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It had been a few years since Salt and Moemoe escaped their personal hell.
Sometimes, even your closest friends can be the villains in your story.
“Moemoe, have you been taking your medicine for your eyes?” The doctor asked
Moemoe nodded, “Yes, but they don’t seem to be working.”
The doctor looked around, swallowing with regret, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but I don’t think you will be needing them any longer.”
Moemoe knew what was coming,
She expected it.
“You’ve permanently lost sight in your eyes.”
“Of course you can see a bit, but glasses and contacts won’t fix or help with anything. The doctor patted her shoulder
Moemoe shifted a bit.
“Sorry, I just don’t like touch.”
The doctor took his hand back as if he realized something
“No, I should apologize.”
“I know what happened to you was inhumane, and I’m sorry for all your losses.”
Losses.
Moemoe’s heart skipped a beat
“Thank you, doctor.”
…………
Salt was waiting for Moemoe, playing with the her fingers
Her, well, robotic fingers.
And hands.
And arm.
…
Salt always loved painting, but, she knowd she won’t be able to paint the same ever again, she won’t ever have the same motivation
She was waiting for Moemoe to finish her doctor’s appointment in her car
Moemoe and Salt lived together after the accident, relying on one another for help
Salt was about to burst into tears again when she heard a knock
Moemoe
With her cane
”Sorry for taking so long Salt, I owe you a lot after these past years” Moemoe scratched her head
Salt shook her head, softly smiling, “Don’t worry, I don’t mind, we only have each other to help, don’t we?”
”Yeah,”
”Only each other.” Moemoe’s smile faltered just a bit
They looked at each other with a look that nobody else would ever understand
”I’ll just get in the car now.”
——————
Back to friends by sombr was playing on the radio
Moemoe was humming, she used to be apart of a choir before the accident, and Salt was looking at her, as if she knew Moemoe had lost something in herself since everything began
Salt cleared her throat, ”You know, Jake loved this singer”
Moemoe stopped humming, “Yeah, I introduced him back in middle school.”
…
”I wanted to say that therapy has been helping me.” Salt said
”…” Moemoe didn’t know how to respond
“After losing Lizu, and Jake, our friends..” Salt gripped the steering wheel tighter
“I know.” Moemoe responded, looking down at her lap
”That bomb killed all of us, including you and me”
”Except we were the only ones who still physically existed.”
”You, Emia, and I.”
Moemoe tightened her jaw
”Emia.”
”…Emia.” Salt swallowed
Moemoe had divorced Emia 2 years ago
The accident happened 3 years ago.
Emia commited suicide a few months after the divorce.
”Emia loved you enough to divorce you didn’t she?” Salt’s expression looked unreadable
”She was too traumatized from first hand witnessing everybody explode, Marrie’s blood splattered on her.” Moemoe held her breath
It was like it happened yesterday, everyone’s death.
“The stress killed her. But it killed me more”
”I used to think suicide was selfish, that it hurts others more than it hurts you.”
”It hurts me like hell, it makes me want to kill myself but I know I could never.”
”I could never…”
”I- I loved Emia a lot.” Moemoe’s voice cracked
“She had nothing left.”
”I can’t blame her.”
Salt knew Moemoe’s house was coming up.
She made a left towards the street.
“Marrie and Emia were so brave”
”They sacrificed their lives for us, not knowing what they’d get themselves into.”
Salt let out a little sigh
”Marrie was just a restaurant worker who we ran into one day after not seeing each other since high school.”
”Emia was your beloved high school sweetheart and wife who found out you were missing.”
”Hunter…”
Moemoe brought up a name that made Salt’s name boil with both grief, anger, and sadness
”Her brother.” Salt kept looping around the neighborhood
“I know how you feel about him.” Moemoe said
”I feel the same way.”
“He was one of our close friends from high school, well, I mean all of us were.”
”He was Marrie’s brother.”
“He tried to kill us.”
”Kill Marrie.”
”Even after finding out that Marrie was his sister.”
Salt’s head started boiling
”He teamed up with Asher,”
”Asher tried to KILL you!”
Salt yelled
”…I know.”
“I’ll still love them.”
”They were like my family.”
”You know how my actual family was like.”
Moemoe looked at Salt
”I loved them like my real family.”
”The only people who cared before they didn’t anymore.”
Salt frowned, and murmured, “They were the only two in the end who didn’t care”
“They were evil.”
”Salt.” Moemoe asserted
”That doesn’t make you or I any different.”
”Remember? You KILLED Gabie.”
