(no subject)

[plantfood]

It isn't something they do every week, but Mathias has come to really look forward to the mornings when he and Neil get to take off for a little while. They often end up surfing, which he's not quite as terrible at anymore, given all the practice he's gotten, but some days they don't do much of anything at all, which in itself is quite nice. He loves Sam, but it's important to have a break every so often, some time to recharge.

That morning he has his scuba gear with him, an extra mask, respirator and flippers for Neil and he's nearing their designated meeting place on the beach when a man steps out of the jungle in front of him. In the distance, he can see Neil, but for just a moment it's as if everything shimmers and there's suddenly green everywhere. Green leaves shaped like hands are dragging themselves across the beach toward Neil, slipping and sliding over the sand. Blood red flowers bloom as the vine grows, tumbling over itself, getting bigger and bigger. And closer and closer to Neil.

Mathias takes a few steps forward, but the man who's come out of the jungle raises a rifle and points it at his chest. Another man joins him, then a third, and this last points his arrow at Neil.

They don't say anything, but Mathias knows what happens next.

"No!" he shouts as the arrow is loosed from the bow. It sails through the air and Mathias knows it's a perfect shot, that it will find its mark. "Neil! Look out!"

When he steps forward this time, it all disappears. No vines, no men, no arrows.

Comments

[little_moons]

It's instinct to freeze, mid-step, my heart lodging in the back of my throat. Because he sounds so fucking terrified and because I trust him. I nearly take a dive, not even knowing what the fuck I'm diving from, but then something in his face changes and he doesn't look so terrified anymore.

Mostly, he just looks confused.

"Mathias..." I call, taking a slow, cautious step toward him, "What the fuck's goin' on?"

[plantfood]

"I..." Mathias pauses, taking a moment to gather himself as he turns in a slow circle. There is nothing to indicate any of it was real, nothing at all, but he knows what he saw. For months now, he's been catching glimpses of things in the jungle, the whisper of vines nearby, but he's never seen it quite so clearly as he did in that moment.

"I don't know," he says. There aren't even footprints where the men came out of the jungle. The ground is soft enough that they should have left something behind. "I saw... someone. Shooting at you."

[little_moons]

It's enough that I look around again, feeling pretty fucking creeped out, but there's no one. Just him and me, and in the distance, a group of teenagers I recognize.

"There's nobody," I say, walking toward him, thinking about that day months ago, in front of those desert mines.

"You're still seein' stuff?"

[plantfood]

There's no sense trying to deny it, not when he's just shouted at Neil and probably scared him, so Mathias nods. "It seems to be getting worse," he admits, running a hand over his face, his scarred palm rasping over his beard.

"I went on a date not long ago and I saw vines," he says, then laughs without humour. "That is not exactly the best first impression to make." He's trying to make light of it, but only because he doesn't know what else to do.

[little_moons]

"You went on a date?" I say, 'cause he's trying not to make a big deal out of it, so I might as well follow his lead. Still, I take a step closer, like somehow that might be some kind of comfort.

"Who is it I gotta be jealous of now?"

[plantfood]

Mathias manages another laugh at that and then shakes his head, not to downplay how much he likes Julie, but because he has no idea what's happening to him. None of this makes sense. None of it is fair. He's finally begun to think he might not have anything to feel guilty about and now this is happening.

"Her name is Julie," he says, then manages a thin smile. "She was in the Women's Air Force during the second World War."

[little_moons]

"Wow. That's kind of awesome," I say, offering him a crooked grin. I know how weird he's been about dating, after everything with Veronica, but it's good to hear that he's getting out there. Having fun.

It would be better if he didn't have to deal with seeing shit that's not there, but nothing's ever completely normal in this fucking place.

[plantfood]

"Except that I started it off by... acting like a lunatic," he says with a shaky sigh. It isn't that he's worried about what Julie thinks of him, really. She'd made it perfectly clear that night that whatever he's dealing with, it doesn't bother her, but he hates that he's dealing with it at all.

"Do you think I'm going crazy?" he asks, looking at Neil. "Do you think there's something wrong with me?"

