SOUL AND PURGATORY

TWO.

◁✟▷𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚'𝙨.

"Did- did you- are you seeing that?" She widened her eyes in surprise "You can see that too, right?"

The laundryman glanced over the empty space, he lingered for a moment then shook his head in pity, "All I see is your opened dark wardrobe, your undies and 10 to 15 plastic containers of drugs. What's new?" He asked drily.

She blinked her eyes and the sock foot was no more.

She chuckled nervously, "I guess It's just the - "

"Are you skipping your drugs, Janette???" He questioned.

"No, I -"

"If you are, please do yourself good by taking them. You want to be healthy, right?"

"Yes. But I - "

He cut in again, permitting a tight smile, "I do not find reporting you to the authorities interesting enough".

Once he left, shutting the metallic door behind him, she rubbed her sweaty palms against her jean trouser in relief. She turned towards the wardrobe with the laundry basket he had dropped by the foot of her bed, the sock foot had reclaimed its position.

With cautiousness, she moved over. Squinting her eyes, she grasped a gleam of light bounce off a shimmery surface; 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, hands and lips curled up in the heavily shadowed wardrobe and Jan assumed It to be a girl. A seven year old girl. 

"Hey, what are you doing in there?"

Pause.

"I'm hiding from my mummy" The little girl in the wardrobe shakily whispered and withdrew her foot back in the shadows.

"Why ... why would you be hiding from her?" Jan was curious now.

"My mummy is Catholic".

"And?" She stopped herself from laughing as that would be insensitive.

"Things that go against her Faith, she despises them with strong hate" The girl silently added.
"You mean she's a religious fanatic" Jan properly suggested.
"That's the word. I-- " she suddenly stopped.

"Whaatt?" Jan chuckled "I don't understand this things you're explaining and I need to get these clothes in. The Facility's laundry guy just returned them", she paused then gasped "How- how did you get past the wards and nurses and guards?" her heart raced. 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙨 ...  𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩?

The kid crept out of the shadows. Jer throat had been severely gutted wide open, dark blood steadily dripped from the opening - down her ripped dress. An eyeball laid in her outstretched bloody palms and her chest had a big deep hole buried in.

Jan shrieked in fear at the horrifying sight "HOWW-- WHAT-- " 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴, "Did you get here?!!!" She screamed.

"Who-- " 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘹𝘺𝘨𝘦𝘯, "are you???"
The shivers settled in and her shoulders violently shook.

The child's body had been unmercifully mutilated and disfigured. Bones of different sizes, for different joints, stuck out her flesh. Her neck had also been jammed and wrung anticlockwise, she snapped it back in place without unease.

"You are Catholic" she finally spoke. 𝘼𝙣𝙙? 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤? 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚??? Jan cried inside.

"I won't kill you ... My mummy will".

Terrified, Jan wept, "I don't understand. I don't know you. I don't even know your mom", she choked.