”He was our friend too, close or not close.”
Salt gripped harder on the wheel, speeding up.
”You killed a lot of people too.”
”Benny doesn’t forgive us for killing Gabie in the forest either.”
”US?” Moemoe sounded offended, “I WASN’T THE ONE WHO KILLED GABIE AND BURNED HIM IN THE FIRE?!”
Salt was angrily taken aback, and started driving while barely looking at the street
”WELL WE BOTH KILLED PEOPLE THAT’S MY WHOLE POINT MOEMOE!”
*HONK*
“IT WAS SELF DEFENSE. THE POLICE KNEW IT WAS SELF DEFENSE.”
”WE NEEDED TO LIVE”
Moemoe screamed, “BUT YOU DIDN’T NEED TO FUCKING KILL GABIE??”
*SCREEEECH*
”GABIE COULD’VE HELPED US, EVEN BENNY COULD’VE HELPED US, AND HE WAS MY MIDDLE SCHOOL EX.”
Salt started to yell louder, “YOU DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND, I WAS JUST TRYING TO PROTECT YOU! I WAS THE ONLY CONSCIOUS ONE AT THE TIME! AFTER ASHER SENT HIS GODDAMN GOONS TO KILL YOU!”
”BECAUSE YOU FUCKING KILLED LIZU!”
Moemoe was also taken aback, her voice lowering in volume, but still angry.
”Salt.”
”You were there when it happened.”
”She aimed.”
”A FUCKING GUN.”
”To my head.”
”Because she was so obsessed with me, with DRUGS.”
”YOU bashed a chair at her head to make her stop and when she continued I stabbed her out of REAL self defense.”
”I- I’m not saying that the other guys besides Gabie weren’t self defense.”
Salt went quiet.
She entered their driveway
”You should get inside as soon as you can.”
”I don’t think you saw how much road rage was happening with my driving.”
”The cops probably thought I was drunk.”
Moemoe opened the car door, but turned around
”It’s not your first time escaping cops.”
”But just know we don’t have someone anymore to soften our troubles.”
Salt was still angry but knew what she meant.
She hadn’t visited Jake’s grave in a while.
”I know.”
Sirens started wailing
”See you at home, Moemoe.”
Moemoe nodded
“Ma’am, step out of your vehicle.” The cop said
”Yes, of course.” Salt stepped out, putting her hands up
”Salt L.”
The cop faltered a bit while walking towards her.
”You were Jake’s friend weren’t you.”
”My condolences.”
Salt nodded.
”You can put your hands down” The cop nodded
“You don’t seem to be intoxicated like the other drivers said.” He shone a light into her eyes
“You know,” He sighed, “I’ll let you off the hook for now.”
“The way Jake talked about you guys…”
”He really loved his friends.”
After the cop left, Salt stood in the driveway
She never realized that Jake saw them in this way
Before Lizu died, Jake left because of past events.
But after his help…after his passing…
She never thought about it.
—————————
At Jake’s grave, Salt placed lillies on his nameplate
His favorite flowers.
“Jake M, an amazing chief, friend, brother, and hero.”
She sat next to him
”Jake,” She chuckled softly, “I ran into one of your cops today.”
”They told me you were surprisingly not talking bad about us”
Salt’s smile was wavering
“We miss you.”
”We miss all of you.”
“…Your sisters and brother have talked about you often.”
”Your death took a large toll on your teenage brother but…I’ve been taking care of him.”
”You know, I know you expected Asher to change.”
”You guys were best friends.”
”He was…our best friend too.”
Salt just sat there in silence for a while
—————————
*flashback*
”JAKE!!” Moemoe screamed
”I CAN’T SEE” She was sobbing, tearing at her face, slapping it, feeling the blood pool down.
”EMIA????” She felt around, only seeing darkness, touch being the sense of only use, her nose clogged by the smell of ash, blood, and smoke, her tongue tasting the metallic blood trickling into her mouth, her ears ringing loudly, as if a megaphone had blasted her ears.
”SALT? MARRIE?”
…
”H-HUNTER??”
……
…
.
”A-Asher…?”
”Anybody…?”
”Somebody?…”
”Is anyone there to-“ Moemoe’s breathing became abnormal, she felt her tear ducts overflowing.
Her eyes were the most important thing to her.
What was she going to do…?
”Save…me…?”
Moemoe fell to her knees
A voice started to boom
Moemoe tried to look, it was only a dark blur
Someone was calling her name…but she couldn’t make out who…
It was a female, but she couldn’t hear well until they were up close, and even so, it was so difficult to hear without focusing.