[little_moons]

"I think there's something crazy going on, on this fucking island, that's got nothing to do with you," I say, my grin dropping into something a little more serious, a little more concerned.

"You're not the only one that's been seein' shit, you know. This isn't even the first time somethin' like this has happened, here."

[plantfood]

"No?" Mathias asks, looking at Neil curiously. He's heard rumours of things before, whispers of other people seeing things, but for the most part, he hasn't paid much attention. At the best of times, Mathias isn't the sort of person to share much of what's going on with him and he can't imagine doing so with a near stranger. Neil is hardly a stranger, though, and he feels comfortable enough to talk about it.

"What happened the last time?"

[little_moons]

"Logan, he, uh... He started seein' his dead father around. In the jungle, mostly. For a long time, he was the only one that could see him. He thought he was goin' crazy," I say, chewing at a jagged hangnail on my thumb.

"We started figuring out, after a while, that he wasn't the only one seeing shit... And it was always something that really scared them."

[plantfood]

That makes sense in a way Mathias doesn't want to admit. If there's anything that really scares him, it's the idea of leaving the island, going back to that hill in Mexico and being faced with the vines and the Mayans once again. More than that, though, it's the idea of the vines coming here. Coming after the people he considers his family.

"Well... that is... awfully depressing," he says slowly.

[little_moons]

"Sorry, man," I say with a wince. "At least you're not crazy?"

It's not much of a comfort, I know, but maybe it's something. Plus, I haven't even mentioned the part where all that shit became real, for a day, and Aaron Echolls tried to kill me.

[plantfood]

Mathias gives a soft laugh and although that is a bit of a comfort, he isn't sure this alternative is much better. "And did it go away eventually?" he asks, hoping that the answer is yes. That eventually, everyone just stopped seeing things, that life continued on and everything went back to normal. It's probably too much to hope for on this island.

[little_moons]

"Yeah, but uh... After all of it kind of became real for a day," I admit to him, my bottom lip caught between my teeth. "But... I dunno, maybe that's not even what's happening, this time."

[plantfood]

Mathias manages another laugh, though it's completely devoid of humour. The idea that this all might become real is terrifying and it makes him feel as if his blood really has run cold. Goosebumps ripple across his arms, even in the sun.

"That would be very bad," he says.

[little_moons]

"Yeah, no shit," I say, my own snort of laughter as bitter as his. "It lasted a day, then it was gone. I... I dunno, man."

I feel inexplicably guilty for even telling him, even though he deserves to know. The truth is, I think people died that day.

[plantfood]

"A day can be a very long time," Mathias says, scrubbing a hand over his face. Suddenly he feels very old and very tired and if the things he's been seeing suddenly become real, he knows that many people will be in danger.

"A lot of people can die within twenty-four hours."

[little_moons]

"Nobody's gonna fuckin' die, Mathias, just..." I stop myself short, my throat feeling oddly tight. It's not something I can promise, and the idea of losing someone else-- the idea of losing him, scares the shit outta me.

"Are we gonna get in the water or what?"

[plantfood]

That was what he'd told himself at first on that hill. They were tourists, they couldn't just go missing. No one was going to die. But then he'd found Henrich and things had changed in a moment.

Instead of saying any of that, he just smiles and nods. "Yes, come on. You need some more practice anyway."

[little_moons]

"The fuck I do, man," I say, and on impulse, I throw an arm across his shoulders, turning us both toward the water. It's the closest to a hug that I'll allow myself. I'm touchy-feely as fuck with most people, but for whatever reason, I've always kind of given Mathias his space.

Save for that one time.

[plantfood]

"You do," Mathias insists, but he's smiling again and he rests his hand on Neil's shoulder, glad for the contact. Whatever's happening, at least he knows he's not alone in it. He's not the only one this is happening to and Neil doesn't seem to think he's going crazy, which counts for more than he'd realized.

All he can do now is hope that no one gets hurt.

"Come on," he says, then reaches down to snag the extra dive mask he'd dropped. "Let's go."