Chapter 3: Confrontation

Author's note: And so, it begins... in earnest this time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marble motionless,Drowned in red.The heart still beats.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elster's POV

Ariane was sleeping again.

Peacefully.

Like a corspe.

The red sheets seemed to drown her.

I had to call in sick today. Ariane needed me.

"Kolibri..." I started.

She let out a sigh in response, "Elster! What're you up to?"

"I think I'm gonna have to call in sick for tomorrow."

"Did... something happen?" She asked, "Is... it about your wife?"

I didn't reply.

"Alright, I'll mark you down as sick for tomorrow. Just... be sure to come back after this. Adler's been going on about how your barely keeping up with your quota of work ever since..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to complete the sentence.

"I'll... be back as soon as I can," I replied, "Thank you..."

"Don't mention it," she replied casually, "I'll see you at work."

"Yeah, bye..." I hung up, turning to Ariane lying down drowsily of the bed, a small pile of red stained tissues on the side, "I'll be here if you need me... no work for me till you get better."

She smiled back weakly, "You shouldn't have..."

"You look half dead, Ariane. I can't just leave you here on your own!" I picked up an apron, putting it on, "I'll just make some breakfast. Can't keep going on an empty stomach, can we?"

"Can you take me with you?" She asked.

"I won't be gone that long," I replied, "Just a second.. I'll be back."

I walked out leaving the door open walking into the kitchen. I looked out the open window, the feeling of the eye still watching still there.

There was someone watching, I was sure of it. Still, Ariane needed me back as soon as I could get breakfast ready.

While I left the stove running, I went back to check on Ariane again.

She'd gone right back to sleep.

I sat beside her in silence for a minute, stroking her hair. She was never a heavy sleeper so whenever I'd do this before, she'd always wake up and drag me into bed no matter what I was doing. Now, she slept like a log.

Her hair was getting thinner too.

I kissed her forehead and went back to the kitchen. As I walked, I stopped at the window, looking up at the starry sky.

Letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. Looking at the pinpricks among the pitch black made every single one of my worries feel insignificant.

"You're just worrying over nothing, Elster," I chuckled to myself, "You have so much more concrete things to worry about-"

I looked down to the window of the neighbouring house and my blood ran cold. There was a silhouette at the window, sitting down...

The eyes that were boring into me these last few days...

I shut the curtains and turned away, breathing heavily.

"I was right... there was always someone watching..."

I sat there for what felt like hours, trying to calm myself down. Eventually, I was able to get up and walk to the kitchen. It wasn't burned, just mildly charred here and there. It's a good thing I kept the flame on low.

Still, the confirmation that someone was there was gnawing at the back of my mind.

"C'mon Elster," I told myself, "For all you know, that was just someone looking out of their window, enjoying the view... now, come on, Ariane's waiting."

I began scraping off any burnt bits off of the food, but, despite my rationalisation of the event, the gaze only felt stronger.

Scraping against the most primal instincts that run my mind, I felt an urge to confont the owner of the eyes in question.

Scraping bits and pieces off of any reason I could hold on to.

"Ariane's breakfast first, Elster..."

"Confront the eyes. You cannot keep going like this..."

"Ariane needs me..."

"But the eyes... they won't stop..."

"Just... just a minute then..."

"Just a minute."

I placed the plate onto the dining table and walked towards the curtains, parting the curtains just a little bit to peer through the slit.

The figure was still there, unmoved, like a statue...

I had to confront it.

I opened the window and stepped out, walking towards the neighbouring window.

The figure flinched.

It was alive.

As I drew closer, I heard a voice in whispered breath, "This can't be happening... this... shouldn't be able to happen..."

The voice kept repeating various permutations and combinations of the phrase.

As I got closer, I noticed the window was fully open for their house.

Suddenly, the figure, still cloaked in darkness, let out a blood curdling scream and leapt at me, pinning me onto the ground. The figure grabbed my arms and attempted to use the free hand to punch my face.

The blow connected and for a second I saw stars as the figure winded up another strike.

I wriggled my legs out from under the figure in the meantime and as the second strike connected, I managed to strike it on the leg, making it stumble giving me a few seconds to crawl away.

In a few second, we were standing face to face, the figure still in darkness.

A scream broke the silence.

Ariane...

The figure's head snapped to face it's own house and sprinted back inside.

I turned and ran as well.

My mind blank, running on instinct.

Running to Ariane.

I turned the corner and rushed to her side to see her coughing you blood. Not droplets anymore, but flowing out of her mouth like a river while her face was fixed in a choked scream.

There was only one thing to do.

My body ran on instinct as I picked her up, blood trailing behind us, her arms flailing in panic at times and her face softening and caressing my face from time to time like she was having a moment of recognition, which faded in a new scream.

The walk felt like it went on for hours, but I reached the door, opened it and walked into the large cubical room. I took her to the bathtub at the center and placed her in it. Withing seconds, the blood gushed out of her mouth, filling the tub up till she was half submerged in the fluid.

With that, her condition subsided and her eyes and mouth slowly shut themselves.

"Cold," I thought to myself as I crumbled to the floor, one hand propping myself on the bathtub, fingers dipping into the viscous red pool.

She looked so calm there.

Sleeping peacefully...

Like a corpse...

I drifted off to sleep beside her, head resting on the edge of the bathtub.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S.: So we're here... where shit has finally started to hit the fan. Hope you enjoyed this turn of the spiral...

It can only go down from here...