under the rose ❥ k.mh

five

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3.6k

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I shot up from my bed, my hands hurriedly going to turn on the small bedside lamp. My head pounded against my skull, my heart raced frantically, my chest felt constricted. I sat up in bed, pulling my knees up to my chest as I tried to let my breathing even out. I closed my eyes tightly and stayed still, trying to even out my breathing. A sudden knock at my window startled me, I swallowed nervously, then hesitantly turned around to look at who or whatever knocked on my window. I felt my breath get caught in my throat, I stared wide eyed at the grotesque disfiguration of a face staring back at me. I felt my stomach churn as the figure slowly began to get taller and taller, long dark hair flew messily in the wind, her skin had shrunken and darkened sticking tight to her bones, as she moved skin tore, a daunting smile loomed over me. She lifted her hands, a few of her fingers hanging from their sockets, the over almost completely torn up, she slapped her palm against my window. She moved away, as she did so I heard the faintest whisper in my ear,

"You'll pay for what you've done."

As I saw her mutilated body move from my vision, I cried. I wasn't exactly sure why I was crying, just that I was. I felt absolutely destroyed seeing her there, her destroyed body stuck at something deep inside, a feeling I couldn't understand. She seemed familiar in a scary way, a way that seemed much to close for comfort. I sucked it up. I wiped my tears, sniffled, then moved to sit at the edge of my bed. I checked the time on the clock that was placed just by my bedside lamp, then sighed, it was 4:43 AM. There was only one person I could tell this too, but I wasn't sure if I should. I stood up then moved the change, I walked to the restroom to wash my face and drowned at the sight that was before my eyes. I hadn't slept, I had been crying, I looked horrible.

While walking out of the bathroom I saw my dad, holding clothes in his hand, as he walked to the bathroom. He ruffled my hair as we walked last eachother, "Morning honeybee." I smiled, greeting him back sleepily as I yawned and reached up to fix the hair that now laid messily on my head. I picked up two bowls, placed one on the table by the milk I had just taken out and got cereal.

I stared off into the distance as I ate my cereal quietly, I stood up and walked towards the sink, washed my bowl and walked to the door. I slipped my shoes on and stepped out, yelling a goodbye as I exited the house. I stood on my porch and stared off into the distance, the sun had not yet fully risen, and it was still dark.

Baby steps.

I walked around the neighborhood and saw men leaving for work, women watching their husbands leave, the occasional cry from an infant, a few barks coming from dogs as they saw me pass by. I wasn't sure where I was going or what I was doing, but it wouldn't matter anyways. I felt so out of place, yet somehow it felt correct almost standing out as the cold early morning breeze blew by me, freezing the tips of my fingers and the tip of my nose completely. It was bizarre really. Bizarre how wrong and how right something could feel at once. I came across a fountain that was erected in the center of Cerisecreek. Replacing the fountain currently was a monument, an ugly one at that. I sat by the fountain and watched how my breath fogged up the air I exhaled and frustratedly rubbed my cold face with my somehow even colder hands.

It was sudden, it came from no where. She sat down besides me and gave me a small smile. She took off her gloves and handed them to me, then placed a beanie on the top of my head. I turned to look at the woman who sat besides me and her smile grew, her nose grew tinted red. There was this moment, this moment where everything set in. Her smile was always the same, her eyes beautiful as always, her signature mole still in the same place. I felt overwhelmed in all honesty.