she is scared; you can see it in her eyes. she steps through the stark white halls, catching glimpses of the disinfectant and grief- filled rooms appearing every few metres. she is pretty, but her features are marred by her anxiety. her footsteps are slow and measured, as if she is trying to slow her progress,or perhaps daunted by the surrounding people.
you look at her and her journey to her doomed destination of apprehension.
you...
[[smile at her.]]
[[say nothing.]]
[[approach.]]ghost hunter exploring a "haunted" mansion
ghost annoyed
follows person
ability: takes the life of person and lives it, person becomes next ghost\
man idk (definite)
doctor: died in hospital
became monster, life was stolen by another monster
defend woman?
tries to kill her?
other ghost in hospital.you shoot her a silent smile. you know plenty of people in this place would need the solidarity, comfort from the hell they have to endure.
she catches your eye, but does not respond. she rushes onwards.
a strange one, she is.
[[...->interlude 1]]you remain silent. after all, what is there to say?
she catches your eye, but hurries away.
a strange one, she is.
[[...->next arc 1]]you start the path through the throngs of ailing patients milling around the area. she catches your eye and realises that you are approaching. she starts to shy away, trying to hurry off, but you reach her.
you...
[[introduce yourself.]]
[[ask if she is alright.]]
[[ask if she is lost.]]you tell her you name and your position in this place. she seems confused, though over what it is unsure. she tries for a smile, but only produces a faint facsimile.
[["are you okay?"->ask if she is alright.]]
[["you look new."]]
[[you're not lost, are you?->ask if she is lost.]]you ask her if she is okay. after all, she seemed rather distressed. she shakes her head, nervous energy shining through. she assures you that she is fine. //though i might be a little late.//
[[where is she going?]]
[[is she lost?->ask if she is lost.]]
[[well, that's good to know.]]you tell her that she seeemed lost, and that you were concerned. the building //is// rather large, after all. she assures you that she is //perfectly fine, of course//, and she is //sorry to have worried you//. then she says that //it's nice that you care for her//.
you...
[[smile. "of course, it's my job."]]
[[nod. "i'm sorry to have bothered you.']]she shakes her head. //nothing important, just a checkup.//
[[is she lost?->ask if she is lost.]]
[[...->transition 1]]she looks down at her wristwatch, rose gold and beautiful- maybe even handmade. definitely expensive. //look, i have to go-//
you...
[[wave her off. "its fine, go on."]]
[[nod your head. "maybe i can meet you later."]]she laughs softly. it's the sort one would want to keep hearing,gentle and born of mirth. //yes,// she says. //yes, and i hope it stays that way. i just have an appointment.//
you smile back. she seems rather like the type you would like to have coffee with. //well, i hope it goes well.//
//me too.//
you...
[[apologise for bothering her.->nod. "i'm sorry to have bothered you.']]
[[try to befriend her.->nod your head. "maybe i can meet you later."]]she nods, and she waves at you silently as she walks off.
you watch her go. a good candidate.
[[...->next arc 1]]you see her through a half-open door carelessly left gaping when you are going on your rounds. she's sitting with a glassy-eyed doctor as he gravely tells her something, arms moving jerkily. she might be crying, but it's hard to tell- her hunched back is faced towards you.
[[...->boring path]]//yes, perhaps that would be nice.// her lips quirk up as she looks up at you. you find yourself smiling back.
a good candidate.
[[...->next arc 2]]She eyes the doctor she saw in the middle of the crowd. She wished to never see another doctor again, but here she is. Unfortunate, life's twists and turns that had inadvertently led up to her current situation.
At least that one seemed nice enough. (Even if your smile had been placatingly disturbing.)
[[...->next arc 1]]you see her through a half-open door carelessly left gaping when you are going on your rounds. she's sitting with a glassy-eyed doctor as he gravely tells her something, arms moving jerkily. she might be crying, but it's hard to tell- her hunched back is faced towards you.
[[...->meet later path]]you sigh. well, whatever it was, there was no way you were meeting her now.
shame.
[[...->transition 2]]//well, thank you anyway.//
[[...->transition 1]]a soft, lilting laugh. genuine mirth, peaceful. //oh, not a problem. it was nice to meet you.//
[["nice of you to say. although, won't you be late?"]]//yes, yes it is.//
[[...->transition 1]]you loiter a bit outside the office. you're honestly not too sure why. eventually, she comes out of the room. she stumbles out of the room shortly after, as if she's trying to get away from the atmosphere inside.
you...
