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The October chill had started to creep in. At least what would pass for an October chill in California. The nights were cool, the days were still hot enough to be comfortable in shorts. Not that temperature changed the fashion of the average Night City citizen. Judy still wore leather overalls in the oppressive August heat and crop tops in the February 'cold'.
V and Judy had decided to take things to the next level and fully move in together after V had gotten rid of her unwelcome rockerboy terrorist guest. They had spent most nights together since the one at Laguna Bend months ago, there was really no point in having two apartments anymore when they already essentially lived together.
The commitment seemed natural, but there were other benefits to living together full time as well. Realistically V's health was still deteriorating and they were waiting on news from the clinic in Arizona to pack up and leave with the Aldecados. In the meantime Judy didn't have to worry that V would have a seizure and crack her skull open being home alone, V's excess belongings could be sold off in preparation for their big move, and in the event that things went south there were less precious minutes wasted apart.
Judy was currently alone getting some work done in her home office. The less time she needed to go in to Lizzie's the more time she could spend with V, who was currently working too unfortunately. She had drastically decreased the amount of gigs she was taking, not fully quitting yet but it was definitely an improvement. As much as Judy wanted to make sure her dying girlfriend was safe, keeping her inside all day every day for the last of their time here seemed almost cruel. Besides V would be leaving the merc biz behind with Night City, might as well just let her do her thing for as long as possible. She knew V would feel bad if she wasn't earning any eddies to contribute especially now that they were living together.
Judy had just disconnected from editing mode when she had heard a clatter in the other room.
"V?" She called out.
No reply.
This shit again.
Things had been a little off since V moved in. Not between the two of them, that was better than either of them had ever imagined. Something else was going on... Something odd. There would be noises in the other room even if V was right next to her and Judy constantly got this eerie feeling like she was being watched even when she knew V was out. If Judy were superstitious she would be certain that they were being haunted.
THUNK! Another crash came. Judy was fairly certain this time that the sound had come from the bathroom.
She made sure she had her pistol and got up to check it out. Techie or not she was a damn Mox, she wasn't gonna be scared in her own home. If someone somehow broke in she wasn't going out without a fight. She pushed out the thought that the gun wasn't going to do anything in the event that it was actually a ghost.
Judy slowly entered the room only to find V's makeup spilled on the floor. Judy sighed. She must be paranoid, whatever's been going on must be just anxiety. Nobody was here and obviously there's no such thing as ghosts. No reason to get spooked over something falling off the sink.
Her problem lately could even be chalked up to a lack of sleep. V had nightmares that often kept both of them up, although that was less of a problem than the nights V actually slept soundly. If V was shivering, mumbling or even screaming she was definitely alive. If she was quiet Judy ended up wide awake constantly checking to make sure V was still breathing.
Once things were done and settled after V's surgery the two of them were gonna take a nice trip to Oregon to stay with her grandparents for a while and hopefully find a damn therapist. They both needed it.
Judy crouched down to pick up the mess. V should have just put it in the bedroom with Judy's, the ledge to the sink didn't have much space. Probably why it fell over. Blush. Lipstick. Mascara... the eyeliner must have rolled. Judy turned her head to see where it went.
Her breath caught in her throat. A chill ran up her spine... There was a bloody handprint on the side of the tub.
There was no way. No such thing as ghosts and nobody was here but her. It was probably just V's blood, right? She had coughed into her hand and didn't realize there was blood on it and somehow touched the side of the tub.
Out of the corner of her eye Judy could swear she saw something move next to the laundry.
Another thunk came from behind her.
Judy stood up quickly and rushed out the door.
"Woah! No need to shoot, just me!" V said, putting her hands up holding a torn plastic bag.
A breath of relief.
"Jesus V! You scared the shit out of me!"
"Sorry.... When I let go with one hand to open the door the bag ripped" V bent over and picked something up. "Look!" She showed Judy the large orange orb excitedly.
"Is that a pumpkin?"
"Yep!"
"So, calabacita with a real calabaza. This gonna hatch into a copy of you or what?" Judy joked.
"Ha ha. Very funny. Dakota gave it to me. Said this one got too big and isn't gonna taste very good so we can carve it up and have a real jack o lantern for Halloween instead of the foam kind they sell in the store."
"Oh. That's kinda cool I guess."
"Soooo.... What were you doin in the bathroom with a gun?" V looked at her curiously.
"Heard somethin... was worried someone broke in. Was just your shit falling over. Told you there wasn't enough room there for it."
