A long time that felt ten times as long...freed from his body but trapped from the world. Benson lived as just his soul, having lost his body in the events that led to the post-apocalyptic landscape that we can see today. The earth almost barren, civilisation barely existent, and certainly not in this part of the world. Benson's form; a soul that could only be found on a further plain than this one, was kept safe inside the mystical amulet that hung from his soulmate's neck; his soulmate Skips, still a lone traveller in the physical world, an immortal survivor of the events, everyone he knew long gone...except Benson, whose soul hung from his neck. The only communication they could share was the warmth of their souls that were so close; it was beyond painful, beyond grief. Half the time they could barely even feel that warmth from each other, get that simple connection; and so they would have no idea if the other still stayed on. Benson could feel the pained energy from his soulmate who suffered the longest days and nights in the physical world alone, and, being able to do nothing, not even pass a word of comfort, he suffered as he tried to build up his own energy to give Skips that simple comforting warmth; all he could really do right now.
However, now, for the first time in who knows how long...it could've been months, years, centuries, for all Benson knew, with these never-ending long and torturous days...a voice spoke to him. Murky at first, the voice eventually sharpened to him, with the view of the void that Benson had long-since tuned out in favour of seeing nothingness, and simply feeling his soulmates energy in here. He saw, in the lonely place that his soul had resided for so long, another figure; the figure of cupid. 'Benson,' cupid began; hearing his voice spoke by another for the first time in what felt like forever threw Benson off; if he still had a heart, it's speed would be escalating alarmingly right now. What was happening? Who was this? Why now? Would he finally be able to return to be with his soulmate in the physical realm?
The alarmed soul of Benson communicated back; 'How do you know my name?'
'I am cupid. But that's not important right now...what is important, is the opportunity I give to you now. You have 24 hours.'
'Opportunity?' Benson was anxious to know what was about to happen...and cupid, why cupid? This surely would relate to his soulmate, Skips.
'You will be returned to the physical realm...to be with your soulmate Skips. But I can only afford to let you until the time runs out.'
The shocked Benson barely had time to take anything in before a cold rush was hitting him, and he was taken out of the void.
Today hasn't been a good day. No food, no water, no nothing. Endless hours of scavenging just left Skips exhausted and thirsty, his resources running dangerously low. He was immortal, but sadly, he still needed to feed himself. And for so long, so so many countless days this has been his only objective. Surviving, nothing else. He couldn't even remember when he had last seen a living creature, let alone someone to talk to. He would even be happy finding one of the mutants here; at least he would have an objective again, instead of just scraping by like he did at the moment.
He decided to give up, and climbed out of the tiny tunnel he explored, squinting at the harsh sandy winds, cutting his face like scissors.
He pulled his scarf up and turned in the other direction, seeking shelter from the endless sandstorm he wandered in.
It was moments like this, when he was on the verge of desperation, that one of his last remaining emotions welled up again, and that was grief. Angry at himself he felt his tears welling up, and he gulped them down, not wanting to waste precious moisture. 'Pull it together, man. Can't do this now.' he mumbled, but this just made it worse. He hurried to walk between random bits of metal and plastic, scattered over the broken asphalt road, breathing a little faster than normal.
He finally found an old, half-destroyed barn and decided this would be as good of a resting place as any other. He looked around to make sure the surroundings were safe, but thanks to the sand storm, hardly any dangerous monster found its way down here. All he could see and hear were derelict industrial plants, debris, colourless emptiness, dimmed, scattered sunlight, and the relentless sound of the storm, numbing his ears like static.
He climbed through the broken door, waited until his eyes adjusted to the darkness that awaited him inside, and was relieved to find some bags of flour lying around on the dirty floor. Spoiled long ago, rendering them uneatable, but still enough to prepare a halfway decent bed for tonight. He pushed and pulled a bunch of them together, before he let himself fall down on them.
He lay there for several minutes, catching his breath, and enjoying the dusty but still very breathable air, inside of this building which was cracking and groaning under the winds that pulled at it from all sides.
Skips pulled out his water bottle, opened it and drank the last few drops he had left. Officially out of water. Not good.
