Chapter Text
It took longer than usual to find him.
∵
Dax takes the blunt from between my fingers as my phone buzzes against my thigh.
“This, uh... this indica?” he mumbles.
“Shut up bro,” I grin. I lean forward to whip out my phone.
“Do I just-?” he says, “...Uh... just-?”
“Yes, dude, you put it in your mouth and inhale, Jesus, you’ve really never smoked before, huh?”
It’s a text from Leo: hey carl
“Just not much of a drugs guy,” Daxton mutters.
I reply: Oh shit hey Leo, how’s it been
I laugh at the blue dude. “Mm. Evidently. Look, if you’re uncomfortable-.”
Daxton sighs. “Nah. Bet’s a bet.”
He lifts the blunt to his lips, gripping it sort of weird with his pinky up. He draws in a timid breath, and immediately starts coughing up his lungs. I laugh at him, holding out my hand, and he places the blunt back in my fingers, covering his mouth and hunching over. My phone buzzes again.
“Not... not my thing, I think,” he croaks.
“Well, now you can say you’ve tried it.”
“Mm...” he says, still clearing his throat, “There’s that, I guess.”
Leo: i fucked up
Me: ???
“How long does it usually take to hit you?” Dax asks.
“Dude, you’re not gonna feel anything from one hit,” I laugh, sort of half-heartedly.
He nods towards my phone. “What’s up?”
“Oh. Leo, actually. It’s crazy, I haven’t heard from him in a while. ”
“Oh, shit! How’s he doing?”
“Dunno, he’s being weird as fuck,” I sip in a big whiff of the smoke, letting it out slow and smooth.
“Can I get another hit?” he mumbles.
I snicker. “Oh, you like it, now?”
“I mean, I figure if I’m gonna smoke I might as well find out what it’s like to be high.”
“That’s the spirit,” I say, handing him the blunt as I get another message, “Keep it in your lungs for longer, that’s how you get the most out of it.”
Leo: nvm. i think i’d rather talk about it in person.
Dax coughs, much harder this time. “Fuck... fuck, it stings.”
I grin a bit through my frown. “Yeah, take it easy, man.”
Me: You okay bro?
“ Fuck. Was that enough, you reckon?” Dax asks.
“Yeah, yeah, that looked like a good one.”
“I’m gonna take another, I think, wish me luck.”
Leo: i think i found flynn’s body
The letters on the phone screen look far away, far away. They differentiate themselves from each other. Each screams for its friends, come back, complete me, return to meaning.
My arm outstretches towards Daxton and I continue to watch the words fall apart.
“Let me get a hit,” the words leave my mouth quietly. I type.
Me: What
Leo: i think u should come by echo, i know u don’t want to, but i think it would give you closure
Me: Where
Leo: in the mines
“Dude, you good?”
I realize I’ve been holding the blunt and I’ve been breathing hard. My eyes jerk up to Dax.
“Uh... huh.” I’m standing up and I realize that instead of handing the blunt to him I’ve simply dropped it on the ground. Dax looks all concerned as my legs have begun carrying me to the bathroom, my fingers fumble with the pill bottle and I throw one to the back of my throat, swallowing hard.
“Hey,” Dax says, suddenly behind me, “That safe with weed?”
“Don’t give a fuck,” I breathe, then turn to him, “Y-yeah. No, yeah, it is.”
“What the hell did Leo say?”
I walk to the kitchen, breathing deep. In for 4... hold for 7...
“Hey, you don’t have to say anything, I just want to know if you’re okay,” Dax says, sincere as always. Out for 8.
I lift the glass of water to my lips, “He, uh... wants me to come visit Echo, I think.”
Dax frowns. “... Why would he ask you to do that?”
I grunt, swallowing.
“He thinks he found Flynn.”
I keep my eyes on the phone.
Leo: sry man i know this is probably a lot to dump on u like this
Me: What did it look like?
Leo: it looked like lizard bones. about his height. about where u said u saw him, maybe a little deeper than where we looked
“I have questions,” Dax says, eerily quiet, “but I want to wait until you’re ready to answer them.”
“No, sorry, it’s fine. Here,” I say, turning the phone to face him, “er, fuck it.”
I tap Leo’s contact and call him. It takes him four rings to pick up. I put him on speaker.
“Hey,” Leo says. His voice isn’t full of the bravado I remember.
“Hey. Daxton’s here, too.”
“Hi, Leo.”
“Hey, Daxton, nice hearing from you.”
“Did you take a picture of it?” I ask.
“Of-? Oh. Um,” he says, “No. I mean, yes, I did, but I’d rather you see it in person.”
“Why does it matter?” I say, monotone.
“You’re...” Leo says slowly, “Sorry, are you angry? You’re like... oddly calm.”
“No, no, I’m on weed and meds at the same time, that’s probably why.”
“Oh, happy for you, man. What are you taking?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“Okay. Okay, look, it’s really morbid, yeah? This is our... friend. I know you were especially close with him, and I just think it would be best if we all got together to see it. For closure, yeah?”
“ If we all got together. So you’re just trying to see your otter again, got it.”
“You’re angry,” Leo says sadly.
“This is all I’ve heard from you in like a year, dude, and you come to me with this shit, so sorry if I’m a little unnerved.”
“I just thought this was important, Carl.” He’s sulking.
“What the fuck were you even doing in the mines, anyway?”
Dax chimes in, “Not sure what it’s worth here, but if could I put in my two cents?”
“Yeah?”
“If Leo’s really found... that, then I think he’s right, it’d be good to see it for ourselves,” he says, adding, “I know I want to.”
I let out a long sigh.
“Carl, I understand if this is too much,” Leo says, “But I really think this would be good. You could just come along, you wouldn’t have to come inside the mines with us if you don’t want to. I just feel like we could use a final send-off, if we’re really going off our separate ways. And it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“We already did the goddamn ‘final send off’ bullshit,” I snap.
“I think you’d agree that ended on a bad note.”
“ Fine! Yeah, fine. I’ll come.”
“Great, man.”
“And it won’t fucking ‘ be the same’ without Flynn, either,” I can't keep the venom out of my voice.
A silence falls over the call.
Dax clears his throat. “When do you reckon we get together, Leo?”
“Right, yeah,” Leo says, letting out a breath, “I called TJ and he booked a flight for this weekend. Jenna said she’d try for then too. Would that work for you?”
“I’m free,” Dax says, looking to me.
“Same here.”
“Great. Could you maybe ask Chase for me?”
“Why can’t you?” I ask.
“I mean, since you’re in the neighborhood, I thought... And me and him aren’t exactly on great terms.”
“I haven’t been talking to him either,” I say.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I’ll ask him.”
“Thanks.”
“Bye, Leo.”
“Oh, bye. See you soon, then.”
“Yup.”
I hang up.
Dax is frowning and fidgeting, clearly at a loss for what to say. I decide to cut the tension.
“Should be fun. ”
Dax snickers. “Yeah. Should be a blast.”
“Do you think he really found...?”
Dax shrugs, shaking his head. “I don’t know, man. He was acting sorta... different, and Echo’ll fuck with your head. I dunno how reliable he is.”
I grunt in agreement, pulling up Chase’s contact.
“And...” Dax mumbles, “You... well, you know what we saw-.”
“We saw a lot of shit that night,” I say.
I type a message to Chase: Hey. Hope you’re doing okay. I need to talk to you, call me when you get the chance
“It looked so real.”
“He was just burning,” I say calmly, firmly, “Look there’s no point talking about that night. We were all tripping balls.”
“Yeah, man, I-.”
“Flynn isn’t a monster.”
Dax doesn’t say anything.