Her

Prompt: Desperate Times  |  Genre: Magical Realism  |  Word count: 1260 words

Warning: Violence

She looks back at me. Bites her lip. Her neck muscles are taut. She looks strung, almost poised to bound back at the first sign of danger.

We stand like this. Staring at each other. Waiting.

After a while, I see her relax. Just a little. You can make that out, the way her shoulders slump, the wrinkles of her eyes ease out. She leans forward, searching my eyes.

Looking for her.

I don’t know what she saw, but she sighs. She looks relieved. She leans her hands against the sink. And then her head falls on her chest.

So does mine.

I switch the tap on. Let the cold water run through my hand, numb my nerves. I look at the pure, crystal liquid in my palms. I wish it was hard. Like a diamond. Something I could use to pierce through. Let the dark, muddy thing flow out. Out. Out of my system. Washed away.

The sink turns dark. So do my fingers. My palms. Hands. I look back at the mirror.

And I see her.

Dark. Darker than midnight. Like she has never seen the light. Ever.

Her eyes are yellow. Lips crimson, like the blood of a freshly killed lamb. And she is screaming. Her head thrown back, her lips peeled away, letting out a shrill keen that pierces through my heart. She cries. Tears of blood. Clutching her stomach. I see her. I want to hold her. Hold her tight. Make her stop. Stop crying. Stop that sound. I can’t take it. I’m on the floor, clutching my stomach. Crying. Screaming. Shrieking. Clawing my arms. But I don’t feel it. I don’t feel anything. Except her pain.

Her pain.

It surrounds me. Like a thick dark cloud. Closing tighter. And tighter. Wrapped around my neck, I try to pull it off. But the more I pull, the tighter it gets. I gag. Cough. I can’t think anymore.

I… can’t……. brea….

“Nila? What’s taking you so long?”

Surya.

The grip falls away. From the depths, she looks at me. Her wide tear-filled eyes narrow and turn sharp, angry. I feel the sting. I turn my eyes away in shame.

I move towards his voice... and away from her.

_-_

Leaves crumple under our feet, marking the heavy silence between us.

"What's wrong?"

I shrug; shake my head.

He nods and takes a deep breath, before looking ahead. I feel relieved but sad at the same time. It doesn't make sense, but then nothing seems to be making sense lately. I feel heavier but I plod on. 

In the distance, we can hear the sounds of the town. I turn to look at him. There's a slump to his shoulder, a tightness around his lips, a heaviness in his tread.

"We can always go back," I venture, careful not to sound too glad.

He stops and for a moment I imagine his shoulders straighten, as if a load is off it. But then he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, "We haven't met them in a while. And I did promise her we would go this time."

I sigh. I wonder why he makes an effort when he doesn't want to.

"They are old. Annoying, yes, but also old. It's our duty to meet them, even if it's only once in a while. At least we are not staying with them," he says, looking at me, as if I had something to do with that!

My hands tingle and my breath comes in hot. I look down; my fingertips are turning black. I feel numb all of a sudden, my hands ice-cold even as I break into a sweat. 

I gulp down, trying hard to contain myself. She can't come out; not now, not ever!

_-_

“So, when are you two planning to make us grandparents?”, his mother asks.

I busy myself twirling my soup. I hear Surya answer. He has said it to her a thousand times before. But it doesn’t satisfy. It never does.

I look up at the clock. And sigh.

She catches my gesture. Starts talking. But I don’t hear. Because I hear a small girl sing a lullaby. She is sitting in the dark. Holding her knees to herself. Rocking. Her voice, it wanes and waxes, with every move.

I remember that song. My mother used to sing it to me, when I was little.

When I mention “mother”, she looks at me. Scared. Angry. She springs up and runs away. I try to follow. But she is too fast. I see her turn around a dark corner and disappear. I follow.

I don’t see anything. It’s dark. Too dark. I walk closer. Peer.

That’s when I see them. Yellow eyes.

I scream and turn on my heels. I run. Like the wind.

But she is faster. She grabs my shoulder. I pull away but lose my balance and fall. She looms right above me. Brings her face close to mine. And then…

…Darkness…

“Oh you broke my best chinaware! Clumsy, as always!” I hear his mother say.

I look down. My palm is closed. I open it. There’s a pool of blood. I let it slide down my hand. Lick it. Hmmmm… yummy. I flex my hand. Admire my claws. Obsidian. Sharp. Beautiful.

“When will you learn?!”

I flex my neck. Aaaah, that feels nice. When was the last time I was out? Hmmmm… pretty long ago, I guess. I breathe in deeply. Aaaahhh, this air, feels fresh. Not stale, dark, like the place she keeps me locked in.

“I’m talking to you! Turn around and face me!”

I feel laughter bubble in my chest. The old hag wants to face me? I’m too happy to oblige!

“Arrrggggghhhhh!! Monster!”

She takes a vessel and swings at me. I block it away with my arm. But I feel a dull pain where it hit me. Tsk tsk. Now, why did she have to do this? I would have to teach her a lesson now.

Her neck, it feels too podgy under my hands. Will it hurt if I squeeze? What happens if…

“NILA! What are you doing?”

It’s Surya. His eyes, pure horror, reflects my form… dark, hideous, with yellow eyes.

I stumble back, hit the sink behind me. I look at my hands. They are bloody. But no longer black. She is back in her cage. But it’s too late.

I run. Push past Surya. Out the door. In the streets. Past people on the road. They are looking at me. They are all looking at me. I run. Through the hedges. The fields. I see a dark stretch in the distance. I head towards it. No one would see me there.

The dark stretch looms closer. I halt in my tracks. It’s the Dark Forest. No one goes in there. And if they do, they never come back.

I’m breathing hard. But I hear Surya in the distance. I turn around and see him running towards me. No, I can’t let him come close, I’m too dangerous.

I run straight into the forest. All around me are tall trees, rising and spreading, blocking out the light. I look ahead. The forest grows darker there.

I stagger towards the dark. I must have fallen. I don’t remember. My wounds are stinging. My feet are growing slick with my blood. But I keep moving.

That’s when I fall, face-down on the forest floor. In the distance, I see something sparkle. I find myself reaching out just as darkness envelops me.