He put the bottle down and decided to stare at the broken ceiling instead, trying to figure out what to do, deciding that sleep was probably the best option at the moment. He didn't want to get overwhelmed with grief, and he could feel it was starting to claw at his heart again, an ice-cold pain running through him as he sobbed unwillingly.
He was too tired to keep hunting for supplies, but too upset to sleep, so he didn't have a choice...he had to let his emotions win, and the tears roll down his cheeks. So what if he'd die now, he was practically dead anyway, all alone in this empty world...
He looked down on his chest, seeing his amulet glowing in a vibrant pink. He knew Benson was in there, but he wasn't sure if he was still conscious anymore. Or if you could even call it that - his soul was basically in hibernation. Just sometimes he could swear that it was emitting a calming warmth, soothing his agitated nerves and making all this more bearable. Still, he felt lonely, even if his soulmate was so near. He carefully took the amulet in his dirty, injured hands, blinking at the glow with teary eyes. 'I miss you so much Benson...' he whispered, feeling how his crying was just getting worse.
Just as he said the words, the glow suddenly became stronger; he felt it getting warmer and warmer before the pendant got too hot and he had to let go of it. The glow grew, it seemed like it was escaping the little crystal, just to float above, slowly starting to build into a familiar form. Skips stared at it, shocked and confused, but too tired to actually get up.
Benson suddenly opened his eyes...and it occurred to him he in fact, now had eyes again. And he opened them to see, what it was he had spent god knows how long dreaming of seeing once again, oh more than anything...it was his soulmate, Skips. Benson suddenly felt light-headed, dizzy and confused, and held a hand to his head, only falling down to the ground as it all hit him. He...in a body again...Skips...his soulmate...right there? After such long and painful days; days that barely felt like days, more like years that added up to centuries, millennials, lifetimes and lifetimes of waiting...he could hardly believe the same planet earth was still here with the indistinguishable time he felt he had been waiting. And, all the while, not a day had passed that he hadn't of been thinking of Skips...missing his voice, his presence, his touch...and above all else, afraid of how his soulmate was coping in the harsh physical realm alone, and if he was even still there or not...especially in those scarily long periods that Skips was so deprived of energy, of life, Benson couldn't even sense his soulmate was alive anymore. But here he was now, suddenly in the cold, crisp physical plain again, in a body, fallen to the floor, staring into the beautiful eyes of Skips...god the things he would give to stare into those eyes forever. Not that he even had anything to give anymore...Benson looked down at one of his arms, and stretched it out, curiously examining his fingers...they had a slight glow to them, and his body's surface was unflawed like the one he had once known, more pure and ethereal...it must be some kind of temporary replica. Benson now, suddenly coming down to earth again, looked back into the eyes of Skips, and wondered what the fuck he was doing on the floor, when he had only 24 hours, and all that he ever wanted was right there...Skips. Benson, with sudden strength in his finally awakened state, rushed towards the yeti and gripped onto him tight, wordlessly breathing in his scent, almost fainting as he was overwhelmed with it all...within seconds of being so close to the yeti, Benson already could feel himself coming back again. 'Skips...' he then whispered into his lover's body that he gripped tight, swearing to himself he could never let go, and the first words exiting his lips in what was surely forever. 'Skips...' he then repeated, and soon he was gasping the name over and over, tears streaming down his cheeks as he sobbed into his soulmate's fur, his state a horrible juxtaposition of relief and despair.
This was new. Not the hallucination, but that it was a tactile one this time. Skips had watched how the glowing mass slowly turned into Benson, looking confused, curious but then suddenly rushing towards him, hugging him tightly, whispering his name over and over whilst holding him, burying his face in his chest, just like in the dreams he sometimes had. He didn't know what to do, give in, pretend this was real...? He was probably so dehydrated that the visions became more realistic now. Slowly he lifted his hands, moving them towards the small, warm body that he could swear he felt as if it were there for real, wanting to touch it, even though he knew he would grip into air, as always.
But he was mistaken this time, for his palms came to rest on the shuddering back of his lover; something he thought he would never be able to do again, ever since that fateful day so long ago, that he could barely remember anymore.
