A walk in the park.
He hadn't thought Asha had meant a literal walk in the park, but here he
was in the blistering cold, walking around the one green space in Seattle.
Zack dodged as a small child almost collided with him, knocking the X5s
shoulder with his kite. Zack scowled momentarily then struggled to leave it
alone.
He and Asha hadn't said much, there was nothing to say.
There was such a gap between them but Zack remembered when she had dragged
him to the park, to let her play on the swings.
He had thought it was such a stupid thing to do, wasting time swinging on a
broken swing. There was no point, no objective.
"What's the point of this Asha?" he had demanded, once she had began to
swing gently, she had looked at him tolerantly, "No point. You come here to
swing, get some freash-well air in any case"
He could hear her voice now, even as he bent to sit on the swing, hearing it groan and creek, in protest. He could feel the crisp air that had turned her breath in clouds, that had frozen her fingers even when she had her mittens on. "Ow Zack don't" the memories were coming quicker now and with that voice a memory. Asha's hand had been literally stuck to the bars of the swing and Zack had forced them off her. When she had taken off her gloves her fingers were blue and were stuck in a claw shape. Zack had had to break three of her fingers in fixing it. He still remembered Asha's face, cold and emotionless as he had worked on her hand, trying hard not to show that her eyes were watering with the pain. She had spent several hours in the recovery room and her hand was smeared with foul smelling cream.
She hadn't moaned or whimpered once. Although her face was pinched in a comical way that had made Zack laugh. The first laugh he had had in a long time. Zack found himself in front of Asha. She was still, her eye lids were tinged blue and purple and brown. She had taken quite a beating Zack observed with strange detachment. Her body seemed small suddenly, as if a little girl caught in her parents bed. Athe machines seemed to cave in around her, a protective shroud watching over her with their incessant beeps.
Zack sat down, he didn't feel anything for this person, who lay before him, because he wasn't capable of it. He felt hollowed out. He clasped his hands "This is all your fault, I told you to stay away from this but you wouldn't listen you had to be the godamned heroine didn't you, righting every wrong. " he gestured at her "And look what it's got you huh? A one stop ride to the morgue, why are you so stupid? I mean why?" His voice rose, unable to contain the emotion, God even Lydecker didn't make him this mad, but he was just so mad, at her at the world. He stood, kicking the chair over.
The doorway seemed along way off, yawning before him, one way passage, he looked back at Asha who had pretty much forced him to live. Who had bullied and cajoled and teased until he had accepted, he had lived outside the world. She was the only one who had the guts to stand up to him, not even Max had talked back with such honesty and conviction.
He turned.
He wouldn't come back here again.
He could hear her voice now, even as he bent to sit on the swing, hearing it groan and creek, in protest. He could feel the crisp air that had turned her breath in clouds, that had frozen her fingers even when she had her mittens on. "Ow Zack don't" the memories were coming quicker now and with that voice a memory. Asha's hand had been literally stuck to the bars of the swing and Zack had forced them off her. When she had taken off her gloves her fingers were blue and were stuck in a claw shape. Zack had had to break three of her fingers in fixing it. He still remembered Asha's face, cold and emotionless as he had worked on her hand, trying hard not to show that her eyes were watering with the pain. She had spent several hours in the recovery room and her hand was smeared with foul smelling cream.
She hadn't moaned or whimpered once. Although her face was pinched in a comical way that had made Zack laugh. The first laugh he had had in a long time. Zack found himself in front of Asha. She was still, her eye lids were tinged blue and purple and brown. She had taken quite a beating Zack observed with strange detachment. Her body seemed small suddenly, as if a little girl caught in her parents bed. Athe machines seemed to cave in around her, a protective shroud watching over her with their incessant beeps.
Zack sat down, he didn't feel anything for this person, who lay before him, because he wasn't capable of it. He felt hollowed out. He clasped his hands "This is all your fault, I told you to stay away from this but you wouldn't listen you had to be the godamned heroine didn't you, righting every wrong. " he gestured at her "And look what it's got you huh? A one stop ride to the morgue, why are you so stupid? I mean why?" His voice rose, unable to contain the emotion, God even Lydecker didn't make him this mad, but he was just so mad, at her at the world. He stood, kicking the chair over.
The doorway seemed along way off, yawning before him, one way passage, he looked back at Asha who had pretty much forced him to live. Who had bullied and cajoled and teased until he had accepted, he had lived outside the world. She was the only one who had the guts to stand up to him, not even Max had talked back with such honesty and conviction.
He turned.
He wouldn't come back here again.
