The pictures that talk ✔

A beginner's mistake, but a honorable one

"Come on, wake up sleepy head" I hear a low voice say. My eyes flutter open in confusion. I don't see anything, why is it so cold here?

"Who are you?" I whisper, droplets of water falling on my chilled skin and creating shivers all over my body. The voice giggles like a madman all around me, echo that reverberates without end, making my head ache badly.

"You were dumped here" the voice whispers back, as if sharing a secret. Dumped? "What do you mean? What are you talking about? I was sleeping in a bed last night, I was-" "Dumped. You were dumped, put to trash, forgotten". I shut my mouth and try to stand up. My body hurts so much, what happened to me?

"Oh I wouldn't try to move so much, you're badly injured". I am? "Why is it so dark and cold here? Where the heck are we?" I ask, voice louder and tone annoyed. The man chuckles as the sound of water splashes around me.

"We're in the catacombs dear, where every useless mortals end their journey at the hands of death". Now it's my turn to chuckle. "You're speaking nonsense. How do I get out of here?". A long and twisted hum that raises the hair on the back of my neck. "Oh there's a way. One, but you wouldn't like it".

I scoff and try to get up again, this time causing me to scream. Why does my body hurt so much?! "What's the way? Help me up, for goodness' sake!" I scream, but the man goes quiet.

"You screamed at me?". The voice is low, like a groan, nothing like the teasing tone I could hear just a few seconds ago. What the fuck is going on-

A hand grips my face harshly. "Now you little bitch will have to understand one thing. Those who enter here never walk out alive. They never walk again at all. You want to know how to get out of here? You die, that's how". The hand pushes my head backwards and I try to catch my weight, but I realize I can't move my fingers. Huh?

"I- why can't I feel my fingers?". A laugh again, the teasing tone to it back in force. "I ate them. I was hungry and they looked so appetizing, you see, I haven't eaten anything in ages. H-huh?

"What sort of joke is this" I let out, voice shaking as I start to realize this isn't a situation I can get out of easily. I try to bring my hands to my face, but there's nothing. Nothing. No hands. They're gone. That's why it hurts. My hands-

Fear rises straight up and I start screaming. He ate my hands, he fucking ate-

"SHUT THE FUCK UP"

I wake up in sweat, heart beating fast and heart stuck in my throat. Shit... that felt so real. For a moment, I couldn't discern the difference between my memory and my current reality.

"Are you okay?" I hear from my side and turn my head to see Mark gazing at me from above, a hand on my forehead. "I... had a nightmare" I say, watch as his eyes understand quickly, the orange light from the bedside lamp shining on his face. "I managed to pull you out of it, I wasn't sure if it was a memory or simply a dream, you started screaming and for a moment, I thought we were being attacked". I sigh and rub my face, happy to notice that I still have my hands.

"I'm sorry, Mark... I... what hour is it?". He looks at his phone. "It's still early. Only 4 in the morning". I groan. "I can't get back to sleep, the memory will continue. It was only a small part of it, my soul needs to watch it until the end" I mumble, head sinking deep into the pillow.

He takes place comfortably in the bed and takes hold of my hand, the act soothing me slowly. He really is my other half. I see his confused eyes look at me, silent question in them. "Just like how twins need to be together to feel complete... my memories need to start and end so my soul can keep tract of what happens. If I relive only a half to miss the end... my soul will force it to happen and it might end up worse. I can't really afford that" I explain to him, watch as he frowns softly.