The Grandgers are far from ordinary, but never before have they been involved in something so odd. With a missing sister and an epidemic of missing children threatening the world, the small family takes it upon themselves to get to the bottom of the...
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III
"Well I'm not a zombie but I feel like one today. Self-induced comatose, chemical daze."
Falling In Reverse
OF ALL OF THE TERRIBLE, SELF-DESTRUCTIVE, HARMFUL THINGS BETHANY HAD DONE, binge-drinking had been the absolute best. It was absolutely disgusting and awful. Most days she couldn't even leave her room anymore, but on a better day she could manage a trip to the bathroom to regurgitate all of her internal organs. Her throat burned, her head pounded with the constant regret of an alcoholic, and she could barely hold a cohesive thought in her head. That was good. It was perfect. Early on, Bethany had discovered that the only way to relieve her fear was to remove all inhibitions. If there was no fear, there was no way to act out, and thus she would be kept safe from whatever was festering inside her. She still didn't know what it was, but she'd rather be ignorant of it than have another occasion to find out.
Naturally, there were the times when the thing tried to free itself from the prison by attempting to shock Bethany out of her drunken stupor. It had been terrifying the first time it happened, and Bethany remained holed up in the closet for three hours, trying desperately to shake the being. Nothing had happened beforehand to suggest any resurgence of the creature, it was sudden and completely free of Bethany's own will. She hadn't meant to move when she saw her hand smash her tightly gripped bottle down on her dresser. She tried to fight it off, but it was relentless, bringing her hand down again and again and again until the bottom shattered. She struggled and pleaded with herself not to do it, but her body responded only by stabbing the glass into her skin. She had sobbed and yelled as the creature took over her whispering sweetly. It will be alright, Bethany. I'll protect you, Bethany. There's no need to be afraid.
Even so, it was worth it to corrupt her body with the poison. Those outbursts were becoming fewer and farther between, and Bethany hoped beyond all hope that they would end soon. Whether through her own treatment or through her death, she hoped that the being would cease to exist so that she wouldn't be dangerous anymore. She never wanted to be dangerous or to scare any of her friends, but that was exactly what was happening. If this was what it took to put a stop to it all, then goddammit, she'd drink all the booze in the country to do so. A liver was a small price to pay by comparison.
The only issue was that she had no way to explain this to Sophie, and Sophie was currently sitting impatiently before her in a hospital waiting room, while her comatose boyfriend was in the building, accompanied by Bethany's fiance. Bethany wished she had been taking more care of herself. Thank the heavens that Mason had caught her in a rare time of sobriety, but that didn't excuse her appearance. Her curly hair was matted beyond recognition and her sweats were riddled with holes and decorated with stains. Not to mention the smell. Bethany could smell the reek of hard liquor and body odor emanating from her. She wished she had done something to take care of herself before coming here.
