Duality (slashers x reader)

25. Prey for Me

My hair clung to my forehead with sweat and a deep ache in my stomach rendered every position I sat in torture, besides doubled over with my head on my knees. It felt as if a thick slab of metal or wood had been pushed through my skin and stomach and was somehow stuck, pain passing through the front and the back. My entire body was sick with heat, a thin layer of sweat growing on my skin, and nausea rose quickly to my throat.

I jumped up from the sofa, groaning as the pain worsened in my stomach, and ran to the bathroom as fast as I could, skidding to a halt in front of the toilet and quickly dropping to my knees to empty my guts into the toilet bowl. Finally, when I thought there was nothing but blood and empty space left in my body, I flushed the toilet and slowly got to my knees, my legs shaking uncontrollably beneath me. I staggered over to the sink and held my hands in the shape of a bowl, letting them fill with water before holding my face in the freezing water until it went numb. Drying my hands, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. It was a face I didn't recognize; the eyes were sunken and dark; the skin was blotchy and dull, seemingly stretched over the bones like rubber. Water droplets slowly rolled down my face off my chin, falling into the sink with a steady 'drip, drip, drip'.

I gripped the edges of the sink and squeezed my eyes shut as my head started to swim, my forehead tensing in pain from how tightly I kept my eyes closed. It felt as if my skull had suddenly been filled with water; violent, swirling waves that crashed around and collided with the walls of my head. I felt my body swaying, and watched as the colours in front of my eyes intensified as I squeezed them harder still. Suddenly my legs buckled beneath me and I fell crashing to the floor, my head colliding hard with the solid tiles of the floor.

~*~

When I awoke, the first thing I felt was my heartbeat thudding dully in the back of my head, where I'd hit the floor, and my arm twisted beneath my body. Slowly, I opened my eyes, blinking once, twice, before my mind finally registered the sight in front of me and forced my eyes wide open. Standing above my body were Sarah, Sam, Amy, and Noah, their faces expressionless. They towered above me and were squeezed into the tight bathroom, somehow all fitting in with the door closed. My heart began to race and panic grew and grew at an unbearable rate within me.

'H-how did you get in here?' They stayed silent: still statues with blank, glassy eyes.

'Whatever it is you want from me, I'll be happy to give you it. Just please leave me alone.'

Nothing. They didn't move at all, I couldn't even see their chests rising with their breaths. All I could hear was my own panicked breaths and a steady drip of water. ...Water?

I shifted my head, turning to look at the sink where I could hear the dripping. I was standing in front of it, knuckles bone white as they gripped onto the sides of the sink. I watched myself in horror, a scream trapped in my throat as I registered myself lying on the cold tile floor and myself also swaying on their feet, 2 feet away from me. The other me continued to sway, gradually gaining speed until I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Sarah swing her leg forward, her foot connecting with the back of the other me's knee, sending me falling to the ground exactly where I lay.

~*~

My head was pounding as I gingerly opened my eyes, petrified of who I might see above me. But there was no one there. The room was empty except for me.

I pushed myself up with my elbows, slowly rising until I could make it onto my feet, all too conscious of the blinding pain in my head. I turned, calming down a little when I saw the absence of any red stain on the white tiles. Turning on the tap, I held my hands under the cold water until they were red and numb, before splashing my face once again. This time though I didn't need to hold onto the sink for stability, something I was very grateful for, and I dried my hands and face on a towel beside me. It was unbelievably soft and I held my face against it for a while, relishing in the comfort, a slight smile even managing to creep onto my face.

I stood back up again, straightening my back and turning to my face in the mirror, my blood quickly running cold. Behind me was the shadow I'd seen days ago at the café. But this time it was bigger, much bigger, and... angrier? It seemed to pulsate behind me, alive and breathing, and I could hardly see the bathroom wall behind me. I quickly spun around, but there was nothing behind me except the wall. I turned back: it was still there.

Terror grasped me tightly and all I wanted was to get out of there. My hand flew to the handle and I threw open the door, tumbling out of the room as if something had roughly pushed me out.

I ran as fast as I could to my bedroom, diving onto the bed and burying myself in the covers as heavy sobs wracked my body. I stayed there for a while, unable to control the violent outpouring of emotions. Eventually, my body grew so tired I couldn't muster the energy to cry anymore and I went silent, the steady tune of the birds outside filling the air.

My ears seemed to prick up as they caught the very faint sound of talking. It was so faint I didn't even think I was hearing it at first. But I was. I wasn't imagining it. It was coming from the living room.

I slowly withdrew from my bed covers, creeping out of my room and down the stairs as quietly as I could. The talking continued, stopping at times but always continuing and growing louder as I neared the source.

The sound was almost deafening as I stood outside the living room, trying to gather the will to step inside. I pushed my legs to step forward against my better judgement, and froze in the door as I watched the TV play with the faint whir of the tape in the machine beneath it.