[WARNING — DISTURBING IMAGERY]
[WARNING — DISTURBING IMAGERY]
sunshine
In the kastner's truck, the night wasn't very peaceful for Monica. Sleep took her, but it carried her somewhere she didn't want to go.
The memories of the Hills of Corpses flooded her mind with vivid clarity. From beneath the small mound, something clawed it's way out — a grotesque figure, a torso with its lungs, and heart tangled in a dripping rope of guts that dragged behind it like bloody strings of fabric that brushed the grey sand a shade of sparkling crimson.
The face of the corpse was unrecognizable. Yet there was somehow she knew it was her mother. She felt it, or she wanted it to be.
she dropped to her knees. Tears streamed down her face as the body lurched closer. She cried, not from knowing, but out of a desperate longing for something familiar. She yearned to connect with this abomination that resembled her mother. The hollow cracked eyes stared back, and her grief turned into fear so sharp it gripping her soul freezing her in place.
Suddenly, Monica's jaw unhinged, dropping to the floor with the skin and flesh connecting the jaws, stretching until it snapped. She tried to scream but her tongue was gone. Soundless screams echoed in her mind as the body drew closer and extended its skeletal arms, not to harm but to embrace.
She closed her eyes.
The cold of the corpse climbed up to her but with it came an impossible yet familiar warmth. Breeze brushed her left cheek alongside the heat of a sun she couldn't see.
When she opened her eyes, she saw her mother's face. Much younger than she remembered and full of details, more than memory allowed.
"You napped for a long time, sunshine." her mom said gently. "The food is almost cold."
Monica realized where she was. she was laying on her mother's lap with a picnic blanket underneath them and the shade of a mango tree above with green unripe fruit swaying in the wind.
She tried to stand but her body felt strange, smaller and unsteady. She took a few wobbly steps until she fell forward causing her nose to bleed.
Her mother rushed to wipe the blood away, smiling with a mix of worry and pride. Her father appeared carrying a basket of freshly picked apples. "she took her first steps" Her mother told him. He lifted monica high in the air, spinning her around with joy sparkling in his eye.
Around her, was a vast field of grey grass, softly swaying in the breeze. violet flowers bloomed in small clusters splashed around. Above them, the sky stretched, a light grey canvas around three large violet suns skewed in an uneven triangle that cast an eerie glow.
He lowered her down, while hugging her gently. She felt safe and content.
Then change began. Her mother's face began falling apart. Flesh melted like wax. The same thing happened to her dad's legs,a bit faster. Only bone was left.
Monica shut her eyes forcefully and opened them to find herself back at the Hill of Corpses. This time, both her parents' bodies embraced her. Both half decayed. Their arms wrapped tight around her. She couldn't breathe.
She woke up suddenly. Her heart pounded hard as the final image of her nightmare faded from her mind. Her eyes were wide. Her hands trembled. Yet, she didn't scream
In another bed, her father sat up and reached out to her with concern.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"Just a bad dream," she whispered.
"It's okay," he said, with a soothing voice, "It's normal after what we've been through"
She looked into her father's eyes. What she saw sent a shiver of sadness down her spine. In her dream, They were sparkling with joy and pride. Now, they looked tired and worn out. The sparkle was long lost.
(in truth, he was just tired of the uncomfortable sleep he had last night. also he has back pain because of his age.)
"It's a good thing you woke up," he said quietly. "It's almost dawn, we're moving soon."