𝐃𝐎𝐊𝐉𝐀'𝐒 𝐁𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐏 ¦| Oяv х м.Яєαɒєя |¦

10🍂 - A Father! (1)

"........,"

[Your Name] finally starts to catch his breath, his back still pressed against the wall as he glances nervously around the corner.

The coast seems clear.

No creepy ghosts in sight.

He exhales a huge sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his brow.

But then, he hears it.

A faint shuffling noise, like someone dragging their feet across the ground.

He freezes, slowly turning his head to look down the alley.

And there, standing not more than a few feet away, is the same small figure from the grocery store.

The pale little bean with the blood-red mouth, staring up at him with those same unblinking eyes.

"Oh, come on!" [Your Name] yelps, clutching his chest as his heart threatens to burst out of his ribcage. "How the hell did you get here?!"

The kid just tilts his head, blinking slowly as if this is the most obvious thing in the world.

"I was behind you the whole time and you dropped some things, it was easy to find you," The kid says in a flat, monotone voice, as if discussing the weather.

[Your Name] feels his soul leave his body for the second time in five minutes.

His knees nearly give out as he staggers backward, clutching at the wall for support.

"The... whole time?" He echoes, his voice a shaky whisper. "Like... the entire time I was running? With all the screaming and flailing and-"

The kid nods slowly, still staring at him with that creepy, deadpan expression.

"Well, I guess that explains why you didn't... you know, get left behind," [Your Name] mutters, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "But, uh... maybe next time, give a guy a heads-up before you decide to pull a ninja move, yeah?"

The kid just blinks at him, clearly not understanding-or caring-about his near heart attack.

[Your Name] sighs, finally letting his guard down as he realizes this "ghost" is just a weird, slightly creepy kid who's probably been through some serious trauma.

His initial terror fades into a wave of regret for having freaked out so badly.

"Okay, okay... I'm sorry, kid," He says, crouching down to the kid's level, though still keeping a safe distance, just in case. "I didn't mean to, uh, scream like that. I thought you were... well, something else."

The kid just stares at him, licking the remnants of whatever red stuff is smeared on his lips.

[Your Name] winces. "So, uh... that red stuff. Is it... you know... blood?"

The kid looks down at his own mouth, then back at [Your Name] with a blank expression. "It's jam."

"Oh, thank god," [Your Name] breathes out, clutching his chest again. "I was really starting to think I'd stumbled into some kind of horror movie... or worse, another zombie apocalypse."

The kid finally cracks the tiniest hint of a smile, though it's still creepy as hell. "You're funny."

"Yeah, well, I try," [Your Name] mutters, straightening up and glancing around the alley again. "So, uh... where are your parents, kid? Shouldn't you be with them instead of, you know, scaring the crap out of random strangers in grocery stores?"

The kid just shrugs, his tiny shoulders barely moving. "I don't have any."

[Your Name]'s heart sinks.