The air was dry and still, the sun pounded mercilessly on the gravel and
the tarmac, softening the surface to a sticky, semi-liquid goop that stuck
to her boots. The wind had stopped, all sounds had stopped, nothing
stirred. The sky bowed towards the ground, heavy and burdened, but not a
cloud was visible. The endless fields of yellow crop stood still, as though
in hiding, holding their breath like the frightened children of Jews in
Nazi Germany, hiding from the human monsters that had come to get them.
Nothing moved, nature had stopped, but her hair whipped and flapped around
her, caught in a self created wind, a silent hurricane which followed her
alone. She stood unflinching, her wild, raven hair licking like the
leathered tongues of reanimated corpses, thick, black, impenetrable, filled
with an unnatural life.
She was not alone. The figure beside her shifted, nervously backing away from her whipping hair. The wind did not like this figure, this weak soul, this weak soul with the face of the other but flaming, red hair.
"I don't think they came this way." The raven haired one ignored her twin, maintaining her reaching gaze down the empty road, her hair flying in frenzy around her, occasionally flicking into the sister's eye, a punishment for her weakness. The sister held her arms up against the possessed hair, a moment of fear and sorrow stopping her heart and filling her eyes with salty tears, tears that the raven haired one had never experienced. 'Listen, Clarry, there's nothing out here but hick towns and retards. Can't we go back?" Clarity turned her head, looking for something on the ground, a look of sudden knowledge and understanding beaming from her eyes but failing to alter her stone set features. Her eyes shone as though she had just heard a hushed whisper on the wind, a betrayed secret that she was not supposed to hear. She had heard it.
She didn't look at her sister, had forgotten that she was even there, didn't care that she was. Clarity was looking for something else, something infinitely more important. She found it. A patch. A moisture darkened patch of sand told her what she wanted to know, what she already knew. 'They're there, in that town.' She glanced at the sign, then back at the vomit. ' She's reached already! It just a matter of time now.' She allowed herself a smile, a smile that shook her red haired twin to her core, a smile without life, without passion, without humanity. Chastity feared her sister, and that's just the way that Clarity liked it.
"How do you kn…" the hate filled glance from Clarity was enough to freeze the words in Chastity's throat, her tongue becoming as useless as a spare icicle in Antarctica. Clarity stalked back to the car, her heavy boots only lightly hitting the floor, her hair now hanging straight down her back and over her slender shoulders. Chastity shuddered. All of her shivers were caused by her twin's unnatural existence . The weightlessness, the winds, the coldness, as much as she hated to admit it, Chastity had always known that her sister had been born different, but what the difference was scared her out of further curiosity. She started as Clarity slammed the car door shut and leaned back in her seat in an almost restful position; eyes closed, breathing slow and easy.
'Get in the car!' Chastity hesitated, shuddering again as her sister smiled at her, having probably read her mind. The car started up, the engine revved, Chastity climbed in. The road spread open before them, laying on it's back like an eager lover, waiting for Clarity's orders. As the car moved, Chastity fought back a tear. This was going to be bad, even she knew that, and she wasn't the psychic one.
Andros was the first one out of the van, hopping out onto the street before the road stopped beneath the slowly rolling wheels, filled with the excitement and optimism that only a small town could bring. The camera whirred at least five times before his feet hit the gravel, catching the image of a group of old men playing checkers with what seemed to be bottle caps. He, leaned against the now stationary van, letting the vibrations of the still running engine travel through him as he snapped another shot, one of the old men jumping from his seat, the apparent victor of the match. Andros fantasised that one of those old men looked like his own grandpa, hell, one of them could be his grandpa for all that he knew. It wasn't as though he'd ever knew the man. He was always like then when they reached somewhere new, loosing himself in the quirks and nuances of desperate people who could hide their longing from others but not from Andy's lens…and not from Natty.
