Loved to Death

Chapter Two: It Can't Be True

Chapter Two

Kaye's eyes fluttered open. She looked around the meager room, taking in the whiteness of the half drawn curtains that hung around the just as plain bed she was laying in. Disoriented, she reached up to wipe away the sleep from her eyes, hoping it would help her come back to her senses. At this point, she honestly didn't care where she was because she was so relieved that she had actually gained some dreamless sleep. For the past few days, her dreams had been plagued with nightmares; Nightmares where his face was waiting aroung every corner, drained of all color; his once beautiful amber eyes, glazed over; his once alluring musk, stagnant and nauseating.

Her eyes slowly grew to the size of dinner plates as her memory flooded back to her. A pang of fear shot through her heart and sent a vigorous shiver down her spine.

It can't be true.

Out of nowhere, a small flash of tawny ripped the curtains out of the way, and jumped up into the bed beside Kaye. She held her arms up in front of her face protectively, but whatever the blur was enclosed her in it's tiny, yet still strong, arms and pinned her to the spot.  "Kaye! You're alive!" screamed the mass of tawny in relief. It took a moment, but Kaye came to the realization that the quick little monster that had her in it's grasp was only May, being her usual overdramatic self. "I was sure that you were dead!" she sobbed.

Kaye felt her stomach churn. "May... Wh-"

"I was so scared! I mean, one minute you were fine, then the next you were totally face down on the floor. At first I thought you were just messing with us, but after I kicked you a few times you didn't move!" she ranted, answering Kaye's unspoken question. Kaye forced herself to swallow. Was I just hallucinating? Is all this just getting to my head? Am I going crazy?

She wiggled out of May's grip and rested her face in the palm of her hand and closed her eyes, trying to quiet the painful thoughts that were whirling around in her mind. She heard the curtain being moved again, and assuming it was the nurse waved her away. "I'm fine it was just lack of sleep."

She felt the nurse sit on the bed beside her and May. "Good to hear."

Kaye's blood ran cold.

"Hey, you need to get out of here! This is your fault!" she heard May yell.

"May, can you leave us alone for a minute? I want to apologize for the fight we had the other night," said the voice with in an even tone. Kaye was now too horrified to open her eys.

No. Don't leave me. Her mouth felt dry. She couldn't feel her mouth move.

"Well... I guess... But if I hear one thing, I swear I'll beat you!" May huffed as she rose from the bed.

No! Don't leave me with him! Her voice caught in her throat.

"Kaye." It didn't sound like the Micah she loved.

You're not real.

"Kaye look  at me." It didn't sound like the Micah she hated.

This isn't happening!

"Kaye!" It didn't even sound human.

"Kaye, damnit!" she felt his cold hands grip her shoulders as he gave a light, but still violent shake. Her eyes flew open, and she found herself staring back into her one time lover's eyes.

"Micah.. You're... You're... No you can't be here!" she stuttered quietly. A small smirk appeared on Micah's face. She leaned in closer so that there was no way May would hear. "I buried you." Just saying it aloud brought frantic tears to her eyes.

"Thanks for that by the way. Took me hours to crawl back out. I almost had to take up a perminant residence in my shower to get all the dirt off. And the maggots... Oh the maggots were horrible," he smiled as though they were having a casual conversation. Kaye could feel her nausea returning, along with an image of Micah's beautiful face filled small squirming specks moving just beneath the surface of his pale skin. She had to resist the urge to gag. Micah smiled again, amused with her reaction.

"I watched you bleed out!" she cried softly. "I had to wash the blood off my hands..."

Micah raised an eyebrow. "So did I. Your point?" Kaye grew closer and closer to the verge of losing her small breakfast she had hastily shoveled down to please her mother that morning.

"You had no pulse!" she hissed, frantically trying to convince him of his own death.

"I still don't. Listen," he whispered, pointing to his chest. She looked at him warily, but slowly brought her ear to his chest.

Silence.

She jerked back so fast that she bumped her head on the wall. "H-how? You should still be in the ground where I left you!"

MIcah slammed both of his arms onto the wall behind her, leaving her nearly no room to move. His cool breath carried the scent of rotting garbage; the veins visible in the skin exposed atop his turtle neck seemed accented and purple. "I was never the type to do what I was told. You should know that." Kaye turned her face away, and gasped for air, trying to keep herself from passing out yet again. Her heart was pounding so hard in her ribcage that she thought it would explode from the strain.

"What's wrong, babe?" he whispered, his voice growing darker. "You never had a problem being so close to me before..." His face twisted into a dark and perverted grin. He shot out a pale hand and laid it over Kaye's which laid shaking on the her leg. "You never had a problem with touching me either..." He gripped her hand, causing her to squeak in pain, and began to lead her hand up the bottom of his torso, underneath the fabric of the sweater. She gasped in fear, tears streaming down her face as he continued to force her hand higher and higher, his smile growing with each inch.

Too close.

Their hands went higher.

Not there! Please!

Her fingers ran over what felt to be like a small slit across his stomach. Her thoughts flashed back to the small carving knife that was now stowed away in her glove box. She tried to wrench her hand away, but his deathly grip was too much for her. He continued to slide her hand upward and across his left breast slowly, letting her feel every individual mutilated opening that she had left in his skin. She wretched.

"Awww, babe. Am I not good enough for you anymore?" he whispered in her ear, stealing the words she had used against him two nights prior. With a quiet chuckle he forced one of her fingers into one of the many small holes, causing her to sob louder with each disgusting slurping sound the seemingly fresh wound made. She could feel the thick fluid drip down between her fingers and then run from his chest and onto the white bedding.

"Please! Please stop!" she wept. Micah pulled his head away from her ear slowly, and smiled wickedly, the corners of his mouth dripping with the same disgusting liquid. "Please! I beg you, please!" she squeezed her eyes shut, wanting it all to go away. She felt his grip loosen and she slowly retracted her hand from him, sobbing hysterically. She stared down at her hand which was now soaked in his blood for the second time. "I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry," she apologized, barely audible between her sobs.

"Sorry won't fix this," he whispered gravely. His eyes locked with hers.

"What will? Please, tell me!"

Wiping the corners of his mouth with the tip of his thumb, he stood, then bent over and wiped the removed blood from her nostril down to her chin. "You had a nosebleed," he whispered, then disappeared behind the curtain, leaving Kaye in shock.

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Word Count: 3,374