Chapter Text
A cat purred on the window sill, causing the girl to shift in her chair. Her eyes parted slightly. The sun was starting to set. She made herself wake up faster. She pushed her wheels to the curtain, pulling it shut. Mewo mewed dazed by the sudden awakening. “Sorry. It’s almost time” Mari said, quickly making sure no light escaped. She knew that it hardly helped, but it was better than what peeked at her through the window. The room darkened for a moment until Mari flipped on her lamp. It paled to the sun. Mewo jumped onto Mari’s lap, firmly sitting down. The warmth helped Mari calm down.
Not a night went by without Mari being haunted by the things that hide in the night. Sometimes it was something small, thudding on the roof or something tapping on her window. On the bad nights it was shadows following her every move. Hands grabbing her while she slept. But there were some nights where she would be petrified. When there was no sound in the house but the creaking of the stairs.
That meant something was there.
But for now, Mari only needed to wait. Not like she could leave the house. She went to the bathroom to get some water. She needed to wake up faster. The mirror met her. She could only see her head over the counter. She tried to look away before seeing her sorry state. Her horrific mass of hair. Only one eye was visible through the tangled mess, the shadows under it disgusted Mari. She couldn’t bear looking at herself in this state. It made her sick. In her sudden jolt, her hand clipped the glass. The shattering glass shot her eyes open. She looked down at the shattered glass. A horrible feeling of uselessness shot through her. She couldn’t even get a glass of water without breaking something. She rushed back to her room. Mewo quietly purred in a comforting tone. Mari felt herself come back to reality. Her hand went to pet the cat in her lap. She was a really, really good girl.
Mari remembered she needed to take something. On her desk were two bottles. Pills. They didn’t help with the night, but they made the day easier. Hero usually made sure to get her a treat when she remembered to take them. He was sure that they worked. Mari didn’t want him to think otherwise. He already had enough on his mind dealing with her. She struggled to swallow them. It would’ve been easier with a glass of water. They eventually went down her throat. Another day down. A thud against the covered window made Mari jump. She pulled out her phone, knowing she wasn’t going to like what she saw.
It’s time.
Her hands moved around Mewo, clutching him close. The cat shivered. Mari felt the metal of her chair get colder, almost harmful to her skin. She pulled Mewo closer. She helped. The thudding grew louder,
THUD THUD THUD THUD.
It echoed in her room more and more. Mari whimpered. She turned to her bed. Small needle pricks of black shifted on the top. Mari felt panic bubble up as her gaze lowered to underneath. Countless eyes stared at her. She couldn’t tell what emotion was in them. Just an empty gaze. A horrible mouth smiled at her. “
Poor little Mari. Stuck all alone. Unable to run. No hero to save you.
” Mari moved backward, the deathly cold metal stinging her hands. A hand of shadow slowly trailed, it’s claws screeching against the floor.
“
You clutch that cat so closely. Like you held him. When will you
kill
her I wonder?
”
Mari threw something at it. She didn’t know what it was, but it shattered under the bed. The eyes still stared. The mouth still smiled. Mari wanted to scream, but any sound froze in her throat. Her lungs needed more air.
THUD THUD THUD THUD
The knocking shook the glass like if it hit any harder the glass would shatter into countless pieces. Mari felt herself lock up as her chest convulsed violently. No matter how much they breathed, it was never enough. Her face was covered by the fog of her breath.
“Useless Mari”
The grin repeated. It burned into her mind as it has before every night. She agreed with the words every time. Her eyes dripped onto her lap. Mewo looked up to her crying face. She couldn’t even get out of the house if she wanted to. All she could was pathetically cry as the shadows mocked her. Useless. Useless. Useless. That’s all she was. A useless girl with useless legs stuck in a house she couldn’t move to. Nothing but dead weight for everyone around her. She should've been the one to die that night. His bed still occupied the corner of the room. She refused to let it go. She looked at her hands. They were sticky with red stains.
Mari screamed as loud as she could into the night. No one came to help. All that answered was the ringing in her ears.
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The night passed, every second an waking nightmare. But the sun did come up, the house growing quiet again. The air growing warm like summer. Mari held Mewo close, afraid to have her fall out of her hands. Her breathing was ragged. She felt like she would pass out any point. But she was safe now. Her hands loosened around her cat. Her throat was sore. She could just cup the water at least. She went back into the restroom. The water was warm. She didn’t mind. As the water passed her lips as she looked up, something caught her eye. The water catched in her throat.
Something stood behind her. It’s crooked neck connected to a crooked head ending in two cold eyes.
Mari rushed around it, coughing and wheezing and crying. Mewo looked at her, it’s gaze startled after the night. The water leaked from her lips. The sun shone on her, seeing her crying face. The door opened downstairs. She looked up. A hero came to her rescue.