As usual, Natalie was the last of the five to climb out the vehicle, holding a heavy arm up to shield her eyes from the sun even though it was not shining on her. She didn't like to look at people in places like this, she didn't want to see what they were thinking. Of course she could already hear the silent pleading of their minds but she thought it best not to attach faces to these voices, best not to get involved. It was none of her business. Well, it was, that was her job, but she didn't want it, not full time, anyway. If she couldn't see their faces, she couldn't pity them, couldn't mourn for them, couldn't love them…wouldn't think twice when she left them.
'How long are we gonna be in this shithole for?' She dug her heel into the sand, twisting and grinding the shell of an insect. She didn't know what insect it was. She'd never cared much about insects. She'd never cared much about humans. It was all the same to her, all part of the job
'I want to live here' Andy had slipped into dream mode again, they could all see it, could all hear it in the softened lilt of his herb tinted voice, y the way that he allowed his hair to hang over his face, by the way that he stroked the camera absently. Daniel hugged his lover tightly from behind, pulling in the scent of the other boy's neck, the thick smell of heat and dust filling his senses and diffusing into his blood. The old men glanced at them momentarily, taking in this display with a slight shrug of the shoulders. Just another couple of long haired faggots, no danger here. That's what their minds said to Natty (who was more than relieved to not to have to fight off another mob of queer-bashers).
'You say that everywhere we go! You want to live everywhere!' Daniel laughed, tousling Andy's hair playfully, leaving his dark haired lover leaning against the silent, cooling van. It was true, he never liked to leave a place. He wasn't like his carefree boyfriend, he wanted roots, had never had them before. However, this place seemed rather familiar but not in a de ja vu way. He didn't feel as though he personally belonged here, he did not imagine any bond between himself and these houses with the cracked, wooden porches and overgrown gardens. No. This wasn't his home, emotion…it was Natty. Missing Mile North Carolina had been waiting for Natty and she could feel it. The recognition of some familiar sense was emanating from her and she was sending it loud and clear to Andy. This was her home. A part of her had been in this town for a long time and she was very close to finding it.
They wandered through the streets aimlessly for a while, getting a feel for the place, sizing it up, plotting the best way to make their presence felt. Daniel and Andros chatted lightly, Daniel occasionally swinging his blonde hair down his back and laughing lightly, clutching loosely yet protectively to his boyfriend's arm, Andros throwing concerned glances over his shoulder back at Natty. A hand slipped into her own and squeezed. She didn't need to look up, didn't need to throw her mind into his to recognise the warm, innocent blood that eased through Eepha's thin, delicate veins. She had not spoken to Eepha all day, didn't need to ever talk to him, they were linked. She gave Andros her thoughts but Eepha felt them instinctively, she was his designated saviour and he needed one. Eepha had a talent for getting himself into trouble, albeit through no fault of his own. Natty had saved his life a few times and he still felt that had to repay the favour, although she believed that he already had.
Ben could see by the look on Natty's face that she had just about had all she could take of their concern, so had he. He didn't like Natty when she was all dark and brrod, actually, she didn't like him, he was sure of it. No matter what he said, what he tried, he could never make the pain stop, he could never know what to do, that wasn't his job.
'Liquor!' Natty smiled, her face momentarily beaming, her eyes sparkling like the pieces of broken glass from an expensive, antique decanter.
'Booze, yes, we must find the booze!' She let Eepha's hand drop absently, flinging herself into Ben's arms, which opened reflexively as she lunged at him.
'You always know just what to say!' Ben grinned, shaking his head slightly, rubbing Natty's back, lightly tugging on her bra strap. He knew that this was Natty's way of telling that she had heard his thoughts and that none of it was true. 'We can't stay in this fucking town if we can't find any drink!' The vodka from the last town had finished in the van and Natty hadn't had a drop, had needed to keep a clear head as it became clear that Missing Mile was her new mission. Now that she knew, the real work would have to wait until she was sufficiently inebriated, or at least drunk enough to care.
'It's your turn, Ben!' Somehow, according to Daniel, it was always Ben's turn the buy the drink, especially as it was actually his. 'Anyway, you look older than the rest of us!' Daniel giggled at the look on Ben's face, the moment of hatred followed by the tiny, infinitely forgiving smirk. 'I'll make it up to you!' Daniel's eyelashes seemed to grow at least an inch as he fluttered them at Ben, his lips pouting seductively, still clutching his lover's arm. Ben grinned smugly, nodding his head. Persuaded.
