating, along with her much slower one. She feels cold, yet also at peace. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to nap here for a while...

Ashley floats in and out of consciousness, and Andrew gently strokes her hair as if lulling her to sleep. “You know... Ever since you surrendered my soul, I’ve been wandering aimlessly through this... amalgamation of our past. This place that holds so many of our memories together, both the good and the bad. I suppose in the end, this is the best place for me to stay. It’s just too bad you won’t be here to share it.” He kisses her head once again, but Ashley doesn’t feel it. “Goodbye. Though I guess in your case, this is just ‘see you later.’ Either way, I’ll miss you.” He snuggles against her, and lets out a sigh before allowing himself be swept away in their sea of memories.

. ... .. . .. .... ..

“There you are, son. May I see your ID?”

Damn it. Andrew saw that coming. Though a part of him expected a place this grimy to overlook trivial things such as that. He pretends to search his pockets, then puts on a fake look of surprise. “Whoops. Guess I must have misplaced it. My sister and I are currently moving across the country and have been up since the crack of dawn. I hope I didn’t drop it on the road...” He bites his knuckle as he tries to make it look like he’s truly bothered by this.

The owner watches as the boy goes through his spiel, nodding slowly as if he completely understands his plight. “Yes, hopefully not. After all, identification is needed for traveling, especially if you plan to switch citizenship.” Without looking away, he slowly pushes the cigarette box across the counter towards Andrew. “I feel you’ll be needing this. Replacing an ID is a stressful process.”

A look of relief washes over Andrew’s face. He actually can’t tell if the guy believes him or not, but at least he was able to get his smokes. “Thank you very much. You’ve no idea what this means for me. You’re right, messing with all of that is going to be a real pain in my ass, but you’ve just made things a little easier. Here’s the money.” He pays, and then pockets the cigs before making to turn away.

“I may have an easier solution, my boy.”

He stops in his tracks, and then turns back to the owner with a questioning look. “Yeah?”

The man smiles kindly, then nods once again. “Yes, of course. I have friends in high places, and I’ve been able to pull a few strings for people in the past. And judging by your current state...” He gestures to the bag of clothes in Andrew’s hand, and it’s clear he noticed he lack of a car too. “...I’d say your situation is more dire than you let on.”

Andrew forgets how to breathe for a moment. He was so sure they were being careful. Are they going to get caught? Should he kill the guy? No, that’s too drastic. No matter what this looks like, he can’t afford to lose his cool. Just play it casual. “Ah, thanks for the offer, but it’s really no problem.” Okay, now that’s his cue to leave. Go. Walk away. Get as far away from this place as possible and never look back. Why hasn’t he moved yet?

“Are you sure, son? If it’s money you’re worried about, that’s not a problem. I’m willing to cover any and all fees.” Andrew really wishes he would stop calling him son. The last person who called him that ended up at the bottom of the ocean, and the longer this guy talks, the more he’s tempted to give him a similar fate. He’s sure his fake confidence has all but melted away at this point, and right now all he wants to do is find Ashley and get out of here.

He doesn’t answer him, and quickly heads into one of the aisles. Where is she? He hears chatting, and he follows it until he sees her talking to some short ass with a drink half his size.

-

He can’t stop thinking about what happened earlier. He’s been constantly checking out the windows and peephole just in case that gas station owner or his kid or worse is waiting out there. If only they hadn’t stopped. He’s been meaning to quit smoking anyways, though considering half the box has already been burned through, he’ll just try to quit cold turkey once it’s gone. He’s currently sitting at the edge of the single bed, watching the news while sharpening his cleaver. He’s so sure they’re going to end up on there at some point, especially now since some old guy with ‘friends in high places’ seems to know their deal. Poor Ashley. If he hadn’t opened the door to the balcony this whole room would smell horrid thanks to all of the smoke.

Speaking of Ashley, she’s been sleeping for a bit now. Andrew tears his eyes away from the tv and angles himself so that he can look at her. Her body is still, and she winces every now and then. Is she dreaming? Well it can’t be a vision, so he shouldn’t really care. He turns back to the tv and continues to sharpen his weapon.

Sssst. Sssst. Sssst.

He pauses. Did she just whimper?

Sssst.

There it is again. Can she hear the cleaver? Andrew sets the weapon down and stands to his feet. He steps around the bed, coming closer to Ashley’s side. She must be having a nightmare. He sits down once again and watches her face twist and contort as her dream carries on, and he wonders if she’s just as nervous about all of this as he is. Oh, who is he kidding? She never stresses about these sorts of thing like he does. So what is it that’s plaguing her mind right now?

