The Girl and Her Promise

Her nightmares always began the same.

First came the creeping darkness, then the ashen white locks of hair that curtained her eyes when she fell forward onto the black.

Something sharp seized in her chest, almost like a knife was twisting itself deep into her gut. She clawed for wisps of air, but when she found that she couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t stop those sharp nails of hers from dragging down her cheeks.

----I don’t want to do this.

Soft tears spilled freely, mingling with the pool of warm blood that was spilling from the holes in her hands. Why was she bleeding so much? Had she done something wrong?

----Why does it have to be me?

That was the only thought that occurred to her; the only one that made sense. While her wounds burned, she didn’t dare to blame it for the reason she was writhing; rather, her heart suffered the brunt of her screams, split open from the inside out by a weapon far more lethal than any blade.

Murky puddles of faces that she thought she should recognize washed over the inky black before fading away like stardust. With each passing visage, she knew that something important was being lost, but she didn’t care, couldn’t care: not when that feeling of agony felt like it was being lifted into something warmer and more inviting, the searing hot embrace of emptiness. The chains around her throat loosened, and for the first time in a long time, she felt free.

By the time the last visage drew past the corners of her eyes, she couldn’t help but smile. Laugh. Fall back onto her bloodstained hands, and stare down at the narrow holes piercing through the soles of her feet. There was no need to think about anything else besides the reality right in front of her, but a lingering voice in the back of her head beckoned to her:

For whom do you bleed for?

With a jolt, the girl shot up from her desk near the back of the classroom, fists slamming into the wood before she knew what to do with them. Unsurprisingly, every head in the room turned to the source of the ruckus, including her teacher. Muttered chatter exploded between her classmates, and the amused glances shot her way made her want to shrink into a tiny human ball.

“-------, is everything alright? You don’t look too well.”

She stared down at her hands, then her arms, and eventually her feet. Drenched in sweat from head to toe, she tried her best to gather herself to respond, but her voice came out a little more strained than she would’ve liked.

“I’m fine, sorry! I’ll just, uh, head over to the infirmary… I-I think I’m just having the sweats again, y’know?”

“And the sweats motivated you to make another ruckus in our class… again?” Her teacher sounded a little doubtful, but she eventually waved a sigh to the girl that was sitting next to the shining star of the day. “Konny, would you mind going with ------- to the infirmary? And make sure that she isn’t up to anything strange again, will you?”

“You got it, miss! Trust me, I’m grrreat at keeping an eye on things,” Konny shot up from her seat and linked her arms with the girl before waving the class goodbye with a big, stupid grin, exiting past the sliding doors and into the empty school hallways.

“Rough day, huh? Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Of course I did…”

A lie, unfortunately.

“Uh huh, so you just did all that for the fun of the game? C’mon, I know something’s up,” Konny poked her cheek, but ------- swatted her hand away. “Aw, don’t be like that! Seriously though, what’s going on? You look like you’ve just escaped an angry mob of wolves… of angry werewolves! On a full moon!”

“Konny,” the girl groaned, but a small grin creeped along her lips. It fell into a frown not long after. “...It was just another stupid dream, that’s all. Nothing to it.”

“Well, I’ll make it my business, so fess up, would you?”

Along the path to the health room was a vending machine that the two always hit up for their favorite drinks, often at Konny’s treat. Once she made sure that the girl was able to walk by herself without stumbling, she popped an orange soda into her hand, and the two leaned against the walls for a moment’s respite to gaze upon their not-so-beloved city ruins beyond the hallway windows.

“It was the same one as before, only this time, it felt like… I dunno, everything felt okay at the end? But at the same time, it didn’t. It’s hard for me to explain.”

“You know, dreams only reoccur if you’re thinking about it too much. Maybe you’re stressed,” Konny took a sip of her drink, eyes tracing along the overgrowth crawling up the side of a toppled skyscraper. “Was it our math exam? Today’s one was pretty easy, though.”

“Well, yeah, but that’s because you’re a freaking genius!” The girl sounded somewhat indignant, groaning into her free hand. “I studied all of last week, but I couldn’t remember any of the formulas. I even tried studying with Enoch, but everytime I tried thinking about what he said to me, my mind kept blanking.”

“Just how bad is your memory retention?!”

“Bad enough that I definitely have to do make-ups again… Not that it matters,” the girl tasted the tangy sweetness of her soda, admiring the flock of birds flying against the clear skies. “Why are we doing this, anyways? School and all that. The world’s done for already.”