"Just used to getting ready by a sink. Maybe I'll get a container and keep it on the washer or the shelf with the cleaning supplies."
"How are you feeling? Relic wise?"
"No worse than usual."
"Had any attacks recently?"
"Not since the other night with you, why?"
"Left some blood on the side of the tub"
"Oh. Sorry. Must've been when I was puking afterwards. I'll clean it up."
"No. Don't worry about it. I'll get it. Just wanted to know where it came from."
"... Well unless there was someone actually breaking in and you shot em or I came home dirty or injured from a mission I can't imagine where else blood would come from... not that you wouldn't be aware of at least, if you get me." V said as she raised an eyebrow.
"It was a handprint, definitely not a tampon leak or anything like that." Judy rolled her eyes at her output.
V leaned to the side a little to get a look at the bathroom behind Judy. The handprint looked like it was straight out of some cheesy horror flick.
"Spooky! Could've been a ghost." V teased "Maybe we shouldn't wipe it up. Just leave it there for Halloween."
"Gross!" Judy laughed, "We ain't keepin your puke as holiday decor."
"Where should I put the pumpkin?"
"Counter I guess."
"Your abuela said we should still be able to roast the seeds and eat them even if the pumpkin itself isn't very good." V sat the pumpkin down and slapped her hands against it like a bongo.
"You were talking about pumpkins with my abuela? Why?" Judy watched her girlfriend in amusement. Every day she wondered how this goofball was one of the top mercenaries in the city. If she hadn't seen her in action she'd never believe it.
"She's been texting me pretty often since I moved in fully, we talk about a lotta things." She shrugged
"Guess I shouldn't have mentioned it to her. I didn't know she had been pesterin you."
"She's not pesterin me, I don't mind talking to your family. They'll be my family too eventually." a blush crept up on V's cheeks once she realized what she was saying "I mean. If you wanted that! Even if not, yanno, I'm hoping to be in this for the long haul... and they're important to you so they're important to me too even if you don't wanna go through all the legal crap and sign on it."
"Are you... saying you wanna get married?" Judy's heart fluttered in her chest, her previous worries instantly melting away.
"I'm saying.... It'd be nice if it happened someday, but I don't need anything to be too official. Don't have to think about it for a while, no pressure, I know we got bigger things to worry about right now. Fuck, sorry... I know got no right to even be thinkin bout that kind of thing at all when I might not even be here for 'someday'. It's hard not to sometimes though. Coming home to you, having someone to be excited about silly stuff like pumpkins over with, getting to know your family, knowing you're gonna be next to me when I wake up every morning... I'd do it forever if I could."
She looked into Judy's eyes like they contained all the stars in the sky. V was going to get so lucky tonight and she didn't even know it yet.
"What are you talkin about? Got no right? That's ridiculous. I want you to be thinkin about it." Judy let out a little huff before she pulled V closer to her by the belt loops on her shorts "I think about it too." she said into V’s ear.
Judy sat up quickly, as it turned out V wasn't the only one who had nightmares sometimes. She wasn't going to be able to scrub that one out of her mind easily either.
Judy had been holding Evelyn in the tub, despite the fact that in reality she was dead by the time she got home in the dream the blood was leaking out of her like a faucet. She shouted out to V for help while frantically trying to stop the bleeding, but when V came in blood was pouring out of her nose and mouth way heavier than it ever had during a real relic attack.
Her heart pounded as she tried to assure herself that it was just a dream. There was nothing more she could have done to save Evelyn and they were going to save V. It was probably just the handprint on the tub earlier messing with her. Should try to focus on the more pleasant things that happened today.
Judy got a chill. The feeling that they weren't alone washed over her. She looked around and nearly jumped out of her skin. It was only for a second but she could swear she saw eyes glowing in the dark.
Judy rubbed her eyes and looked around the room again. Nothing. Just her nerves playing tricks on her.
She knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep again now. Might as well get up. Go splash some water on her face and get something to drink. Reset her brain before coming back to bed.
Judy carefully climbed over V, trying not to disturb her any more than she already had. V let out a soft whine that Judy wasn't sure if was caused by a nightmare or a protest to her getting up. It was cute either way. Judy cracked a smile, couldn't help but feel a little better just from V's presence. God she loved that woman.
The soft pink LED glow from the living area illuminated her path to the bathroom without having to turn on any lights. Judy ran her hand along the wall as she made her way there, telling herself there was no reason to be as jumpy as she had been lately. It was just anxiety, nothing more.