”IT’S ME! SALT!”
Salt was half carrying Moemoe, hoisting her, while she was holding Emia’s hand, while her hands felt as if they were throbbing jelly, a maroon mess.
Salt looked at Emia,
She was looking at the floor, only moving when Salt dragged her along.
She was covered in blood.
She looked at Moemoe, whose eyes were bloody, ears were bloody, she was just pale, ashy, covered in blood as well.
”Sa….”
Moemoe made out the first sound
”Sa-“
*scene switch/flashback switch*
”Lt!”
Moemoe waved to Salt
Salt looked up
”Moemoe…!”
She just got her brand new arms, well, robotic arm.
Moemoe hugged Salt, her vision was a bit better from what Salt knew.
It’d been a few months since the divorce with Emia, and Salt knew that the world had been hard on Moemoe, so she was thinking of taking her out on a picnic.
”Thanks…for everything!” Moemoe smiled softly
Salt smiled back, “Of course.”
Moemoe was always pretty to Salt,
They were friends, best friends, only having each other left, besides Emia.
”So, what will you do?”
Moemoe asked
”Yes?” Salt replied, “What do you mean what will I do?”
”What will you do after the cops finish their investigation?” Moemoe questioned, looking at the sunset
Salt looked at her hands, “Well, I lost a whole part of my identity.”
Moemoe noticed, and frowned a little, “Your art. You know, you were an amazing artist.”
”I guess we all lost something of ourselves that day, not just…people.”
Salt held back a gulp, and a tear.
”Yeah.”
They both looked at the sunset.
”Did I ever tell you about my nightmares?”
“About the water?”
Salt asked, not looking away from the pink and orange sky
Moemoe shook her head
Salt closed her eyes, basking in the light.
”It’s so ironic because, you used to have dreams and nightmares about the water as a kid.”
”But in mine, I was drowning.”
”Drowning because of my thoughts.”
”The grief of losing Aliza at the time, when we were at the motel where Marrie got shot in the stomach was just crazy.”
”I know…I’ve always been so…”
”Aloof…”
”And I know I’ve lost my family just like you but this grief hurts somewhat more.”
”Maybe it’s because of the assassination attempts, the kidnapping, the hiding.”
“Maybe that’s caused my grief to double because this all could’ve been prevented-“
“And it was all my fault.” Moemoe said.
Her smile was gone
Salt noticed.
”No, it’s not.”
”Asher was immature.”
”He used his power to target you.”
”To murder you.”
”Because he thought you really wanted to kill Lizu.”
”But we the three of us knew that…Lizu used drugs, and she’d always have this, liking to you.”
She swallowed her spit.
”I’m trying to say it isn’t your fault this happened.”
”You were just trying to protect yourself Moemoe.”
Moemoe started tearing up a little.
”I couldn’t save Lizu, I couldn’t save Tanner.”
Salt’s heart dropped
Tanner.
That was Moemoe’s ex fiancee.
Due to suicide.
After his mother died in the hospital.
She pat Moemoe’s back without thinking
”Moemoe.”
”I, will always be here for you.”
”You are…”
”My, friend.”
”My best friend.”
Salt’s heart dropped once more.
The dandelions that fell from the cliff onto the tree was the main thing the two wanted to see.
So why couldn’t Salt focus?
Grief consumed them both.
She can’t let it devour them more.
Salt was about to hold Moemoe’s hand when her phone rang.
Moemoe picked up
Her face drained of color.
”Emia…”
(flashback end)
——————————
Moemoe sat in her room, staring at the ceiling she once would’ve been able to see.
Salt knocked
Moemoe looked up, “Come in.”
Salt put a plate of cookies on Moemoe’s drawer
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
”I visited Jake’s grave.”
”I think you know me more than I know myself”
There was silence until Moemoe pat her bed
”Come sit down.”
Salt and Moemoe sat next to each other, when Moemoe sighed, “I’m sorry as well.”
“We both shouldn’t have lashed out at each other.”
”We’ve gone through the same things whether we’ve wanted to or not.”
”We’ve…”
”Lost our best friends.”
”Our sole reason to live, to want to see, to want to breathe.”
“I would give my soul to have them back.”
”The world, even.”
“The universe cannot describe how I feel.”
”It’s been years and I can’t still let go.”
”Maybe it’s my sight.”
”Maybe it’s just getting used to life without them”
“But when I’m at my worst I see all of them, I sometimes slip out a, ‘I’ll see Lizu later tonight and tell her all about my day”
”And it never occurred to me that they could be gone.”