He brushed over him, knowing that his hands were probably very rough, finding himself worrying he'd hurt him.
Could it be... that this... really was happening... somehow? He hugged Benson back, squeezing him as much as he could, feeling how the other reciprocated this, and now his tears were flowing again too, - just this time out of joy instead of despair.
'I... I don't know... what's happening...but... this is real...right...? You're really here, Benson?' he sobbed, nuzzling against him with his face, taking in the familiar scent, shuddering as his senses were overwhelmed with the sweetness, overpowering anything else in this dead world. 'I thought I lost you forever...' he whimpered, moving his grip to push Benson's face up, to be able to look into his eyes again. They were glowing slightly, just like the rest of his body, illuminating the bleak and dirty surroundings with an otherworldly light.
Benson gasped as Skips lifted his face to look into his eyes again; their teary gazes locked, and for a moment both were silent, enjoying the moment of gazing into each other's eyes like this again, after so long...Benson then, through his tears, replied to Skips; 'I barely know what's happening either,' his voice was quiet and cracking as he tried to hold himself together, tried not to break down even further as he was overwhelmed with suddenly going from the constant, unchanging pain and despair of the void he had been stuck in alone, to suddenly...this? He could feel his heart thudding in his chest, the blood in his ears boiling, his breath quickening, his state of mind clouded with the burning passion for Skips, and total confusion of it all. 'I just know that...' Benson was about to explain all that cupid had told him before but...need Skips know this? Did he really want this brief day he would have, to get all that he wanted and missed from his previous life, and to give Skips all that he ever wanted to have with him, to be full of the sorrow and despair of how they would be pulled away from each other again? Benson just wanted Skips to enjoy these short hours all he could, and simply be with him, in the moment, before the long hours tolled over again...but he also wanted to warn Skips that they had so little time...Benson decided that he would leave it for now at least. He now simply nuzzled back against Skips' face, lightly kissing at him as he did, and heavily taking in the yeti's scent...it caused memories of the life they had once had to come rushing back to Benson as he inhaled, and a pang of longing pulled at his heart as it did. What he would give to just have their every day life back again...the tears in his eyes increased as he thought about it, as he thought about how they would never have this again. 'Oh Skips...no you haven't lost me forever...not at all...' seeing Skips in this state, in just as much pain as he was, Benson teared up even further, wanting more than anything to just take the pain from his soulmate, to simply be with him to do that, for them to be happy...Benson reached to stroke at Skips' cheek, and kissed him gently, hushing him as he sobbed, running fingers through his hair, wanting to cry twice the tears Skips did every time he saw the pain in his lover's eyes...each expression of sadness from Skips was like another stab to the gumball machine's heart. 'I love you...' Benson sobbed...being able to say those words again was a fucking miracle in itself.
Unbelievable; he was able to feel the gentle touches of his loved one once again, these sensations he deemed lost forever, knowing that he'd never experience something this wonderful for the rest of his immortal life - doomed to wander these wastelands alone until he'd die or go insane from the loneliness. He kissed Benson back, very carefully, feeling like he was holding the most precious thing in his arms; something that could vanish any moment if he was too rough. 'I love you too, Benson...I missed you so much...' he started, almost beginning to tell him how he had felt all this time alone, but deciding against it, as the happiness was taking over now, making him forget the years of loneliness behind him. He felt himself smiling, something he'd thought he would never do again, as he rubbed their foreheads together, not breaking eye contact. 'I never thought I could see you ever again...hmnnnn' Feeling overwhelmed with his longing, he changed positions again, just pressing Benson against himself now, letting the gumball machine rest his head in the crook of his shoulder and neck, whilst he wrapped his arms around him tightly. 'I never want to see anything else but you ever again.' he hushed, nuzzling some more, still sobbing just as much as the gumball machine was. His aching and injured body got soothed by the other's smell and warmth, and he leaned back, exhaustion and calm taking over his body, not letting go of his soulmate though. 'Missed you so much, missed you so much, so...so...much...' was all he was able to utter now in this state, wishing he would be in a better condition.
