The moon hangs in the sky. It's white light is reflected in dry tear stained eyes. Like a doll, a girl's body is perched stiff on the edge of the bed. The floor is too clean considering the dust hanging in the air and the stench of burnt flesh swirling the building. A hand blooms. Aching fingers unfurl, revealing deep scratches and broken nails. Her light palm faces up, towards the woman on the other side of the her. "My ring." MC holds her breath. "Give it to me."
"I don't know what—"
"I had it when I was in the hospital." Y/n voice remains low as she drifts onto her feet. Her back is straight and her shoulders are firmly set. A fire rages behind the haze of her eyes. "You stole it. Give it to me."
Teeth sink into MC's busted lip. Every movement hurts. Pins pierce their way through her fingertips and up through her shoulder as she struggles to reach into her pocket. Once retrieved, the ring she had stolen falls into Y/n's waiting hand. "How did you—"
Y/n wipes the back of her hand on her cloak. The blood is unnoticeable on the black fabric. The two rings on her fingers made the slap extra special for MC. Y/n's hand reaches out and caresses the bandages wrapping around the woman's neck and jaw. MC's breath hitches once again and her hands raise up, unsure of what to do. Her mind is only made up once it's too late. Jagged nails sink into MC's neck and rip out bites of flesh as she tears apart the bandages. Dark rings from where Y/n's hands had been previously wrap around stain the woman's throat. "You've ruined me."
Like vines, Y/n's hands coil around MC's neck. MC's only remaining arm lands lightly on Y/n's waist as her hands begin to constrict. MC's mouth opens, but no oxygen comes in. No words go out. I'll never be loved.
"I can't go back to him because of the person you turned me into." Y/n runs across the green grass of the park, MC not far behind. The sun smiles down at them, a greater warmth in her chest. The green grass surrounds them on all sides. In the light breeze are whispers full of promises of peace.
"It's all your fault." The body of a girl lays stiff and cold on a hospital bed. Ripped undergarments lay strewn on the floor next to an empty pill bottle. Blood spills out of a car'd silent trunk. Red sheets are pulled over a form in the bed. Lifeless eyes stare into MC.
Y/n's hands release her childhood friend's throat. Oxygen punches into MC's lungs, causing her vision to spin before recovering from darkness. The relief doesn't last long. "So allow me to grant you your wish."
A giddy rush spills through Y/n. Her hands twist around MC's throat tighter than they ever did before. Her pained expression is priceless. A smile claws it's way onto Y/n's lips. "I'll be with you until the day you die."
"In exchange," Y/n's lips hover just outside the cusp of MC's ear. "Let me torture you until then."
When Y/n's fingers loosen around MC's neck for the second time, the woman hangs her head. "Thank you."
MC's grip remains tight on Y/n's waist, their bodies too close. Y/n can't help but touch the stump of the woman's shoulder. The limb had been amputated entirely. And yet here she is. Awake. Alive. The bandages dampen as Y/n applies just the lightest amount of pressure to the wound. "If you want this, you know what must be done?"
MC stiffens. "If I do that... you'll just go back to him."
The smile falls from Y/n's lips and she squeezes MC's shoulder. The girl yelps and flinches back, running up against the wall. Y/n goes with her. Her grip is tight on the bleeding wound and she pins the woman in place. "You push me this far and dare to doubt me?"
MC's hand flattens against Y/n's back, urging her close the distance between them. Desperation fills MC's hideous injured eyes. "Reassure me."
"You're greedy."
"I'll help you do it," MC swears. Her lips tremble, her body convulsing without her toxic touch. "I'll help you. I'll be anything you need me to be. Y/n, you know what I need. Please."
"Getting me there isn't enough then." The rings are heavy on Y/n's fingers. "You have to—"
"I'll help you kill her." MC's tongue dashes over her chapped lips. "Y/n, please." Her hand slinks up Y/n's back. "Reassure me."
Silence.
"If you betray me, I'll take another believer to replace you." A smile crosses her lips. "With one I'd make sure to care for every night."
MC's jaw clenches. "I understand."
"Good." Y/n smiles through the bile rising in her throat. She doesn't have a moment to take back her decision.
MC's fingers slip between Y/n's legs. The glare that the woman gives her as MC stimulates her only makes the desire to force a reaction out of her burn even more.
Y/n feels nothing.
Her eyes close and she's hooked and flung into the dark.
A heavy weight sets in her chest.
Please.
Let this be
the right choice.