Would you Swallow all your Pride?

Chapter Eight: Grey.

"You too." Without understanding much, Wilhemina followed outside and to the car waiting for her. She looked to the plant in her hand, playing with it throughout the ride home. What even had happened?

When Wilhemina stepped home, Purpura was quick to greet her at the door; however, the cat shrunk down and ran away the minute it saw Venable, hiding underneath the couch. Wilhemina frowned. "Purpura, darling, I know I spent the day out, but is it really necessary to treat me like that?" She set her purse and coat aside, as well as the sage Billie Dean had given her. The cat refused to come out, even when Venable bargained with treats and toys. She might be stressed. Wilhemina settled on that thought and moved to take a hot shower and eat something. She was desperate to get some sleep. When she finally lay in bed, Venable called Purpura again. Nothing. With a tired sigh, she turned around and closed her eyes. Sleep arrived quickly, and with it came a dark shadow that crowded her dreams—now turned into nightmares.

Even though Wilhemina had slept the whole night, it felt like she had just closed her eyes and opened them again, for her body still ached. Her heart was beating fast when the alarm went off, and her breathing was labored and heavy. Her hands shook. Flashes of the tall, slim creature in the corner of her room still haunted her mind. It had whispered to her in a distorted voice, telling her all the things her brain screamed at her when she was at her lowest. Venable found herself with cheeks wet and eyes still teary. The now familiar putrid smell clung to her nostrils and seemed to have intensified overnight. Wilhemina felt a little disoriented. She looked around with huge brown eyes, searching for the creature but found nothing. Heavily, she gulped down in fear. Where is Purpura? Hesitantly, Venable got up. She looked around, finding the cat still underneath the couch. There's something wrong with her. Wilhemina tried getting closer, but Purpura hissed at her. She frowned. Purpura never hissed. The temperature at her house had dropped noticeably, and Venable thought perhaps Winter had settled in. When she checked her phone, however, it indicated she shouldn't be feeling that cold. There is something wrong. Wilhemina couldn't point at what was wrong, but she knew something had changed. And, when she walked into her bedroom after eating breakfast and the putrid smell intensified again, her mind put two plus two together. Her insides shuddered. That has to be a joke. Those things weren't real, after all.

Contrary to Wilhemina, Billie Dean felt reinvigorated after the long night of sleep. She took her time when getting ready to work, taking a long shower and drying her hair. When she stepped into the office with her blue coat and skirt, however, her eyes were met with the oddly paleness of Venable's cheeks. She frowned. Quietly, she walked to her table. The office was still empty, saving for Jenny in the kitchen. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Tired brown eyes looked up. Venable played nervously with the pen in her hand. In her distraught state, she couldn't bring herself to ask how Billie Dean was, given she had nearly fainted the day before. Her mind kept on going back to the shadows she had seen, to the things it had whispered, to all the secrets it, somehow, knew.

Billie Dean frowned. "Did something happen?" Venable gulped. In all honesty, she was frightened. Purpura hadn't even come close to her, her house smelled like death and her body still shook a little. At the question, she nodded, but didn't say anything. Billie reached for one of her hands. It was cold. "Have you slept?" Quite frankly, it looked like Venable had spent the night up, for the bags under her eyes nearly matched the purple of her sweater.

"Yes," it was weak, but Venable answered. She tried bringing herself to sit up better, to stop trembling and to just be a Goddamn adult, but she couldn't. I'm a grown woman scared of ghost stories. She licked her lips, trying to put her mind in place.

"Did you burn the sage I gave to you?"

"I forgot."

Shit. That was spot on. Billie Dean's eyes nearly shifted color as she began to understand what was going on. "Wilhemina, what happened?" Her voice was a little firmer now. She looked around, seeing people were starting to arrive.