I think I passed out. Again.
Not the best survival move when there's a murderous statue on the loose, but here I am—still breathing, even if the world seems hellbent on changing that.
Colors burst into view, blending into the blurry outline of a cracked ceiling. A throbbing pain lanced through my body, sharp and all too real.
If it wasn't clear earlier, it was definitely clear now. This isn't a dream.
Kreee!
Something wriggled against my ankle. Its squishy, wet grip was almost reassuring. Almost.
"You again," I muttered, lifting my leg to inspect the grotesque little parasite.
It wasn't much to look at—bloody, mangled, and smelling worse than death itself. Yet, the shattered floor around us and its battered form told me one thing: this slimy creature had protected me as best as it could while I was unconscious.
"Great. I've been saved by something that looks like it crawled out of a sewer."
Kreee?
Its too-many eyes blinked at me, as if offended by the accusation. It wasn't cute—far from it—but something about the way it blinked at me gave an instinctive urge to squish it a little aggressively.
For a moment, the absurdity of this thought dulled the edge of my panic.
"Don't get any ideas," I added. "I'm not giving you a name."
Kreee!
The parasite's chittering sounded suspiciously close to a triumphant child, and for reasons I didn't understand, the sound tugged at something buried deep inside me.
Loneliness.
A sharp ache twisted in my chest, but I shook it off. With the current situation, I don't have the time for something like that.
I pushed myself upright, groaning as my body protested. The statue was nowhere to be seen, but the shattered debris and eerie stillness suggested it wasn't far.
Then I saw it—a mirror, barely hanging on the far wall.
The reflection stared back at me. Pale skin, lean frame, raven-black curls sticking to my forehead, and a mole beneath my right eye that stood out against the otherwise smudge-covered face.
It was me.
The same young man who worked his way out of the orphanage, who scraped and clawed for every ounce of freedom he could get. That face had survived so much.
'But what about here? Did it mean anything in this world?'
Kreee!
The parasite tapped insistently on my ankle, pulling me from my thoughts.
"What now?" I grumbled, but the answer came before I could stand.
Bam!
The door slammed open, followed by the sound of stone grinding against stone. The haunting noise filled the room and my pulse spiked as shadows moved unnaturally in the hallway beyond.
It was a sign that she was coming.
And sure enough, the statue emerged.
Fluid movements defied its rigid, stone form. Its carved face, reminiscent of an innocence maiden, became twisted into something demonic as it tilted its head unnaturally.
My breath caught.
"That's not possible," I whispered, even though I knew better by now.
Kreee!
The little creature wriggled, its slimy body perched on my shoulder. Tentacles lashed out in a frenzy, forming a writhing barrier barrier between me and the statue.
Kree! Kreee!
The parasite's gurgling sounded almost... protective?
I looked at the maiden stature and took a deep breath before saying what I had always wanted to point out earlier.
"I'd be mad too if someone broke into my house," I muttered under my breath. "But I didn't exactly plan to wake up naked in your haunted bathtub!"
Screeech!
The statue lunged.
I quickly threw myself sideways, barely dodging. Once again, my shoulder slammed into the wall, generating a shockwave strong enough to make my ears hear a sharp ringing.
BANG!
The statue's fist punched through the wall right beside my head. The surface shattered like broken glass before miraculously repairing itself.
"Okay, okay!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet. "I get it! No trespassing!"
It didn't stop.
BANG!
BABABAM!
Another blow, then another, each one faster than the last. My thoughts spiraled as I rolled and tumbled in every possible direction.
'Is this thing a guardian? Did I offend some sacred being? Am I seriously about to die for accidentally invading its territory?'
Kreee!
The parasite latched onto me, squirming as though trying to brace my body against the impact of the next attack. The effort shouldn't have mattered—but somehow, it did.
Panting, I dove out of the way as a chandelier crashed where I'd just been standing.
"Hey! Maybe we could talk this out instead of turning me into dust?" I shouted at the maiden, half out of desperation.
Kreee!
The parasite mimicked me, rubbing its slimy limbs together like a merchant negotiating a deal.
For a heartbeat, the statue paused, tilting its head as if considering the offer.
And then it charged.
"That's a no, then!" I dodged again, this time stumbling into a wall. Before I could react, the room shifted.
Suddenly, everything flipped. The ground beneath me was gone, replaced by the suffocating confines of a tiny, empty room.
My chest tightened.
'No. Not this. Not again.'
The walls pressed in, and unwanted memories spilled forward of dark spaces, endless hours alone, and the crushing weight of silence.
Kreee!
The parasite's sound cut through the rising panic, anchoring me to the present. Its slimy limbs tapped against my skin, deliberate and insistent, as if to say it was there too. The strong insistence was ridiculous—and strangely comforting. But most importantly, it made me realize that I wasn't alone. Not entirely.
For now, that was enough. The room didn't seem as small as before.
Kreee!
My breath hitched as I gazed at the squirming parasite, and I ran a shaky hand through my damp hair.
"Not exactly the company I'd choose," I muttered, but the faintest smile crept onto my lips. "Still… you're here."
Kreee!
It wriggled in acknowledgment, and for the first time in what felt like forever, the heavy weight in my chest eased.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The wall in front of me shattered. The statue stepped forward, more menacing than ever.
No dramatic power surged through me. No divine intervention. Just me, a parasite, and a statue that wanted me dead.
"I still don't know how I got here," I said, standing. "But one thing's clear—if I don't kill that thing, I'm not going to live long enough to figure it out. That's what you're saying, right?"
Kreee!
The parasite squirmed in agreement, ready to fight.
'Hah. Guess I'm really not alone after all.'
I clenched my fist and at that moment, an odd sense of calmness rippled through my body for the first time since I woke up in this hell hole.
It wasn't much.
Just me, the parasite, and the fight for one more day.