”I always wish I could have one more day with them”
“To see my friends.”
”Just one last time.”
”Even if it means the last time I’ll see them because I’ll be ready to let them go.”
Salt held Moemoe’s hand,
”But that doesn’t mean you’ll really be ready to let them go.”
”I also wish that…I could tell Jake that I’m sorry for the last time.”
“That I wish I could’ve stopped Lizu from drugs.”
”I wish I wasn’t selfish for wishing she died from overdose than a stab in the knife in front of us two.”
”I wish I could’ve hung out with the twins for the last time, Marrie, and Hunter.”
”And…Asher.”
”I wish that he could’ve stayed in our friend group too.”
”But it’s too late for that now.”
”We just need to…”
Salt struggled to find the words,
”Move on.”
Moemoe’s eyes shifted a little, “Yeah.”
”I think they’d want that.”
There was awkward silence again.
Their silence had always been comfortable
Just their way of grieving
But this time, it was different.
Maybe all their walls had fallen down,
All the walls that had up even before all of this.
Maybe from highschool
From Junior High
Or even from the first time they met in elementary school
”Do you remember that dandelion tree?” Salt asked
Moemoe nodded, “Where the dandelions fell from the cliff onto the tree?”
Salt nodded too, “Let’s meet there tomorrow.”
“It’s been a while you know?”
————————
The dandelion tree had grown taller somehow, richer, it had more white than yellow.
Salt smelled the fresh breeze
She was wearing the white dress that Moemoe picked out for her a few years before the events
Lizu, Moemoe, and her had matching ones.
Lizu’s was dark blue, and Moemoe’s was pink
She looked at the tree and smiled, she felt free.
Maybe she realized she couldn’t trust anybody
But trust isn’t something that she won’t be able to rebuild
And that trust can even start with the person she survived with.
Even if that person needs help trusting too
Moemoe was walking down the path to the tree, when she saw Salt,
”Over here!” Moemoe called out
————————
I wonder…how much longer I could’ve held her hand.
How more selfish I could’ve made my feelings in the past.
She’s my best friend, and I don’t need anything more from that.
I just need…
Her to be there with me.
Under this dandelion tree
I love her
As a friend
As…
Somebody important to me
Of course
My feelings are platonic in every way.
Salt looked at the sunset, and deja vu came back
This time, things were different
In the end, it was really just them
”You know, Moemoe.”
Moemoe looked at her
”In the end, maybe this is selfish, but…”
”I’m glad we went through this together.”
”I’m a little glad this all…happened.”
”Well not really but, you know, I’m happy I’ve been healing.”
”I’m happy all the murder attempts and running is over.”
”And I’m happy…”
”That in the end it was you.”
Salt smiled
”…Me too, Salt.”
Moemoe and Salt sat just a bit away from each other
”You remember when I said I never want to die?”
”That I never want to go througu that hell again?”
”I would do it three times all over to save them.”
”But I know there’s nothing we could’ve done”
”It’s surprising to know that Lizu’s drug addiction caused this”
”But I know that…”
Moemoe paused
”They’re happy now”
”They’re okay from the gunshots, the knife stabbing, the violence, the drugging, everything.”
”I wish they were to see us heal.”
”I wish they weren’t the reason we were healing.”
Salt and Moemoe looked at the purple twilight appear under the orange sky
The stars started to appear, being brighter than usual
”I love you, Moemoe.”
”I know.”
”You don’t.”
”…”
”I guess over these years I’ve changed.”
”We both have.”
”Yes, the both of us.”
“This is a little sudden?”
“We both know things are always sudden”
“…”
”…”
”…”
”I don’t expect anything.” Salt said with eyes full of thought
”I wouldn’t think you would expect much from someone like me” Moemoe laughed, “I wish I could see the purple sky better, it’s all just a blur.”
”Maybe one day things can change with us.” Salt looked at Moemoe, a dandelion falling on her head
“Maybe.” Moemoe slowly held Salt’s hand in the blades grass, “I guess I don’t need sight to feel beauty.”
”There’s more beauty to us than you think.”
Salt’s squeeze tightened
”You’re all that I have left.”
Moemoe gripped her dress
“I know.”
“Let’s meet under the dandelion tree again whe I have an answer.”
(I wanted to say sorry that this is rushed I genuinely didn’t know how to go about this after the flashback and I didn’t know what to say, anyways I think this part or the whole story would make more sense if I had permission or even wanted to post the story I based this off of)