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Life had been nothing but a rollercoaster of emotions lately.
After winding up in the Ghost Apartments and running into many strange faces, you were very obviously filled with uncertainty. Not everyone in the ghost realm was hostile though, with you meeting a few friendly entities occasionally, but you still couldn’t shake the uneasiness that plagued your thoughts the longer you stayed in this world.
Even after you searched and searched and searched, you couldn’t find the exit.
Were you meant to stay here forever? Just what had you done to end up in a place like this, destined to rot away - or worse, become one of the monsters roaming the halls of this desolate place? Your skin festered, turning a sickly red as if you’d been contaminated. Corrupted.
The more time you spent here, the more your humanity seemed to slip away.
How long until your emotions would fade away? Your rational thought? How long until you became a mindless beast, no better than the bloodthirsty beings of this world?
Did you even deserve to go back?
You must have ended up in the ghost realm for some reason. Some kind of punishment for a crime, or maybe curiosity gone too far. You don’t know what you’ve done to deserve this, but you prayed to some higher being, anyone, that you wouldn’t die here. Not like this.
Your fear was one of the little things that reminded you that you’re not a monster. Not yet, at least. Fear kept you grounded, kept you rational.
But fear was still fear. And you were only human.
That’s how you ended up alone in the first place. You weren’t completely alone for a good part of your journey - you had Mr. Crawling, who followed you around and kept you out of harm’s way more times than you can count.
He was kind. Almost unbelievably so. How did someone as sweet as him end up in such a violent place? If you were to find the exit, you would have considered taking him with you back to the human world. He was the most reliable person you had, and you trusted him more than anyone.
Which is why it broke your heart to tell him to leave.
You knew your humanity was slipping when you began to feel something inside of you, something twisted. Sometimes, in unexpected moments, your head would go fuzzy and your body shook with an intense desire to kill. You’d never felt animosity like this before, and it frightened you. It was like you’d been stripped of your morality, left as nothing but an empty husk driven purely by the urge to destroy whatever got in your way.
You couldn’t let Mr. Crawling stay with you.
So, in a moment the animosity inside you threatened to take over, you yelled at Mr. Crawling to leave. To go home, to go anywhere but here. You didn’t have the time or rationality to explain to him, only shooing him away in the hopes you’d keep him safe.
And, like a dejected dog, Mr. Crawling shuffled away, leaving you completely alone.
This is for the better, you told yourself as you trudged back to your base, a lone room you’d temporarily claimed as your resting place. The violent urges had largely dissipated by the time you returned, leaving you exhausted, dizzy, and despondent. Your head pounded as you fell onto the bed, the rickety frame under you squeaking weakly as you sank into the mattress.
You wanted nothing more than to melt away in this moment, and let the clutches of sleep take you somewhere far, far away from here.
Where human?
Mr. Scarletella’s image flickered through the halls, leaving a dark, red trail wherever he stood. His mind was tunnel-visioned on one thing.
Find human.
Static crackled around him as he moved, appearing and disappearing further into the halls, the walls saturating with scarlet at his presence. Every dark hall led him closer to you. No matter how many times this building changed, he’d always find his way back to you.
And, there you were.
Mr. Scarletella stopped at a door, a small trail of blood leading inside.
It was you. It had to be you.
No one else wore red as nicely as you. You looked especially beautiful with your white coat stained with blood. His color.
Found you.
Mr. Scarletella materialized inside the room, his eyes landing on the bed where you lay. It had taken you a few moments to register it, but when you became aware of his presence, you abruptly sat up. Your eyes were wide like a deer in headlights.
Why afraid?
Mr. Scarletella came closer, his form flickering in and out of focus, like a TV switching channels. You seemed to snap out of your daze, grabbing the bloody crowbar at your side and swinging it at him. Not that it did anything, merely phasing through him.
Mr. Scarletella tilted his head as he gazed down at you, trying to understand why you were reacting this way.
