A pale bony hand rose slowly, snap! A crisp snap resounded in the room.
"What are you-" The woman stopped as she lifted her finger, touching her face softly and stared at her bloodied hand in surprise, her hands shaking as she held them before her shrunken eyes.
Taking slight steps, I approached her; the floorboards creaking at every step. Snap! Snap! Snap! The woman fell onto the wooden floor with a loud plop, scrambling back as she snapped her head back and forth, looking at the random slices that appeared on her body. At every snap, another gash appeared on her wrinkly grey skin. Blood gushed out like a torrent, a sea of red lace. My heartbeat sped up in fear? Guilt? No, delight! I licked my lips, creating a clear sheen over my pale pink lips.
"Have you heard of death by a thousand cuts?" I squatted down before the trembling woman that stared at me with a fearful gaze, how nostalgic. I stared at her in anticipation, the excitement lighting a fire in my body sending electrical sparks through my body making me crave more.
Snap! Snap! Snap! I stared crazed, seeing the various cuts sprouting on her skin, increasing in depth each time and her shrill high-pitched screams increasing accordingly. Warm red liquid splattered on my face and when some landed in my mouth I couldn't describe the salty metallic flavour that spread over my tongue, to others it might be gross but to me, it was like a sacred treasure, like a dehydrated human finding an oasis.
"Where do you think you're going?" I snapped my eyes to the side and stared at Lily who was crawling to the door as quiet as possible, hearing her name, her body froze mid-movement and I could see the sweat dripping off her forehead and her mouth opening and closing but no words flowed out only soft grunts her eyes pleading with me.
"Hah, I'm bored, you guys are no fun anymore, time to die," I sighed, picked back up my scythe, putting the gigantic thing over my shoulder.
"N-N-n-N-N-N—N-" I tilted my head hearing the endless stuttering of the two people and couldn't help giggling at their antics, "You guys should join a circus,"
I stopped laughing and my face returned to an emotionless frown "Die," I left one word walking out the room, ignoring the screams and loud wet splattering happening in the room and then silence fell confirming their death. From the distance, a rush of steps ascending the stairs in an obvious flurry.
Once they made it up the flight of stairs they abruptly stopped, looking at my blood-soaked body with widened eyes. "What's going on here?!" An officer likely called when people heard the commotion upstairs. He stared at me and shouted, spit flying out his mouth. I lowered my head, my black blanket of hair covered my crazy, intoxicated smile dripping in excitement.
"Do you like red?" I whispered, head still lowered.
"What?"
"Isn't it beautiful its such a bold colour, never covered up, and the red colour of blood is even more beautiful, because not only is it bold, it's scrumptious!" I twirled around and pointed to the room behind me, "See! Such a beautiful art piece, it's a pity when it dries it won't be as beautiful! KEKEKEK!!!!" I threw back my head laughing and stared at the stiff people before me, looking at my mad appearance and freezing at the sight of my blood-red eyes. They stiffly turned their eyes in unison to look at where I was pointing, freezing as soon as they laid eyes upon it.
Bleurgh!! Almost instantly People one by one turned pale and couldn't help throwing out their insides. "How rude of you all," I clicked my tongue crossing my arms watching them spill their guts.
Blood was covering the walls and pink and purple organs scattered on the floor, but beneath that were the mangled bodies of the two women exploded from the inside out. "You demon!!!" one human screamed shakily in a croaky voice.
"Yes, that may be true, but I still have more canvas to paint, so why don't you all be my paint?!" I licked my lips and holding my scythe I rushed to them. Slice! My scythe went cleanly through a body, cutting it cleanly in half, and fell with a hard yet mushy plop. Blood gushed out my body in a thin stream and whipped around the room crazily, slicing through bodies despite the sheer thinness. My eyes glowed a garish red as I smiled happily at the bloody scene. The more bloody and gruesome it was, the more pleasure I felt.
I continued twirling through the room slicing the humans before me leaving no time for them to resist because before they knew what happened they were dead on the chilly floor.
A lake of blood covered the floor. The powerful stench tickling my nose. Hot blood splattered on my body. The pleasure of it clouded my brain and sparks flew through my body and flooding to my brain, making it a piece of mush. "Ahh this happens when you starve me for so long,"
------------------------------------------
What's this, it's so warm and cozy, so peaceful I could drown in the bliss. I felt as if I was sinking in an endless pitch black sea, but I didn't feel as if I was drowning, it was just so..... warm.
If I could stay here, I could escape from life, never have to service a man or tortured by that woman. I would have zero worries. It would be a dream come true. I wouldn't have to worry about being betrayed.
So warm, like a gentle hug. I felt like all the tension being relieved and I could finally breathe and for the first time in years, a negligible smile tugged at my lips. I let myself fall deeper into that darkness and the further I went, the more relaxed and freed I felt. Not a sound echoed, neither close at hand nor in the far distance. Even my breath seemed to die as soon as it left my mouth. It was an eerie tranquility, but it oddly calmed me.
Is this what happiness feels like?
"No," A voice rang in the darkness endlessly far yet dangerously close "You're making excuses, for your weakness," the voice was ice cold without a hint of warmth, each of the man's words articulated but his voice seemed detached.
What? Am I hallucinating?
"No, You're weak,"
How
"You ran away from your troubles, leaving it to that creature,"
What do you mean
"You're letting innocent people die,"
Aren't I also innocent
"Are you not alive?"
I would rather be dead
"That's a sign of weakness if you want to get back at people, survive and beat them with your self-attained power,"
How do you know exactly what I've been through! What I've had to live with! Don't spout nonsense If you've never walked in my shoes!
"So what? That's merely an excuse, that's all the more reason you get up and show them you're better than they thought., stronger than they believe'"
How?
"Train,"
How?
"I'll help,"
I don't trust you
"Then train by yourself,"
Silence fell again, as that soft yet oozing with strength voice slowly faded away returning the eerie to its place, I didn't know what it was; I didn't even know if it was merely just a figment of my imagination, but I couldn't help pondering on his words.
Can I truly become strong?