She walked through the door and let out a gasp. The same reflective eyes she saw in the bedroom staring back at her from the bathtub. What the hell? Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her.
Judy quickly went to turn on the light and in the instant it took to look back at the tub... Nothing. Nothing was there at all.
Judy stared into the empty bathtub. Memories of her best friend's lifeless body plaguing her thoughts. Maybe it was just the nightmare. Maybe...
"Evie...?" Judy said softly into the late night silence.
No. There was no way. There was no such thing as ghosts. Besides, Evelyn had been gone for months. There was no reason she would start haunting them now even if there was.
Maybe they should have moved to V's place, or found another apartment to stay at in the meantime. They briefly looked at that place in Heywood together before deciding it was a waste of eddies. As much as Judy loved her grandparents' old apartment there were definitely some bad memories here.
Judy sighed and went to the sink. Her unease didn't settle, there was another handprint that looked like it had been gripping the side of it. It had to be V's, she assured herself. It had to. There was no way. No such thing as ghosts. No reason for Evelyn to haunt them.
Judy looked at her reflection in the mirror. The mix of terror and exhaustion was clear on her face. She splashed some cold water on herself, turned the faucet to warm and grabbed a washcloth to wet.
It had to be V's handprint. Had to. Judy took the wet rag back to the bedroom and flipped on the light. V was nestled into the blankets and gripped one of Judy's pillows in her absence.
"Hey, V, can you just roll over a sec?" she said
V mumbled and cuddled up tighter.
"V wake up." Judy shook at her .
"scopdog..." is what Judy was pretty sure V mumbled in reply. She'd laugh if she wasn't so worked up. At least V was having a pleasant dream tonight.
Judy sighed and pushed on V's shoulder to roll her onto her back. Sure enough, there was dried blood crusted across her face from her nose.
Judy wasn't sure if that was a relief or just horrifying for a totally different reason. V was bleeding and didn't even notice it. Probably got up to go to the bathroom when Judy was still asleep and rubbed her face and didn't realize. When she went to wash her hands after she left the blood on the edge of the sink. V's health was getting worse, but at least there was no ghost, right?
Judy took the warm cloth and gently patted it against V's cheek. They'd have to check the sheets and pillow cases in the morning and wash them if any of it got on the bed. Just great, laundry. Judy hated doing laundry.
"Jude whaa?" V groggily asked, awoken by the sudden moisture on her face.
"Shhh. Everything's okay. You had another nose bleed, I'm just cleanin it off your face."
"Really?"
"Mhm." Judy showed her the now bloody rag "Explains our mystery handprints."
It doesn't explain the noises or the glowing eyes in the dark though.
"Mmmhm... Do you wanna get Capitan Caliente with me tomorrow?" V was still clearly half asleep
"Alright...?"
"Yeeesss. You're the best Jude." V grabbed her arm to try to coax her back into bed.
Judy could worry about the noises and the eyes tomorrow. She wasn't sure if V was going to remember the scopdogs though.
The next morning Judy woke up to the smell of something burning. She sighed and got up, shuffled into the kitchen and turned off the stove. The French toast that V had completely forgotten didn't seem totally ruined. She put it on a plate and left the pan in the sink to cool off.
V's jacket and shoes were still there so that meant she didn't run out for a last minute gig.
Judy went and knocked on the bathroom door.
"V?" She called in. No response.
Worried that V may have collapsed, Judy decided that privacy was less important than safety and went inside.
V was just standing there facing the tub staring blankly.
"V...?" Judy repeated.
Still no response from her girlfriend. It was eerie. Like she was just frozen there. She told herself that logically it had to be some kind of relic related episode but after last night... Judy felt goosebumps prickle up on her skin. Something felt very wrong about the apartment.
Judy hesitated, slowly extending her hand towards V.
"You okay...? Please say something." she urged, gently shaking at V's shoulder.
After a few seconds V nearly lost her balance. Judy's other hand immediately shot out to stabilize her. V's eyes met hers. She seemed surprised, as if Judy had just materialized in front of her this second.
"Wha...?"
"Hey there calabacita..." Judy soothed. "Let's sit down for a second, make sure everything's okay."
"Oh.. ok..." V let Judy guide her gently to the bathroom floor. Even in her state of confusion she knew she could trust Judy. "What... what happened?"
"I dunno. You were just standing there staring into nothing. You feel okay? Should we take a trip to Vik?"