'I missed you too Skips, I...I can't put it into words...h-how much I missed y-you...' Benson's sobbing increased as he said the words, almost frustrated at how he couldn't fully express the infinite fucking amounts that he had missed the yeti...he could have been trapped in that void for centuries, and he still never would of forgot Skips, never stopped missing him; Benson's soul was fated to long for Skips, someone now in a different world to him, until the end of time. But he had this one day, and, if anything, he had to spend this day living in the moment for once, not thinking about the dismal future that would be as torturous as the past he had just been freed from. The gumball machine tried to forget it all he could, and settle for the blissful ignorance that he had given Skips in not warning his lover that their precious time was limited. He was almost jealous now, wishing he could lose his foresight. Benson now pulled away somewhat from Skips' body, that he held tightly in his arms, to examine over him...the yeti was freshly injured in several places, and it was barely anything small; surely they would leave scars like the marks below them...the familiar soft white fur was more dirty and rugged, and Skips' bulky body had clearly lost some of it's weight. Benson run fingers over Skips' skin, and gently through his fur, looking down at him sadly; his lover's struggles in this rough life he must now lead present on his body. He hated to think of the pain and suffering Skips must be going through each day, not only alone, but also living out here in the harsh elements, struggling for survival, injured and deprived. Benson felt the emotions well up inside of him twice as much now, and he leaned down to nuzzle his face against Skips' chest, gently caressing through the fur on his back as he lay protectively over him. 'I-I can't t-take it, you...you're alone, and living like this, I can't take it Skips...I need you to be s-safe-' Benson had so much more to say, but he couldn't get words out anymore now as he bawled into Skips' body, holding onto him tight, never wanting to let go.
Of course Skips wasn't aware of how run down he looked, as he stopped caring long ago about anything related to his appearance, having only energy for finding food and shelter every day, as he was scavenging around these empty plains. Now, suddenly, he regretted it, as he saw Benson's expression whilst he was studying his beat up body. In every other context it would've been something nice, to get attention from his loved one, but the timing couldn't have been worse. He was hungry, thirsty and so very, very tired, the cuts and bruises stinging more than normal as he was becoming more aware of himself and his body again.
Whilst Benson was crying against his chest, all he could do was to pet his head, trying to comfort him as best as he could.
'It's okay... I'm used to this...' he mumbled, trying to find calming words but instead just finding a worrying thought in his overwhelmed head. 'But you... you gonna have a hard time... But don't worry, I'll protect you from everything, you... oh man...' Why couldn't he just be happy that he was reunited with his soulmate again, why were these thoughts creeping into his mind now?
'We will have to build ourselves a home again... don't want you to have to wander around like I do. But we'll make it work, make it work...somehow...' he stuttered, now hugging the smaller one tighter again, the embarrassment from before replaced by his strong protective instincts. "I'll never let you get hurt, Benson." he said, his voice still a little weak, but becoming stronger again, as he now finally had Benson to give him meaning to his life again.
'But you're hurt Skips you're...you're really hurt!' Benson despaired, growing more and more horrified as he couldn't get his mind off of how Skips had been living, how he must have been feeling all this time. He had known, in the void, that it would be no easy living for his soulmate, but this...he selfishly thought of how he would rather not see it, not realise how rough Skips' life now was, because he would soon spend another eternity trapped, but this time, in the know of how far his soulmates pain really went. He heard Skips speak words of comfort, about their future lives together, but this only made Benson's grief worsen, and he cried and cried, as he listened to Skips tell him about everything he knew they wouldn't be able to have. How could he ever tell Skips that he would be gone again soon enough...? But he knew that Skips would definitely not be able to handle him suddenly disappearing again without warning...but there was still time to save this warning for later. Benson saw how the pain in Skips' eyes softened a little when he spoke of how they could now live together in the future, and Benson knew how this must comfort his lover. So he decided to go along with it, and give Skips all the comfort he could in this mere day they now had. 'But you're right yes...we will make it work, of course we will,' Benson said between tears, willing himself to smile through the pain. He decided to adjust himself to wrap his arms around Skips' neck, playing with the hair on the back of his head idly as he stared into his eyes...he started to affectionately nuzzle Skips, whispering how he loved him, before kissing him passionately, melting into the familiar kiss they now shared for the first time in so long.
