Psychosis

Chapter 14- Stressed Out

Isabel looked down at her menu, not quite sure what she wanted. She was a little stressed, but not enough to truly be concerned about yet. Besides, she was with her new team, and she didn't want to worry them. She tried to read the menu, but she noticed that the words were awfully blurry. She started to wonder if she needed to get her eyes checked. She shook her head, and looked at her new team, who was talking about their latest escapades and catching up with the new guys, Isabel included. Isabel almost smiled, until she felt something cold and sticky on her hands. She looked down and saw that the menu wasn't blurry because her eyes needed to be checked. The ink was leaking out of the menu, traveling up her arm, threatening to coat her and reveal to the rest of the team who she really was.

She screamed, but it was silent to all but her. The ink continued to move, encasing her in a cocoon of blackness. She couldn't see, but it was as if no one even noticed something was wrong. The sticky mess finally reached her face, and she found herself unable to move. It wasn't for lack of trying, as she tried with all her might to move, even if just a little bit. Her efforts, though, were all in vain, and she found that she couldn't even move an inch. Only one of her senses was working, and that was her sense of hearing. She could plainly hear her new team talking without even noticing her state. Then the outside voices changed. They became darker, more sinister, and Isabel wished she could see what was going on. Suddenly, all the ink melted, and as she saw what had changed around her, Isabel realized that the saying her mother had always reminded her of was suddenly very, very true for her. Be careful what you wish for, it just might come true.

Isabel looked around the table, unsure of what to make of her situation. Monsters were around her, monsters that were just human enough so that she could tell who they were and what they were saying. There were three males, one of them having darker skin than the rest. A skinny male monster sat next to her, and Isabel could feel that he, unlike the rest of them, was not willing to hurt her. The four female monsters were not physically hurting her, but making the opportunity for the males to harm her. The females all had long, stringy, snakelike hair. Two were blonde, one had dark hair, and one had a slimy covering of something on her head, masking the color of her hair.

"Do you see things you aren't supposed to see?" the dark-haired monster asked Isabel. Isabel looked to the corner of the room, where, invisible to the monsters, her redheaded friend stood, signing instructions and telling Isabel to stay strong.

"No." Wrong answer. The dark-skinned monster smiled maliciously, making Isabel's heart race. What was he planning? Suddenly, pain raced through Isabel's nerves like a fire, and all of her muscles tightened. She was being shocked. That's how this was going to go. If she answered a question wrong or with the answer the monsters didn't like, she would be shocked. Isabel looked at the skinny monster, who had turned away. He didn't want to watch them hurt Isabel. She considered asking him for help, but she kept her mouth shut. That would probably cause another shock. She looked over at the monster with the head covering, the one she thought was her friend.

"Oh, Isabel, don't you know? The only friends you have are the ones you've created in your mind."

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Ciara couldn't breathe. It was more than just the fact that she was in a public place sitting at a table surrounded by people her mind had just created demonic versions of. It more than the fact that the server was there and she actually had to make a choice about what she wanted to order, though her appetite had gone out the window. It was the fact that she was quickly getting too stressed, and it was affecting her. And why? Because of her routine. She had a routine to follow, and right now, she wasn't following that routine. She knew exactly what time it was. 9:13.