𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 ~ (ᴍɪᴋᴇ ᴡʜᴇᴇʟᴇʀ)

.1.

It was cold. The bare, reflective walls burned her mind, and the face looking back at her haunted her. She didn't look like herself - or rather what she was used to, she didn't really know herself all too well. Her hair was wild and matted, the bags under her eyes far more prominent. She'd always hated it here - she always felt so alone. Besides, the couple that came to her when she shut her eyes.

They were middle-aged; the man substantially taller than the woman but both equally as content. They never saw her though; she spoke to them and it seemed that they spoke back but their voices were muffled and distant. Regardless, they made life there a fair bit more tolerable. But, of course, it wasn't like she was allowed to see them all the time - in fact, the bad men had no clue about them. She had a job to do and people, although nameless and scary, that relied on her.

Papa was another person she could see but he was in the bad world (a name she related to her current reality but the world where her couple lived, that was the good world). She wasn't a fool. She knew he was not her true Papa and only began to call it him on his own insistence. He scared her, really. His brooding demeanour towered over her but it was his voice that scared her the most. Sometimes, if she was really bad, his voice could make her heart drop and her own body reject her. He was a very bad man but she didn't think she was any better. It had probably been 6 years she had been in his 'care' - not that the time affected her meagre frame - and not a day went by that she didn't obsess of the sins she had made. She felt like such a monster and that just played on her loneliness.

On days like today, she felt such an overwhelming ache; she had just performed one of her 'tricks' as if she was in a freak show and maybe she overdid it. Strangely, she hoped she had, then it would be over - she wouldn't have to endure this anymore. The only thing to aid this torment was the familiar number on her wrist, '05' - it meant that she stood for something, that she mattered.

"Let's go, Five," an ominous voice called through the door, shocking her out of trance. Five stood up preparing for the light to flood in but still, she was unprepared for it. Her hand reached up protecting her from the current and a smash followed. She heard the bad men mutter between each other but stopped as familiar footsteps approached.

"C'mon, Five, we've got work to do," He called to her, his hand reaching out and of course she took it.

"Yes, Papa."

"Today you're going meet a new friend, would you like that, Five?" Five waited, almost assuming he'd retract the statement, before nodding.

"W-who?" Papa said nothing more and continued to lead her down the hallway. She'd never been this way before. It felt wrong to stray away from her typical path - left, right, and right again. It was familiar so to her, that felt right. Papa let go of her petite hand to open the door before them. As the room unveiled, Five spotted an array of desks, paired with box-like equipment - with equally box-like scientists - but finally, she spotted a girl. The girl had to be her own age, with short brown hair. She was pretty, Five thought.

"This is Eleven," Papa began, "She's like you, Five, and she wanted your help for something." Both girls looked equally as confused as the other but when they caught eyes they couldn't help but smile. "You see, Five, Eleven found something and we need your help to see what that is," Papa knelt to her level, "Do you understand, Five?" Five nodded but frowned, none of this felt good to her and as she looked over to Eleven she knew she felt the same. The rest of the scientists in the room seemed to stop what they were doing as Eleven and Five stalked closer towards this large steel tank that unnerved Five just by looking at it. The two girls were brought onto a platform that would lower into the tank and they were both consumed by a heavy, cold mask.

"Papa?" Five whispered and looked to the older man.

"It's okay, Five, I believe in you." The girl bit her lip, not trusting a word he said. Slowly, Eleven's hand clasped Fives and she offered a small smile. Before being able to give a reply, they were lowered into the freezing, almost unmoving water. On instinct, Five felt her breathing halt and the feeling of the liquid was so peculiar that she didn't dare to look around the tank. Still, Elevens hand remained in hers - even though they were both petrified. The pair of them shut their eyes and began to search - although only one knew what to search for. Before Five knew it she was met with the void that she was used to seeing the couple in but this time she was alone.

"Hello?" Shakily, she called out into the abyss. Five searched the darkness until she met the eyes of the girl she just met. "Eleven," she said, relieved she wasn't alone anymore but Eleven seemed to just look beyond her. "Eleven?"

"Stop," she finally pleaded. Five looked at her, puzzled, as she pointed behind her. Slowly, Five followed the girl's gaze to meet an unearthly creature. Five's previous relief vanished and a begrudging step back was taken. The creature was hunched over - its face was hidden- but its skin glistened and looked leathery. Both girls fought the urge to shudder at its hideousness. "Papa said," Eleven struggled, "Papa said to find and make contact." As she finished she took a few steps forward, passing Five in the process.

"No," She replied catching up to her, "Danger." Eleven just shrugged as if to say she had no choice. Five followed closely behind her new friend as a small heap of tears gathered on her cheeks. Never in her sheltered life had she ever come across something like that and the uncertainty was what scared her the most. Hesitantly, Eleven brought a shaky hand to the beast's back but retracted it as soon as it made contact. An inhuman shriek spawned from the monster causing the two to stumble back. Suddenly, Eleven disappeared and in the back of Fives mind, a scream erupted.

The creature stalked towards the girl, who in turn began running through the endless space. Until Five tumbled onto the wet ground - whatever it was pouncing onto her. Its face began to open up, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and Five began to scream too. The girl felt its claws dig into her side, tearing her insides apart but then, she woke up. Five was now out the water and in the arms of her Papa. No blood drenched her side and Eleven, who was trembling, was sitting on the floor - blood dripping from her nose.

"Shh, it's okay, Five. You're okay," Papa attempted to console the screaming child, "It's all okay now." As if the earth had heard him say that, the wall in front of her began to crumble and the workers around began to panic. Papa quickly rushed the weakened girls out of the room, leaving any stragglers to suffer. As soon as they escaped the lab, Five pushed the man away, let out a heavy sigh, before scoffing, "No... not it's not."