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Ekko walked into the old, dilapidated house, ducking under the rotting and collapsing wooden door frame. A crunch of rocks, broken glass, and chipped off wood sounded throughout the house with each step he took. He pulled his bandana over his nose tighter, struggling with the material as he shifted his flashlight from one gloved hand to the other.
In the main room he could see two doorways and their respective rooms nearly pitch black without the help of his light. The little amount of paint left on the walls was peeling off, with most of the walls being blank or exposed and showing the inner workings of the house, pink insulation falling to the floor.
The only light beside his flashlight was the moon peeking in through the windows and broken holes in the ceiling. Scanning the room revealed nothing else of importance, besides the fact that he was standing in either an opening room or a small living room, it was hard to tell without the supposed furniture that the pillow on the ground was meant to be paired with. As he stared at the faded purple cloth of the pillow, Ekko could feel a cold chill sneak under his cargos and climb up his body until it ruffled his loose hoodie.
She was here, and she was waiting.
He chose the door in front of him and made his way further into the house, stepping into what used to be a kitchen, looking for her. The yellow tiles on the floor were broken and cracked even further under his weight, but here it was like someone took a hammer and did as much damage as they could. The supports for the sink had crumbled under their weight and now the basin laid on the floor.
Ekko spotted a large dried and dark red stain in the corner of the kitchen, and the front of the sink also had a splotch of red. Nothing else immediately caught his eye, and the sudden sharp tingling sensation in his arm told him she was tired of waiting, so he had to keep moving.
“I’m on my way,” he said under his breath.
The shrill of wind rushing through the broken walls was the only response back.
He continued through the rooms, his only company were the crickets and their haunting song, until finally he stepped into the master bedroom, and sitting on the edge of the rotting bed in the center of the room, facing away from Ekko, was her.
A mop of dry, frizzled, and matted blue hair washed down her back and splayed over the top of the mattress. From where he was standing, Ekko could see her sunken ribs peeking under the bandages that covered her emaciated torso, splotches of red and large streaks of black staining them. She turned her head at the sound of his footsteps and smiled at him, letting Ekko see a mouth of yellow teeth and bloody gums.
His heart skipped a beat as his insides sickeningly churned. He could feel his cheeks flush and he moved his hand up to pull down the bandana covering his face, a slight nervous smile creeping on him before he steeled himself and put on a poker face.
“You finally made it,” she said, her voice surprisingly soft and sweet despite what her physical condition would suggest. “It’s been a while, Ekko.”
He knew her, heard her name every time she visited, but he always forgot it when she left and he could never remember what she looked like until it was time to meet.
“Hello Powder.” The unfamiliar name rolled off of his tongue like he had said it over and over again during his lifetime, and his mouth was suddenly dry. “What are you doing here?”
She looked down at her lap, her bony hands resting on the rough, homemade burlap skirt that wrapped around her legs.
“I was waiting for you. Like always.” Powder said, tilting her and patting the spot on the bed next to her. Her right eye was horribly bloodshot, and the way she stared at him made the hairs on his arm stand up. He made his way towards the bed, resting a hand on the hard mattress as he sat down.
He kept his eyes on her the entire time, but her figure was swallowed by the shadows whenever he moved his flashlight away, but Ekko swore he could feel her eyes burning into him.
The window to the side of the bed was now in front of them and he rested his light there pointing upwards, trying to illuminate the room the best he could. The field of overgrown wild grass outside swayed in the wind, but only for a few feet in front of the house. Past that it stayed perfectly still, like time didn’t exist for anyone but them.
“You made me wait for so long,” Powder whispered in his ear, her voice bathed in lament. “I thought you’d gone and forgotten about me.”
She rested a hand on his lap, digging her long and sharp nails through his thick pants and stinging his skin.
“But you would never forget about me, would you?”
Ekko could feel his blood freeze in his veins, every bodily instinct telling him to get up and run as far away as possible.
But he didn’t run.
He moved his hand over hers, grasping it and feeling how clammy and cold it was. Their fingers interlocked, his thumb caressing the back of her hand as she rested her head on his shoulder. The air around them was stale and devoid of moisture, drying out Ekko’s lips as the inside of his nose was stabbed with each breath. A thumping noise rattled through the walls of the house, getting faster the longer they sat in each other's presence.
“Did you bring it?” She asked, breaking the silence. There was a deepness to her voice that beckoned him, making him hang on her every word.
“Of course. Just like every year” Ekko replied.
He reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a small jar - one he had never seen before - with holes poked and sprinkled across the top. Fungi, dried flowers, and an irregular stick were spread around inside of it, with a small cocoon hanging from the stick.
He reached out and rested the jar next to the flashlight on the windowsill, twisting the lid and placing it to the side. He didn't know why he knew what to do; he just did. It felt correct.
The nature inside shifted and swirled at the sudden introduction of wind, rising nearly out of the glass container. Powder lifted her other hand, and with a sudden movement, it all stopped. The mighty, nightly howl of spirits and wind was no match for her will and design.
With a flex of her fingers, the cocoon shuddered before breaking, and out of it a tuft of fuzz sprouted from the cracks. A moth appeared, its feathery antennae rising first, followed by the wide and fragile wings, their intricate pattern circling into a menacing image of eyes that appeared to blink with each flutter.
Powder flexed another finger, and the edges of the wings crunched into themselves, then the legs, the antennae, and eventually the moth’s body itself, crushed by a pressure that was nonexistent and unnatural.
Ekko could feel Powder shudder and shake once the insect was gone, her cheeks turning rosy as she lifted her head and breathed in. How she could blush he didn’t know, considering that there was no blood in her. He took a glove off and cupped her cheek, turning her towards him and resting his forehead on hers.
“I miss you. So much.” He admitted. The words jammed and battered against his teeth as he said it.
She giggled at his desperation. It was cute. Powder could always read him like a book.
“Do you remember? Back when we would play in the street together, without a care in the world?”
“I… I do...”
He wasn’t lying. At least he was sure he wasn’t lying. It was hard to remember anything ever since Powder first appeared; first it was birthdays, then the people from his hometown, and eventually his parents - anything past when Powder first showed up was a blur to him now. But that didn’t bother him somehow.
Ekko could feel her moving around him, could feel the weight shifting on the bed and before it suddenly felt like he was floating, absolutely weightless in a void. Ekko wanted to open his eyes, eager to make sure he was still in his world, but instinct told him to keep his eyes shut. He let his trust in her take over.
“Do you still love me, the way I loved you?” Powder asked, a calm tone that demanded nothing less than a clear answer.
Ekko moved to respond, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he could feel the darkness envelop him. It rushed around him, hungry to feel his very being by any means necessary. He struggled to control his body, tensing as he wanted to say the words, leading to a dull and reverberating pulse of sadness from Powder that broke his heart. She asked once more.
“Do you love me, Ekko?”
“Forever and always, I am yours.”