[[start towards her.]]
[[keep your distance.]]
[[follow her.]]you look at her. a study of human emotion, all without view of her face.
[[...->transition 2]]you start to walk towards her. she hasn't noticed you yet, preoccupied with her thoughts. you can practically see them swarming, like raging grey thunderclouds.
she's upset. its obvious.
[[stop.->leave.]]
[[keep going.]]you stick near the wall, blending in seamlessly with the surroundings. she is rushing away, not seeming to care too much about her surroundings in favour of her bone-deep worry. you supposed that even if you were dancing around in a hot pink jumpsuit, she would not have noticed either.
you...
[[watch her go.]]
[[follow.->follow her.]]she is moving fast. you can't see her face, only her back steadily moving forwards. you pass through the meager passers-by easily. she stops at a waiting area and collapses into the seat. she pulls out her phone and dials a number, desperately pressing it to her ear.
[[listen in.]]
[[leave.]]her hair swishes behind her, flowing around like the tides as she moves just as swiftly. her face is troubled, moreso than before.
there's no rush. if she's that worried, then she will be back soon.
patience.
[[...->write this ending]]//oh. oh dear, you're right.//
[[...->transition 1]]she talks to the person on the phone, words rapidly forcing their way out of her throat. you hear //sickness//, and //i need to be back today//, and //thank you, mother//.
you see her, a lonesome figure in an unfamiliar environment- just doing the best she can. you almost feel hesitation.
but no. you have to do it.
[[...->write this ending]]you blink. what are you doing? stalking some poor lady? she definitely would not appreciate that.
you turn and walk away.
[[...->one last look]]you keep walking, dodging the quiet bustle of the halls.
she spots you.
[[met her just now.]]
[[did not meet her just now.]]you turn around to take a single last look at her.
[[...->watch her go.]]her eyes widen in recognition. she, very reluctantly, seems resigned to speaking with you. she slows down appropriately.
She squints at you. Does she recognise you? No, you hadn't spoken before. She watches as you approach, feeling a tad impatient. She had to make a phone call.
you wave as you approach, ruffling the sides of your clinical white coat.
you...
[[tell her to slow down.]]
[[ask her about the appointment.]]you tell her to stop rushing in the hallways. //what if you hit someone?// her eyes widen; she whispers a frantic apology. you shake your head. //just as long as you slow down.//
she nods. she continues walking, this time with slow, barely restrained footsteps as she makes her way through the hallway.
you see her go, before realising that a few onlookers are shooting her strange looks. you shake your head. a mistake. sometimes you forget.
it's alright. you will get to her eventually.
[[...->write this ending]]you ask her about her appointment. her eyes widen; she is suddenly and clearly uncomfortable. //how... why do you know that?//
you...
[[lie.]]
[[tell the truth.]]//oh, i'm assigned to your case,// you say, trying to push the words out as matter-of-factly as possible. //i hope you're alright. big news and all.// she relaxes marginally. //ah... i see. yes, i suppose.// she gives you a strained smile, clearly forced. //well, i have to go. i've got calls to make.//
you nod. //alright, just wanted to check with you.// she nods forcefully and hurriedly steps away.
hmm.
[[...->write this ending]]you wince a little. //i'm sorry if i was nosy,// you say, //i just saw you in the room while i was doing my rounds. you seemed upset. i hope that you're alright.// she relaxes a little, though the tension does not entirely leave her body. //i see. i'll... be fine, eventually.//
[["you don't need to answer, but... what is it?"]]
[["were you heading somewhere?"]]she tells you. your eyes widen appropriately, showing the epitome of barely-restrained surprise. she sighs. //yes, i know. i have to go and call someone about it.// you nod. she pushes out a smile and turns to go, slowly walking while checking the contents of her phone. you spy her contact list. it is depressingly small.
a lonely one. even better.
[[...->write this ending]]]her eyebrows crease in mild irritation. //yes, i am. i need to call someone. i need to go okay?// you raise your hands in placation. //alright, i'm sorry.// her anger tempers, and she shakes her head. she looks more tired than ever. //i'm sorry, i'm just stressed.// she walks away without another word, pulling out her phone.
you catch a glimpse of her depressingly small contact list.
a lonely one. even better.
[[...->write this ending]]...
it is late now. the sunset has faded so that the last vestiges of the red and orange tones in the sky have slipped away into darkness. you had seen them from the window of the ward of a tired old man. he had stared straight ahead, through you.
you saw her at reception. she had a single ward. you supposed it had something to do with her 'condition'.
no time like the present, you suppose.