Skips felt how their kiss got rid of all of his worries. Just being able to feel Benson's soft lips on his own cracked ones, his tongue in his dry mouth, his hand on the back of his neck, caressing him soothingly, made him realize that no matter how hard it would be for the two, they would be together; they still had each other. And he was confident enough to know that he would be able to protect Benson, to keep him in this almost newborn state - not a scratch or a blemish on his body. There was nothing that he wanted more than to keep it like this, even though he knew that was unrealistic. But so was their reunion, and he still was able to have Benson on his lap like this, enjoying this deep and passionate kiss with the other.
Skips pulled away, slowly, because he wanted to be able to look into Benson's face again, to take in his features once more, still not really believing he could do this again. The tears in eyes didn't seem to stop, but it just made him even more real, as they were running down his flushed cheeks...his teary eyes with the huge pupils, gazing back at him with adoration and worry, his mouth crooked to a smile, and Skips smiled back at him.
'Are you hungry? I haven't much right now, but I can try to find some. I still should have some dried meat somewhere, do you want that? Water is out, though, I'm sorry...' The shortage on supplies was even worse now, as he had to feed both of them, but he'd happily give up any food and water he had for his soulmate. 'Tell me if you need anything, Benson... it must be hard for you to get used to this... here..' It was starting to darken outside, the grey monochrome light turning more and more into a murky brown, and the air around them got colder with every heartbeat; they both produced little clouds when they breathed out.
'I don't know how it was where you were, but I'm sure it was better than this..' With these words, he pulled Benson back towards him, to warm him up as the air was getting really chilly now. He didn't mind the cold, but knew that Benson's body wasn't made for this climate, so he wanted to keep him as warm as possible.
'Noo, it's okay Skips, I'm not hungry...thank you,' Benson said in response to being offered the food, knowing that, even if he were hungry, it would be pointless for him to bother eating now, when this body would only last for 24 hours...Skips' would last an eternity, so he surely needed that food more. Skips talked of him getting used to this place, and a pang of sorrow tugged at Benson's heart when a voice in his mind bothered him, telling him now he wouldn't even have the time to get used to it. Skips then spoke of where Benson was before, and how it must've been better...it was harsh and dismal here, but oh, the things Benson would give to stay here, if he even had anything to give anymore. 'No, it wasn't better than this, not at all...' Benson kissed Skips softly on the lips between speaking, huddling into his chest some more in the cold. 'I was so lonely...I didn't get hurt there, I didn't suffer physically there...but I did suffer, I suffered more than I thought my soul could take, I was s-so lonely...the only thing I ever thought of was you...I don't care where we are, I don't care if it's hell on earth, as long as we're together, I'll...I'll take it...' Benson then moved to nuzzle into Skips' chest some more to wipe away the tears that streamed, and hide his fearful expression. Every time he would forget for a moment that this wouldn't last, the inevitable truth would hit him hard all over again.
Benson's confession hurt him, a lot. He always thought he would at least be safe and sound inside the dimension his soul had been trapped in, but now he knew how foolish it was of him to think like that. Of course he must've suffered, being all alone, just like he has been. Skips realised, that even though the environment, and the constant threat of going insane was bad, the worst of all was the loneliness - and what Benson experienced was loneliness in it's purest form.
Skips felt guilty for thinking Benson had it better, so he nuzzled back, fully aware that he soiled Benson with the gunk he was covered in, but right now their closeness was more important than that.
'Well, it's over now, Benson, you will never have to be alone like this, we'll be together, until the very end... even if hell breaks loose, yes...' He felt himself getting overtaken by his immense desire to sleep; his soulmate's presence calmed all the thoughts that had kept him up before, and the complete exhaustion finally got the better of him. He lay down on the flour bags again, wrapping his ragged coat over both of them, letting Benson rest on top of him. He was so light, but the little weight he had was comforting him even more. He now knew, when he woke up, he would be able to look into his lover's eyes again, so he wanted to rest as well as possible to be able to take all of Benson in again. 'I'm sorry...Benson... so...tired... let's... sleep now, huh?' he hushed, kissing the other on the head. 'Seeya later, my love...so glad...to..have...you..back...' were the last words he could say before he completely drifted off into deep slumber.
