dusts of stories ⁺˚*･༓☾

perched in the dark

Eerie winds channeled through the narrow alley as Este took a step away from the entrance. The smell of rotten eggs entered her nostrils almost immediately, stimulating her senses. She wrapped her coat around herself tightly while her electrifying blue eyes scanned through the barely illuminated passage.

The night had expanded its black angel wings, with the myriad of stars and a luminous moon hiding behind veils of gloomy cloud cover, the encompassing darkness had blotted out all but the faintest light, leaving the dim lamppost at the end of the alley to guide her. The silence was deafening, where the only noise to be heard was the click clack of her boots, echoing off the drenched walls of the alley.

She came to an abrupt halt after a coarse howl cut through the endless silence, although it was quite low-pitched, an obvious agony could be heard from within as it rebounded. A wounded animal is here somewhere, she thought to herself, trying not to picture it licking its bruises, and enduring tremendous amount of pain under the dark night sky. She quickened her speed, walking towards the sound.

The rain began to pour, getting heavier and heavier by each step she took. She pulled over her hood, blinking furiously as raindrops of the size of beans came flickering into her eyes. An icy blast of wind struck directly towards her face like a bee sting, causing her to wince just a little bit. She ran, sprinting through the slippery ground, hearing nothing but the howling wind blowing against her ears like blades of glass. She jumped, crossing a few hundred muddy puddles as the soil and water immersed into her socks. She zigzagged, snaking a few thousand turns in the wild labyrinth she was trapped in. Yet she was determined. The salty, refreshing taste of droplets brushed against her face as the rain began to soften, as if encouraging her to help the wounded animal.

But when she was sure that she had reached the sound, all she saw were a few dusty mannequins standing in a dingy corner. A red light bulb was perched in the dark, bringing forth an incandescent glow. Breathing erratically, Este glanced around her surroundings, the red light made everything look treacherous, as if something was going to prance on her anytime. The eyes of the mannequins were rather pink under the red light, giving Este feeling so peculiar that they were alive. Cold beads of sweat trickled down her back as she dragged her exhausted body away from the corner, throwing haunted looks across her shoulder as if someone was monitoring her every move.

As the rain was gradually stopping, the moon started to emerge from the clouds, bringing a warm, milky glow to the ones who lost their way. Este breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, hoping to get a better glimpse of the moonlight. What faced her was an alive mannequin, with electrifying blue eyes exactly like her own. She scarcely had time to react when it said in barely a whisper, "Are you ready for it...?"

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Written May 22 2022 - May 24 2022