Were you afraid of him hurting you? He didn’t come here to hurt you, not at all. You were so fragile, so weak, a mere human like you shouldn’t have lasted this long in the ghost realm. He could have easily killed you if he wanted, but he didn’t. So why were you still so afraid?
“You upset,” Mr. Scarletella spoke, more a statement than a question. “Upset wrong.”
He studied your expression, watching the ways your face contorted, your eyebrows furrowing together and your lips pursing tightly. You spoke something in an unfamiliar language before repeating it, this time in his. Your voice wavered.
“Leave.”
Mr. Scarletella blinked slowly, his umbrella casting a shadow over the both of you as he leaned forward. You nearly crumpled under the weight of his gaze.
“Not leave.” His tone remained calm as he spoke. “You upset. Why?”
He wasn’t leaving, not until he understood why you were so afraid. He had to remedy this, make you understand he had no ill intent. But there was only so much he could do with what little he knew about humans. You were smart enough to communicate with him, so you shouldn’t have any trouble telling him your reasons for your behavior, right?
You averted your eyes from him, curling into yourself and hugging your knees. “Upset,” You croaked. “Afraid. This world... unsafe. Many people, dangerous.”
Mr. Scarletella absorbed your words, his mind trying to wrap around your feelings and think of some way to reassure you.
He kneeled down, meeting you at eye level. “I not hurt you.”
Mr. Scarletella reached his hand out to you, his palm hovering just above your cheek, the warmth of your face radiating against his cold skin.
You flinched.
Mr. Scarletella retracted his hand and stood up, taking a step back. He wasn’t quite sure what to do now. Nothing had ever left him so utterly befounded. Mr. Scarletella was used to people shying away from him, his mere presence making even the strongest monsters avert their gaze, lest they risk angering him. Yet, the sight of you recoiling from his touch made his heart ache with something unfamiliar. It felt as if a knife had torn through his chest, despite his physical body not being truly tangible.
“You dangerous,” You turned away from him, arms wrapped around yourself defensively. “Afraid… want you to leave. Please.”
Mr. Scarletella took a pause, the corner of his lips tugging downwards in a rare frown.
Wrong. Not dangerous. I help you. I protect you.
I like you.
You shifted to lay on your side, curled in a fetal position with your back facing towards him. It seemed like no matter what he did, he wasn’t getting through to you. Perhaps, for now, it was best to let it go. He’d find you again eventually, he always would. But at this moment, you needed space.
In time, he would come back. Then, surely, he’d be able to convey his feelings to you.
Your nails dug into your sleeves as you shut your eyes tight, waiting for Mr. Scarletella to leave. A good minute passed before your eyes snapped open at the sensation of something covering your body. A blanket? You sat up, eyes scouring the room - Mr. Scarletella was gone.
You thought you could finally relax, but when you looked down, you gasped upon seeing the scarlet fabric that splayed over your body.
Mr. Scarletella’s trenchcoat.
Anxiosly, you glanced around once more. Had he left this here on purpose?
Tentatively, you reached out a hand to touch the coat, gingerly lifting it up by the collar. It had a weight to it, almost like a weighted blanket. Considering it was significantly bigger than most of the trenchcoats you’d seen it your life, you weren’t exactly surprised - but still, why had he left this here? And more importantly, how were you actually able to touch it? His form was incorporeal, wasn’t it?
You didn’t have the energy to think about the logistics behind it. You flopped back down, trying to quell the thoughts swirling in your head. Your headache finally went away, so now you were in a much better place for rest.
Mr. Scarletella… He’d left his coat for you. Even covered you with it. You can’t deny the way it made your cheeks flush. If he hadn’t been a powerful intimidating monster, you would’ve probably found it endearing.
Maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t as bad as you thought.
Letting your eyes flutter shut, you pulled the trenchcoat over yourself, the weight grounding you and offering a sense of security. The dewy scent of petrichor weaved into your body, allowing your muscles to finally relax as your mind conjured images of those rainy days back in your homeworld.
Someday, you’d go back. Until then, you’d let the scent of rain tide you over, lulling you into a peaceful slumber.