[[...->transformation :O]]you know the footsteps that lead to her ward, tracing your path in your head just as you follow them down through the cold, dark corridors. you have to do it now. if not now, then when?
[[...->open door]]You crack the door open, letting a thin sliver of light into the suffocating ward. She sits on the edge of her bed, mild light from her window casting a glow on her face. Weariness has settled into the curves of her face.
She turns to you as you enter. Her heart palpitates in her chest, but she keeps her gaze on the figure in the doorway- the thing she has kept encountering again and again. Why do you keep approaching her?
Why can't she remember your face?
"Why are you here?" her voice rings out into the silent room. You stand there, unmoving, sinister.
You...
[[show yourself.]]
[[approach the bed.]]you grin, all teeth and no mirth. your limbs bend strangely, like those of a mutilated doll- broken and twisted, but no human injury or blood. your fingers lenghten into needle-sharp points- or were they always so thin? the night reduces your daylight form into nothing. she sees you.
[[...->her view]]you approach her. she bites back a whimper as she scrabbles off the bed and turns, her bitter, frantic fear singing in your ears. she trembles as she faces you, hands shaking as she brings them up like a weak barrier between you and her.
it won't work, of course. nothing will.
your smile grows impossibly wider as you grasp her wrist. she...
[[wrenches it away.]]
[[tries to fight.]]She feels a wave of knife-sharp fear run through her body. She tries to scream, but you raise your hand and rapidly clench it into a fist. Her throat is aburptly dried of sound. your grin widens.
she...
[[tries to run.]]
[[tries to fight.]]your fingernails dig into her skin, far too sharp to be human. she pulls it away, the skin tearing open like scissors to paper. crimson red drips down from your arm, and she gasps.
she...
[[runs->runs(bleeding)]]
[[fights->fights(bleeding)]]she kicks at your shin and wrestles her hand in your grip. you are momentarily stunned, losing grasp of her hand. she turns and runs.
[[you follow.]]you stalk behind her, your spindly legs rapidly descending upon her. she turns a corner, desperately running with fearful adrenaline. you turn the corner, and she is gone. two junctions lie ahead.
you...
[[get some help.]]
[[manipulate.]]She turns and runs, footsteps heavy and desperate. She turns the corner, hearing your sharp, rhythmic thumping echoing the palpitation in her skull.
[[...->you see blood]]she tries to aim a punch at you. even if it does not harm you, it knocks you off balance.
she turns and pushes her way out of the ward. you watch her go.
''she cannot escape.''
[[...->you see blood]]you raise a hand, the strings already snaking forwards like limbs from your body. he is slumped over, asleep in his office. he's always been a workaholic- staying overnight, and even lonelier than her. the strings pierce through his skin, hooking into his joints. he is- at least for the time being- under your control.
[[...->he be movin]]gets call from mother
answer a few qs
if right, reassure mother
end: yu must have been tricked, mother.
or: she escapes
sees news report at lobby.She pushes herself forwards as adrenaline shoots through her brain, pulsing red-hot through her skull. She barely makes it out of the door before you turn and pull her down. She screams again, but it drowns in her throat ike the last words of a dying sailor. You push her to the floor, rough and clumsy, and she falls to her knees.
[[...->wait for the end.]]you look down. there is a trail of blood on the floor, bright and unnatural against the cheerful blue flooring. it leads straight to her, and you know it.
your smile stretches wider. she's making this easy.
[[...->go 2]]you concentrate, and the halls converge and warp. you follow the twisting passageways. this place will be her tomb, just like it was yours- all those years ago when it took your face, your friends, your //life// from you.
[[go.]]you track her down. she is at the dead end you created, you know it. she crouches in the corner, back flush with the wall. she is crying, and the transparent droplets are sliding down her face and dripping off her chin. she sobs in desperation when you enter, a sorrowful cry of utter hopelessness.
[[...->interlude 2]]She hears you before she sees you. Your footsteps patter down the corridor, slow and leisurely, as if you are taunting her- like this is a //fun little game//. Her back presses into the wall uncomfortably. She wipes her face, covered in sweat and salty tears. She feels hopelessly trapped, absolute despair painting her features into a portrait of fear. She wants to run, but where will she go? She is desperately reasoning with herself, but she knows no one can save her.
