Following

Disgust. Fear. Resentment.

The faceless people. The world is in complete disorder.

"Aida, Aida"

She looks down at me, a bit worried, but nothing more, "What is it?"

"They're here again?"

"Don't worry, I will protect you, little sorella"

"Thank you" I hold onto her dress and trails behind her.

My sister, the bravest person. She believes me. She takes me back into our home. She protects me from everyone. She takes me to our room. She's gone.

I lie on the bed, I cannot move. They are pulling against my arms and legs, pulling me onto the bed. The world goes dark again. I can only sleep. I sleep.

When I wake up again, Aida is there.

"Sorella, let me take you to the forest today, it is beautiful. The trees are so tall and the sun is so bright."

"Yes." I nod, taking her hand. She still towers over me; of course, she's much older than me so it is only reasonable. She takes me downstairs, where my mother is sitting. She opens her mouth, and closes it, opens it, and closes it. She never speaks, never makes a sound. Sister talks to her. She seems to understand Mother.

Mother slaps her. Aida walks out the door with me. She takes me to the forest. I've never seen this before. It is lovely, just as she said. She takes my hand and walks around with me. The trees are tall, taller than Aida is. Taller than they are. They lurk behind me and Aida. They won't attack me. Aida is here. I trust her to keep me safe.

The sun gets lower and the sky, darker.

"Aida, shall we head back?"

"Sorella, I've argued with mother today. I would rather stay here for the time being. I can cook fish from the nearby stream. Will you stay with me?"

"Aida, I want to go back please."

"Sorella, please?"

I shake my head, "Aida, please"

"Alice," She says sternly. She hasn't used that since the last time

"Aida..." I sigh, giving into her, "I will stay with you then."

She smiles at me, and once again disappears. She left. I can't move.

They creep out again. From the trees, from the ground, from above. Coldness grows on my face. One of them approaches me.

"Darling," a cold, icy finger runs under my chin. It freezes. The nail hook onto my throat. It slips in just slightly, "How are you today? She never leaves you huh?"

How does he talk? He has no mouth. It seems stitched together; maybe it was never there.

His long fingers cover my eyes. It digs into it. It hurts. Liquid trickles down my face. It could be tears or blood. I cannot tell. The pain spikes in at once. It feels as if my eyes and dissolving into my head. It feels like acid melting in my head. It hurts. The liquid, which now has to be a combination of both blood and tears, continue to trickle down my face. It's warm. It fills the empty space next to me. It buries me.

I cannot breathe. The disgusting liquid runs into my lungs. It hurts. My skull is crushing into my brain. No one wants me to live. My body floats through the liquid, the putrid smell running into me. It fills me. It's crushing me. I want to die. I move my arms onto my neck. I squeeze.

"Yes, yes. Just like that my dearest one. It'd be easier and less painful than me taking your organs out isn't it?"

"Yes!" I yell, "Please tell me how!" My hands tighten around my neck. I can't breathe. Good. My head trembles, I need to go.

It stops. The fluid disappears. He disappears. I cannot see anymore either. Once again.

"Aida!" I cry out, "Save me; kill me"

She hugs me. It's tight but warm.

"Sorella, I'm so sorry." I feel her tears trickle onto my forehead, "Sorella, Sorella, I'm so sorry. You're eyes... They're bleeding..."

"Yes, I know"

"I'm so sorry, little Sorella. Please forgive me?"

I nod.

"Aida, can we go back? Back into the house? It scares me here."

"Yes, yes, of course." She says hurriedly and takes my hand. We start walking towards our house, I assume.

A door creaks open and my sister ushers me in; she follows behind me, closing the door. She holds my arm to her body and takes me up the stairs. She sets me onto my bed and Rubs my forehead. She leaves. Everything is silent.

I can't sleep, I can't open my eyes either. The silence creeps through my head.

"Alice, don't you want to end this sooner? It'd be easier on you and Aida, you know? You're only a burden."

"I know"

I can feel the water sweep me up; lift me and take me away. Where we are going? I don't know, but it will be away from Aida. The water curls around me, trapping me. I cannot breathe. It's suffocating. My lungs are being crushed, as if my rib cape has become knives and stabbed themselves into my very being, ripping apart my lungs. Even without sight, I can see the blood. It gushes out of my mouth. It infects the water.

The water disappears, and in its place, The faceless man.

"Sorella, you don't have much time now, you know?" His cold fingers caress my face, cutting into my flesh. "Follow me, my dearest."

I open my mouth to speak. He shoves his finger in. He grabs my neck. He pulls on something. It pulls against my throat. My skin tears and breaks. The blood fills my mouth. It spills out. It tastes horrible. He rips it out.

I try to yell. I can't. This time, it's my voice.

I want to leave. It'd be better if I was just gone now. I'm useless, aren't I? I want to leave. I'm tired. I want to sleep. Let me go quickly. My sister's hands hold me.

"Ah, you've finally given up? Good finally; Meat tastes the best when it been beaten."

I nod.

"Lovely!" She says, "Now, this might sting a bit. Prepare yourself a bit, dearest."

I nod.

She digs her nails into my neck, and in a mere second, slashes down. A pain encircles me. A noose is around my neck and the one who put it on is Aida.

She takes her finger away when she'd slit the whole way down. She digs out my organs. I should be dead, but I can feel her teeth dig into me.

"You know I love you right, Sorella?"

"Yes." It doesn't come out.