The Beauty Behind The Beast

Chapter 7 - Illusions

I yawn and look up to see Hunter standing up about to leave when stop him.

"Where are you going?" I ask in a voice that probably sounded like a 5-year old child. I rubbed my eyes which probably made me look even cuter in his eyes. He turns to look at me and smiles softly.

"Oh Cat, I was going to get breakfast for the both of us," Hunter replied kissing my forehead. "I didn't want to wake you." I smiled as he played with my long black hair.

"Okay, what do they have?" I ask cuddling up to his side.

"They have bacon and eggs and a cheap version of Lucky Charms," Hunter replied. I laugh and he smiles down at me.

"I'll take the cheap version of Lucky Charms," I replied and he kisses my forehead and walks out after nodding in approval at my choice of breakfast. I stretch and walk to my closet. I pick out some black leggings and an old T-shirt with a black hoodie. I slipped on some Harley Quinn socks and put on my black boots.

"I'm back Jack," Hunter grins widely handing me my bowl of cereal. I smile and wolf down the cereal. Hunter looks at me surprisingly.

"What? I'm extremely hungry." I said with a mouthful of cereal bites.

"You're not usually that hungry to eat it that fast Cat. You're usually the slowest eater." Hunter explained looking at me worryingly, slowly eating his cereal.

"You're right." I replied swallowing my last bite and setting it on my night stand. Something's happening to me. Bad things are happening to me. Extreme hunger, realistic nightmares, blood spilling from my mouth, what else could possibly make my life worse?

Suddenly, I sit on the bed and look at Delilah's bed with its unfolded sheets. A very thin man appears sleeping in it and I gasp in horror. The man was bleeding in the bed. He wasn't sleeping, he was dead. Slowly his skin begins to rot and his thin bones become more visible. I'm screaming now and Hunter tries to calm me down. Nurse Margaret and Doctor West come rushing in and take me out of the room. Hunter follows us down the hall.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Hunter yells as he runs after Nurse Margaret and Doctor West. They take my arms trying to control my struggle of getting away and running to a quiet and dark room. They tie me up in a straight jacket and set me in a padded room with words written on the walls.

"GET ME OUT!! HUNTER!!" I yelled as loud as I could. It seems like no one would listen to me. That's when I see Hunter get pushed in the room too with a straight jacket on. He had a black eye and cuts ran up and down his face. I screamed and began to cry.

"What did they do to you?" I cried trying to break my arms free so I could hold him. Hunter had tears down his eyes because of the pain. He leaned on me and started to sob on my shoulder. I cried too kissing his forehead.

"Its okay. Nothing is wrong with me. They're just illusions. They're just illusions," I cried, my voice shaking as I kiss his face, not minding the cuts.

"Illusions, huh? No, sweetheart. This is reality. This is how the beast feels. When no one can see his true beauty underneath. This is us." Hunter explained. It was silent after that. The only sound was our tears hitting the tattoed floor.