The monster under my bed

Chapter 6: Ruined

The heavy rain outside and the running sink helped drown out the sound of vomiting coming from the basement bathroom. Muichirō leaned over the toilet and threw up. The taste of the bitter stuff Boogie made him swallow still lingered in his mouth. He opened the mirror cabinets and took out his Father's mouthwash.

After reading the ingredients on the back, he figured it was good to use. Muichirō flushed his mouth a few times. A strong taste of mint fluoride filled and burned the inside of his mouth. On any other occasion, he would have spit it out, but now, he held it in until it stopped burning. He let it spill out of his mouth and into the sink, and turned off the running water.

What exactly happened to me back there?

Muichirō slumped by the bathtub and pulled his pajama shirt tighter around himself, feeling dirty.

What did he do to me?

He felt numb. He couldn't feel anything. It was as if his mind couldn't wrap itself around reality. Maybe if he took another bath, he'd come back. It was a possibility. In some of the movies he'd watched, people woke up in a bathtub. Some of those were horror films he wasn't allowed to see, but Sanemi watched them with Genya. Surely this was all a nightmare.

Muichirō turned the knobs on the wall and started the shower.

If it was scalding hot, maybe he'd wake up quicker.

It didn't happen.

Muichirō yelped when the hot water touched his skin, jumping back and hitting his head against the tiles.

No, he was awake. Fully awake. This wasn't a dream.

Muichirō reduced the heat and let the water pour over his head. He didn't try to stop the tears. No one would see them anyway. He was glad for that. After a considerable amount of time, Muichirō stumbled out of the shower. He pulled on his pajamas and fell on his knees.

"How...how could this happen? Is it my fault? Did I do something wrong?" Muichirō bawled on the bathroom floor. "I should have seen the signs! I never should have talked to him! I'm an embarrassment to the family..."

He looked up at the mirror. A pair of teary blue eyes stared back at him.

No one can find out.

He'll keep it a secret.

****

Sunday was one of Genya's least favorite days of the week. It was a day off, yes, but always meant that school came the next day. He slammed the alarm clock with the palm of his hand, and went back to sleep.

He could get ready for service in five minutes.

His drunk Father didn't go with them, so in a way, Genya wanted to go. Anything was better than staying home when Dad got there. Social services only allowed him home on Sundays.

Genya slid out of bed and stepped over his sleeping siblings. He tiptoed to the bathroom and splashed water on his face to freshen up.

He found a flannel shirt and an old pair of jeans.

"Yo."

The door of his room banged open and Sanemi stepped in. "Help me wake them all up," he muttered. "Mom is ready. Let's get out of the house before Dad comes home."

Genya nodded, and helped his older brother wake up and dress all his younger siblings.

"I'm hungry!" Sumi whined. "What do we have for breakfast?"

"Some leftover eggos," Genya muttered. "If we get to service on time, there could even be donuts."

"Yay donuts!"