Riley and Val oneshots

The whispers in the dark

Pov Nobody

Riley and Val had always shared everything—secrets, dreams, fears. But this town was different. It whispered to them, calling them deeper into the woods, into the shadows that seemed to move when they weren't looking. 

One evening, after a particularly unnerving day, Val decided to lighten the mood by playing a game. She set out a dinner table in the middle of their small living room, lit only by a flickering candle. She served the food with a mischievous grin, but something about her seemed off.

"Hehe, harder," Val giggled as she watched Riley struggle to cut into the meat on her plate. The knife slipped, the blade catching the tip of Riley's finger. Blood welled up, and Val's eyes darkened, her grin widening unnaturally. 

Riley jerked her hand back, staring at Val. "What the hell, Val?" she exclaimed, the pain in her finger nothing compared to the chill running down her spine. 

"You shouldn't eat food from a stranger's plate," Val whispered, her voice low and distant, as if she were speaking from far away, or perhaps as if she were someone else entirely. 

Riley's heart pounded. "What are you talking about? Val, this isn't funny."

But Val's expression remained unsettling, almost predatory. "It is out of my hands, Riley. I'm just a bloody creature, after all," she said with a tone that was both sad and sinister. Her eyes flicked towards the woods outside, where shadows danced in the moonlight.

Riley could no longer ignore the nagging feeling that something was deeply wrong. The forest, the whispers, Val's strange behavior—it all began to piece together into a horrifying realization. This wasn't just a haunted town; something had taken root inside of Val, something ancient and malevolent.

"I can't do this anymore," Riley whispered, pushing her chair back from the table, her breath coming in short gasps. The room felt like it was closing in on her, the shadows thickening, suffocating.

Val's gaze softened momentarily, as if the real Val was fighting to break through. "But eventually, everyone runs out of time," she murmured, almost regretfully, before her eyes clouded over again with that same dark hunger.

Riley bolted from the room, running blindly into the night, the cold air biting her skin. The forest loomed ahead, and she knew she had no choice but to enter it, hoping to find answers or, at the very least, escape whatever had taken hold of her friend. But the forest was alive, pulsing with malevolent energy. The whispers grew louder, more insistent, surrounding her.

"Hehe, harder," the voices mocked, echoing through the trees. 

Riley ran faster, her heart pounding in her chest, but no matter how fast she ran, she could feel Val's presence right behind her, no longer her friend, but something else entirely.

In the end, Riley discovers that the town, the forest, and the strange occurrences were all connected to an ancient ritual, one that had claimed Val as its vessel. As the final confrontation looms, Riley realizes that to save herself, she may have to sacrifice Val, but time is running out, and the shadows are closing in. The last thing Riley hears before the darkness swallows her is Val's voice, now twisted and inhuman, whispering, "But eventually, everyone runs out of time."