ninety-nine balloons (part 4 x fem!reader)

20- Twilight On Budget

yall its been TWO MONTHS forgive me 🧎‍♀️

--------

In the grand vision, these are insignificant moments. You know in the future you will look back onto your first step back into humanity with a smile, but for now, you can only seethe at the effort. 

Your clothing fit loosely and your very definition was mess, and even as the pale moon shown on your staggering body you felt the urge to recluse back into the house as if it burned your skin nearly as bad as the sun. The firm grip on your hand made sure you didn't try.

"Let's just try taking a trip down to the store at the corner, yeah?" Hazamada was already pulling you along. "Then we can come back."

It was like a child leading along a puppy who barely knew how to walk. You staggered and stumbled as a man no taller than a middle schooler re-introduced you to Morioh, a place you felt like you both knew forever, and only a few minutes. 

Every shop, every turn, every streetlight you passed looked far off, yet so very close, like a dream that kept you distant from reality while spoon-feeding you something fake. It was almost as if you felt like you were looking through the eyes of someone else, if that was a way you could describe it.

Ninety Nine Balloons was different, too. It was as if it'd been replaced with a double, a terribly acting double, who didn't ever do anything quite right, nor ever did anything too wrong to be suspicious of. Perhaps it was just as detached as you. Withdrawn, even. 

"Maybe once we've worked up a bit more courage, we can walk by your café again! It's a bit far, though, so it might take some time."

You didn't make out a word he said. A dreaded ringing numbed your ears and left you oblivious to even the wind whipping through the trees. You resorted to leaving a red balloon out to see if you could hear any better, but it all ended up sounding like you were listening through a wall.

Rounding the corner, you body felt a strong sense of familiarity, the same way you'd wake from a nap in the car when you make that one special turn. Your muscles recognized it before you did, and the daze you were in steadily broke.

That instant recognition, it was for nothing. There was not a single thing around the corner that you knew well enough to justify your reaction. And still, something happened.

The weight of your body doubled, and the world began to tilt. Sandbags replaced your feet and your mouth swelled as it remained dry. Blood.

"Mada? Mada, I need somethin'." You muttered through a heavy tongue. Sparkling red eyes were kept trained on an alley off yonder. "Gettin' hungry again, 'm sorry."

Hazamada was quick to pause his walking, taken by surprise at your sudden hunger. A quick pat of his pockets dreadfully confirmed that he didn't have any lollipops left. Those usually held you over till he got his hands on a squirrel or bird for you to suck dry. 

"Yeah, I got it, I know." Your nails began to dig into his palms, and he grimaced. "Shit- Let's look around, yeah? We'll find something, it's gonna be fine."

He was saying that to himself for the most part, that much you understood, but you couldn't much blame him when he was putting his life in danger just by being next to you. The stench of fear snuffed out your urge to feed, and you calmed for just a slight moment. Only a slight moment.

The parting of his hand from yours was nearly the same as taking a leash off a rabid dog. The very moment he went to try and find something for you to even just gnaw on, you were gone, speeding down the street barefoot and barreling towards the aroma that beckoned you so.

How stupid of you, Hazamada groaned, to lose control so quickly, and so easily. Swiveling on his heel, he trailed after you, going on about something like, 'what if that was a trap for you?', as if people knew you'd turned into a vampire somehow.

You felt strength return to your body the moment your teeth sunk into the flesh you found, ripping and sinking into it over and over as if you were afraid it'd magically leave your hold.

And just as the strength returned, so did your conscious, and you finally had enough brain power to wonder what it was you feasted on, and why it was so small.

It was no squirrel, nor was it any bird, and even if it were it'd have to be hairless... Or featherless? 

Not just that, but it was too thin to be a bird, and had too many tails to be a squirrel. Could've been a rat, or even a rat king, their tails knotted.

Nope. No, not a rat king, or a rat, or any animal at all. Hazamada finally caught up behind you, urging you to step from the shadow of the alley and go back to your original route. It was only when he saw what you were chewing on did he let the unyielding silence swallow you both. 

You waited for him to explain, or at least say something. With your vision still spinning endlessly and your senses berserk, it would've helped to know what it was that you were just ripping apart.

"I think this is enough walking for today." He said, with a faux kindness. "Let's... Let's go home."

"Mada? What's wrong?" Something thick and hot dripped from your lips, smeared along your skin as it slowly crusted around the corners. "What am I eating?"

"It's time to go home. We should've practiced a bit more before coming out here."

"Hazamada, what am I eating."

He sighed, and pulled you up by your under arm. "That is a hand, (Y/n), and it's very important you stop eating it."

"A hand?! Did I just eat someone!" You screeched.

"No, it's not attached to anyone! It's just-- Don't eat it anymore, alright?"

"Not attached to anything? How can a hand not be attached to anything?"

"I'll let you know all about it when we get home. Being a barista, you were always the center of information and attention. I keep forgetting you've been hiding away for, what, maybe the past month? So you don't know about the missing people."

"Missing-?"

"Their disappearance is what is keeping you hidden so well. People assume you're one of the poor souls who got snatched, so the idea that you're still around is something not many have thought."

"Not many, then that means someone thinks I'm still around?"

"Denial gets to people in the worst ways. I'm sure you'll see what I mean soon."

Hazamada gently removed the hand from you with a gagging retch, holding it between two fingers in disgust. "Let's get home like I said, there should be enough time before dawn for me to tell you everything."