cw: s/h and relapsing. sentence before and after will be in bold. once again, its written specifically to be intense and uncomfortable and is not representative of everyone's experiences, only my own. please look after yourself.
Backstage led to yet another theatre, but this one was far more extravagant. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, bathing the ground below in pale yellow light, creating shadows under the velvet chairs to make them look like demons crawling out of the wine-red carpet. The stage was decorated with two sofas that were in line with the seats, and fake walls held family pictures and an antique painting.
It was creepy enough that the set on stage was a poor imitation of your living room, but what made it creepier were the people there. They had no faces and were positioned and dressed like mannequins in a clothing shop—a horrifying blend of natural and unnatural.
You couldn't wander around, as a path had been carved out for you by wooden planks full of sharp yet rusted nails and blades that would no doubt cut your skin and infect you with tetanus. You didn't feel brave enough to risk climbing over—sure, the soles of your shoes were thick, but you didn't feel like risking it. Knowing your luck, you would probably slip and impale yourself.
Wandering closer to the stage, your muscles grew colder underneath your skin. The mannequins faces' were slowly changing, morphing into familiar features that took your breath away. When they started to speak, you couldn't help but take a step back.
The way the mannequins spoke was robotic, almost like it had been written and performed by artificial intelligence. It was ever so slightly cringeworthy and reminded you of old TV shows that had over ten seasons, and each renewal came with a drop in quality as ideas ran thin.
'I'm so glad we decided to stay childfree,' said one of the mannequins in a feminine voice. 'It's given us so many options. We can do whatever we want!'
The mannequin next to the feminine one added, 'We have so much extra money,' in a stereotypical masculine voice. 'Thank God we don't have a child to spend it on. We would never be able to afford nice cars if a child was draining our bank accounts.'
The two mannequins turned to face each other, fingers intertwined, like they should have had a sickly, love-filled look on their faces, practically drooling from how in love they were, but of course, the faces stayed blank. Wedding bands glistened on their plastic fingers, and you took a step closer as vague recognition filled your chest.
I see...of course they're supposed to represent my parents. Typical.
On the sofa opposite, there was another couple, but you had no idea who they were meant to be since their faces were turned slightly to an angle, obscuring any recognisable features from your sight. You assumed that the mannequin sitting alone was Frankie, since it was positioned closer to your 'parents', which you took as a sign of emotional closeness, but the other two? You genuinely had no idea. The one on the left was sitting normally, with its ankles crossed, while the one on the right was leaning against it, clinging onto its arm like it would shatter into pieces if separated.
'I'm also glad that you didn't have a child,' the one on the left said. 'School would have been so boring if they were my friend. Isn't that right?'
The mannequin next to it said, 'It is. We don't need another person in our friend group, and they would probably interfere with us.'
'Everything is perfect as it is.'
Disgust filled your nerves as you recalled the friend group you were part of from Year Four to Year Eight. A girl whose father was a school governor had inserted herself into your friend group, and you were convinced she only did it to get back at you for taking her place as 'smartest student in class'. She had latched onto James like a leech, making your friendship incredibly rocky and bringing it to a boil in Year Six, when you finally confronted him about how he was being dragged away by a girl who sucked the life out of him with every breath. He finally started to laugh again once she moved countries two years later.
YOU ARE READING
Deep Like Water (Yandere!BEN Drowned X GN!Reader)
HorrorYou never expected your parents to abandon you at the age of sixteen, and if it wasn't for the man your parents took in when you were ten, you would have been completely alone. Even after a year, you still half-expected them to come back. Your seven...
