[Theo’s perspective]

  Drip...

  Drip...

  The sound was keeping time with my heart.

  The smell of old rust permeated the hotel. The walls were suffocating, coated in a velvet red that looked like fresh meat. The room was moist. The carpet was a sponge, soaked in fluids, clinging to the floor in desperation.

  I walked forward. The floor tried to swallow my feet.

  A cheerful song played on a loop somewhere, abstracted by the thick walls until it sounded like a funeral dirge. The doors were open mouths, panting with a foul stench. The rooms were empty of life, but filled with rot.

  I kept moving.

  I was bewildered by the joy rising in my chest. I loved this smell. The metallic copper scent reminded me of my mother's monthly blood. The red beneath my feet reminded me of my favorite cherry candy. The dampness felt like home.

  I grew more confident, knowing that I owned this hallway.

  Then, I saw it. A small shadow.

  I stopped and took off my shoes. My feet touched the damp carpet, wanting to feel it, painting my soles crimson. I stalked the shadow. It was hunting for something.

  It found Room 23.

  I grinned. The game was set.

  I followed the figure. I rubbed my toes together, feeling the slick moisture. It was a tactile pleasure. I had it trapped.

  "It is stuck now," I whispered to myself.

  I peaked inside. It was kneeling. It was touching a corpse, weeping over its own kind.

  How pathetic. How disgusting.

  I entered the room, shedding my grey coat and letting it ruin itself on the stained floor. I approached from the shadow’s blind spot, intending to snap its neck in one clean motion.

  But it sensed me. It turned, crawling backward on four twisted limbs. It began to scream. To anyone else, it might have been fear, but to me, it was a beautiful, harmonic screech. It was begging for me. Oh, how beautiful.

  I pounced.

  I grasped its neck firmly, adjusting my grip to change the pitch of its cry. It played a melodic tune for me as it began to drown in its own saliva. The warm fluids spilled over my hands.

  Oh, this was art.

  Killing these creatures brought me a transcendent pleasure. I slowly tightened my grip, silencing the instrument as the music finally stopped.

  I savored the moment, staring down at its violet flesh. I finally loosened my tight grip around its neck and rose to my feet. Taking three steps back, I examined my finished artwork with pride. Sweet saliva dripped from my fingers. I slowly raised my hand to my lips to give it a taste.

  But it was not the sweetness I was expecting. It tasted of cold metal. I quickly pulled my tongue back and looked down. The clear saliva had transformed into thick, red blood.

  My head snapped up in horror. The creature's corpse had vanished. In its place lay the body of Seraphina.

  "S-Seraphina?" I muttered, my voice trembling.

  I stumbled two steps backward. My bare feet squelched uncomfortably as I stepped into puddles of black blood. To my horror, the corpse began to stand up slowly. I backed away until the mirror on my right caught my attention. I froze.

  I was different. My golden blonde hair had turned into a messy, ash-white mane. Deep, dark circles haunted my eyes. I stood taller than before, wearing clothes that felt familiar yet undeniably foreign. I tore my eyes away from the mirror to look back at the corpse, but it was gone. The room was completely empty.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  I turned my head just in time to see a shadow—a cat—lunge toward my face.

  Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

  My heart hammered against my ribs. I jolted up in my bed, gasping for air. I had woken up.

  "Another bad dream," I whispered to myself.

  I looked out into the darkness of my room. Outside, the rain was pouring against the window. I clutched my chest, feeling my heart beat so hard it felt like it was about to burst. Before I could stop them, hot tears began to fall onto my blanket.

  Curling up into a ball, I longed to fall back to sleep.

  Splash!

  I gripped the edges of the sink, water dripping from my face onto the counter. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, searching for myself.

  But I could still hear it. The dripping noises of that place. The sound of water falling in this bathroom only reminded me of the blood and dampness from my nightmares.

  It was getting worse. Every day, I began to see the man from my dreams merging with my reflection. The stranger I inhabited while I slept was becoming the person I saw when I was awake. His deep black eyes and sunken, hollow look began to manifest on my own face.

  I hated looking at him.

  Knock. Knock. Knock.

  The sudden noise echoed off the tiled walls. It shattered my concentration.

  "Young Master? You have been in there an awful lot. Are you okay?"

  The maid’s voice sounded muffled through the thick wood. I could hear the hesitation in her tone. She was worried. How precious.

  I took a slow breath and watched my chest rise and fall in the mirror. I needed to compose myself. I forced the corners of my lips up into that familiar, gentle smile that everyone loved so much.

  "Yeah. I am fine," I called out. "I am just getting out," I added.

  I adjusted the collar of my shirt and smoothed down the front of my academy uniform. Once I was sure not a single thread was out of place, I unlocked the door.

  I stepped into the hallway and walked past the servant without a second glance. It was time to head to school.

  Several other male students scrambled to catch up with me in the hallway. They laughed and gossiped about things I could not care less about. I kept my mask on but inside I was screaming. I wanted to be alone. I felt untethered, like a piece of rot drifting in the gutter.

  I finally escaped them when I arrived at class. The silence was a relief until I saw my seat. I walked over and hesitantly sat next to Seraphina. I immediately closed my eyes, refusing to look at her. If I looked her in the eyes I would be crushed under the immense weight of my guilt.

  Time passed in a blur. A few lessons later I finally opened my eyes to check on her. Seraphina had fallen asleep on her desk with her head resting on her arms.

  Is she okay?

  My thoughts raced and panic set in. A sharp spike of guilt pierced my chest. I almost reached out to touch her hair. I wanted to beg for forgiveness. I froze. I stopped myself out of pure self-preservation.

  I could not do it. The guilt was eating me from the inside out. I did unforgivable things to her and to her beloved cat.

  I am a coward and a piece of trash. I did not care about her feelings back then. Why did I suddenly care so much now?

  I created this version of her. The reason Seraphina became cold and distant was because of my cruelty. The visions started the moment I took that life. I looked into the eyes of a monster that day and it showed me my own reflection. I realized then how evil I was.

  Seraphina, I am so sorry.

  It is too late. There is nothing I can do.

  As I let myself drown in my own dark despair, a loud voice suddenly snapped me back to reality.

  "Theo!"

  My head snapped up in surprise. The entire class had turned their attention toward my desk. They were all staring at me. I froze in my seat, completely stun-locked. What in the world was going on? Why was everyone looking at me with such expectation?

  I scanned their faces in a desperate search for context. The silence stretched on until a girl sitting across the room finally broke it.

  "Come on, Theo. You know you are the absolute perfect fit for the student council."

  "Student council?" I muttered.

  It took a second for my brain to process what she had just offered me. These people actually wanted me to be a part of the student council?

  I slowly turned my head to look back at Seraphina. She was still resting on her desk. I remembered what Elara had told me about the first day. Seraphina had been mercilessly bullied. Even now, I could easily feel the thick hostility radiating from the other students around her.

  A sudden thought struck me. If I accepted this position of power, I would have authority. I could use it to shield her. Maybe I could somehow help Seraphina from the shadows.

  I took a deep breath and hesitantly looked back at the class. I pushed my chair back and stood up tall. I put on my best charismatic smile and confidently announced that I would be honored to join the student council as our year's representative.