Another small sound slips past her lips, and Andrew leans forward so that he’s right above her. “Ashley...” He says softly, hoping he can either wake her or change her dream for the better.

“N-no... I-I can’t...” She whimpers before her eyes shoot open and she sits up, crashing her forehead against Andrew’s painfully.

-

What the hell is wrong with him?

He stares down at her curled up frame, and his soul feels absolutely crushed. He never intended to hurt her. He’s just been so angry lately  because no matter what he did, she didn’t seem to trust him anymore. Hasn’t he given her so much already? What more does she want from him? Her screaming bloody murder was just the cherry on top of this shitstorm of a relationship. Was she trying to get them both in trouble? Did she really hate him that much? But anger aside, he never meant to be so rough with her. He considers apologizing, but she probably wouldn’t accept it anyway. He climbs into bed and throws the covers over himself.

So he slipped once. Was it really so bad that he entertained their mother’s offer? In the end, he still chose to be with Ashley. A lot of good that did, because ever since that night she keeps looking at him funny and flinching when he makes a too sudden movement. And now she won’t even share her visions with him, so if something or someone is after them, he has no clue how to prepare.

-

It only feels like he blinked, but checking the clock on the nightstand tells him he fell asleep at some point. He shivers, but even with the blanket on it feels like an icebox in here. “Ashley, did you leave the balcony open?” His voice croaks from lack of use, and he coughs. “Ashley?” It’s very possible she’s still angry with him. And she’d have every right to be. Guess he’ll have to solve his own problems. He gets out of the bed, and the cold air hitting him once the blanket is off sends a chill through is body. Andrew steps over to the balcony and closes the door. Maybe now that they’ve both had time for themselves, he can try apologizing? He looks around, but doesn’t see his sister in immediate vision. That’s weird. She must be in the bathroom. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve spoken to each other through the door. But when he approaches the bathroom, it’s wide open and empty.

Andrew walks through the room, checking anywhere he thinks she might be stupid enough to squeeze herself into. “Ashley! Whatever you’re doing, knock it off. I’m being serious.” But his plea is met with silence. It’s then he finally notices the tv on at full blast, and how Ashley’s belongings are completely gone. There is absolutely no remaining sign of her existence here.

So she really did leave. Andrew feels his heart thump quickly. No, she wouldn’t dare, would she? How could she do this to him? Didn’t she know how much they needed each other? ...How much he needed her? No. This can’t be right. She always went on and on about keeping him by her side. She was his best friend since they could barely walk. She was the one who made him swear to only have eyes for her. She was the reason his girlfriend left. It’s because of her that the remains of their parents now sit at the bottom of the ocean. She... She’s the soul reason he’s even out here in this goddamn motel in this goddamn town.

There’s no way in HELL she left willingly.

An image on the news broadcast catches his eye, and he looks over just in time to see an image of the gas station they visited just hours ago, along with the headline ‘Attempted robbery leaves 1 wounded.’ Andrew slowly sits down, though it’s hard to hear past his pounding heart. “One poor sap finds himself hospitalized after this crazy bitch sticks a bullet in his leg!” The security camera footage is blurry, but that jet black ponytail is unmistakable. “The father of the man, who we’ve just been informed is the owner of the gas station in question, states the woman tried to seduce his son into giving her free drugs, but when he bravely refused, all hell broke loose!” “Oh, and get this, Janice! Despite the place being surrounded by police, the woman still managed to escape!” “Oh my, so she’s still out there! How terrify-“ Andrew doesn’t listen for a moment longer before running out of the motel room.

The night is spent by Andrew searching the town for his sister. The world may now know her face, but they’ll never know her name. And that’s just fine, because the first person who even attempts to defile it will lose their tongue if he has any say in it. His throat is officially sore from sleeping in a chilled room and also from calling Ashley’s name all night. He swears the moment he gets his hands on her...

...

... If he ever gets his hands on her, he’ll hold her so tightly no one will ever be able to tear her away again.

-

A few days later Chance is pushed by a nurse down the hall, and he waves at another nurse passing by who chuckles to herself.

“Honestly, have you no shame?” The one pushing him asks before shaking her head. “Your flirting is what got you in here in the first place, mister!”

He laughs, though aside from that he’s a little more subdued. “So a greeting is considered flirting now?”

“It is when you only do it to women.” She says with a smile, but then notices his demeanor. “I’m sure you’re happy to finally be going back home, right? Do you think your father will let you take a couple more days off?”