'Fine, but you owe me big! You owe me…' the pause carried enough suggestion to make them all grin. 'very big.' Natty chuckled to herself. Whether they tried or not, her band's presence was always going to be felt. She just hoped that it was by the right people.
She was not alone. The figure beside her shifted, nervously backing away from her whipping hair. The wind did not like this figure, this weak soul, this weak soul with the face of the other but flaming, red hair.
"I don't think they came this way." The raven haired one ignored her twin, maintaining her reaching gaze down the empty road, her hair flying in frenzy around her, occasionally flicking into the sister's eye, a punishment for her weakness. The sister held her arms up against the possessed hair, a moment of fear and sorrow stopping her heart and filling her eyes with salty tears, tears that the raven haired one had never experienced. 'Listen, Clarry, there's nothing out here but hick towns and retards. Can't we go back?" Clarity turned her head, looking for something on the ground, a look of sudden knowledge and understanding beaming from her eyes but failing to alter her stone set features. Her eyes shone as though she had just heard a hushed whisper on the wind, a betrayed secret that she was not supposed to hear. She had heard it.
She didn't look at her sister, had forgotten that she was even there, didn't care that she was. Clarity was looking for something else, something infinitely more important. She found it. A patch. A moisture darkened patch of sand told her what she wanted to know, what she already knew. 'They're there, in that town.' She glanced at the sign, then back at the vomit. ' She's reached already! It just a matter of time now.' She allowed herself a smile, a smile that shook her red haired twin to her core, a smile without life, without passion, without humanity. Chastity feared her sister, and that's just the way that Clarity liked it.
"How do you kn…" the hate filled glance from Clarity was enough to freeze the words in Chastity's throat, her tongue becoming as useless as a spare icicle in Antarctica. Clarity stalked back to the car, her heavy boots only lightly hitting the floor, her hair now hanging straight down her back and over her slender shoulders. Chastity shuddered. All of her shivers were caused by her twin's unnatural existence . The weightlessness, the winds, the coldness, as much as she hated to admit it, Chastity had always known that her sister had been born different, but what the difference was scared her out of further curiosity. She started as Clarity slammed the car door shut and leaned back in her seat in an almost restful position; eyes closed, breathing slow and easy.
'Get in the car!' Chastity hesitated, shuddering again as her sister smiled at her, having probably read her mind. The car started up, the engine revved, Chastity climbed in. The road spread open before them, laying on it's back like an eager lover, waiting for Clarity's orders. As the car moved, Chastity fought back a tear. This was going to be bad, even she knew that, and she wasn't the psychic one.
Andros was the first one out of the van, hopping out onto the street before the road stopped beneath the slowly rolling wheels, filled with the excitement and optimism that only a small town could bring. The camera whirred at least five times before his feet hit the gravel, catching the image of a group of old men playing checkers with what seemed to be bottle caps. He, leaned against the now stationary van, letting the vibrations of the still running engine travel through him as he snapped another shot, one of the old men jumping from his seat, the apparent victor of the match. Andros fantasised that one of those old men looked like his own grandpa, hell, one of them could be his grandpa for all that he knew. It wasn't as though he'd ever knew the man. He was always like then when they reached somewhere new, loosing himself in the quirks and nuances of desperate people who could hide their longing from others but not from Andy's lens…and not from Natty.
As usual, Natalie was the last of the five to climb out the vehicle, holding a heavy arm up to shield her eyes from the sun even though it was not shining on her. She didn't like to look at people in places like this, she didn't want to see what they were thinking. Of course she could already hear the silent pleading of their minds but she thought it best not to attach faces to these voices, best not to get involved. It was none of her business. Well, it was, that was her job, but she didn't want it, not full time, anyway. If she couldn't see their faces, she couldn't pity them, couldn't mourn for them, couldn't love them…wouldn't think twice when she left them.