[[wait for the end.]]you approach, claws sharp. your grin widens and curls around the sides of your face as she winces back. soon enough, she will take your place, and you will be free.
[[stop.]]
[[take her.]]his body lurches forwards, pulled by your strings, and he takes one of the branches. you take the other.
''she will not escape.''
[[...->yikes]]your faces warps just like the hallways as you grab her collar, laughing hysterically. Your laugh gives her a headache, pushing its way past your consciousness. you lean forwards as your arms, covered in pale, ill-fitting skin, reach out to grab her.
you remember what it was like that day; even if the memories are corrupted and fuzzy from your transformation, there are few things as hard to forget. you remember the pain you felt when the one before you ate your life, and a bitter sense of glee rejoices in how you will make her feel the very same. when this is done, you will replace her, and she will replace you. you will finally escape the hell you had to endure.
she cries bitterly, and as the remains of your loose face fall and rip away during your transformation, she finally screams. you can no longer find it in you to care. she will soon be gone, and you will be there. at least you've always been a decent actor.
the one before you certainly was, fooling the people you loved one by one until they were convinced it was really you. you remember when it came into the hospital to taunt you. it grinned with your face, and you ''could not do anything'' about it.
she will not be able to do anything about it either.
you reach forward to take her face, her life, her ''everything''.
you close your eyes and keep smiling.
[[she is taken.]]your faces warps just like the hallways as you grab her collar, laughing hysterically. Your laugh gives her a headache, pushing its way past your consciousness. you lean forwards as your arms, covered in pale, ill-fitting skin, reach out to grab her.
[[5t0p.]]
[[take her.->take her stop]]She scrambles through the corridors, each one identical to the last in her panic-induced derilium. She lost you, but for how long? Ths place will surely be her tomb.
She hears the footsteps of another person behind her, and she freezes. Her heart pumps with absolute horror and barely concealed dread. She checks the corner. It's-
A doctor?
He is nothing like you, not like the nightmarish concept of terror that hunts her. He looks normal, a run-of-the-mill passer-by one would usually tune out.
But as he gets closer, it is clear there is something wrong.
His limbs are bent at strange angles, head twisted sideways as he shuffles forwards in a feeble approximation of a human gait. His eyes are wrenched open, and as she looks around she sees glittering lines in the surrounding air.
His necks twists, and he looks straight at her.
She turns and runs, pushing yourself away from the wall and heading to the next turn that could take her away from everything. Her breath comes in hot gasps, and she prays that he had not seens her. Behind her, she hears his body slump to the floor heavily, like a puppet with his strings cut. And maybe that is what he is.
She turns, but she only finds a dead end. Her tears come harder, hot and rolling down her cheeks in coats of sorrow and hopelessness.
[[...->interlude 2]]you track her down. she is alone in a dismal, empty room. she crouches in the corner, back flush with the wall. she is crying, and the transparent droplets are sliding down her face and dripping off her chin. she sobs in desperation when you enter, a sorrowful cry of utter hopelessness.
[[...->interlude 2]]Everything stops. All is quiet. You are struck by the sudden silence of the room. Your ears are ringing a painful tune, but to you it sounds like singing. She is gone, and you remain.
You put a hand to your face. You feel her features, now your own, and you can't help but grin. The pain is gone. Everything is gone. You are //here//.
[[...->pack it up but evil]]you remember what it was like that day; even if the memories are corrupted and fuzzy from your transformation, there are few things as hard to forget. you remember the pain you felt when the one before you ate your life, and a bitter sense of glee rejoices in how you will make her feel the very same. when this is done, you will replace her, and she will replace you. you will finally escape the hell you had to endure.
[[s̶t̶o̶p̶.̶]]
[[take her.->take her stop2]]she cries bitterly, and as the remains of your loose face fall and rip away during your transformation, she finally screams. you can no longer find it in you to care. she will soon be gone, and you will be there. at least you've always been a decent actor.
the one before you certainly was, fooling the people you loved one by one until they were convinced it was really you. you remember when it came into the hospital to taunt you. it grinned with your face, and you ''could not do anything'' about it.
[[STOP.]]