'I'm glad to have you back too, Skips,' Benson whispered, smiling a little affectionately as he watched Skips drift off, stroking his brow as the yeti's eyes closed, to surely enter the first peaceful sleep he had in a long time. Benson looked at Skips' closed eyelids, knowing beneath them were eyes he would never see again. He decided for a while to simply enjoy being held against his peaceful lover's chest, for the last time...he remembered a time when every night they would lie like this, against each other, feeling secure and at peace in each other's presence, knowing the other was in their arms and safe, and always would be...and Benson thought he should look back to his past-self who had all that, and wished he would've been more grateful then. But, the gumball machine realised, every time he had been in Skips' arms like this, he had always been beyond grateful, and his passion for Skips went beyond any words; every time they were in each other's arms, he couldn't ever wish for more than that, and would always chose it above all else. Every moment he had ever had with Skips, he treasured beyond anything else, and would never change; not even the ones now. Benson breathed in Skips' scent, filling his temporary lungs with it for one of the last times, as he lay cuddled against his soulmate's chest that slowly rose and fell. When Benson exhaled, however, his breaths were shuddering, the tears rolling down his cheeks again...he began to silently sob, praying he wouldn't wake Skips up as he did. He moved away from Skips' chest now, the reluctance like lead weights tied to his limbs, and he stroked the other's face gently with the palm of his hand, wanting to get lost in the sight of Skips at peace like this for an eternity. He tried to forget how, soon Skips would wake up, and be greeted with anything but peace.
Benson now moved off of where he and Skips had lay, and the cold night air embraced him instead; but Benson was numb to the cold, for the pain in his chest was far beyond that. He went into Skips' bag now, full of his supplies, hoping to god he would have a stationary set in there...back before all of this, Skips had always had his stationary with him if he had a bag on him. There was a certain notebook that the yeti had treasured, and in it they would sometimes sketch together, or Skips would sit and sketch in it alone as Benson occupied himself with something else. He sighed happily at the colourful memories, momentarily forgetting his dismal surroundings. Benson then remembered himself, pulling himself out of the happy place he had just returned to, and back to searching through the bag of supplies. He felt around for some sort of a book or paper in there...and his hand finally met what he looked for. Benson pulled it out, and squinted in the little light there was from the darkening outdoors. He then gasped, as what he held in his hands was the very same journal Skips had had in what to him was a past life...he had kept it all this time...Benson turned through the pages, and saw the sketches they had once done together...tears welled up in his eyes as he saw Skips' own sketches; they were drawings of him. When they had been on long walks, there were pictures of Benson surrounded by intricately drawn nature. When they had just been at home together, there were pictures of Benson doing the various domestic chores or activities he had once immersed himself with, a world away from now...what was once his every day life, now seen sketched down like this, beautifully, by his soulmate, in the darkest place he could ever imagine being, they seemed like heaven to Benson. He closed the journal, crying and crying silently into his fist, curling himself up on the cold hard floor, trying to silence himself and keep Skips peacefully asleep.
Benson now, after some time, had managed to collect himself. He picked up the book again, and took out the pencil that was binded to it...he opened the journal from the back, where he was sure there would be clean paper for him to write on, and not see the sketches that were so beautiful they pained him in the darkness that was now his life. But, alas, the first thing that greeted him on this back page was even more of the drawings...these ones accompanied with journal accounts...journal accounts that made Benson sick to read. He stared in horror at the paper; Skips had begun to write from the back of the book since his life here; it was full off horrendous accounts of long and miserable days, of the pain he felt...and every other page there would be sketches of Benson...they were from memory, but still captured him perfectly.
The next hour was another one of Benson silently sobbing over the book, cursing the world for the little mercy it had ever shown them.