"Don't even remember coming in here... What was I doing?" V looked around them in confusion.
"Well I don't know why you came in here but I think you were trying to make breakfast."
"Shit... it's probably fucked up."
"Nah. Just burnt one. Once the pan is cooled off enough to clean we can finish making it together."
"Maybe... Somethin was in here I think. I came in here for...." she trailed off while trying to make sense of it.
V still seemed a little dazed, she probably meant she needed to grab something, but Judy's blood ran cold at the thought that maybe it wasn't just her imagination.
"Let's go sit on the couch a few minutes, okay?"
"Ok."
"Need help getting up?"
"Nah. I'm good. I think." She got up on her own. Judy trailed behind closely just in case.
"You got any gigs today? Think you should probably stay home today after that. Just to make sure it doesn't happen again."
"Good point. Don't have anything planned for today I don't think, but even if I did I don't wanna freeze up on the job... Also we can carve the pumpkin!"
"That sounds fun." Judy looked over at the counter. "Hey. Have you noticed anything weird lately?"
"I notice a lot of weird things. Talking SCSMs, politicians being mind controlled, Maiko's ponytail.... " V listed off
"No not like that." Judy chuckled "Like around here. I've been really on edge lately and I wanna know if it's just me or if you noticed too."
"Everything's been great lately. Minus the whole dying thing. Feels a little bittersweet, being this happy when we know it's not gonna last long... I could get how you'd be a little on edge over it all."
"Hey. Everything's gonna be fine. We're gonna go to Arizona once they've figured out the best way to disconnect you from the chip, run all the simulations to make sure.... You'll get the surgery and I'll be there when you wake up. We'll be ready to start our lives together for real."
"If I live through the surgery. Could die on the operating table. Could be throwing away the last of the time we have left."
"It's worth the risk. I'm not gonna lie and say it won't hurt like hell if that happens, but if we don't try then there will always be the regret that we didn't."
"For you. I won't be here." V said sadly.
"If we don't try you still won't."
"I guess you're right... We both know how much losing someone hurts... as much as I'm scared of something going wrong I'm even more afraid of doing that to you."
"I know."
"I wish you could have met Jackie. He woulda been so happy for us. He was a big ol softie when it came to romance." V rested her head on Judy's shoulder.
The second that V moved Judy felt the sensation of being watched again. The glowing eyes she had seen didn't seem present in the daylight. There was definitely something in the bathtub last night though.
"Do you think.... Evie woulda been happy for us too?" Judy asked softly
"Huh. I wanna say yes cause she was your choom but she really didn't want me talkin to you after you helped with the BD. Told me not to hit on you before we first met. But I didn't know her that well so... Maybe she might've warmed up to it when she saw you happy."
As much as Judy would normally appreciate a straightforward answer, she regretted asking. Maybe there was a reason for Evelyn to suddenly start haunting them after V had moved in.
But that was ridiculous. Even if Evelyn didn't approve of V, why haunt only Judy then? Shouldn't V be the one getting scared off?
Besides, there's no such thing as ghosts... Is there?
"What do you think happens, like after you die?"
"From what I saw when I got shot, nothing. Don't worry though, I won't say that to your abuela."
"So I'm guessin you don't believe in ghosts?"
"... does Johnny count?"
"No."
"Well, there's your answer."
"Right. We should probably finish making breakfast.” Judy got up, not wanting to think about this anymore.
"What should we put on it? Try to do somethin fancy or just a standard jack o lantern face?" V asked
"Do you know what you're doin enough to do something fancy?" Judy said skeptically
"... No. But I figured you could draw somethin nice on it on with a marker and then I could cut it out. Or we could take turns cutting it out so that we both have fun if we do it normal."
"Is that what you're planning on using to carve it?" she looked at the dirty old knife that materialized on her counter this afternoon. Presumably from the junk V hoarded from work.
"Yeah. I figured we don't wanna ruin your kitchen knives. Again."
Judy had to replace the ones Tom got lodged in the wall when they were discussing Clouds. It was only a few months ago but it felt like an eternity had passed since then.
"That thing looks like it's loaded with tetanus. Not sure I wanna touch it. Where'd you even find that?"
"Uhhh... This one? Think I found it by a dumpster in Northside."
"Uh huh. What if one of these random weapons you're always pickin up was used to murder someone?"
"I mean... The ones I buy new are also used to murder people sometimes. Don't see how that matters." V furrowed her brow
"No I mean like, it could have been used to murder someone and the NCPD are lookin for it for evidence. You could get in trouble."
