Nekro-Narcissistic

Chapter 7 - Chit Chat

    Pepper couldn't seem to get the courage to move out of bed. It was midnight, and everyone had retired to their rooms for the night. She had wanted to go outside, but at the same time, everything in her was pleading not to move. When she finally managed to stand up, moving to the door itself was a challenge. Each step needed to be carefully set, one foot after the other. She put her hand on the doorknob. She swung open the door and ran through the hallway and down the stairs. She felt as though every shadow in the hotel hid another monster, some angry spirit, waiting to grab her. She finally made it through the front door, breathing heavily as she caught her breath at last. The light of the moon reflected off her face, bathing her in it's comforting light. She composed herself, adjusted her posture, and made her way to that circle of stones. She stood in front of it, as if waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened. So, she called out it's- no, her name.

"Salt."

She spat out.
There was no answer. Had that all been in her head after all? What a relief. She laughed awkwardly to herself, mostly out of relief. She felt so stupid, for worrying about nothing. Just a mirage that was created out of her desire to see Salt again. She almost turned back to leave, almost left back to her room, to finally be able to sleep soundly again. Then she heard it. That familiar voice.

"Yeah? What do you want?"

Pepper flinched. She hadn't actually wanted to hear an answer. And yet, she did. She turned around. She looked down at the circle of stones. Once again, it had been disturbed. The broken glass body was protruding out from its center once again. It smiled at Pepper.

"What took you so long to visit me again? I missed you!"

She exclaimed. Pepper didn't answer. It didn't make any sense. It really was Salt. The same Salt she'd known her entire life, the same Salt that just the other day shattered into a thousand pieces right before her eyes. Everyone had seen it, everyone was a witness to her fate. So how was she still here? Pepper didn't know what to say to her. What was she even supposed to say?
Salt grew impatient with Pepper's silence, so she just continued to speak.

"Not even a 'hello'? What's wrong with you?? Can't you talk?"

She still didn't answer. Realizing that Salt's patience was wearing thin, and fearing what she would do if she didn't answer.

"I...I can talk."

Was all she said. Salt rolled her eyes and nodded her head. With every movement, Salt's body cracked and made other sickening sounds.

"Well obviously I know you can. But why won't you say anything to me?"

  Pepper was at a loss. She didn't know what to do. Tell her the truth? Or would that only make her more angry? She opted for a half truth.

"You...You look- different."

"Different? In a bad way..?"

Salt asked. Her cracked smile dropped, and she looked down at herself. She moved her broken arms to cover herself, as if she was embarrassed of how she looked. Pepper immediately drew back her previous statement.

"No-! Not in a bad way! I just..didn't recognize you."

Apparently, that was an even worse choice of words. Salt's face contorted into a look of anger.

"What the hell? Why not?!"

Shit, shit, shit. How did she fix it? What to say, what would make her happy? Then it struck her.

"You look...So good!"

She beamed at her deceased friend. Salt took in her words for a moment, before her expression changed. She looked happy once again, content with Pepper's words. They both laughed, Salt from simple joy and Pepper from immense relief. Sure enough, this was Salt. She sounded exactly like her, and had her same loving smile. Pepper had missed it so much. But now that she was calm, she needed answers from Salt. She had to know what was going on.