??, ??, 2017
he brought me a friend
ben cares about me
As the hooded figure stepped closer, the dim light revealed more of their features, and my eyes widened in disbelief. It was Maya, my childhood friend who had disappeared after that fateful incident in the forest. She had changed, her once vibrant and carefree demeanor replaced by a haunting intensity.
"M-Maya?" I stammered, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. It was as if a ghost from my past had returned, but in the most unexpected and unsettling way.
Maya didn't respond. She just stood there, her hood still obscuring most of her face, but her eyes bore into mine with a mixture of emotions that I couldn't decipher.
Ben, sensing the tension, spoke up. "Maya's been through a lot, Y/n"
After all this time? I couldn't wrap my head around it. Maya's sudden reappearance had left me speechless and wary, unsure of what to believe anymore.
I took a hesitant step forward, my arms outstretched in an instinctive gesture of comfort towards Maya. But Ben's firm grip on my shoulder stopped me in my tracks. His warning was a chilling reminder of the fragile state Maya was in.
"Be gentle with her," Ben cautioned, his voice laced with an unsettling undertone. I reluctantly withdrew my outstretched hand, my eyes locked onto Maya's with a mix of sadness and confusion. The unspoken question hung heavy in the air-why had she left us when we needed her the most?
Maya's eyes met mine, and for a moment, it seemed like there was a glimmer of recognition in them. However, her expression remained distant, and she didn't respond to my words. It was as if the trauma she had endured had changed her in ways I couldn't understand.
Ben's warning hung heavily in the air, a reminder of the fragile balance that existed in this strange, unsettling place. I withdrew my outstretched hand, unable to ignore the tension and uncertainty that surrounded Maya's presence.
Taking in Ben's words, I returned to my makeshift bed, my thoughts in turmoil. Ben leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, his voice filled with an unsettling cheerfulness. "I'll be back soon, my love~"
His eerie smile remained as he left the room, leaving me alone with Maya and the unanswered questions that seemed to multiply with each passing moment. Maya seemed to have a different set of privileges compared to me, and I couldn't comprehend why.
"Maya," I began softly, my gaze fixed on the raven-haired girl, a multitude of questions swirling in my mind.
Maya stayed put, perched at the table in the room's center, a place typically reserved for Masky. She retrieved a flask from her bag and poured its contents into a small cup, extending it toward me. I hesitated for a moment, meeting her impatient gaze, but eventually took the cup she offered. As I sipped the liquid, I couldn't help but ask, "Maya, what happened... did he hurt you?"
Maya didn't utter a word, her silence growing more unsettling by the second. She simply watched me with an eerie calmness, her eyes revealing nothing. I took another sip of the liquid(which i soon found out was tea), my unease mounting. There was so much left unsaid, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong here.
I sat there, my voice cracking with desperation, tears streaming down my face as I pleaded with Maya. The stifling silence in the room only amplified the turmoil within me. I couldn't comprehend why she had vanished from our lives, why she had left us in the forest that night without a word.
"Maya, please," I implored, my voice trembling. "Where are the girls? Luci, Em, Liv... Are they okay?" My cries echoed in the small, dimly lit space. Fear gnawed at me, making my heart race.
But Maya remained unresponsive, an enigmatic figure with no words, no movements. It was maddening, her silence a torment I couldn't bear.
"ANSWER ME, GOD DAMMIT!" I shouted, my throat raw and parched from days without water. Desperation surged through me, and I couldn't stop myself. "You left us. That night in the forest, we hadn't seen you since. You avoided us in school, you didn't even come to see if Liv was okay..."
The weight of those memories pressed down on me, my chest heaving with emotion. Maya's presence had stirred up a whirlwind of unanswered questions, and the answers remained locked within her silent demeanor.
"FUCKING ANSWER ME"
In a surge of emotions and frustration, I couldn't contain myself any longer. I lunged toward Maya, driven by an overwhelming need for answers. It was irrational, a desperate attempt to break her impenetrable silence.
My footsteps echoed in the small, dimly lit room as I charged at her, fueled by a thirst for any hint of the truth. But Maya, as unmoving as a statue, took a step back, her demeanor unwavering.
As I closed the distance, a cruel twist of fate intervened. The chain that kept me bound to the wall reached its limit, abruptly halting my forward momentum. With a jolt, I was pulled to the floor, crashing down unceremoniously. Pain shot through my body from the impact, and I winced.
Still on the ground, I looked up at Maya, searching for any sign of emotion or understanding. It was then, in that fleeting moment, that I thought I saw a faint smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
Maya's actions took an eerie turn as she reached into her bag and pulled out a camera. The mechanical click of the camera shutter echoed through the room as she snapped a singular photo of me. It was such a peculiar thing to do, yet oddly characteristic of Maya's quirks. She patiently waited for the polaroid to emerge from the camera, taking it delicately and waving it softly in the air as she allowed the image to develop.
I watched her in silence, my heart heavy with the realization that this was no longer the Maya I once knew. Someone, a sinister force, had twisted and warped her into something unrecognizable.
After admiring the picture she had taken, Maya turned her attention back to me. She began to make hand symbols, a language I couldn't understand. I'd never taken any classes in sign language, and I had no idea if this was even a form of it. The frustration of being unable to communicate or grasp her intentions added another layer to this nightmarish ordeal.
The room fell into an uneasy silence as time passed. I lay in bed, feeling a mixture of exhaustion and apprehension, while Maya sat by the table, engrossed in her own activities. Neither of us had spoken since the disturbing incident earlier, and the tension hung thick in the air, making the atmosphere in the room incredibly uncomfortable.
Maya had continued to place food and water near my bed, as she had been doing for a while now. However, I couldn't bring myself to consume anything she provided. The trust between us had shattered, and I couldn't be sure if it was safe to accept sustenance from her anymore. It was a grim situation, one where I had to navigate not only the physical captivity but also the psychological torment of not knowing who I could trust.
Maya persisted in her attempts to communicate with me through sign language, but it was all in vain. The language barrier between us seemed insurmountable, and I couldn't decipher a single word she tried to convey. It was as if she had lost her ability to speak, or perhaps she was deliberately avoiding vocalizing any information.
Trust was a fragile concept in this grim situation, and I found myself unable to extend it to Maya. The events of earlier had shaken me to my core, leaving me in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. I couldn't afford to let my guard down, not knowing what might happen if I did. The room, once a place of confinement, had now become a prison for both my body and my mind.
-
Maya's actions were enigmatic and unsettling. At times, she would abruptly leave the cellar, ascending the stairs and vanishing for approximately ten minutes before reappearing. Her behavior remained a mystery, and she continued her silent communication attempts without providing any clarity.
Ben's visits were equally sporadic. During his brief appearances, he would offer words of praise and affection, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead as he reassured me about our situation. Then, he would ascend the stairs with Maya, leaving me alone with my thoughts and growing apprehension.
The constant uncertainty was taking its toll on me. Fear gripped my heart, and I longed for the return of Masky, for the presence of the girls, and most of all, for the comforting familiarity of my life before that ill-fated journey into the ominous forest. The cellar had become a prison for my body and my mind, and I yearned for any semblance of normalcy that had been stripped away from me.
my longing for my old life grew into an insatiable ache. The mundane routines I had once complained about now seemed like bliss compared to the torment I endured in this dim, underground prison.
I yearned for the familiarity of my school days, even the most tedious of math classes, where the monotone voice of my teacher seemed like a distant memory. How I wished for the simple comfort of sitting at my desk, staring at the clock, and daydreaming about the weekend.
My heart ached for the warmth of my own bed, the softness of my own sheets, and the soothing reassurance of my mother.