A DULL, NUMB FEELING ENCASED POOR MALLORY, the heartbroken girl was consumed by an overflowing wave of choked sobs that did nothing to ease the shattered state of her still-beating heart. Her fingers gripped the mahogany-colored blankets draped over her weakened body, her glossy eyes were puffy and rimmed in red and she stared at the empty side of the small room, though every image that danced in her eyesight was hazy. Her fragile form shook violently, the sounds that emitted from her raw throat sounded strained and hoarse, her body not possessing the capability to create a stronger, more clear tone.
She had run herself dry, but despite the fuel chambers in her brain being alarmingly empty, the girl showed no desire to rest, despite her being exhausted—both emotionally and physically. Her heart had been overloaded with stress, this showing deeply in the pain that radiated in her chest area despite there being no physical cause. The organ shattered and the broken pieces were left to fall into an empty abyss of nothing.
Through the delusional state of this grieving teenager, she could identify one true feeling that presented itself. Hurt. But it was the only thing that allowed her to deem herself as living, even though her very soul felt crushed. She had been hurt in so many different ways, and she couldn't begin to comprehend what had just happened all within twenty-four hours.
Her ears rang, like a tea kettle just reaching boiling point, the piercing cry was equal parts obnoxious and overwhelming. Mallory bit down on her lip so hard the skin tore and bled, the metallic taste tainting her taste buds. Her lips began stinging, though that went unnoticed as nothing outweighed the collapsing of her heart.
Regret plagued her subconscious next, the girl never truly despising herself as a human being until now. Maybe if she had been more understanding all her agony would be non-existent. Marlon would still be alive, and the twins would have been able to form a plan together that would help them deal with the newfound knowledge of a living threat beyond their walls. If she would've just listened maybe Marlon wouldn't have been inclined to destroy himself by murdering one of their own in cold blood and putting the lives of others in danger.
She should've noticed the gun held tightly in AJ's hands. She had been so distracted by her feeling of betrayal that she had failed to save her brother. Regret danced behind her, the haunting ghost that never disappeared, but was invisible to the naked eye. It was brandished from the torment Mallory's mind was under, an intangible being that was created solely out of all the emotions that ran rampant in the abyss. It was as if she could still feel it though, entwining its arms tightly around her frail body, keeping her in a cage and locked tight. The arms were anything but warm and comforting. They were cold, alarmingly cold, and Mallory couldn't help but involuntarily shiver as if she had felt the touch of a physical apparition.