"In Northside? Nobody's gettin murdered in Northside that the NCPD cares enough about to investigate."
"Okay. Point taken. And hey, at least it's just a knife and you're not eating out of the garbage again."
"...... sure." her guilty expression said it all
"Dammit V! First off you're gonna get sick, secondly I don't want trash mouth all over me. At least tell me you brushed your teeth when you got home?"
"Honestly I don't remember. It's not a big deal."
"Uh huh. From now on if you don't brush your teeth and use mouthwash the second you get home you're not gettin any kisses from me." Judy crossed her arms as she scolded.
V's eyes widened, she thought about it for a moment.
"But then you don't get kisses either." she said back
"Better no kisses than garbage kisses."
"You think my kisses are garbage?! Fine. I'll keep em to myself"
"You know you're very lucky that you're cute." Judy wrapped her arms around V's waist.
"You trying to say you only like me for my looks?" V continued joking
"Yep." she teased
"Oof! I'm wounded. Here I thought you wanted me for my excellent sense of humor and my reputation as the coolest merc in town."
"Yeah yeah. How about the coolest merc in town washes the filthy murder weapon she found in fuckin Northside before we cut open the pumpkin if she's planning on toasting the seeds?"
"Yes ma'am. Wouldn't wanna have an angry Mox on my hands. Real dangerous."
V went to wash off the knife in the sink while Judy took a marker and drew out the jack o lantern's face. She carefully made the lines for the triangle eyes as straight as possible on the curved surface.
Judy was so focused on drawing the face it took her a second to realize that V had been spending way too much time by the sink to be just washing one knife.
"You don't have to do all the dishes right now, just wash the knife." Judy looked up from the pumpkin
V was totally still again.
"V? You in there?" Judy put it back on the counter and got up to check.
Sure enough V was just blankly staring at the wall. Judy reached around to turn off the faucet and gently slipped the knife out of V's hand. She placed the knife on the counter next to the pumpkin and turned back to V.
Judy reminded herself she had to stay calm. This was the second time today and she didn't want to let the doubts start to sink in that V might be starting to decline faster than the doctors could plan a procedure to save her.
She did the only thing she could think of and pulled V into her arms. The seconds felt like an eternity until she responded.
V put her hands on Judy's, leaning into the embrace.
"You okay?" Judy asked
"Of course I'm okay. I wasn't actually thinkin you only like me for my looks. Just joking around."
"No. You froze up again."
"Oh shit. Didn't even notice."
"Yeah. How about we go lay down for a minute, make sure you're rested and steady, then we'll go see Vik?"
"I feel fine though, and there's not much he can do."
"I know calabacita, but it'll make me feel a lil better if we know what's goin on."
"Alright. I don't want you to worry." V placed a kiss on Judy's cheek and headed for the bedroom.
No sooner were they cuddled up in bed than a loud crash came from the kitchen.
"What was that?" V asked
"Dunno. I'll get up and check. You stay here laying down."
"I'm fine Jude."
"Don't care. you're staying put." Judy climbed over V. She should have gotten a bigger bed after she gave V access to the apartment. Too late now, they'd be leaving soon anyway.
Judy peeked her head out of the bedroom door. Nothing. She cautiously stepped out. Still nothing. Everything seemed normal except....
V's pumpkin was on the floor, partially broken from the impact. Judy felt her heart sink. V was going to be so disappointed. She had been so excited about this. But of course nothing could ever go right. Couldn't even have a good Halloween together without weird shit happening.
Judy immediately started running through ways she could fix it. Some screws and staples could make it a Frankenstein pumpkin. She nodded to herself and went to go pick it up.
As she got closer she saw that the knife was stuck in it. Jammed in at an awkward angle.
It didn't just roll off the counter if the knife was there too. Someone had to have done this. But who would stab a pumpkin and why?
If she was in some kind of corny horror BD this would be foreshadowing. A knife in V's pumpkin as a warning that someone wanted to put a knife in Judy's calabacita. Judy wished she had given V a different nickname, this would be way less eerie if she had chosen to call her girlfriend anything else.
There was no one in here for it to be a threat though. Someone would have had to break in, break the pumpkin and get out without being noticed.
Unless it was something and not someone.
Judy sat in Misty's Esoterica waiting for V to get checked on at Viktor's clinic.
"You seem troubled." Misty's soothing voice cut through the silence
"No kiddin. I'm trying to stay level headed for V but... I dunno."
"Tell me about it."
V's friend was a bit odd, Judy couldn't say she believed in this whole spiritual mumbo jumbo but Misty was definitely one of the few genuinely good people in Night City.
"Feels like I'm losin it. Been real paranoid lately. Stuff keeps happenin and some of it I have an explanation for, some of it I don't."
"That must be hard for both of you. The relic is a prototype, and it's not like this has happened to anyone else that we know of. There's no baseline for what's going to happen."
"It's more than just V though it's.... nevermind, it sounds crazy."
"I'm sure it's not half as crazy as some of the things V comes in and tells me." Misty smiled
Well, if anyone was going to believe her...
"First off let me say I don't believe in ghosts.... But some things have been happening in the apartment lately and I can't help but wonder... Like what if it's Evelyn?"
"Your friend who died in your apartment."
"Went out for an hour, came back and she was… She was gone."
"I remember. V was really upset. Now I'm not dismissing you but, do you really think your friend has any reason to haunt you?"
"My current thought is that it's because V moved in fully and she doesn't approve. But I really don't believe in ghosts."
"Well... I could send you home with some sage to burn... But I also feel like you might just need to let yourself express your fears to V. I get that you're trying to be strong for her but you've been through a lot this year. You're still grieving your friend while preparing for the possibility of having to grieve for V."
"Maybe... Maybe I should take the stuff to burn just in case. Might drown out the scent of V's breakfast at least so we won't be haunted by overcooked french toast."
It wasn't long before V came up to get Judy.
"Hey" V greeted
"How is everything?" Judy asked hesitantly
"Well, not good but not worse than expected. Vik says that what happened earlier was just a different type of seizure. Absence seizure it's called. So we just need to be aware of that like the others... I'm sorry Judy. I wish you didn't have to deal with this."
"No. Don't apologize. You're worth it. I want to be there for you. Even when things are bad."
"I dunno what I ever did to deserve you." V looked on the verge of tears
"How about we make the best of today and stop at Captain Caliente on the way home?" Judy offered
"Yeah!" V's eyes instantly brightened. "I've been craving scopdogs all day! How did you know?"
"I had a feeling you might." Judy chuckled
It was dark by the time they got home.
"You got a costume planned for the Halloween party at Lizzie's?" Judy asked. "Assuming you wanna go."
"Of course I wanna go! Get to show off that I got the hottest girl there all to myself. I'm thinkin just do something simple like throw on cat ears with a black outfit. Unless you wanted to put together a cheesy couples costume to make everyone even more jealous."
"Nah. That works. I'm not big on costumes. Guess if you're going cat ears I can pick up a witch hat so it sorta goes together. But I think I'm gonna be the one they're jealous of cause I get to show you off."
"Don't worry, I'm sure I can find a snack in the trash cans to make sure they know I'm the lucky one to have you." V teased
"Don't you dare! Especially not at Lizzie's! Could get way worse than food poisoning eatin from the trash there. God I wanna puke just thinkin about it."
V burst out laughing.
"Sure. Laugh it up now. Sure you won't think it's so funny later." Judy warned.
"You shoulda seen your face! Fuck, I love you so much." V continued to laugh
"Love you too, unfortunately. Gonk." Judy shook her head. She decided she would head to the bathroom before she started laughing too. Then V would have won.
As soon as she opened the door she saw the eyes again there in the dark by the bathtub.
The last time she turned the light on it disappeared so this time she was leaving it off.
"V?" Judy called out quietly
"Yeah?"
"Could you... come here a second?"
If V could see it too then Judy would know it was real.
"Sure thing."
As V came towards the bathroom, the shadow in the dark ran towards Judy.
Judy let out a shout in surprise.
V knelt down behind her.
"Jeez Jude! What are you yellin for? You scared Nibbles!" V said
".... Nibbles?"
V flipped on the light switch.
There in her arms was a little hairless cat.
The source of the glowing eyes.
"What the fuck is that?!"
"Don't be rude to my cat!" V pouted " Seriously though, are you okay?"
"Since when do you have a cat!?!"
"Since shortly after Konpeki Plaza. I'm seriously gettin worried here Jude. Nibbles. My cat. She's been living here with us since I moved in."
"The whole time... I... I can't believe it."
Everything made sense now. All the strange noises, things being knocked over, the feeling she was being watched.
She wasn't being haunted, she just had a cat.
Judy burst out laughing.
"Jude? What's so funny? Seriously you're acting weird I'm startin to get scared here!”