Psychosis

Chapter 55- Skeletons In The Closet

Isabel looked at the door in front of her and took a deep breath. At long last, she was going to do something she had sworn to herself she was never going to do. But she had been talking to her teammate, making her situation sound as hypothetical as possible (though she wasn't sure if he believed it), and he had told her that this might be the first step. It wouldn't be the whole answer, but at least it would be the first step. So she had been working up her courage all day, and now, nearing the midnight hour, she was finally going to do it.

She took another deep breath and reached out for the knob, her hand shaking. She gripped the knob, and stood there for just a moment, breathing shakily. She swore she could hear a low growl behind the door, but the growl almost sounded... happy? Slowly, she turned the knob, and let the door slowly creak open. At first, nothing happened. But then the lights in the room flickered out, leaving her in absolute darkness. She heard that growl again, and she felt her breath catch in her chest. The lights slowly flickered back on, much dimmer than they were before.

And standing in the closet was the demon she had been trying to ignore for so long.

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Katelynn followed the Man down the stairs slowly. She didn't know what awaited her at the bottom of the stairs. She didn't know what the surprise he spoke of was. She didn't know if she was walking to her death. But whatever it was, he seemed excited about it. Finally, they got to the bottom of the stairs, and she took in a deep breath. He walked into what she vaguely remembered was the living room, and she slowly stepped into the room, holding her breath. But when she saw what the surprise was, she let go of that breath.

"It's your favorite dress. I went and got it for you. I got the boots you always wear with it, too. I wanted to get the headband, too, but I couldn't find it. I hope this is okay," he said, and Katelynn walked to where the dress was hanging up. She reached out and grabbed the skirt, running the soft material through her fingers. He was right, this was her favorite dress, and she did always wear those boots on the floor with it. She did wear a black headband, but it had ripped recently beyond repair, and she had thrown it away. He had been right, but...

"How did you know?" she asked, and the Man tilted his head, apparently confused by her question. "How did you know my favorite soup? How did you know that this is my favorite dress? Or that I always wore these boots with it, or about my black headband? How did you know?" He smiled, before laughing a little bit.

"I know everything about you, Kate. I know I'm the only one who calls you Kate. I know what pew you always sat in at church. I know what order you do your chores in every night. I know you weren't lying about what Joel did to you," he said, and she gripped the skirt tighter. She didn't like thinking about that. She looked over to where he was, only to find out that he had crossed the room. He put his hands around her waist, and she froze. "And I know why you went to Cheyenne."

"But how?" she whispered. "I've never told anyone that."

"I've been watching you since I came to Sinclair. I know how much the community treats you like an outsider for something you can't even control. I understand how you feel. I was the outsider once, too," he said, and her lower lip trembled. She had never wanted to be the outsider. She had never wanted anything she had ever been given. "As for how I knew about Cheyenne... I'm going to be honest. Please don't be mad. Sometimes when you were at church, I would drive out there, to your old home, and I would... I would read your journal. That's how I found out."

"You... you read my journal? That was supposed to be mine, and only mine..." Katelynn responded, and the Man sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to know more about you, and I couldn't go about it the normal way because you were kept in a cage," he said, and Katelynn's eyes went wide. She had never thought of herself being kept in a cage. But she was, and she had to wonder... should she be wanting to escape this situation so much? He had freed her from her cage. But for all she knew, he was just going to put her in another cage. "It's okay. You and I are going to do the thing you ran away to Cheyenne for. I promise."