Two of A Kind (Coraline X Wybie)

Part 27 - Probable Death

Leslie

Two months ago

—

My whole body shakes.

And it'll stay that way since I can hear her screams just beyond the wall.

They haunt my dreams, there or not. But I'm sure that I can hear them now, as I've gotten used to pinpointing the reals and fakes. The real ones are horrific — world-shattering. The fakes sound unnatural in a way, but they last forever and don't stop until I see her, or wake up.

I've pinched my arm enough to know that there's no denying how real and raw these screams are. I can only pray the way she calls out my name in horror and begs for the Beldam to stop will end soon.

There's no point in trying to stop it myself, as no matter how many times I punch my fists against the solid plaster, the cracking and splintering of the wall only heals itself seconds later. I should have learnt this months ago, but I haven't — and I never will. She has to know I'm still in this with her, that she's not alone. She has to know I won't stop fighting for her. She has to.

So I don't stop, not even when the felt of my knuckles begin to tear.

It feels like hours have passed when my arms go weak. Painfully, I resist the temptation to stop, and throw a couple more weak punches that barely even hit the surface of the dusted wall.

And then, I fall straight to the concrete floor when I can no longer support myself.

To feel my adrenaline no longer pumping causes me to groan, as without it, I feel every pain, tear, and cut in my limbs from when I had fought to keep her away from the Beldam. It never works. She always manages to steal her. So I let my heavy breaths and her muffled cries fill the room as I cave in on myself.

The tiny critters that skitter across the room all take a moment to look up at the pathetic puppet across the floor with a look of remorse and pity. Their expressions only fill me with more rage, which again makes me want to keep fighting.

But I can't. I can't get up. My knees are stuck to the ground, my feet are weights, and just lifting my hand and pressing my palm against the wall makes my entire arm shake.

"I'm here," I whisper, just as I hear a scream so ear-splitting that I'm sure it could shatter the ground. My eyes clench as the horrible sound is quickly followed up by her whimpers and begs. Leaning in, I touch the wall with my forehead as if I could send her strength with a tear that rolls down my cheek.

There's not a day that goes by that she hasn't taken Coraline away from me. With me listening in, they'll torture and beat her senseless, and unfortunately, I've quickly come to realize that nothing in here can block the screams.

That is my torture. That is the Beldam's reminder to me who's in charge, and what will happen if I disobey. Not that I'll get hurt, but my family, my loved ones. And Coraline. The Beldam hasn't even dared to touch me ever since the Other Coraline rebuilt me. I haven't been getting the punishment, she has. The Beldam always uses the excuse that it's because she had disobeyed her orders, but it's been weeks, maybe months since that happened, and the consequences just won't stop.

Her weeping slowly quiets and I bolt upward when I hear the metal clasps unlock with a sharp snap. "Coraline," I mumble, far too quiet.

Her sniffs begin to get louder, and I back away from the wall just as it cuts into the shape of a door. When it opens, the Beldam throws the Other Coraline's frail, weak, quaking body inside.