“Don’t you know it’s important to stay educated at the end of the world?” Konny sounded somewhat sarcastic. “For real, though, don’t you think it’s nice that we can keep on living normally like this? So, y’know, we don’t really have to think about everything else.”

“I… I guess.”

A soft silence fell between the two.

“Is everything okay at home?”

The girl gripped her can a little tighter.

“Um, yeah. My mom found a new job as a Ley Line maintenance worker, and my dad’s been home more lately. He doesn’t stink of alcohol as much as before.”

“Mmm,” Konny hummed. “I know you’re not telling me everything, but I won’t pry! I understand.”

“...Thanks, Konny,” the girl managed a weak smile, staring into the deep of her can. She was about to speak up again when the white-haired ball of energy suddenly linked arms with her, leading her down to the old, battered-up sliding doors leading into the infirmary.

“Let’s not focus on the negative stuff, ‘kay? You need to get some rest with Konny’s certified seal of approval,” Konny beamed beside her, stepping inside of the derelict room before setting her friend onto one of the cleaner beds near the far end, closer to the windows. The whole place stunk of something rancid, like a rotting garbage bin in a landfill of carcasses, but the two didn’t seem to mind it too much.

“Aren’t you going to head back? Mrs. Soliciel’s going to get suspicious if you stay out for too long.”

“What, her? We both go wayyy back, I’m sure she won’t mind. Plus, she told me to keep an eye on you, and that’s what I’m doing, isn’t it?” Konny ironed out her skirt when she sat beside the girl, still somehow all smiles. “Anyways, good news to overwrite the bad news! Since your mom’s working in the Ley Lines, you must’ve heard the news, right?”

“Um, I don’t keep up. What about them?”

“Apparently they’ve made some massive progress recently. I don’t know all the deets, but it sounds like they’re getting ready to activate them anytime now. Isn’t that awesome?”

“Seriously?!” The girl’s eyes lit up, practically flying off of the bed. The momentum led her forehead to meet with Metal Pole, a classic enemy of hers. “Ow, ow, ow…!”

“Pffbh,” Konny stifled a chuckle. “‘Course I’m serious, silly. We’re finally gonna be able to live like our grandparents used to!”

A melancholic smile played on her lips, her brows upturned. Somehow it didn’t seem possible for her to look sad, despite everything. “It’s been so long since I’ve last seen my parents, y’know? Once we all wake up, though, everything’s gonna be restored, and we can finally go to those malls like we promised. Can you really believe that that many people can be in one place all at once? Seems like something out of a book, but it’s true!”

The girl tilted her head, looking up at the short-haired Konny from the ground.

“A mall? What’s that?”

“Oh, you can’t be serious,” Konny visibly frowned. “I’ve told you about this, like, fifty billion times. We even made a promise, do you not remember that?”

“S-Sorry, I just have bad memory…”

“Yeah, I know, but this is kind of important,” her tone shifted to something more distinctly hurtful. “Is it not that important to you?”

“No! I-I mean, yes, it is important to me, Konny, it’s just… Sorry,” the girl sighed. “My mind’s been frazzled recently. There’s been so many distractions. I think I was just confused, that’s all.”

She cleared her throat. “Okay, how about this? Once the Ley Lines fix everything, let’s have the wildest, craziest adventure ever! We're gonna do anything and everything together, I promise!”

“You promise you won't forget this time?”

“I promise!”

Konny exhaled sharply before helping the girl up from the ground, laying her on the bed in a way that let a bit of sunlight warmly coat her skin. “I’m holding you to it! I should probably be heading back to class though, so you’re gonna be fine here, right?”

“Yee-up.”

“Alrighty, I’ll see you later! Tonight’s gonna be the night. Let’s meet up at your house once this is all over!”

The girl waved a smiling Konny goodbye, left to her own devices once again. A part of her didn’t want to admit it, but she knew that she’d been a terrible friend. She kept forgetting her obligations, like that one time when she was supposed to hang out with her friend Enoch, only to leave him stranded at the entrance to the old subway station because she was too busy gardening. Her friends always forgave her in the end, but…

“I need to be a better friend,” the girl settled into the sheets, eyelids fluttering. A wave of lethargy began to draw her under, the solace that Konny left with her leaving her prepared to deal with any nightmares that might come her way.

Once the Ley Lines were activated, the world would go back to its original state. Everything was going to be fine.

When she closed her eyes, the only thing that she could think about----the only thing that made sense----was what she now held so close to her heart.

When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing.