They're just dreams. He told himself.
None of this is real. Jack sat up. He was slouching again. He knew better. Bad for his back and all that shit that parents say to you over and over until you actually start to listen. He was sitting on a ledge. He guessed he was on top of a building, but he never bothered to look down and see for himself. Not two-hundred meters away from him was a vast ocean of gray and green, cast in a beautiful shadow of orange and red hues as the sun rose just over the horizon. Long strands of grass swayed in the howling winds for miles around. As far as the eye could see. It didn't make any sense. Grass couldn't possibly grow three feet tall. Not here.
"It's time." A determined voice behind him said. Mira walked up next to him. She was his companion here. Of that much he was certain at least. She cocked the shotgun in her hands after she slid the last round into the chamber and used the gun's sling to flip it onto her back with practiced ease. Her shoulder length auburn hair hardly even getting in the way anymore. Jack stood up and faced her.
He loved her eyes. Sea green, so deep and full you could grow mad if you stared too long, lost in their abyss. Nothing like his much more common light brown. He pawed at his own disheveled array of muddy-brown hair with one hand, rubbed over the light stubble on his handsome face, and pulled back the long sleeves of his gray-blue sweater to his forearms with the other. Multitasking. Even here he was pretty damn good at it. He looked down to inspect himself. As if he expected to suddenly turn into Prince Charming. Torn jeans, the long-sleeve sweater and an undershirt were all that greeted him. She noticed his gaze.
"Don't worry," She said as she brushed a patch of dirt off his forearm where he had rested it while he was sitting. "We'll be fine. It's just you and me now." She gave him a weak smile. Wind blowing strands of auburn hair into her face as she looked up at him. God she was gorgeous. Winding athletic curves that could make a man clench his jaw so tight his teeth shattered. Black zip-up jacket with a matching auburn shirt underneath. Dark gray jeans and a 12-gauge automatic shotgun strapped to her back. "Let's be off Jack."
She stepped behind him and gave him and gentle but firm push off of the ledge of the building. He was startled at first. He desperately tried to turn around and grab onto anything to keep from falling, but as he began to slowly drift over the edge he quickly realized, that he was falling at a slow and harmless rate. She laughed at him. She always laughed at him when he messed up. He would be grumpy about it if it wasn't one of the most melodic sounds he'd ever heard. She didn't have one of those girly high pitched voices, it was...deeper. Like a woman's voice, probably because she was pretty tall for one, but when she laughed it would change pitch depending on how funny she thought something was.
She jumped lightly off the ledge after him and they glided down together off the three-story building to the concrete below. She landed gracefully and headed off to their stash by the base of the building. He followed and gazed back up from where he had just descended. It was an old building, probably an old lumber mill or some sort of factory. Clearly abandoned and out of use for there were no cars in the parking lot around them. The parking lot ended just before the great ocean of grass began. Jack looked up again. How did I even get up there?
He noticed Mira had gained quite a lead ahead of him to their stash so he took the opportunity to jump in place. Luckily she wasn't watching. His jump was completely normal. No weird gravity here. He must have looked like an idiot jumping in place just now. He dusted off his dirty jeans a little and hurried to catch up to her.
She walked with a purpose. And still managed to make it look sexy. Or maybe he was just so in love with her that she couldn't possibly do anything and not be sexy...yeah...that was probably a better assessment.
She opened up their hidden stash that was tucked away behind an unused dumpster and some old crates and began rummaging through its contents. "We probably only have around a half an hour left here Jack." She said with a carefree attitude.
"And where will we be going after that time is up?" Jack asked as me moved closer to inspect what Mira was doing.
"Who knows anymore," She replied with a sigh, she slid a heavy glove with what looked to be several tiny rows of metal sheets on the back, the metal working their way from her finger tips down the back of her hand to the base of her forearm. Was it just his imagination or were there tiny rows of vents in between each sheet of metal? Vents? Like exhaustion vents? He leaned in a bit closer to get a better look. She noticed and held her hand up for him once she finished securing the glove into place and spread out her fingers. She was smiling at him again. "Want one?" She asked. And then she started chuckling at him again. Damnit.
"Nah, you keep that, you got my swords in there still?" He asked eagerly as she turned back towards the stash pile and picked through it looking for what he asked for. How do I remember about the swords but not how the hell we got here?
"Yup!" She turned around holding two double-edged short swords. two and a half feet in length. "And you're harness, try not to rip this one though alright?"
Just when I thought I was beginning to remember things. "Yeah, it won't happen again. Freak accident." He grabbed his twin swords, beautifully crafted just for his hands, with exotic markings and runes running down the blades. What were those for again? He just couldn't remember. He helped himself expertly into his sword harness and slid the swords smoothly into place forming an X on his back.
"And your dagger belt," Mira said as she reached her arms around her back and strapped the belt into place. She was so close, pressed into Jack's chest, full, soft lips just inches away. He couldn't help but stared at them. Like always, she noticed. "What?" She asked taking a step back and pushing up her low cut auburn shirt revealing some cleavage. "These not perky enough for yah?"
Jack went wide eyed as he sucked in his breath and coughed awkwardly and turned away. Back towards the ocean of tall grass. He tried to listen to the howling of the wind that made the long green and gray stems sway. Anything to erase that awkward moment.
She walked up beside him enjoying the view and his company. But there was a softness in her eyes. "You really don't remember me, do you?" She looked towards him and looked stung.
It pained him to see her look at him like that. "I'm sorry," He dared to move and take her other bare hand. "I really am trying. I can remember only bits and pieces. Fragments of everything, even of who I am, and why we're here. And I feel too ashamed to ask."
She noticed the pain mirrored in his eyes as well. She squeezed his hand and then turned as she began to lead him towards the grass. "Come," She said once they had reached the edge of the parking lot. She let go of his hand and looked over her shoulder at him.
"This is a dream Mira. Isn't it?" Jack asked in frustration while shaking his head. He took a step back, away from her and the ocean of grass.
She smiled at him, stepping back towards him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. "Then it's a good dream is it not?"
She released him without bothering to look back, turned, and sprinted off into the ocean of grass.
He was stunned. He was pretty sure that his heart had still not started beating again. Was it so simple?
He took a deep breath. "I should probably go after her huh." Jack lectured to himself. "This is the part where I'm supposed to chase after the girl before she gets away." His own damn legs wouldn't move. So he worked his arms as if stretching before a long run, swinging them across his chest and back out wide. Letting everything else go. Gaining confidence and courage. Nothing else mattered. He was ready.
She was the only constant in all of this. He loved her. That much he knew. So he ran after her.
None of this is real. Jack sat up. He was slouching again. He knew better. Bad for his back and all that shit that parents say to you over and over until you actually start to listen. He was sitting on a ledge. He guessed he was on top of a building, but he never bothered to look down and see for himself. Not two-hundred meters away from him was a vast ocean of gray and green, cast in a beautiful shadow of orange and red hues as the sun rose just over the horizon. Long strands of grass swayed in the howling winds for miles around. As far as the eye could see. It didn't make any sense. Grass couldn't possibly grow three feet tall. Not here.
"It's time." A determined voice behind him said. Mira walked up next to him. She was his companion here. Of that much he was certain at least. She cocked the shotgun in her hands after she slid the last round into the chamber and used the gun's sling to flip it onto her back with practiced ease. Her shoulder length auburn hair hardly even getting in the way anymore. Jack stood up and faced her.
He loved her eyes. Sea green, so deep and full you could grow mad if you stared too long, lost in their abyss. Nothing like his much more common light brown. He pawed at his own disheveled array of muddy-brown hair with one hand, rubbed over the light stubble on his handsome face, and pulled back the long sleeves of his gray-blue sweater to his forearms with the other. Multitasking. Even here he was pretty damn good at it. He looked down to inspect himself. As if he expected to suddenly turn into Prince Charming. Torn jeans, the long-sleeve sweater and an undershirt were all that greeted him. She noticed his gaze.
"Don't worry," She said as she brushed a patch of dirt off his forearm where he had rested it while he was sitting. "We'll be fine. It's just you and me now." She gave him a weak smile. Wind blowing strands of auburn hair into her face as she looked up at him. God she was gorgeous. Winding athletic curves that could make a man clench his jaw so tight his teeth shattered. Black zip-up jacket with a matching auburn shirt underneath. Dark gray jeans and a 12-gauge automatic shotgun strapped to her back. "Let's be off Jack."
She stepped behind him and gave him and gentle but firm push off of the ledge of the building. He was startled at first. He desperately tried to turn around and grab onto anything to keep from falling, but as he began to slowly drift over the edge he quickly realized, that he was falling at a slow and harmless rate. She laughed at him. She always laughed at him when he messed up. He would be grumpy about it if it wasn't one of the most melodic sounds he'd ever heard. She didn't have one of those girly high pitched voices, it was...deeper. Like a woman's voice, probably because she was pretty tall for one, but when she laughed it would change pitch depending on how funny she thought something was.
