“He only fucks dead pussy.”
Everything in me goes still, my blood freezing in my veins and draining from my body as the meaning of her words sinks in.
“What? Oh, fuck no!” Noir gasps.
I close my eyes, trying to push the words out of my head, but they stick and linger, like a sour taste in the back of my throat. Wait. What? He fucks dead people? Is that really what I’m hearing? I mean, I’ve watched crazy shit in the past, in those weird documentaries you would see on TV, but I never thought I’d be now dealing with one in real life.
“So he gets off over the dead and he doesn’t speak?” I mutter, more to myself than anyone else as my fingers fumble to yank the shirt out of the bag. “Great.”
Blush shrugs nonchalantly, her tone still too chill for my liking.
“Like I said, he didn’t kill you already. I’d take that as a win.”
But her words don’t make me feel any better. Not even close.
“You told me he likes to have two girls at the same time! Not two dead girls!” Noir yells in frustration, the deathly situation finally landing on her.
“I also said I valued my fucking life, and that’s why I would never approach him.” Blush shoots back.
I glance between them, wondering what the fuck they are talking about and why is this kind of normal to them? What have I gotten myself into? What is this place? My mind is reeling, trying to understand the madness of it all.
The worst part? I’m not sure if I’m more disturbed by what Blush just said about Wrath… or by the part of me that almost wants to play with it.
“That’s it, I’m not leaving today!” Noir announces, waving her hands in front of her.
That’s when it hits me. I’m gonna be here, alone with this… necro dude. But fuck it. He wants to invade my space? Try to terrorize the shit out of me? It’s time to put my foot down.
I stand quickly, spinning around to face Noir and her eyes lock onto mine as I move toward her. I grab her wrist as I pass her, yanking her toward the door.
“Get this shit off my back before I lose my shit!”
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I brush my teeth while Noir rubs the marker off my back.
“You think you can handle this? After everything you’ve been through?” Noir asks, her gaze flicking to mine in the reflection.
I lean over, spit the toothpaste into the sink and return my eyes to hers.
“If I can handle everything, then I can handle him, right? It’s what we do. Us girls continuously handle shit.” I breath, setting the toothbrush down.
Noir stays quiet, like a silent understanding and I think about my words before I continue, my voice low.
“Trust me. I’ve got this. You don’t have to worry about me here. Wrath may think he can take from me, whether by force or will, but he’s wrong. Because in the end, it’s not his choice. In my own mind, I alone decide who gets to fucking end me.”
A soft smile touches Noir’s lips, subtle but unmistakable, like she’s proud of me and maybe finally starting to let go of her doubt.
“Okay,”she breathes, a slow nod following the word.“Today, I’m taking you to Oddity Cirque. It’s time to get you really into this. Get yourself ready, make sure you eat something, and we’ll meet you there.”
I nod in return, lowering my head as she steps out, the door shutting behind her. I watch it for a few seconds longer before dragging my eyes back to the mirror.
I stare at myself, straightening my shoulders. I feel better already. The pills helped by forcing me into the kind of deep sleep my body and mind had been begging for. I tried to do it on my own, but my head wouldn’t shut up. Swarming with my past. This place. Noir. Wrath’s stalking ways.
Now it’s time to deal with him head-on if I see him. He’ll regret ever laying eyes on me and thinking he could drag me into his little game. I’m not here for that. I’m realistically only here for Noir for a while, building myself up and then I’m out of here.
After forcing myself to eat and drink something to hopefully get my strength back faster, I step out of my trailer, pulling the door shut behind me.
My gaze flicks to the broken lock, then to the cracked window as I pass it. I shove my hands deep into my oversized hoodie to keep warm, letting out a frustrated growl as I continue ahead.
The maze of trailers stretches ahead, endless in the thick fog. Each step feels slower, heavier, until a shape emerges—The Hollows trailer, sitting to my right.