[[take her.->take her stop3]]you remember what it was like that day; even if the memories are corrupted and fuzzy from your transformation, there are few things as hard to forget. you remember the pain you felt when the one before you ate your life, and a bitter sense of glee rejoices in how you will make her feel the very same. when this is done, you will replace her, and she will replace you. you will finally escape the hell you had to endure.
she cries bitterly, and as the remains of your loose face fall and rip away during your transformation, she finally screams. you can no longer find it in you to care. she will soon be gone, and you will be there. at least you've always been a decent actor.
the one before you certainly was, fooling the people you loved one by one until they were convinced it was really you. you remember when it came into the hospital to taunt you. it grinned with your face, and you ''could not do anything'' about it.
she will not be able to do anything about it either.
you reach forward to take her face, her life, her ''everything''.
you close your eyes and keep smiling.
[[she is taken.]]she cries bitterly, and as the remains of your loose face fall and rip away during your transformation, she finally screams. you can no longer find it in you to care. she will soon be gone, and you will be there. at least you've always been a decent actor.
the one before you certainly was, fooling the people you loved one by one until they were convinced it was really you. you remember when it came into the hospital to taunt you. it grinned with your face, and you ''could not do anything'' about it.
she will not be able to do anything about it either.
you reach forward to take her face, her life, her ''everything''.
you close your eyes and keep smiling.
[[she is taken.]]she will not be able to do anything about it either.
you reach forward to take her face, her life, her ''everything''.
you close your eyes and keep smiling.
[[████.]]
[[she is taken.]]breathe, fear, take, scream-
you stop.
you need this so badly it hurts, stings, //burns//, and the answer is right in front of you, trapped, helpless, hopeless, but-
but-
but she is innocent.
you know that when you worked at this place, you were a monster. you took bribes, milked people of their money, withheld urgent care- broken the Hippocratic Oath you had sworn yourslf to without an ounce of remorse. you sinned, and when it took you, you knew, deep inside, that you had deserved it. every second of pain, of terror, of loneliness, you had deserved it all. you didn't deserve to walk free ever again.
but she did.
[[...->interlude 3]]she will not be able to do anything about it either.
you reach forward to take her face, her life, her ''everything''.
you close your eyes and keep smiling.
[[she is taken.]]She is surrounded by the overwhelming, crippling sensation of being utterly torn apart and remade into something she does not want to be. She is paralysed, painful, excruciating-
Nothing.
Her scream dies in her throat as she looks up upon the creature bent over her. The pain is gone, and it has left you behind. You gaze upon her with remade eyes, a terrible sadness swirling within their inky depths. You fold your body backwards, hunching into yourself. Your many limbs and spindly body clear a path to the door. An offering.
An escape.
She shakily pushes herself up to her feet, hesitantly testing the waters. She slowly walks to the door, anxiety begging her to run- but she can only walk in measured, disbelieving footsteps towards freedom.
She's almost out.
[[Thank you.]]
[[Run.]]She turns to you one last time before leaving. //thank you,// she whispers, only just loud enough to be audible. you almost want to laugh- she was just traumatised by an absolute, all-around monster and the first thing she does is thank you.
she really didn't deserve what you've done.
she gives you a genuine smile- her heart is so caring, so //beautiful//.
[[...->pack it up (END 1)]]Something snaps in her head, and the frayed nerve endings in her brain finally send a signal through. She breaks out into a run as she desperately gets as far away as she can. She turns, and for a split second she sees your face. You are a monster, but you are so regretful- she can see it in your mourning eyes.
[[...->pack it up (END 1)]]you watch as she rushes into her ward and takes her meager belongings, searching through her bags to pull out her phone. she leaves the hospital as she dials in the number with the air of someone drenched in utter relief. it rings three times before connecting. //hi, ma... i'm sorry to have scared you... no, it was nothing after all.// she breathes the cool night air in. you wish you could do that.
you wish you could do that, but not enough to endanger another one. she was your first victim, and she will be your last. she will perhaps be the last person ever taken again, and you can make your peace with that.
you have all the time in the world, after all.
|END|You rush into her ward and takes her meager belongings, searching through her bags to pull out her phone. None of these are hers any longer, and yo feel the satisfaction of //living// seeping into your bones. You leave the hospital as you dial in the number. It rings three times before connecting. You breathe in the cool night air.
"Hi, Ma."
A tinny voice responds, her mother- your mother. "Are you alright? What happened? Were you in the hospital?"
You explain, tie up the loose ends, make her happy, convince her. "No, the doctors made a mistake." They did, under your guidance.
She fusses and worries, as mothers do. "It's good that you are okay. So, false alarm?"
"I'm sorry to have scared you."
You can feel her gaze watching you, bitter, resentful. Maybe you will pay her a visit some day.
You let the smile stretch onto your face.
"It was nothing after all."
|END|