[A/N: I'm warning y'all, there is a death in this chapter, right off the bat.]
I don't even know if horror is the right word, disgusting, nerve-wracking, heart-wrenching, it was just an atrocity. I don't even have any words to describe it, but I guess I'll try...
I raced home. I wanted the soft touch of my mother's caring hands, the tenderness in her voice, the genuine smile that I can't get from anyone else. I've been blessed with an amazing mama, I'm lucky, no one can ever care about me the way she does, no one can love me as much as she does, no one can ever take her place. I approached the slightly ajar door of my house(which is always closed and locked), taking in the comfortable surroundings. The door creaked as I slowly pushed it open. The cold air from the outside blew onto my back, giving me the chills. "Mom." I called out. No response. "Mama!" I said a little louder. "Seriously mom, this isn't funny!" I said, panicked. It's late at night, she should be home, she should respond, she should but she isn't. The door shut behind me, creating a sort of soft slam, and then I smelled it. The rotten metallic odor of blood. I crept into my house and followed the foul stench, it's probably nothing. My mom suddenly wants to become a butcher and so she brought a dead animal to practice on, yeah, that's it. It's absolutely nothing to worry about, nothing at all. The putrid smell got stronger as I got closer to the kitchen, it's nothing. It's nothing. It's nothing. It's fucking nothing!
I finally entered the forsaken kitchen, it wasn't nothing, there was a dead body in the middle of the kitchen, laying carelessly on the ground. At first glance, she looked like she was peacefully sleeping, on the ground, with blood all around, a rancid smell engrossing everything, okay I lied, it looks like a murder. But it has to be fake, she can't be dead. It's probably just a dummy and blood, yeah that's it. She's at a hotel, trying to play a prank on me. IT CAN'T BE REAL!
"It's not real, it's not real, it's not real, it's not real." Those words were looping around my head and made their way out of my mouth.
I made my way over to the dead body, and got a look at its face. It didn't even have a gender pronoun anymore, it was just a corpse. It was just a corpse, that's right, no need to be sad, it's just a corpse, I have no connection to it, everyone I love is alive. They are alive, they are alive. I inched even closer, and nudged the body with my toe, cold and soft. It was real. It was a dead body, my mother's dead body. I crumpled to the floor, landing in the cold, wet, repugnant liquid. I slowly shook the body, trying one last time to see if it was actually real, even though I knew it was. I continuously jostled the body, for any reaction, any at all...
Nothing. What else did I expect? Honestly, what the hell did I expect?
My eyes scanned the body for any signs of life, anything at all, but nothing. They did land on something else. My mom's limp arm was quite the sight, there was something on it. At first I thought it was just blood, but it was not. I turned the arm towards me, towards the heinous message meant for me.
# 1
All it said was "# 1". That's it. So why is a number so terrifying? It's just a number carved into soft flesh. The squiggly lines of the letters showed just how careless they were. The dried blood rested on top, making them stand out against the pale skin. It's just a number, so why is it so terrifying?
Everything suddenly fell into place, they are gonna do this again and again and again until I join them. They are gonna kill everyone close to me, just so I join them. It's my fault. "Why me?" I sobbed. "What's so important about me? Why me?" I can't let this continue, I just can't. I have to stop it. It's up to me now. This is my purpose, I can't let people die because of me. This is my purpose, it has to be.
I slowly stood up, I shakily walked over to the phone and called the police, at least they can clean this place up. I loitered for a moment before dialing the number, but it has to be done. It has to be done. My trepidation was pushed aside as I put the larger goal into my head; I can't let more people die. It's over. It's fucking over.
After the call, I went to my room to grab a pair of pants. I can't walk around naked forever. My bloody hands wrenched the first pair out of the closet, which happened to be white. I proceeded to walk out of the house and slam the door shut.
To be honest, I'm not sure where I'm going, I just know it's a dilapidated bar near Ka-Chan's house. How does one find a place they never fully looked at? A place where they vowed to never go back? A place of nightmares and debauchery? A place where the sordid ambiance is greater than the sun's presence during the day? An abominable place? A place where I almost died?
It doesn't matter, it has to be done.