Wasn't Me

"Oh... that."

Ashen fell into a deep thought after that, his mind racing.

He had been so consumed by the shocking revelation of Nexis's presence, by the horror of being slowly consumed, that he had totally forgotten about the bizarre incident with the bowl.

He'd been a thousand percent certain it was Nexis, the cause of all his recent woes.

'Was that you?'

He turned his mental question to the now-silent parasite, who had been recently remarkably quiet.

Nexis's voice finally chimed in, a detached, almost analytical tone in his head.

'It wasn't?'

Now Ashen was genuinely confused, his mental gears grinding. He had built his entire understanding of his recent weirdness around Nexis.

There was a distinct, almost playful smugness in Nexis's mental voice now.

Ashen sighed in irritation, rubbing his temples with his fingers.

'Can you not be sarcastic for one minute and answer my questions?'

Nexis replied, its mental voice practically oozing amusement.

'…'

Ashen sent back a mental glare, waiting. He could almost feel Nexis's amused silence.

Nexis finally conceded, a mental sigh that sounded dramatically put-upon.

'Can you explain, please?'

Nexis began, its tone shifting to something academic.

It paused allowing the first art to sink in before moving on.

'Yeah, it would have been cool if not for the part where you're actively draining my vitality and turning me into a ticking time bomb,'

Ashen grumbled internally, the sarcasm dripping from his thoughts. The irony was bitter, a potential superpower tied to his own slow, agonizing death.

"Hello! Ashen to Earth!"

Jax's voice, accompanied by a light jab to his arm, pulled Ashen out of his morbid reverie. He blinked, shaking his head slightly, staring at Jax with a confused expression.

"What!"

"What do you mean 'what'?"

Jax retorted, grinning stupidly.

"You suddenly spaced out on us, looking like you just remembered you left the stove on in a burning building. Well, can you do it or not? The fast thing?"

"Stop bothering him, Jax," Rill interjected, her voice firm, her gaze sweeping the skeletal remains of a collapsed building. "Besides, I don't think it's safe to be drawing attention to ourselves out here with... that." Her subtle emphasis on 'that' implied a deeper understanding than Jax's simple curiosity.

"Thanks for being a buzzkill again, Rill," Jax mumbled, but he subsided, kicking idly at a loose piece of concrete.

Ignoring their habitual bantering, Ashen retreated back into his mind.

'So, these abilities you mentioned, can I control them, and also how many do I have?'

Nexis replied, a chillingly serious tone briefly replacing its usual flippancy.

The parasite's cold, logical ultimatum slammed into Ashen, reminding him of the terrible situation he was currently in – the impossible choice between his life and the lives of others. A shiver traced down his spine, despite the dry, dusty air.

They continued their uneasy march through the encroaching twilight. After what felt like an eternity, but was likely only another hour, they found a place.

It was the remains of an old, multi-story parking garage, partially collapsed but still retaining enough structural integrity to offer significant cover. Its concrete walls, though pocked and cracked, were thick, and the upper levels provided excellent vantage points for sentries.

The interior offered a labyrinth of pillars and shadowed bays, perfect for concealing their trucks and setting up a temporary, defensible camp. It was far from luxurious, but in the Drift, safety was the only true luxury.

Once they had secured the perimeter, Ashen, Rill, and Jax quickly headed back to guide the rest of the convoy.

The tension of their solitary scouting run eased slightly as they met the approaching vehicles, a small, fragile bubble of humanity moving through the silent urban graveyard.

Luckily, they hadn't encountered any strays – no mutated beasts, no desperate raiders, no signs of any ominous drones – on their return journey.

They arrived at the parking garage, the rumble of the trucks echoing eerily in the vast space.

The group swiftly set about transforming the skeletal structure into a temporary home. Tents were erected in sheltered bays, supplies were unloaded, and sentries took up positions on the higher levels.

That night, their meal was a simple one: dried bread, tough and flavorless, gnawed in silence.

Starting a fire was too risky; even a small flicker of light could attract unimaginable horrors in the deep, unforgiving darkness of the Drift.

"Do you know what kind of place our new camp will be?" Elara's voice, soft and small, barely carried over the hushed movements of the camp.

She was lying with her head resting on Ashen's lap, nestled against him for warmth and comfort, her small hand clutching a corner of his worn jacket.

Ashen gently stroked her hair, the coarse strands soft beneath his fingers. "You know I have no idea, El." His voice was just above a whisper, trying to conjure a sense of normalcy in the abnormal quiet.

"I hope it has an ice cream machine," she murmured, a wistful, almost childlike dream in her voice.

Ashen chuckled softly, the sound a rare, genuine spark of amusement in the grim setting. "You want ice cream?"

"Hmm. It has been long since I had some," she sighed, nestling deeper.

He kissed the top of her head, the simple gesture a quiet promise in a world where promises were often broken. "I promise I'll get you some, but first, go to sleep."

And with that, the two siblings lay there, side by side, seeking refuge from the horrors of reality in the quiet comfort of each other's presence.

Just when Ashen was about to drift off, pulled into the welcoming abyss of sleep, he heard that annoying voice again, one he had unfortunately become intimately familiar with.

Ashen's eyes snapped open. His lips twitched as he fought the urge to mentally scream.

Even in his private thoughts, the parasite intruded, its desires a constant, unwelcome companion.

He focused on Elara's soft, even breathing, willing Nexis to be silent.