Having collected himself for a second time, Benson now finally had the strength to search the emotional book for plain paper to write on...when he eventually found it after more of his despair, he tore it out carefully, putting the bloody journal back where he had found it. His heart thudded in his chest with pain yet also passion; Skips had clearly spent every hour of the time that they had been relentlessly pulled apart from each other longing for him, as he had him. And now all of that was to happen over again.
Benson began to write the note; the note that Skips would find when he woke up, in place of him.
Benson now moved over to Skips, and crawled back into his arms, putting the note under his chest between them. He held onto Skips tightly, kissing him so softly as to not wake him up, and wishing he could at least get to look into Skips' eyes one last time.
For once Skips' sleep had been dreamless and deep – usually he was fidgeting, slipping in and out of consciousness, often mixed with strange disturbing nightmares, distorted forms of the real horrors he had experienced in his century long life.
His eyes fluttered open to the grey steady light of reality; his body resting on the flour bags, rolled into his cloak. He took a deep breath, and could smell something familiar but out of place. He sat up, running a hand through his dirty hair, looking around himself, confused.
Skips breathed in again, and the smell was still there, just fainter. It was Benson's scent, unmistakably, but how could that be...? Benson had been dead for so long...
That's when he remembered the reason he had been able to sleep so well. Some miracle had brought Benson back to him, and he had been able to embrace the other again like they used to do so long ago. His heart started to pound, as he was beginning to feel excitement. He was still groggy, and most of all thirsty, but he felt well-rested, and now would be able to properly care for Benson...to talk to him, to equip him, to find a place for them to stay, to get them food and water... to spend time with him; finally not alone anymore, finally his soulmate was by his side again. He looked around and could see the tiny footprints of the other in the dust on the floor.
Skips assumed Benson had probably woke up before him and went out to explore a little, and he hoped he didn't wander off too far as it was really easy to get lost in this sandstorm. He got up, brushing over his chest subconsciously, feeling the residual warmth the other's body left there, not noticing the piece of paper which swayed to the floor.
He looked at his bag, which had been moved and opened, and he figured Benson had searched for breakfast in there. He smiled happily, this sign of company making him feel secure and content for once. As his soulmate was nowhere to be found in the empty barn, he looked outside, even though Benson's footprints didn't lead there, but he figured a gust of wind probably blew them away. He stood in the broken door-frame, looking out, trying to make out the small frame of Benson somewhere, but he was nowhere to be seen.
He started to shout his name, once, two, three-times. No answer. Skips was now starting to worry, the static of the sandstorm around him pressing especially bad against his ears, as he was trying hard to hear an answer, but the static remained his only company.
He felt panic welling up, and he let it out by shouting even louder, his voice rough yet high-pitched with the angst he felt getting a grip on him again. It couldn't be! Benson wouldn't be stupid enough to wander off alone, so where was he? Were there monsters here, and Benson tried to fight them?
Frantically he looked around the barn for signs of a fight, but he couldn't find any. But he could find something else.
Beside Skips' bag were big holes in the dust, bigger than the ones a sitting Benson would've produced. It looked like he had lay there for some reason. Perhaps he had been ill, perhaps his newly formed body wasn't able to handle this thick, dusty air, perhaps he hid somewhere. He searched more, but couldn't find any other footprints, but he still looked in each dark corner of the barn, turning every sack of flour and turning every other debris he could find, but still, he couldn't find Benson. Skips' hands gripped his head in horror and confusion. Benson was gone! He was gone, and Skips didn't know where...where?
He returned to his bag again to check if Benson had done the unthinkable and stolen his supplies to run off alone. But why would he do that, it wouldn't make sense...
Upon closer inspection, he could see that everything was just as he left it - all of his supplies where still there. One thing stood out though. His journal looked different to the last time he had had it in his hands. He picked it up, inspected it, still hyperventilating with the terror of losing Benson again, and as he opened it he could see that a page was missing...one of his last free ones.
Then something terrible dawned on him, and he started to look for something else. His eyes darted around, looking for a loose piece of paper, praying to anyone who might listen that it didn't get blown away by the winds around him...and then, he saw it.
