I finally completed the prompted and I really love the idea!! I totally want to see what you did with it though Canni!!
“I was born, I lived,” the pale green ghost gave a half-hearted shrug, “and I was vaporized by the atomic bomb.” The zombified necromancer looked up from their notes and glared at the spirit with their one, cold, and pale blue eye. There was a long silence and the ghost raised an eyebrow. “What? I told you about myself, what more do you want?”
“Any fucking thing else besides the obvious!” Robin hissed, throwing up one of their gloved hands as the other hand still patiently waited above the paper, ready to write the ghost’s life story down. “So far, the three things I know about you are one, you’re a dickhead-”
“Gee, thanks.”
“-two, your name is Kenny, the worst name ever, by the way, unless you’re a fucking fast food employee or a female Karen,” Robin said this with a bit more frustration especially after Kenny interrupted them, “and three you’re dead, which, well golly gee, that’s a sure surprise in the world where everyone and everything is fucking dead.”
Everything was dead and that was the truth. Three years ago, Robin woke up after the atom bombs all went off. For Robin, it was the radiation that killed them so when Robin woke up, it took them a long time to realize that they were dead. Four months to be exact. Four months of denying why their hair hadn’t grown from it’s short messy hair cut, how he felt no hunger, thirst, nor pain, and how their eye was missing and it didn’t even phase them. After those four months of trying to wake up from a bad dream, trying to snap out of their imagination, they realized the end of the world was truly here. Fresh water dried up, plants died off, animals and people too, and now, the water in the ocean that slowly rises over the desert lands each month, the water asking to slowly reclaim the desert land.
Robin rubbed the bridge of their nose. Robin groaned at Kenny in disbelief that not only was he so accepting of his own death, but so hesitant to talk about his past. Every single ghost before him willingly gave away information about themselves, although still denying like Robin once did that they were still alive. Their name, family members, age, last few memories, and all the usual information. After that, Robin was able to help that ghost pass on. Robin had two goals in this world and one of them was to record every ghost he meets and let them pass on. Maybe then they could find peace and be remembered by the last person on Earth. After all, doesn’t everyone want to be remembered after they die?
Not this Kenny fucker though.
“Are you done throwin’ a temper tantrum or does the baby need to be put in the corner?~” Kenny purred, a smirk tugging at his cheeks. Kenny floated over to Robin as they sat crisscross on the dusty, cracked, and destroyed concrete of the old city building. Robin glared at the smug spirit. “Awww don’t be so sour! Turn that frown-” Kenny spun 180 degrees in the air so he was still at eye level with Robin but his feet hung higher in the air- “upside down!”
“I am this close to leaving you in this world and not letting you pass on,” Robin growled, holding up their fingers to show them barely apart from touching.
“Technically, because of electrons and what not, your fingas will never be able to touch each otha, therefore you will let me pass on eventually.”
“What?”
“It’s called science, dumbass. Ever heard of it? Hey, maybe while I am teaching you science I can teach you how to actually talk to people.” Robin slammed their notebook shut with a loud smack, causing the ghost to flinch and move away from Robin as they stood. Robin grumbled curses and angry gibberish under their breath as they picked their bag up and swung it over their shoulders. Kenny just watched Robin as they went silent. “What? Are you mad I made fun of your intelligence?”
“Oh, I am pissed, but not because of that,” Robin shot back, turning sharply to face him. “I am furious that you, a guy who is egotistical to the max,” Robin started walking towards him, “a fucking dickwad,” the ghost started to back up a bit now as Robin looked like they might burst with an anger more deadly then the atom bombs, “and someone who tries to flirt with me at the same fucking time-”
“I wasn’t flirting with-”
“-are being a selfish prick-” Robin pointed at the ghost while their other hand balled up into a fist and started shaking with rage as their face was contorted to show his anger as well, “-who can’t put himself aside for the betterment of Earth and life on this planet itself!”
“Jesus,” Kenny mumbled, staring at Robin’s hand as it remained pointing at his heart like a gun. “No wonda you’re so mad.” At first Robin actually believed Kenny was showing sympathy until Kenny looked up at Robin with a smirk. “You can’t jerk off properly with those ugly-ass gloved hands of yours.”
“Oh,” Robin said while his voice and body trembled with frustration. “My. Fucking!” Robin threw himself face-first into the ground before screaming as loud as he could. “God!!!”
“You’re so fuckin’ dramatic!” Kenny laughed loudly, floating above the ground and clutching his stomach. Robin flipped him off and Kenny just laughed more. “You’re a fuckin’ nerd, man!”
“I am non-binary, assmunch.”
“Fuckin’ nerd… person,” Kenny corrected. “Whatever. Either way, fuckin’ dramatic as hell. ‘Betterment of Earth and life on this planet itself?’ Where’d you get that line? Star Trek??”
“It’s true,” Robin said. There was a short silence as Robin pushed himself onto his elbows. “One year before the atomic bombs, do you remember Auriga 205?” Kenny froze. Even though his skin was a pale, glowy green, the color in his face seemed to grow paler.
“The mission to colonize the Western half of Mars...”
“Correct,” Robin sat up and smiled up at the ghost. Kenny drifted his feet into the floor so he was eye level with Robin yet again. “A year from now, they will return to Earth. Two hundred people will return to Earth, Kenny.” Kenny swallowed hard and for once went quiet. “Only one out of every million people turn into ghosts and if there is a chance, a single chance, at saving the memory of as many ghosts and spirits as possible for future generations,” Robin paused and sighed, “I will take that chance, no matter the cost.”
“Why are you so invested in this?”
That question hit Robin in the gut. They couldn’t say why they were doing this, that wasn’t something Kenny should know nor understand. But the way Kenny looked at him implied that he was serious about something for once. They had only known Kenny for less than an hour now, but if Kenny was getting serious, it must have been important.
“I have to be,” Robin said. “If I don’t do it, who will? I am the only one who can see ghosts and everyone is dead.”
Kenny was silent. After a moment, he disappeared into the floor, sinking below the concrete. Robin could distantly hear him mumbling to himself, but he wasn’t sure about what. Robin strained his ears a bit before pressing his left ear, the one with the tear in the bottom of it against the-
“I wanna make a deal.” Kenny shot out of the ground, causing Robin to stumble back in a panic. Kenny snickered slightly, but Robin glared at him and recovered a bit from the jumpscare. “I’ll tell you information about myself and help you find other ghosts, if, and only if, you let me see Auriga 205 land and answer my questions.” Kenny held out a hand with a smirk. “Deal?”
Robin stared at Kenny’s hand for a moment. Robin could sense Kenny had an ulterior motive for this. Whatever this motive was, Robin couldn’t tell. Whether it’d be good or bad in the long run, Kenny’s deal was tempting, Robin would give him that. Kenny might have an ulterior motive, but so did Robin. The fate of the world rested upon them too so if this ghost messed this up for them... Robin hesitated a moment longer before smiling and reaching out to take Kenny’s hand.
“Deal.”
Kenny chuckled. “You can’t touch me, dumbass. I’m a-”
Robin grabbed Kenny’s hand as their empty eye socket glowed a pale green, causing Kenny’s eyes to go wide, and pulled themself to their feet.
“I can touch you all I want, dumbass. I’m a zombie necromancer.” Robin started to walk off as Kenny just froze. He hadn’t felt human contact in years and- How was this even- What the hell even was this guy? “Hey, are you coming or not?” Kenny turned around to face Robin as they looked over their shoulder at him. “We have a lot more ghosts to interview.”