'How long are we gonna be in this shithole for?' She dug her heel into the sand, twisting and grinding the shell of an insect. She didn't know what insect it was. She'd never cared much about insects. She'd never cared much about humans. It was all the same to her, all part of the job
'I want to live here' Andy had slipped into dream mode again, they could all see it, could all hear it in the softened lilt of his herb tinted voice, y the way that he allowed his hair to hang over his face, by the way that he stroked the camera absently. Daniel hugged his lover tightly from behind, pulling in the scent of the other boy's neck, the thick smell of heat and dust filling his senses and diffusing into his blood. The old men glanced at them momentarily, taking in this display with a slight shrug of the shoulders. Just another couple of long haired faggots, no danger here. That's what their minds said to Natty (who was more than relieved to not to have to fight off another mob of queer-bashers).
'You say that everywhere we go! You want to live everywhere!' Daniel laughed, tousling Andy's hair playfully, leaving his dark haired lover leaning against the silent, cooling van. It was true, he never liked to leave a place. He wasn't like his carefree boyfriend, he wanted roots, had never had them before. However, this place seemed rather familiar but not in a de ja vu way. He didn't feel as though he personally belonged here, he did not imagine any bond between himself and these houses with the cracked, wooden porches and overgrown gardens. No. This wasn't his home, emotion…it was Natty. Missing Mile North Carolina had been waiting for Natty and she could feel it. The recognition of some familiar sense was emanating from her and she was sending it loud and clear to Andy. This was her home. A part of her had been in this town for a long time and she was very close to finding it.
They wandered through the streets aimlessly for a while, getting a feel for the place, sizing it up, plotting the best way to make their presence felt. Daniel and Andros chatted lightly, Daniel occasionally swinging his blonde hair down his back and laughing lightly, clutching loosely yet protectively to his boyfriend's arm, Andros throwing concerned glances over his shoulder back at Natty. A hand slipped into her own and squeezed. She didn't need to look up, didn't need to throw her mind into his to recognise the warm, innocent blood that eased through Eepha's thin, delicate veins. She had not spoken to Eepha all day, didn't need to ever talk to him, they were linked. She gave Andros her thoughts but Eepha felt them instinctively, she was his designated saviour and he needed one. Eepha had a talent for getting himself into trouble, albeit through no fault of his own. Natty had saved his life a few times and he still felt that had to repay the favour, although she believed that he already had.
Ben could see by the look on Natty's face that she had just about had all she could take of their concern, so had he. He didn't like Natty when she was all dark and brrod, actually, she didn't like him, he was sure of it. No matter what he said, what he tried, he could never make the pain stop, he could never know what to do, that wasn't his job.
'Liquor!' Natty smiled, her face momentarily beaming, her eyes sparkling like the pieces of broken glass from an expensive, antique decanter.
'Booze, yes, we must find the booze!' She let Eepha's hand drop absently, flinging herself into Ben's arms, which opened reflexively as she lunged at him.
'You always know just what to say!' Ben grinned, shaking his head slightly, rubbing Natty's back, lightly tugging on her bra strap. He knew that this was Natty's way of telling that she had heard his thoughts and that none of it was true. 'We can't stay in this fucking town if we can't find any drink!' The vodka from the last town had finished in the van and Natty hadn't had a drop, had needed to keep a clear head as it became clear that Missing Mile was her new mission. Now that she knew, the real work would have to wait until she was sufficiently inebriated, or at least drunk enough to care.
'It's your turn, Ben!' Somehow, according to Daniel, it was always Ben's turn the buy the drink, especially as it was actually his. 'Anyway, you look older than the rest of us!' Daniel giggled at the look on Ben's face, the moment of hatred followed by the tiny, infinitely forgiving smirk. 'I'll make it up to you!' Daniel's eyelashes seemed to grow at least an inch as he fluttered them at Ben, his lips pouting seductively, still clutching his lover's arm. Ben grinned smugly, nodding his head. Persuaded.
'Fine, but you owe me big! You owe me…' the pause carried enough suggestion to make them all grin. 'very big.' Natty chuckled to herself. Whether they tried or not, her band's presence was always going to be felt. She just hoped that it was by the right people.