The Masks We Wear

CHAPTER 2

*Trigger Warning: Violence*
(11:30 p.m.)

Evie was exhausted. She had been awake since six o'clock that morning, and yet she still couldn't bring herself to sleep. Her eyes flitted from post to post, endlessly scrolling and waiting for sleep to strike. This went on anywere from minutes to hours each night; it was always a gamble as to whether she would drift off at ten p.m. or two in the morning, but she couldn't seem to break the habit. In between videos, she listened in the background to the steady, rhythmic dripping of the bathroom faucet, wishing she had enough will to get up and close her door.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Dri-
She looked up in frustration. Sighing, she rolled over and reached for her headphones, when she heard a crunch from outside her window. Evie instinctively clutched her cell phone and waited for any other noise. The video on her phone made no sound, looping over and over in the hand of someone with matters more pressing than swiping. The gravel outside of her window shifted again, but as moments passed the crunches receded away. Evie skeptically laid back down and swiped away from the last video. She had fallen down an internet rabbit hole for just over an hour, often cycling between the same four apps at random, when a knock came at the door.
She moved to the window and looked out through the curtains. The walkway was deserted; the dry night air rustled freely through leaves and grass, giving Evie hope that the crunches were unrelated. The knock came again, more forcefully than the last time. She grabbed her phone and stepped onto the hardwood, trying not to make any noise. In moments, she crept through the hallway and turned on her phone flashlight. She made it to the living room and walked to the side of the glass-paneled door, looking through to identify the visitor. Her legs brushed against the plastics and fabrics of her umbrellas, stacked neatly inside of the small holder. Then, her brow dropped and heart slowed. She opened the door to greet them.
"Hey..."
The cool air whirled around them both, barely filling the silence. Evie, unlike her visitor, was wearing only pyjamas, and the cold started to make her shake. She looked the visitor in the eyes. They wore gloves and a hoodie, as well as winter boots. Evie envied them more and more as the chill of the wind crept into her doorway. After realizing no conversation would ensue outside, Evie opened the door wider. She knew them; maybe they were hurt or needed help.
"Come in, come in."
Evie let the visitor inside. She shut the door, her muscles reveling in the returned warmth of her living room. However, she couldnt help but be nervous. She turned to lock the deadbolt back.
"Hey, I'm sorry about the—"
At that moment, an umbrella brushed against her legs in its unsheathing, before connecting with the back of her head. Evie fell to the floor, stunned, before looking up at her visitor in confusion. Evie let out a single shriek as the visitor raised the umbrella once more. To her, there was only the dark release of unconsciousness. To the visitor, there were only minutes to get the job done.