The Traitors

*Chapter 15 - Logan*

*Content warning: This chapter contains self-harm. If this topic is sensitive for you, please skip the asterisk part of this chapter.*

I'm walking along the path in the local park, kicking at stones in the way of my shoes. I don't come here, so the fact I am here is fucking weird. Although, the day is nice with the sun at its peak, beating down on me with its warmth. When I peer up, I catch a glimpse of Eddy as he waits for me up ahead. I speed up to reduce his wait time, but I quickly learn that no matter how far I walk, he remains out of reach. So, I pump my legs faster and faster until I'm running, forever chasing his stationary self.

I call to him in the hopes to grab his attention, but my voice goes unheard. I'm out of breath from how fast I'm running, but also from the sweltering heat blazing down on my scalp. I yell again, but Eddy's name is barely heard by my own ears as I continue to pant.

Then suddenly, he vanishes. I come to an immediate halt when I'm struck with the voice of my father echoing in the back of my head like an annoying mosquito, reprimanding me for not taking him seriously. A loud thud erupts from behind me. I turn around and see Eddy's pretzeled body lying dead on the ground. I gasp in horror, jumping away at the sight of his bones jutting out from the flesh of his twisted limbs. His spinal cord punctures through his head making me want to vomit.

I back away further and further, shielding my eyes from the gory horror until I'm backed up against a wall. When I remove my hand, I find my scenery has changed. I'm no longer in the park, but rather standing on the sidewalk in the city and I have never been more grateful. Kayla intertwines her arm with mine as she looks up at me. I'm surprised to see her, but her joyous smile is enough to calm my rattled nerves. I glance down into her eyes and they're the way I remember them being when I met her. She is seeing me, actually seeing me, and this is the happiest I have ever seen her.

Kayla's gentle smile widens and elongates further than her mouth can allow. I'm alarmed, but she continues to grin like nothing has happened. The smile tears and pulls along the edges of her lips, reaching her ears in a horrifying display. Her usual plump cheeks are now stretched and torn as she reaches up to claw at the dysmorphia. She giggles as she picks and scratches at her flesh, eventually working her way up to her new eyes. It isn't long until she's digging her digits into the sockets in an attempt to remove them. The sight becoming unbearable to watch as I want to stop her, but can't move my hands to do so. Then just like Eddy, she's gone, never to reappear.

My heart races not fully recovering from Kayla's Joker display as I'm pulled away from the sidewalk and fumble into a blackened room alone. The darkness surrounding the area prohibits me from seeing my hands in front of me. I pace within the room, looking for a way out or a light, unsure of how I got here in the first place. I spin in circles, losing myself further into the darkness. My tired legs give out on me as I collapse to my knees with my eyes fixated on the ground.

A singular white light beams down on the spot in front of me. When I peer up again, I'm staring at two mirrors, but my reflection morphs in both. In one mirror is Fi and the other is Anna. All three of us kneeling the same way. When I raise my hand, the two girls perfectly mimic. The same thing happens when I lower my hand back down. Their confused faces match my own as we slowly rise to our feet and walk toward each other.

"What's going on?" I try to ask, but no sound comes from my mouth.

The hair on the back of my neck stands at attention as I feel a presence behind me. I watch my father in the mirror approach behind the girls which makes me believe he's also behind me. My father's hand reaches for them, grabbing onto to top of their heads, clutching fistfuls of hair. At the same time, I feel a similar tug on my scalp as my head is yanked upward and I come face to face with my correct assumption. My hands reach up to force his painful grip from the roots, but he refuses to let up.