“I’ll be fine, really. Besides, I really don’t like him running things all on his own.”

She pushes him through a doorway and into the lobby. “...You’re a good kid. We’ll miss you, that’s for sure. Will you need help into the car?”

“Nah. My dad wouldn’t let you. He likes to act younger than he is.”

“Oh. He didn’t tell you? He needed to stay and run the gas station. Your cousin is picking you up.”

Chance’s smile falls, and his eyes then search the lobby until they land on a familiar person clad in black waiting for him outside just passed the glass doors. He sits there silently for a good minute, looking back and forth between what’s clearly his dad’s car and those unreadable green eyes. The nurse asks him something, but he doesn’t hear her. He slowly stands to his feet and, with a slight limp, makes his way out the hospital doors. Andrew holds the passenger side open for him, and then closes it as soon as Chance is settled in the car. A look is exchanged between them before Andrew moves to the driver’s side and gets in as well.

There’s an uncomfortable silence up until they pull out onto the main road. Andrew keeps his eyes forward while he speaks calmly. “I’m going to ask you some questions, and I expect honest answers.” The road is surprisingly free of traffic for this time of the day. It feels like they’re the only two left in this world, with only the dead to keep them company. Chance stares ahead completely unfocused and has grown concerning shade of green since they left the hospital. Like he’s about to puke at any moment. “First, did she seek you out, or did you come to our motel that night?”

Chance licks his chapped lips and takes a breath. “I went there, but it wasn’t because of you guys. I was-“

“I don’t care about that.” Andrew interrupts, but his tone remains calm. “Second, did she choose to leave with you, or did you force her?”

“She left on her own. It was her choice." Chance says quickly, his breathing starting to quicken. It’s like he’s trying to convince himself that’s how it happened.

“Did she? Well surely she didn’t just leave for a little slumber party. What did you say to her?”

“I... You already know... what I said.”

“Remind me.”

The young man runs his hand through his hair and turns to look out the window on his side. “I told her we’d give her a new identity and a place to stay.”

Andrew makes a ‘tch’ sound. “I guess by that you were referring to a jail cell. Very clever on your part.”

“I-I’m sorry. I can expla-“

“Third, ” Andrew’s patience is clearly wavering. “Is what your dad said to the news true? Did she ‘seduce you for drugs’ or did something else transpire?”

Chance watches everything pass by as they drive further and further until he looks down at his lap. “No. That was a coverup my dad used. She and I were just... talking. But when she saw the police had arrived, she panicked.”

“I see.” The car pulls into the parking lot at the gas station. All of the lights are off and no one else is here. It looks completely deserted. Andrew parks the car and looks over, not missing the nervousness in Chance’s eyes when he sees the state of the place. “So your dad appointed you to distract her while he called the police. And then she shot you?”

Chance is fixated on the gas station doors, as if he’s just waiting for someone to walk out. A hand appears in front of his face and snaps. He jumps, then he hesitantly glances over at Andrew. “Y-Yeah. I tried to explain our case to her, but she refused to hear me out and shot me.”

Andrew chuckles. “Yeah, that’s her alright. Now for my last question. Think this over carefully, because it may just prolong your life. Do you have any idea where she is, or where she could have gone?”

“...No. I’m sorry. I want to say yes, but I haven’t seen or heard from her since she ran off. And police never updated us. It’s like she just vanished.”

There’s silence, with only the muffled sound of cars passing by on the busy road. Eventually Andrew gets out of the car and rounds to the other side. The door is yanked open and he grabs Chance by the shirt so harshly the man probably could feel his nails scratch him through the fabric. Once he’s on his feet, Chance tries to pry him off. “I can walk just fine. I don’t need help.”

Andrew raises a brow. “You sure about that? Because we’re not going in through the store.” He unhands him, but then starts shoving him towards the back. They descend down the hill, and Andrew has to catch Chance by the collar when he almost trips on the uneven earth. They finally make it to the sliding glass doors, and Andrew opens it before pushing him inside.

“ Oh ...” The first thing he sees is a spot of red with a smeared trail leading to the bathroom. He doesn’t say anything. He just stands there shaking and sounding as if he’s going to hyperventilate. He lets out a small cry when he’s suddenly shoved further into the house and he falls to the ground.

