I Think I Love You

New Home

I watched as the fiery flames soared higher, reaching the night sky. Police sirens were roaring in the distance, getting closer with each sharp inhale I took, the smoke entering my lungs, causing me to choke. I had followed what the whispers told me—to get rid of my father. If you could even call him one, he never deserved to be called one. He always treated us like we were beneath him. He wasn't there when Lyra died; his poison of choice distracted him. The gash on my face a constant reminder of the pain and loss I've suffered, the missing skin on my fingers a keepsake. I tore through my cheek, tearing the flesh off my body as I spiraled further into my madness. This was his fault.

This was it. I was going to die here, in this fire. That's how it should end, too. A fitting end for someone like me. My mother deserved a better son, but she deserved an even better husband. The ringing in my ears became louder than before. I felt like my head was going to burst, my skull splitting. I held my head in my hand, wincing, turning around. In front of me was a towering, faceless creature.

"Come with me." He spoke, his voice was raspy but monotone. A tinge of static lacing each syllable.

His voice was inside my head, but he had no mouth to speak aloud. He didn't have any features, no eyes, no ears. I didn't quite understand it. This creature's existence was beyond human comprehension. The voice reverberated each time he spoke, bouncing around like a television screensaver, never hitting the bottom corners.

I whipped my head around; the sirens were close. I needed to decide, and I needed to do it soon. I turned back to him and reluctantly nodded. Rotting in a prison for the majority of my life or following an eldritch creature? Of course, I chose the latter. And with that, his hypnotic voice beckoned me deeper into the woods, drawing me further into the darkness.

The distant sound of sirens faded away. I didn't know how long we had been walking, but it had to have been a while. I couldn't see the sun. The twisting trees overhead blocked it from view. We arrived at a clearing. In front of us emerged a rundown house that you would only see in horror movies. It seemed to be several stories, Victorian era.

I followed him as he guided me towards the rotting oak door. It was too late to back out now. I couldn't run away. I did not know where I was and this is the only shelter I have at the moment. What would be behind this door? I stepped inside to laughter and people speaking.

"Everyone." He spoke up to the few people lingering in the room. There was complete silence and stares followed. "This is Toby, my new proxy. Please try to treat him well, or else." After saying so, he disappeared before my eyes.

I turned back towards everyone in the room. I jerked my neck. My tics are always bad when I get upset or anxious. It's a common misconception that in people with Tourette's tic all the time, the frequency lessens when focused and worsens when upset, at least in my case. I've even heard they stop while singing, but I'm not much of a singer, so I wouldn't know. I'm torn from my thoughts quickly.

A young woman with long black hair walked up to me and held out her hand. Her skin was porcelain white, her eyes inky black. She seemed older than me, and more mature than the others in the room as well. I slowly let my hand meet hers, shaking her hand.

"My name is Jane, it's nice to meet you, Toby." She smiled at me, letting go of my hand.

"Just great, another useless person I have to deal with." A deep voice spoke from behind me.

I turn around to see a young man, with white skin and black hair. His face seemed to be disfigured. He held a knife in his hand, absent-mindedly playing with it as he shot glares at me. I knew I was going to find him annoying, insufferable even.

"Just ignore him. He's like that with everyone." Jane told me. I nodded.

Jane's comment caused Jeff to roll his eyes and leave the room. I wasn't sure how much longer I could put up with him being in my general vicinity so I was pretty thankful he had left. Unlike him, my presence seemed to bother very few people, or at least they didn't notice me.

Jane gave me a brief tour of the house, introduced me to a few people, and explained how things worked here. She explained everyone was relatively new and that we would bring in others as time went by, this place was like a haven of sorts. However, it also sounded like we were just here to do the Tall Guys' bidding.

"Since we all arrived within the past year, the place is still pretty run down, but we're working on it," Jane said, guiding me down the hall.

Antique portraits littered the walls, the paints chipping, and dull. The hallways were dark; I feared for how dark it would get at night. Cobwebs took up corners of the ceilings, I hoped their owners had abandoned their dwelling.

"I'm guessing cleaning is gonna have to be done soon?" I wondered aloud.

She nodded, continuing. I would hate having to clean this place, it was huge! There were so many rooms and I knew I was going to get lost. We then stopped in front of a room. She opened the door, letting me inside first. It was empty besides a bed, nightstand, and lamp. I was thankful to at least have a room of my own.

"It may not be comfy, but I'm sure with some new decor you'll like it better." She said, giving me a small smile. "Dinner is 6 pm every night, by the way. Try to be there on time."

And with that Jane was gone, leaving me alone to my thoughts in my new empty room. All of us gathered at one table was an amusing thing to imagine. How can you possibly control a ton of unhinged mass killers and creatures? Dinner was soon so I suppose I'd just have to see.