A folded, crumpled, yellowed piece of paper, lying just where he and Benson fell asleep together.
Slowly he fell down on his knees, picking up the paper with shaking hands, unfolding it, feeling the panic making it hard to breath, let alone focus, but he pulled himself together, to read what was written on the paper:
'Dear Skips, the love of my life,
When I lost my body, I missed you more than anything. And I would do anything, give anything, for us to simply be together. I don't care where, I don't care how, so long as I'm with you. Every moment in that void, without a life, only a soul, all I could think of was you...I missed your voice, your eyes, your skin, your touch, your presence. You mean the world to me, Skips, you are my world.
And by the time you read this, I'm sure you'll be panicking, you'll be scared, you'll be wondering where I went.
Please, stay calm honey, stay calm for me now and just read this letter for me.
Those hours we had together, they were precious, they were priceless; I'd give anything to have them back, over and over...I want them back so badly Skips...I just want to be with you...this life is so fucking unfair, why can't I just have that, if anything, after all of this, why can't we just stay together?
Truth is, we never could have stayed together, because I was given 24 hours...just one day to be with you again. It was whilst I was in the void, thinking of you of course; always thinking of you. And the god cupid had come to me, and told me how we could have this limited time together.
I'm so scared you'll be upset I kept this from you, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, it's just that, if I have only one day with you, I want to use it to comfort you, to keep you as happy as possible...especially when I saw how much you have suffered. And I'd do anything I could to stop you suffering further, so I left you in ignorance, didn't tell you the truth. I'm sorry, Skips, I'm sorry. I love you so much, I just want you to be happy.
I'm going to miss you, and I'm going to be thinking of you each and every second of the eternity I will now spend trapped in this void again.
I'll also think about the way we used to sketch together...I'm sure you remember that too...you have a beautiful way of drawing me. Keep doing that whilst I'm gone for me.
I love you Skips.
I don't want to go.
I want you to be safe and happy.
I want to be with you forever.
I'll miss you forever.
Please, take care of yourself, please hang on for me, I'm always here for you, even if I am trapped in another world...no one's souls could ever be as close as ours.
Love, your soulmate, Benson. x'
Silent tears had started to roll down Skips' cheeks as he was reading this, his emotions roaming between despair, anger, and shock, and he could see the ink on the paper smeared a little here and there, presumably by Benson's own tears.
At the end, despair won over all the other emotions, and Skips couldn't do anything other than fall down onto the bags again, the bags which had been a bed for him and his soulmate; his soulmate who had lied to him, who wasn't here anymore, who could only comfort him indirectly via this letter...but it hardly did anything...all Skips could do was wail out his name, sob uncontrollably, feel the crushing loneliness and insanity crawl back to him again, as he was again all alone in this vast, horrible landscape.
The note was still in Skips' hand, and he held onto it, somehow feeling that this would be the only thing that could keep him from giving in now; keep him from just not moving anymore and letting nature do her thing.
Then, suddenly, he felt a strong heat emitting from his chest and he sat up, as it was starting to hurt too much. He looked down and saw the amulet glow brighter than it ever had before, illuminating the dark surroundings and painting them in a vibrant pink light, and pulsating heat waves towards him.
Skips let the letter fall down to take his pendant in both of his palms, pressing it against himself, feeling the heat burning his skin...but he didn't care anymore, he knew this was Benson's only way to communicate, and he now knew how much energy it must take him to let the amulet let glow even a little, not to mention what he did right now. 'Benson...oh...Benson...' he sobbed, opening his palms to look at the glow, focusing on it, feeling the energy of his soulmate radiating from it. 'Thank you...' he sobbed, and then the light faded, leaving the amulet with a barely noticeable glimmer, his despair mixed with the gratitude for Benson's hard work, for his letter, for this burst of energy - a reminder to him that even though he felt alone, he wasn't. Benson was still here. With him, forever.
'I won't give up...' Skips whispered, placing a soft kiss onto the amulet, which made it light up a little...before he was clouded into dark coldness again, staring at it with sad, empty eyes.