“Yeah, I tried seeking help from your dad first, but he wasn’t feeling especially hospitable.” Andrew casually walks into the bedroom as if he’s already claimed the place as his own, and comes back with a pair of socks. He approaches the grieving man and crouches down by his upper body. “I recommend you cooperate if you don’t wanna end up the same.” He takes his hands and rolls one sock over both of them, and then binds them tightly together with the other. “Now, I probably don’t need to do anything to your legs, since I don’t think you could get very far with them anyways, but...” He pulls his cleaver out and jams it into his good ankle. A cry of pain is quickly cut short when he presses his hand to Chance’s mouth. He keeps it there while the man writhes and sobs, and Andrew simply watches him with a cool expression. “Get it out of your system now. If you can hold yourself together for the rest of this, we should be smooth sailing from here.”

Once Chance seems to calm down enough, Andrew stands and uses the fresh blood produced to draw a circle surrounding the other man. A lot better looking than anything Ashley has ever made, but he’ll save the bragging for later. Chance quietly sobs while all of this is going on, and he doesn’t open his eyes until Andrew addresses him. “Do you keep any candles around here?”

He looks around, finally noticing the circle and runes surrounding him, and he looks back up at Andrew. “...The hell are you trying to do?”

“I’m getting my sister back.” He says nonchalantly. “I’ve searched through this entire town to no avail. I thought you’d be able to help me. I guess in a way, you still are.”

“Your... sister?”

Andrew stares him down hard. “It’s a bit late to be playing dumb. That won’t do you any favors.”

“B-but isn’t she your... girlfriend? That’s what she told me...”

...Ah.

Of course she’d say that. Andrew drags his fingers down his face as he lets out a groan. “She may as well be at this point.” He searches the house for any sort of candles he can possibly use, but then comes back even more frustrated. “You stay here.” He says before heading towards the stairs.

“Aren’t you forgetting about the cameras?” Chance asks, the hint of hope in his voice not going unnoticed.

“I cut those off hours ago. You think I’m gonna make the same mistake as her?” He heads up the stairs and into the back room. It may be a gas station, but surely they’ve got something around here to use...

...He ends up finding some birthday candles. These will have to do. They’re the big bulky kind in the shape of numbers. If Ashley were here she’d probably want to use three 6s as a joke. Too bad there isn’t enough duplicates for that. He carries them back down the steps and then grabs three glasses for them to sit in. He chooses three numbers at random and then places them accordingly around the circle. Now he just has to light them.

“She doesn’t want you anymore, you know.”

Andrew’s eyes meet Chance, who flinches when he sees the absolute venom behind them. He gulps, and then attempts to sound braver than he feels. “Go ahead and do... whatever this is you’re going to do. That doesn’t change the fact she chose to leave you. When I came to see her that night she had been crying. If you’re the one who caused that to happen... It’s no wonder she was so eager to escape.”

Andrew is on him in an instant. It’s a lot harder than when he had to hold Ashley down before, but he manages. Man, fuck this. “You don’t know shit about us.” He flicks on his lighter. “You don’t know her like I do.” He brings his cleaver up, the blade glistening from the light of the flame. “A waste of oxygen like you should’ve minded your own business.” The lighter traces along the edge of the blade while Andrew stares into Chance’s wide unblinking eyes.

“You can’t sacrifice him if you kill him.”

Both men look towards the glass door and see Ashley. She’s wearing a pink sweater with a mismatched ball cap and a medical mask, but those pink eyes are unmistakable. Andrew removes himself from Chance and stands. He slowly approaches her, and he gasps when she takes her hat off. “You cut your hair...”

“Yeah, I had to make some changes since I’m famous now.”  She says with a giggle before looking at his open lighter. “Now put that out before you hurt someone.”

He closes it and then takes her into a big, tight hug. His face presses into her neck so that he can breath her in deeply and fill his lungs with just her scent. This hardly feels real. Ashley gasps, but then responds with much the same enthusiasm. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, you dumb bitch.” He mumbles against her before pulling back so he can look at her face again. He pulls her mask down with his index so that he doesn’t miss a single detail. “How did you know to come here?”

“I was planning on settling some unfinished business. Looks like you already started that though.” She smiles, then reaches up to brush her thumb over his chin. “You need to shave.”

Honestly, this girl... Andrew sighs. “My apologies, dearest. I was a bit preoccupied searching for you. ” He backs up and moves towards the candles. “I was going to ask the demon to help me find you, but I guess that’s not necessary anymore.”

