METANOIA | Eddie Munson

The Dive, Part 2

3rd Person's POV

"I didn't kill you."

His gaze had this certain hold on her, even to this day, it was as if he could see right through her.

"I didn't mean to." She pulled her hand away from his grasp, "It was an accident."

His fingers trailed up from her chin to cup her cheek, thumb swiping at the tears she didn't realise were flowing, "Is that why you're crying?"

"I was in love with you J-Josh." She let out a sob.

"You know I don't like it when you lie to me darling."

"I'm not lying, Josh, I swear-"

"I loved you, and you killed me."

"No-"

"That is why you carry around all this guilt. You can't stand the dark. Why? Because it reminds you of me."

She flinched away from his touch.

"Because that's what you did to me. It makes you feel like a corpse, not being able to see anything, not being able to hear anything. It suffocates you."

"No." She whimpered, cowering away from him.

"You feel like you can't breathe. It makes you really want to stop breathing. So you won't have to feel like that anymore."

She shook her head.

"Be careful what you wish for Valerie, because that's why I'm here."

She deserved it. She knew she deserved it, "No."

"You'll know what it's really like to be a corpse, and you'll know it's far worse than anything you've ever imagined."

Her foot caught in a branch and she fell backwards.

She looked up expecting Josh to be staring down at her, but instead saw this creature.

Considering this thing was from the upside down, it seemed almost human. But it was so far from it.

His sickly, almost rotten frame easily towered over her. It was like a man turned inside out, the revolting veins that covered him adding color to his otherwise pale self.

"It is time, Valerie. Time for you to join me."

That voice chilled her to her core. She had never heard it before, and yet immediately knew who it belonged to.

She pulled herself up on her feet and took off.

Chrissy. Fred. Max.

Despite the impending sense of doom coursing through her, she found herself wondering if Max was okay. She better be.

The forest seemed never ending as she ran through it. It was all the same, everywhere she looked.

"You cannot hide from me, Valerie."

She couldn't give up. She couldn't end up like them. But there was no escape.

Her legs eventually gave in, she fell on her knees, panting.

"Eddie!" Her movements were frantic, she couldn't take it anymore, "Eddie, where are you? Please..."

Suddenly a soft red glow fell on the right half of her face.

It was all foggy, there was nothing to see beyond it. Except for the occasional flashes of lightning. Something was telling her to go towards it, and so she did.