𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨 | 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟒 𝐙𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚

𝐢 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐮 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡

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| 1 3 |

Trigger Warning:
substance abuse & violence.
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7:45pm

Rose spent the rest of the evening alone. After being awkwardly comforted by Richard and having a philosophical speech with her, he disappeared. She was left alone watching another sun set. The Sun grazed above the horizon of the vast and endless ocean. It's rays felt warm and inviting against her cold skin: subsequent to being kept inside all day in the heavy working air conditioner. The images kept replaying in her head, Michaels lifeless body clinging onto her until he went stiff. Releasing a heavy sigh, she rubbed her side and stood up from where she was sitting on the balcony and hugged herself while entering the place once more. Bringing her hand up to her mouth to cover a yawn, she watched as Richard came in. "Where did you go?" She asked quietly while he removed his leather jacket and tossed it on the couch. Rose watched him dig into his pockets and pull out a small baggie that contained a white powdery substance: cocaine. 'You move fast.' She thought, rolling her eyes.

"How do cell phones work? I want one." He asked, pouring himself a cup of whiskey and quietly arranging the lines on the table, the screeching of the credit card scratching against the surface of the silver tray made Rose tense up as she watched from afar. "Well we'd have to go to a carrier store, buy you one and get it set up—once it's connected you can basically contact anyone, search anything at the touch of your hands." Richard nodded from below her, bowing his head down into the tray and snorting the powdery substance quietly. After he finished, he tilted his head back while sniffling and rubbing his nose with a small husky groan. Watching him shift around, Rose rolled her eyes and walked away. "I'm going to get you one as well, I'll have you at the reach of my hands." She didn't answer to what he had to say, only offering a hum as a reply.

From far away, she could hear him pour himself a drink: followed by more line sniffing and groans as he blasted Pantera. Rose didn't know how he would act under the influence, so she simply walked into her room and locked the door: scared that he might act weird or violent toward her. He still was a ruthless killer. After standing in silence, the girl could hear him approaching her door from down the hall. His footsteps were heavy, somewhat dragged. Stopping in his tracks, he grabbed the door knob and turned it— expecting the door to come open, But it didn't budge, it caused him to suck in an angry breath while shaking his head. "Why the fuck would you lock this door?!" Rose backed away, scared at his sudden outburst.

There was a moment of silence, before he began banging on the door unexpectedly. The noises made Rose whimper and start to shake, she didn't know what to do. Before she could hide, he kicked the fragile door open. The girl was frozen in place like a deer in the headlights, he didn't hesitate in approaching her and slapping her hard across the face. The impact of his palm striking her, sent her to the floor below him. A sob escaped her lips while she put her hands up to avoid receiving anymore blows to her face. An unexpected kick to the side of her ribcage was enough for her to lose all strength and oxygen, her breathing staggered for a few seconds before gasping and crying out. "Don't lock your fucking door." He knelt down, wrapping his arms around her: which made her flinch. "See what you made me do sweetie?" His tone was quiet.

Nodding she cried silently, and wiped her tears quickly to avoid annoying him, staring into his eyes, she could easily see how coked up he was. Rage and coke didn't mix well. Scrunching her face up in anger and hurt, she punched at his chest while crying loudly and yelling at him, calling him crazy and more insulting slurs. All he did was hold her, the side where he kicked at was pulsing in pain, her cheek stung from the slap. Eventually, she settled into his arms while sniffling quietly as he rocked her.

Pulling herself away from him, she stood up and stared down at him. "I want to get some rest, you should get some yourself." Without letting him reply, she crawled into bed and switched off the only source of light in her room. Richard sat there for a few seconds, before standing up and staring down at her in an attempt to utter an apology— since he was now sober and realized what he did, but all he managed to do was stare and then walk away. He didn't feel sorry, how could he? He had never had empathy for others— how could he now? Rose was lucky to only receive a slap and kick to the ribs.

That night, Rose didn't sleep. The discomfort of her uneven breathing and pain on her side kept her awake. All she could do was lay there and stare at the ceiling with tears pooling in her eyes, how did she end up in this situation? how could she escape Richard? Most importantly, How would they bring Michael back? Could he help her? Sighing, she rubbed her heavy eyes and closed them— in an attempt to get a few hours of sleep, but she didn't: of course.

Instead, she watched the Sunrise from her window after laying in the darkness of the night for hours. An unexpected knock at the front door snapped her out of her pained breathing frenzy, Richard didn't answer after the first few knocks. She figured he was in a deep sleep after what had happened, pulling herself out of bed while clenching her teeth, she made her way toward the door. Peeking through the peephole, she made out the figure of a male with long shoulder-length honey blonde hair, it curled at the ends. His cheeks were stained in blood, and he wore a red velvet blazer with black dress pants, and a black button down with a matching black scarf. He looked oddly familiar. Before she could unlock the door for herself, the locks clicked on their own and the door opened.

Rose stepped back and stared at the male across from her, "Michael.." she breathed out, extending her arm toward his chest to pull him into a hug. "How is this possible?" The girl whispered, "why do you look so different? so much older?" she leaned back and touched his cheek, staring into his eyes. "You died in my arms hours ago."

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