Characters: Marnie, Emma (played by orie), Graham (played by a.), Lecter (played by K.)
Content Warnings: Major character death
Location: Convenience store The Records
Magicians tend to stop at The Records to recover from wandering magical limbo. Marnie, as a familiar, is understood by no one but her owner, Emma. This is conveyed in writing through Wingdings.
Marnie gets bullied by her former boss and decides she wants to put an end to her misery. It does not go as planned.
This is a weirder thread than most because it's the only one in the collection that features a multi-person scene! That means you run into a few characters and plotlines that don't show up anywhere else. I also lost contact with the other two people that played the characters so I decided for personal reasons to change the character names. I did Lecter and Graham as a reference to the show Hannibal. Though their dynamic doesn't contain most of the things there it was the only yaoi I remembered off the top of my head.
Lecter is Emma and Marnie's former boss and Graham is a newer magician whose magic makes him operate much like a dating simulator.
“Hello! Welcome to the Records!” Classic retail customer service smile!
“…What is this place?? Where are we? Huh?? Wait- do you guys have a bed here?”
Out of context it sounded like an odd question but Graham really needed a nap.
“Um! Unfortunately we do not,” (^^;) “Just being in here should allow your injuries and any potential fatigue to be healed though!”
“But to answer your first question, this is the Records!” She realizes she already said that.
“A sort of healing spot within this maze of dreams and everything, and lots of snacks and stuff available!”
“Oh? Why are you guys running this store anyways? I imagine you don’t exactly have to be paid a living wage here in this… space.” It was a tad confusing for him, are they working just for the sake of it? Or was it a requirement to keep remaining in this space?
:(
“That is! A good question!”
Compulsion? Was probably the best word for it.
“…Well, someone has to make sure that the people who are out there fighting have somewhere to heal and relax!” (^^)
Her head angles itself toward Marnie again, intending to introduce her, but considering what she said last time she did that, she hesitates. She looks toward Marnie as if to ask for permission.
There’s a small nod, albeit hesitant.
(^^) Emma gestures an arm adorned with a charm bracelet towards the pink catgirl sitting in the corner.
“And this is Marnie!” (^^)
Marnie nods in greeting. The collar around her neck matches Emma’s charm bracelet, it seems.
“Oh… nice to meet you both, you two are quite selfless to do that.” Graham approved, nodding slowly at the two of them. “How long have you two been here?” He asked, before realizing how peaceful it seemed inside compared to the outside. Graham turned to Emma and Marnie and point blank asked, “Can I live here?” Half jokingly,
“Ah, thank you!” (^^) Emma does a little bounce/bow thing as she says thanks.
A part of her has loosely been keeping track of how long its been, but she wasn’t certain. A few… months?
“…A good chunk of time I think!” Is what she says instead.
“Honestly I wouldn’t recommend it as its! A tad bit mind-numbing!” (^^;) Purgatorial is probably a better word for it, but. Y’know. Fluorescent lighting of a 7/11 gets tiring after a while.
“But you can probably find better lodgings in the city! I can have the exit doors of here place you guys there when you want to leave!” (^^)
" Oh my! I th8ught I was gonna have to fight a nightmare to see my protégé! "
Lecter placed his hand over his mouth with a pretend gasp, Lecter in his head sighed in relief that was less work for him as well. Lecter hands landed on Graham’s shoulder, leading his head over Graham’s shoulder with a laugh. " Live here? My, My, You wouldn’t abandon me right here would you? "
Lecter have a fake pout and then stood up straight looking around the Records shop. How long has this place been up? Lecter’s spared Marnie a glance before looking towards Emma.
“What do you sell here?”
Oh. This is the issue at hand.
Marnie’s ears flicker curiously. She doesn’t say anything, opting to stand up and sit on the counter, beside Emma. If you didn’t know any better, you’d almost think it’s somewhat…protective?
( Oh, also, no bar shows up as Marnie is introduced to you! Strange! )
“Hello Lecter!!” Emma (obviously) noticing Marnie deciding to sit on the counter near her, makes another (^^) expression towards her before continuing conversation with Lecter.
“Typical snacks, drinks, and things you’d find at a… gas station I guess?” She gestures to the shelves of what she had just stated.
“I think we were supposed to have more magical items but, they haven’t been set up yet!” (^^;) Emma does not look at Marnie this time! Yay!
Emma has a bar, though further information reveals that it is unable to become certain colors.