Ashley steps over to the whole setup, eyeing the circle, runes, birthday candles and sacrificial lamb in the middle. Chance stares up at her in shock, and she grins. “Eh. Let’s do it. I have something I need to ask the demon anyways.” She moves to the edge of the circle and watches Andrew light up the birthday candles. In a way, this is slightly reminiscent of the mini birthdays Andrew would throw for her since their own parents couldn’t ever be bothered. It must feel nice getting rid of another pair of shitheads who hurt you. Happy birthday, Leyley. Once everything is set up, Ashley closes her eyes and calls for the demon the same way she always does. The candles snuff out, and the small entity appears once again, to the terror of Chance who screams.

“TaR soUL... wHAt ArE thEsE?”

“They’re candles! What do they look like?”

“...i sUpPOse ThESe aRe AccEptABle.” The entity looks to the frightened young man being presented as it’s meal, then to Andrew, and then back to Ashley. “yOU’re wITh tHe brOtHer aGAin?”

Ashley shrugs, to Andrew’s dismay. “It was completely by chance, but I suppose so.”

“hE wAs tHe oNE whO gAVe yOu GRieF, cORrecT? TaR soUL... i’LL gLAdly rID yoU of hIM iF so.”

Ashley stands there quietly, and Andrew doesn’t like how long it’s taking her to respond. Her brows furrow as she stares down at the entity. “Is that why you’ve been giving me those repeated visions? Because in the vision, Andrew told me-“

“i nEEd a DeCIsiOn nOw, TaR soUL. yEs, or NO?”

She scowls and then points to Chance. “ That is the soul I’m offering. Take it or leave it.”

“Lily...? Help me! Please!” His cries go unheard, and his body falls limp the moment his soul leaves his body. The entity doesn’t stay for further questioning and disappears.

Ashley continues to stand there, staring at the empty body before her. Andrew can’t tell what she’s thinking, though a part of him wonders if she has any regrets. He steps up behind her and snakes his arms around her torso. He rests his chin on her shoulder. “Hey. I’ve missed you... And I’m sorry for losing my temper with you before.”

She turns her head slightly. “And? What else are you sorry for?”

“...I’m sorry for ignoring you. I was bottling up so much. All of my guilt, anger, sadness... but instead of talking about it I just took it all out on you. I’m sorry.” He hears her hum in approval.

“I’m sorry too.” She says in a soft voice. “I should’ve told you what my vision was showing me. But I was afraid of what you might’ve done if I did...” She takes a breath before continuing. “In my vision, I sacrificed you instead of Chance. I don’t know why I would’ve ever done that, but the demon made sure to only show me the aftermath of my decision so that I’d be pitted against you.”

This is... crazy to hear. Considering the summoning was just minutes ago. Andrew sighs. “And all this time I thought you hated me.”

“And I thought you hated me.” She says before turning in his hold so that they’re facing each other again. “Though in a way I feel like I got to see you a bit more clearly than before.” Andrew’s not sure what she means, but he picks her up and carries her to the couch. They can’t stay here long, but just a moment won’t hurt. He sits down, and Ashley settles herself on his lap. She cups his face in her hands and looks into his eyes, smiling. “You’ve got so much going on in that head of yours. I don’t know how you manage a single coherent thought.”

Andrew laughs, his hands moving up and down her form. He still can’t believe she’s back. “I’ve got to, to combat your empty noggin.” He leans in and kisses her forehead. “I swear if you hadn’t come back, I was gonna go crazy. Those days without you felt like I was going through withdrawals.”

Her smile only grows from that. “Are you trying to say you’re addicted to me?”

“I am. Frustratingly so.”

She giggles again, then sits back and takes his hands into hers. Her index lightly traces each line, each vein, and when she hears him ask what she’s up to, she smirks. “Just imagining what it might be like to actually be your drug.” Her voice has almost a lilt to it. Her finger gently moves along his hand, and finds its way to his wrist. “If I could inject myself into you, I’d travel through your bloodstream all the way up to here...” She trails her fingertips up his arm, up the back of his neck, until she finally tangles her fingers in his hair. “And then I’d pool into your brain until all of your thoughts are cloudy. I’d keep you craving for more until you finally overdose on me.”

What is she doing to him... Her stare is so intense he has to look away. He buries his face into her neck and sighs from the pleasant feeling of her hands in his hair. “As if you don’t already do that to me.” He softly kisses her neck, and the sound she makes causes his stomach to flip. He should really get a hold on himself. He should. Her hips shift against his, and his breath hitches. He’ll worry about it later. After they’re done sorting out whatever this is.

They’ll be okay. They’ve got a store’s worth of supplies at their disposal, and Ashley will be thrilled to find out they have a car again. Once all of this mess is cleaned up and behind them, they’ll be okay. And hopefully that trinket never comes between them again.