In a small room, shrouded in a weak glow from a hanging bulb, was a jacuzzi. It had a wooden exterior and a square shape . Of course, it wasn't powered on, because that would be a ridiculous waste of electricity. At that moment, only one person was inside it.
Lesley sighed heavily as he moved his arm slowly through the water, feeling it's smooth texture on his freckles skin. The liquid was luke warm but he didn't want to get out yet. His thoughts were swirling around like the dirty 'water' he was in. It had been a while now since the zombie left to... eat.
Thinking about him, he gritted his teeth and tightened his hand into a fist, but he ended up groaning in frustration. His face turned upwards and he looked at the bulb with a glazed over look.
His eyes were a bit red, but not because he had been crying, no, it was because he was... EXHAUSTED.
Honestly, ever since the incident with Lich/Liv, he had not been getting enough sleep. His nights were a breeding ground of terror, as countless horrors assaulted his dreams. Now he couldn't focus, he was not sure of himself and he was anxious, with a mild case of nervousness.
Especially now, he was doubting if the deal with Mama V was good one.
Would he have done the same with enough rest?
When his head wasn't constantly aching?
When he wasn't so...
"Haa... I fucking hate this."he muttered to himself.
"Then die. Kill yourself."
Lesley grew tense and looked around himself, but not seeing anyone. He raised a hand to his head and moved his hair, which had gotten really long, downwards.
"Why do you try so hard?" A second voice said, this one was a sweeter voice and yet it stung, like drinking a jug of melted sugar.
"Why won't you die?" The first voice spoke again, it was a grim and grave sound, like bones dragged on gravel.
"You have to kill."
"You must kill."
"So many lives out there."
"So many to kill."
"To die "
"To come back again."
"Their bones."
"Their souls."
"To live."
"To die."
"Eternal."
"We-"
"Shut up!" Lesley couldn't take it anymore! He covered his ears and hummed a tune, just to have quiet.
He needed silence!
For a moment there was nothing.
"You are afraid." The grave voice said,"You need not be afraid. Death is only the door to eternity."
"We are your door to eternity." The too sweet voice whispered as if right inside of his mind and Lesley lowered his hands.
It was hopeless.
He could hear them no matter what he did.
The voices had been tormenting him for three days, when he tried to sleep, making it even harder to. Since that night with the zombie... he hated that day with a vengeance.
Because like a pair of knives, one doused in poison and the other in honey, they struck his mind and ever since this morning. Since he let that zombie bite him... they just kept on going.
Whispering.
Demanding he died.
Ordering him to kill everyone.
It was horrible.
"Why are you afraid?" The sweet voice asked.
"I'm going insane." He whispered to himself more than to it.
"You know that is not true. You know who we are. You know..." It trail off and Lesley gave a sad, small but vicious smile.
"Liv and Lich. I know. I hate you both and wish you were gone. I hate that woman Death for shoving you inside me. I hate that I'm stuck with a zombie because of her. I hate I can't go back home and I can't see Liam. I hate that I'm here in the danger zone with literal danger everywhere.
I hate Mama V.
I hate the warehouse.
I hate these people.
I hate the zombie.
I hate Death.
I hate you two.
And I... hate myself for being such a crybaby. "
Lesley had his head down, his fists were so tight that he was digging into his palms. Small, salty tears dropped into the 'water'. His tears were absorbed into the murky, green and bubbly liquid.
God, he felt pathetic. He was talking to himself. Well not really but to ghosts, or demons or whatever these two were.
If it was them.
If he wasn't going insane.
But if he was...
Honestly at first he had been happy to hear them, demanding they get out of him. But he found out that it didn't matter that he could kind of talk to them now.
They only said what they wanted.
They ignored his demands.
Only asking him to die.
They really wanted him dead.
If it was them.
He didn't know why, but one thing was sure true. They were heartless, and vindictive. He could literally hear the coldness and apathy in their voices. Which came as a surprise, especially for Liv.
Lesley was not sure but he'd thought that Liv would be a more empathetic and compassionate being. He seemed sweet in his memory but then again, his memory of Liv was like a tangible dream. You couldn't really fully say it true. But either way, Liv was brutal. He only talked about wanting to get the souls of the living and using them to heal the world.
Was that good?
Doesn't that mean people will die to fix a patch of grass?
Lich was no better, wanting dead bodies and more dead bodies.
They both wanted him dead. They both wanted people to die. He hated listening to them.
If it was them...
God I hope I'm not going crazy, he wished.
"Hello Sweet boy."
Lesley instantly moved back to the other side of the jacuzzi and grabbed the knife, he had left near his uniform. It was something he had hidden away, just in case the Savages tried anything.
He turned around and pointed it at the person who had come in. But upon seeing who it is, a frown appeared on his face.
Mama V stood by the door, wearing a pink dress with a red sash around her waist. Her lips were a bright red and her eyes were a ruin of massacre. She looked like she fought a bear... the bear lost apparently.
"Mama V. How are you?" Lesley asked tensely.
"Oh, sweet child. Call me Mama."She said looking at him with cat like eyes,"You enjoying your bath?"
"Ye-yes... sorry for not asking your permission. Veranda showed me here when I said I was dirty." He said slowly, his eyes gazing at her defiantly.
"Oh, oh, it's fine. It's, absolutely... fine. "She said looking at him," Tell me, where is the zombie? Is it not back yet? It's time to make good on our deal."
Oh, he thought. She wants someone to suffer.
"I don't know. I'll go check on him in a few minutes." Lesley lied, if he said Mel had gone out and he did not know where, there went his protection.
"Oh, ok. By the way, I have two things to ask. A mother is curious you know." She said and his eyes slightly narrowed.
"What?"
"Do you and the zombie... do the bedroom dee-"
"Nope. I hate zombies." Lesley flat out smashed the question before it got out of her mouth. His voice was firm and his face held an offended look, so Mama V was convinced.
"Ok... now, one more question. Why are you afraid of it then?" She asked with a leer,"Don't say it's nothing."
"I... am afraid of all zombies. Aren't you?" He said and Mama V lifted her lips in a smile
"Oh, yes I am. Anyway, bring that zombie to me before sundown. Or you're going to provide more urine for the jacuzzi." She said and Lesley's eyes turned to saucers.
"Uri... this is pee?! " He said looking down in horror and Mama V chuckled.
"What in the name of Michigan made you think that it was water? That's a precious resource, no reason wasting it to clean a few spots here and there." She said and placed her index finger on her lip," It's not just urine, but alot of spit and detergent. Cleans mighty fine. Don't you think so?"
"Yep. I feel absolutely spotless." Lesley said with a look of indignation but Mama V just laughed and turned around to leave.
"Oh, yeah. Sweet child, I almost forgot." Mama V said softly,"That's quite the tattoo you have. I never would have guessed it was there."
"What?" Lesley asked.
"Your neck tattoo. It's mighty fine. Anyway, see you later. Sweet child." Mama V left with a swing of her hips and a small chuckle.
Lesley shot out of the jacuzzi like it was filled with snakes. He grabbed his jacket and wiped his body, his skin cringing in disgust. He'd been in there for he didn't know how long, in what was close to being a giant toilet.
"Ugh!... God, I'm so going to get a real bath later. That zombie better really know a water source." Lesley cursed but then like a ton of bricks, he remembered what Mama V said.
He moved to get his knife, it had a reflective surface and although it was far from being a mirror, it could show him a glimpse of himself.
An intricate pattern was around Lesley's neck, so beautiful in it's complexity that the red head could not believe it. It was a bit faint but as Lesley watched, it became more visible, growing darker.
What was going on?