Die A Colorful Death

Fourth Petal: Bad Signs

#JustWriteIt #horror

This is only a bad dream. Of that, I am sure.

Still, it feels scarily real.

I have a bloody knife in my right hand, and it keeps slipping out of my grip. The cold metal bites my skin, but I ignore it. Somehow I know that if I let it go, I am doomed.

I am standing in a narrow corridor, with rows of closed doors on both sides. Lights keep flickering above me. On and off. On and off. They create eerie shadows on the floor and the walls.

There is an urge to find something dear that is lost to me a long time ago...

I move forward slowly, step by step, as if my shoes are made of lead. The further I go, the colder it gets. I can see my own heavy breathing. And I can hear the creaking sound of a door being opened, somewhere on my left... Behind me.

I turn around and almost slip on the wet floor.

Wet?

Looking down, I see trails of blood, coming from one of the doors. I approach it without hesitation, and look inside. Almost instantly, I grab the door frame with my free hand. I feel sick.

Beyond the door is my old room. I recognize the video game posters lining the walls. On the floor, a girl is lying... Bleeding. Her face is obscured by blood and a tangled mess of hair, but I know it's Rosalie.

And on my bed, my brother is sitting, hands clasped. He's watching Rosalie writhing and gasping, without a shred of emotion on his face.

I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. Then I feel a cold hand on my shoulder and I turn my head, only to find Rosalie's face next to mine. From up close, I can see how dead pale she is. Her skin torn and withered. Her black eyes pierce my soul. My heart stops beating for a moment. I try to jerk free, but her grip is surprisingly strong.

She opens her mouth, and I hear a low growl in my head.

Kill... Her...

She points her finger. When I look inside the room again, Rosalie that is dying on the floor is gone, so is my brother. Instead, the girl that lays there is Florence.

Kill... Herrrr.....

No... No no no no!

Rosalie's grip on my shoulder gets stronger, clawing my skin and flesh. I feel my rage boiling inside me. With a sudden force, I tear myself free from her. I scream and stab her in the gut with the knife I have.

She laughs. Louder and louder, echoing in the empty corridor.

Lord have mercy.

The next thing I know, I wake up in my bed with a terrible headache. Rosalie's laugher is still ringing in my head. I groan.

I run my fingers through my hair and they get stuck. They feel sticky. I turn on the lamp on my bedside table. With no surprise, I find blood on my right hand.

Feeling tired and annoyed, I get up and clean myself in the bathroom. Might as well take a shower, considering I have a morning class today.

When I get back to my room, I receive a text message from Valencia.

We need to meet up soon.
Urgent.

Well. This is a nice change from her daily threat letter. Her letters are not harmful, but they are not something I expect to find after a restless sleep. I tell Valencia to meet me during lunch at a nearby diner.

I think about what I know of Valencia as I slowly have my morning coffee. She lives across the state, working as a museum curator or something. She and Flo didn't often meet, but I know they keep in touch. And like most twins in the world, they had a strong bond. During my two years relationship with Flo, I have only met Valencia several times, on events like birthdays and Christmas. We didn't converse much, but I think she didn't dislike me.

I have no idea why she wants to meet me now, but I do hope she stays angry at me.

Rosalie's vengeful spirit has given me nothing but blood lately. It's a bad sign. Always a bad sign, that will be followed by death. Even now, I see specks of blood starting to show on my empty coffee cup. I feel cold fury swirling in my chest.

I smash the cup into the sink and leave the apartment before that hideous creature can show her unsightly form in front of me.

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Disclaimer: Pic by Ph3nom3n on Flickr.