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Clank. Clank. Clank.
She’d been hearing it all day. When she took a shower that morning, when she got ready for the Halloween party at the children’s hospital that evening, and now that night as she was standing in the cafeteria that she helped decorate.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
It had gotten faster, it came in bursts.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
No one else heard it. She knew they didn’t. She’d tried ignoring it, tried pushing it to the back of her mind, but it wouldn’t shut up. The noise wouldn’t leave her alone.
She was drawn out of herself when she realized that all her friends were staring at her in concern. “What?” She forced a smile, trying to not give them a reason to worry.
“I asked if you wanted some more punch.” Stavo said, pointing at her cup. Emma looked down, saw that it was empty, and thrust it towards him.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
“Yeah, please, thanks.” He gave her an odd look, but said nothing as he took her cup and walked to the refreshment stand.
Sensing that something was off, Brooke grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and pulled her to the side, away from wandering ears. She crossed her arms and looked up at Emma with worried eyes. “Emma, are you okay?” She asked lowly.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
Emma arched a brow, containing herself as best she could. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
Brooke shrugged. “Ever sense we decorated this place last night, you’ve been acting really strange.”
Emma bent down and placed a soft, chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s lips. “I’m fine.” She assured, and she hoped Brooke believed the lie.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
“Em?” Panic was starting to seep through Brooke’s voice. Emma blinked several times, shaking her head and coming back to reality. How long had she been standing there, looking at nothing? One second she kissed Brooke, the next she felt like she was falling. “Emma?” She looked down at Brooke, brows furrowed, trying to find the right words.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
“What’s going on?” Brooke grabbed Emma’s arm, giving her a gentle tug into the now.
Emma’s world was spinning, she couldn’t breathe. “I need some air.” She rasped, her voice barely audible.
“What?” Brooke asked, not able to understand what her girlfriend had said.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
“I said,” Emma gritted her teeth, trying to not lash out. The noise was getting too much, too loud, she thought her head was about to explode. But just as she was losing herself, she bounced back. “I need some air.” She looked at Brooke and smiled, kissed her on the cheek, and then exited the cafeteria, leaving the blonde in a state of extreme confusion.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
She hurried down the empty hallway, gripping the wall for balance. She needed to get out of there. She needed to leave that damn hospital. There was something about it that was driving her mad, something about it that made her feel afraid of herself.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
She looked behind herself, but nothing was there.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
So close now. So close. Directly behind her. Merely an inch away, breathing down her neck, tangling in her hair.
Clank…
Now it was taunting her, the bastard.
Clank…
“Go away.” She whispered, holding her head.
Clank…
“Leave me alone!” She shouted at the top of her lungs, pulling her hair in agitation and annoyance.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
A sob escaped her throat as she slid down the wall, holding her knees to her chest. “What do you want?” Her voice was shrill and cracked, raw and dry from the tears she held in and the screaming she was fighting within herself. Her chest heaved as the silence fell upon her. The clanking had stopped, nothing could be heard except for the rapid beating of her heart and the short exhales of air from her nose.
Closing her eyes, Emma felt at peace, Emma felt whole.
But opening them back again, her mouth dropped and a hysterical scream escaped her mouth, filling the room around her like a desperate plea for help. Because kneeling in front of her was herself, only this Emma was gray and black and covered in decay and rot. Her eyes were vacant holes, her teeth were chipped, her fingers were talons. Her head was baled, covered in open sores with black ooze seeping out and flowing down her neck.
“What do you want?” Emma repeated in a whisper, hot tears flowing down her face.
Dark Emma smiled, an ugly wicked thing, and when she spoke it was like a thousand needles pierced Emma’s ears. “You.” And then she swallowed her whole.
Darkness had a face.
Darkness was her face.
When they found her ten minutes later, she was curled up into a ball on the floor, lying on her side, rocking back and forth, muttering to herself words that didn’t make sense. She was tapping her fingers on the tile floor in a clanking patter. Her eyes were glazed.
She said nothing as they took her away. She said nothing still as her friends tried to follow after her. The clanking trailed after her, like a fog in her head. The darkness went with her, like the promise of a lifelong friend.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
And she smiled.