Delirium (Creepypasta x reader)

•23•

The first snow of the season passed without your notice, followed by one cloudy day after another until the light dusting of white became a permanent fixture on the ground. Long-sleeved shirts and windbreakers were exchanged for thick sweaters and fleece jackets, pom-pom hats and mittens covering vulnerable extremities. The typically full campus grounds were now more of a travelling place than a chatting place, the cold winds deterring students from lingering for too long.

The freezing weather was a prelude to the quickly closing in holiday season of red and green, your bookstore requiring a more festive uniform to match the tinsel and wreaths decorating the store. The pumpkin spice flavour was overtaken by gingerbread and peppermint, both tasty but still not as great, and most ads now proclaimed how good said brand was as a holiday gift for your loved ones.

Another event that was closing in was the most dreaded part of the semester.

Exams.

The time between now and then was just a scant few weeks. Yes, you still had break week to study, and yes, your workload had finally petered off to a regular amount - but putting out that much energy in the effort of getting back on track came with a mental and physical detriment.

To put it less eloquently, you felt like shit.

There was a myriad of other factors playing into it, but that took up the biggest slice of the awful pie that your life currently revolved around. The second biggest slice was the mysterious actions of Cathy.

You knew that letting her live in your head rent free was not a good thing. And yet your mind kept circling to her, especially during the class you two shared. Thinking of her, and also the absence of her.

More often than not, Cathy was nowhere to be seen. Despite her lackadaisical approach to most aspects of her life, being punctual and present to class was something she put some pride into. Now it was rare to see her blazing head of hair sitting in the room. Her absence should have made you feel better, but it seemed to have the opposite effect instead.

You were nervous, waiting for her to burst into class at any moment or be found loitering in the hall, waiting for you.

Maybe she was doing it on purpose, keeping you on edge and uncertain about her movements. Watching you cross the campus, hidden behind a doorway, delighting in your anxiety...

Whoa, now that was ridiculous!

You shook your head and then pinched the bridge of your nose. Where did that thought come from? Cathy was acting weird, but she wasn't the kind to stalk or be that creepy. Your weary brain was acting so paranoid as of late.

That was the final piece besides exams that completed this metaphorical pie. Something was off - had been off since Halloween. Yet you couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Just that something was off.

The thought skittered around the perimeter of your mind, prodding at you and unsettling you. Persisting in a constant, unfocused and ceaseless writhing under your skin. Wracking your brain you came up with nothing that could be contributing to it. You had no more missed assignments, no late doctor or dentist appointments or anything.

"Alright everyone," your professor announced, drawing the attention of the class, "I'll let you all go early today. Check online for your recent test mark and have a good rest of your day."

You shut your notebook and tucked everything away in your messenger bag, surrounded by the sounds of other students sneakers squeaking and zippers closing.

Pulling on your fuzzy hat, you walked out of class and slipped through the outer doors into the cold and crisp campus air. The breath you took hurt a bit, but in a good way after inhaling the stale air of the classroom for an hour.