Glass Castles and Kingdoms by the Sea

[umop-ap!sdn†]

((Night of Day 5, Cassidy Kant continued from Forever... Forever...)

Cassidy was always a girl who wore her heart on her sleeve. This was no exception. Matt's oversized t-shirt was covered in tears, blood, and vomit. The hellish mixture had begin drying onto the shirt. If she'd been smart she'd have kept it clean. Had something that smelled like him. It didn't matter if that was a gay cowboy thing to do, it would have been smart. Cassidy sniffed to keep her nose from dripping again. There was no point, her face and sleeves were already covered in snot.

The blood was cold now, like soup that was left to cool for too long, or bath water when it was high time to get out.

The heat of Matt's energy had long. He was gone.

Maybe she should try a fourth time. Cassidy sobbed again as she searched for her voice.

...

"Matt."

...

"Matt?"

...

"Please!!!"

.....

"DON'T LEAVE!"

He just laid there, not even trying. Her voice cracked as she broke into tears again.

"PUL-LEEEA-SEEEEEEEE!"

Matt's body just lay there, defiantly.

"Noooo... NO! MATT! PLEASE!!!"

Her eyes stung and burned again as more tears tried to form. The ducts in her eyes were dry, and her whole system was dehydrated by now. She didn't even have the physical capacity to show the violent sorrow she felt.

...

"...Ma-..."

Her stomach lurched, and she tasted vomit again. The stomach acid dripped lazily out of her mouth.

Matt wasn't getting up. If he could, he would have done it a long time ago. He hadn't left her, he'd been taken. Even if she knew she couldn't be mad at him for leaving her, the devastation needed a target. She couldn't walk away from his body. Even if there was no hope of his wounds closing and him standing back up, there was nothing else left to do but wish for it to happen. She'd been there an entire day now. His name had been on the announcements that morning. He was dead.

Cassidy laid there still. Her breath was heavy and exhausted and her stomach begged it for nourishment. There was no point. She laid in total silence for another minute.

After one final tightening of their one-sided embrace, she eased herself back and to a standing position. Her face and sinuses ached, and she felt dizzy. Food. Food would keep her going. Either until it ran out, or she ran out of reason to keep going. Cassidy opened up the nearest bag, finding a bag of skittles right on top of it's contents. She took it out with an energy bar and a water bottle. She took a swig of water and licked her dry lips. The warm water found its way down her throat, which had gone sore. She spat in her hands and rubbed them together, hoping to at least get them to look clean before handling food-

She couldn't eat here. She needed to get away. If she was going to keep going, she needed distance. She could always come back too. Even if the food lasted, she was probably going to run out of hope again.

She hoped she didn't. She grabbed her bag and the sword.

((Cassidy Kant continued in Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep))