Dust Collectors

Surely there's a better way to carry a body than this... This is utterly ridiculous! No woman should have to suffer such tormenting weight. It is like the whole world is pushing on my shoulders! I was totes onto something earlier, muscles sound so splendertastic right now.

"Skittypoo... Is there any possibility that I could get some assistance?"

Oh, she didn't follow me.

At least I have Felix, no, no she's missing too.

I reached my hand deep into my bag "but Bob never lets me down" and ruffled my hand around inside... Got the zombic radio... Got weird heart in a jar... Got my files...

Wonderful, I left him at home. I'm all alone at night, with no one to talk to, dragging a corpse that could kill me at any second. 

Truthfully I wouldn't mind being dead right now.

"In... To... The... Pit!"

I strained my voice in fury as I slowly (but surely) slugged this corpse at my feet, repeatedly chucking it along, determined to dispose of it so that my parents wouldn't ground me for being dead.

I don't know if the cracks affect the undead, it's a study I'm interested in but it's a study for later. I am not sure whats down there.

How would that study even prosper? What, am I just going to jump in?

They go down pretty far, I'm confident dropping the ghost in will buy me some time to sneak back.

I forgot to say goodbye to Skittle... She's a very understanding lady, I'll tell her some other time.

"Pit time ghosty ghost"

Why am I talking like this? I have only been awake for two days... Three? I can check my documents later, not that I care about how long I have been awake. Not that anyone cares... Because I hate when they care.

I kicked the ghost down the cracks with my one sleepy foot and spun to walk home with the other.

Has Felix been gone for almost a week? I miss him... He has been away for longer than this but I still get worried every time. Not that anything bad ever happens to Felix, he is a cat after all.

My clothes, they're all covered in ghost blood. Is there a word for that? Ghost blood... Ghost blood... I know a word already exists, but if it doesn't come to me later then I can always coin something.

I flopped onto my bed. My hands were a little scuffed from all the dissecting, fighting, disposing, and crawling. Nothing that I am not used to.

Well, dissecting is a tad new.

I swapped my gloopy (but glorious) clothes for my comfy (still glorious) pyjamas, and under my pillow...

Bob!

"Shhh... It's okay buddy, I came back for you..."

A bright light encased my vision.

(Aliens?)

"BAILEY" Thea, with the blinkiest torch known to man beaming right into my eyeballs.

"You are lucky that I am not epileptic."

"WHERE WERE YOU??? Me and Hazel were worrying our heads off!"

At this point she's already tangled her arms around me and proceed to cry all over every inch of my face.

"Thea and Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Were they worrying their craniums off too?"

"I wasn't really paying attention..."

Her face was so deathly dry, and the hideous bags beneath her eyes weren't helping. She looked kind of cool actually, like a zombie.

"Have you slept?"

"No! Too worried. You?"

"Negative. Crazy idea, we sleep and delay the big commotion of my return to tomorrow. All that talking is going to be so exhausting, I can't bear to put you through that in your state."

Thea squeezed a little looser, clearly she was putting all her energy into that hug, she must have been relieved to let go a little. "You're so smart... I wish I was so smart when I was your age."

"Sleep." (Thea, as cool as you are, I'd much rather spend time with Bob and delay Mum and Dad than talk to a human right now.)

"Am I dreaming? Are you still gone, Bailey?"

"I'm only telling you this because I care about you; you're making a fool of yourself."

"Why does your laundry smell like sharpie..?"

"Fool of yourself."

The rollercoaster cart was painted pitch black, and had a graphic of punk rock aliens in a graveyard on either door.

Tsssh- "This is your driver speaking. Keep your arms and legs outside the cart at all times. And don't forget to scream, because it's fun!"

She stood in the middle of the street, arms spread as wide as that gorgeous smile. "Baileyface! Get that caboose over here!"

(She means the coaster, not my butt. She's very much above such an unjust sense of humour.)

I shook my head, my heels weren't built for running, she knew that, and she didn't care. I didn't either. I kicked them off, grazing my dress against the mud. I just wanted to get to her. I wanted to run, and kick, and scrap in the dirt until my dress was all but soil.

She gripped her arms around me tight, "hey, same outfit! Someone's gonna have to change, ay?"

I snorted a laugh between my teeth.

"It's our wedding day cakeypie, of course we're wearing the same outfit."

"Silly me, I guess I forgot. Just kidding!"

(She's so cool.)

"So what? Are we gonna go to the church?"

There was a pause, ended by sudden, harmonious, and loud laughter

"Yeah right! Come on, we are ditching!"

She coughed up the brightest smile imaginable. "Hell yeah we are!"

Holding both of eachothers hands, we jumped and bounded by the country. The ground was wet, and crusty, downright horrible, but I was in love.

In the terror I have fallen in love, with the terror.  

We partied through every crooked forest and slipped through every dusty street. Her dress was utterly ruined. Cobwebs, dirt, spiders, pebbles, wood chips, dried moss. My dress was no better, if not worse. The air smelled moist, like an old fridge.

Through nonstop laughter we coughed up conversation:

"Bailey! Bailey, a hill!"

"Oh no I hope we don't fall"

We held eachother real close and threw ourselves down the hill.

Plummeting down to the doom of our dresses, we smiled, we hugged, and we felt awesome. The grass was wet as anything. Each tumble brought another scuff and another stain. The ground was dead and unjust. The sky was grey and gloomy. Me? I was excited, surrounded by a world full of unseen discoveries, what was there not to love?

She bounced back onto her feet and pulled me back onto mine.

"Ha! Bailey look, our dresses are all greened up!"

The ridge of my nose felt warm.

"I find that green suits you well."

She blushed. Still, not that I could tell, her skin was dead.

"Awww gee. You!"

"I love you, Skittle."

"I love you too."

"Why weren't you at the church?"

"It is not a big deal."

"Oh Rob... Look at her knees, and her arms..."

"Your mum's dress is completely and utterly ruined. Don't ya have anything to say for yourself?"

(It's not hers anymore, it isn't like she is going to get married again.)

"Meow."

(Hi Felix.)

"Wait, were you going that marry that... Zombie?"

"Oh deary, we talked about this..."

It's dark.

"You're lucky to be alive missy. You're really pushing it."

"Sometimes I swear, it's like you want to join them or something. Why don't you just join them?"

It's so, so dark.

"Bailey!"

(Skittle?)

"Bailey, I'm sorry that your parents are so lame and close-minded. You know I'd never hurt you."

(Hold me...)

"Please don't cry. Please don't cry, we would never hurt you."

(It's so dark.)

"We would never..."

Her fingertips slipped so perfectly into the creases of my back, like a knife into butter. She dug into the skin, each swipe as swift and gentle as a baby bird.

Red poured down my back and pooled onto the ground. 

Through my tears I coughed, 

blood came out. 

I coughed again, more blood. 

Again, 

blood and a tooth.

(It's so quiet.)

(This dress... Is too small for me.)

"Jack, is the smell an issue for you?"

"Honestly? It's not great. But I won't force you to clean"

"So it's not that bad"

"No, it is."

"But not bad enough to clean"

"I mean, you should probably clean up the smashed glass, what if the cat comes back again?"

"His little paws..."

"I'm pretty sure it's a she"

"Her little paws..."

"Good morning Bailey."