Hollow

Chapter 35

I'm so obsessed with this song right now^^^ Dusk Till Dawn by Zayn, ft. Sia. Perfection ❤

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My head pounded and I squeezed my eyes more tightly shut. I felt a chill in the air and I shivered against my blanket. I attempted to squint my eyes open, closing them again when I saw only dark shadows forming across the room. It was still night, or at least early morning. I couldn't focus on anything. My head throbbed and my body shook in the freezing air.

All your fault. A harsh whisper echoed around me.

I pushed myself further into the bed sheets and clenched down on my shivering jaw. Everything was spinning, so fast I felt nauseous. A chilling breeze blew around me, sending a new layer of goosebumps across my skin.

-because of you.

My eyes snapped open when the whisper danced around my head again. It was soft, but ice cold. My mind was fuzzy and shapes blurred the shadowed corners of the room. In my haze, I heard the sound of feet pressing softly into the carpet. I forced down a shiver and tried to push myself up into a sitting position. Everything spun again and the sickening taste of bile rose in my throat.

I shut my eyes again and clutched my stomach, sucking in a gulp of oxygen. My breaths came out in heavy pants as I struggled to force back the sudden twisting in my stomach.

I could feel someone near me, slowly approaching. I struggled to open my eyes to look, and immediately shut them again when the nausea intensified. They were close, nearly touching me. My skin, already covered in goosebumps, crawled uncomfortably.

In the back of my foggy mind, confusion crept in. Was I in my room? Was there another person there or was my mind playing tricks on me?

My stomach twisted again and a low groan escaped me. The last time I'd felt anything like this, it was the result of me and Liam sneaking a tub of cookie dough from the cupboard. My brother and I had eaten nearly the entire thing before we were caught. Our parents had scolded us, but couldn't stay angry when we were both bed-ridden with sickness for two days after that.

My mother had been gentle and caring, keeping me comfortable in bed. She gave me medicine and homemade soup to soothe my aching stomach. She used to run her fingertips through my hair and hum soft melodies until I drifted off to sleep. Those days had brought me the most peaceful sleep of my life.

I wished she was here now. I felt the presence move behind me. I couldn't find the strength in me to feel afraid or fight back. I could barely find the strength to open my eyes. My stomach rolled again, sending me back into my blanket gripping the sheets tightly around me.

Weak.

The voice came again. Mockingly; Threateningly. What did it want?

I wanted this to end. The pain, the nausea, the aching in my body that increased with each frosty breeze. I wanted my mother. I wanted her presence, her voice, her comfort. I missed her. And the squeeze in my chest at the thought of her told me I'd been missing her for a while.

I could feel the presence moving closer, but it was getting harder to focus on. My senses were coming in and out and exhaustion began seeping back into my body. My fingertips were numb and I began forgetting how the cold felt as I drifted back off to sleep.

You- the voice came in and out again. -regret everything.

But nothing came. No attack, or threat, or pain. The room suddenly became silent, so silent for a moment that even the empty background noise stayed hidden in the darkness.