She jumped lightly off the ledge after him and they glided down together off the three-story building to the concrete below. She landed gracefully and headed off to their stash by the base of the building. He followed and gazed back up from where he had just descended. It was an old building, probably an old lumber mill or some sort of factory. Clearly abandoned and out of use for there were no cars in the parking lot around them. The parking lot ended just before the great ocean of grass began. Jack looked up again. How did I even get up there?
He noticed Mira had gained quite a lead ahead of him to their stash so he took the opportunity to jump in place. Luckily she wasn't watching. His jump was completely normal. No weird gravity here. He must have looked like an idiot jumping in place just now. He dusted off his dirty jeans a little and hurried to catch up to her.
She walked with a purpose. And still managed to make it look sexy. Or maybe he was just so in love with her that she couldn't possibly do anything and not be sexy...yeah...that was probably a better assessment.
She opened up their hidden stash that was tucked away behind an unused dumpster and some old crates and began rummaging through its contents. "We probably only have around a half an hour left here Jack." She said with a carefree attitude.
"And where will we be going after that time is up?" Jack asked as me moved closer to inspect what Mira was doing.
"Who knows anymore," She replied with a sigh, she slid a heavy glove with what looked to be several tiny rows of metal sheets on the back, the metal working their way from her finger tips down the back of her hand to the base of her forearm. Was it just his imagination or were there tiny rows of vents in between each sheet of metal? Vents? Like exhaustion vents? He leaned in a bit closer to get a better look. She noticed and held her hand up for him once she finished securing the glove into place and spread out her fingers. She was smiling at him again. "Want one?" She asked. And then she started chuckling at him again. Damnit.
"Nah, you keep that, you got my swords in there still?" He asked eagerly as she turned back towards the stash pile and picked through it looking for what he asked for. How do I remember about the swords but not how the hell we got here?
"Yup!" She turned around holding two double-edged short swords. two and a half feet in length. "And you're harness, try not to rip this one though alright?"
Just when I thought I was beginning to remember things. "Yeah, it won't happen again. Freak accident." He grabbed his twin swords, beautifully crafted just for his hands, with exotic markings and runes running down the blades. What were those for again? He just couldn't remember. He helped himself expertly into his sword harness and slid the swords smoothly into place forming an X on his back.
"And your dagger belt," Mira said as she reached her arms around her back and strapped the belt into place. She was so close, pressed into Jack's chest, full, soft lips just inches away. He couldn't help but stared at them. Like always, she noticed. "What?" She asked taking a step back and pushing up her low cut auburn shirt revealing some cleavage. "These not perky enough for yah?"
Jack went wide eyed as he sucked in his breath and coughed awkwardly and turned away. Back towards the ocean of tall grass. He tried to listen to the howling of the wind that made the long green and gray stems sway. Anything to erase that awkward moment.
She walked up beside him enjoying the view and his company. But there was a softness in her eyes. "You really don't remember me, do you?" She looked towards him and looked stung.
It pained him to see her look at him like that. "I'm sorry," He dared to move and take her other bare hand. "I really am trying. I can remember only bits and pieces. Fragments of everything, even of who I am, and why we're here. And I feel too ashamed to ask."
She noticed the pain mirrored in his eyes as well. She squeezed his hand and then turned as she began to lead him towards the grass. "Come," She said once they had reached the edge of the parking lot. She let go of his hand and looked over her shoulder at him.
"This is a dream Mira. Isn't it?" Jack asked in frustration while shaking his head. He took a step back, away from her and the ocean of grass.
She smiled at him, stepping back towards him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. "Then it's a good dream is it not?"
She released him without bothering to look back, turned, and sprinted off into the ocean of grass.
He was stunned. He was pretty sure that his heart had still not started beating again. Was it so simple?
He took a deep breath. "I should probably go after her huh." Jack lectured to himself. "This is the part where I'm supposed to chase after the girl before she gets away." His own damn legs wouldn't move. So he worked his arms as if stretching before a long run, swinging them across his chest and back out wide. Letting everything else go. Gaining confidence and courage. Nothing else mattered. He was ready.
She was the only constant in all of this. He loved her. That much he knew. So he ran after her.
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