Chapter 49 Salome
Salome
The gentle popping of a fire startles me awake.
I snap my head up, fear pulsing through my bloodstream.
There’s another pop from the campfire I’m sitting next to, and a coal rolls towards it.
I watch in slow motion; I know I should move back, but my body refuses to move.
The burning coal stops as it reaches the hem of my nightgown.
The fabric starts to smolder then catches fire.
Panic compresses my lungs until I can no longer breathe, watching the flames lick up the length of my gown.
Smoke stings my eyes, and I beg my muscles to work.
Finally, I’m able to lift my feet and stumble backward on shaky legs.
Each step becomes increasingly heavier, and I’m only able to move a few feet before I’m gasping for air.
My skin prickles with heat but doesn’t burn, feeling instead like I’m being cooked from the inside out.
Struggling with another step, I stub my toe on something hard and cold.
Through the flames circling my feet, I see beams of rusted metal running parallel to each other—fucking train tracks.
My heart hammers against my rib cage, pulse roaring in my ears. I scan every direction, searching for someone, something, to help me, but I’m alone. Tears stream down my cheeks, doing nothing to ease the overwhelming heat.
There’s movement behind the trees across from me. I silently beg for someone to emerge from them and find me, please find me. Several agonizing seconds go by before my rescuer appears. Their frightened eyes and forever messy hair are unmistakable: Larkin. She’s here.
I move my mouth, but there’s no sound. Not even air escapes me. Fear races through my blood stream, scorching away any fleeting bit with each beat of my heart. I scream, reaching for her even as dread consumes me faster than the flames—but Larkin stands there motionless, staring.
The wail of a train whistle vibrates my bones. The loose gravel under my feet rattles in warning. A bright light careens toward me like the rising sun as I feel my body fade into nothingness.
Larkin screams, but instead of facing her like I should be, it’s as though I’m looking at her from the trees.
She runs towards the train track, reaching for the space I just filled.
I want to call her, warn her I’m gone and there’s no use, but I have no body, no mouth.
She cradles the burnt strips of fabric, the only physical thing of me left, and sobs.
The train’s whistle sounds again, and then, we’re both gone into a sea of black.