He mouthed for the system to bring up Lecter’s status bar, before noticing he was still has highest progress amongst everyone. Quietly, he smiled up at Lecter as a new quest appeared before him.
System: How do you respond to him? >Jokingly say you will >Earnestly reassure him you’d never
“…..Of course not, why would I ever do that to you?” Graham carefully reached up to cup his cheek with his bare hand and stroke his skin comfortingly.
He kept his gaze on the status of his relationship with Lecter, before tearing his eyes away from the love meter to continue his conversation with Emma and Marnie.
Graham couldn’t help but smile further at the other love meter from Emma, nodding approvingly by instinct. It seems he’s making a new connection. Good… good… though- he glanced over at Marnie and noticed she had no bar. Was she a nightmare?
“Your friend is quite unique,” Graham decided to carefully comment, staring at Marnie.
Marnie’s eyes remain on Graham and Lecter until Graham brings his hand up to Lecter’s cheek. The action makes her cringe. She opts to inspect her nails instead.
A quick glance back up as she’s mentioned. Back down to her nails.
“♑︎♓︎❒︎●︎♐︎❒︎♓︎♏︎■︎♎︎📬︎ ♎︎□︎■︎🕯︎⧫︎ ♑︎♏︎⧫︎ ♋︎■︎⍓︎ ⬥︎♏︎♓︎❒︎♎︎ ♓︎♎︎♏︎♋︎⬧︎📬︎” A murmur.
Wow! Did Lecter find someone to date while she’s been stuck in here? That’s nice! (^^)
Emma is honestly still not quite sure how she feels about the title, but with how Marnie reacted when she left it out, maybe she should just bit the bullet and say it.
“…Yeah! She’s my, girlfriend!” (^^) The slight pause worms its way into the sentence regardless.
Emma does not actually make any notions about the weird speech or cat ears and tail or whatever else is out of the ordinary about Marnie. (^^)
A small, affirming nod. It looks more solemn than anything.
“⍓︎□︎◆︎🕯︎❒︎♏︎ ⬧︎◆︎♍︎♒︎ ♋︎ ♍︎□︎⬥︎♋︎❒︎♎︎📬︎” Mumbled, again.
Emma doesn’t outwardly respond to her this time, just another apologetic expression (^^;). She seems to be understanding Marnie’s words just fine, even if she’s not translating them at all times.
“…Girlfriend you say?” Graham murmured, before pulling away from Lecter thinking to himself for a bit. He wanted to know, to understand why Emma chose Marnie. He wanted to ask them if they weighed their partner against others or potential other routes… how they saw each other… why they got together….
How firm was their devotion to each other? Would Marnie kill for Emma? Would Emma betray everything for Marnie? How deep did their love traverse?
For a second the system began to glitch as he grew to question it more and more, especially the more he glanced at Lecter and pondered this.
“I’m strangely feeling faint,” Graham admitted, his smile growing strained. His eyes began to hurt the more he system glitched in front of him.
Oh? How forward was this? Lecter was expecting him to be more timid. Lecter gave a small smile, was it his charms that were working? Lecter’s ego grew two sizes that day..
+3%
Listening to Emma’s reveal Lecter’s eyes widened abit, a relationship? Wow! Lecter didn’t think Emma had it in her! Lecter clapsed his hands together a small smile gracing his features for the couple.
" Congratulations Emma! Mind celebrating with me to bring me my brand cigarettes! "
Blue eyes landed on Graham, tilting his head a little bit. Exhaustion? Weren’t they magis.. Well, Lecter had to get points whenever he could. . . Lecter’s hand rested on Graham’s shoulder " Exhausted? A cigarette always helps would you want one? "
“Thank you Lecter!” Easier just to accept the kind words and move on.
“And okay!” Emma quickly glances around the wall behind them [that’s like. normally where tobacco stuff is kept right??], until she spies the brand of cigarettes Lecter typically gets, placing the box on the counter in front of him.
(• ▽ •;) She turns to Graham as he comments on his own status.
“Aaa, are you okay?? I can grab you a chair from the back if you’d like to sit down!”
Marnie is glad she’s being ignored. She’s also incredibly annoyed at being ignored.
“♏︎❍︎❍︎♋︎📪︎ ⬧︎□︎❍︎♏︎⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♋︎♌︎□︎◆︎⧫︎ ♑︎□︎🙰□︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ❍︎♋︎🙵♓︎■︎♑︎ ♒︎♓︎❍︎ ◆︎■︎♍︎□︎❍︎♐︎□︎❒︎⧫︎♋︎♌︎●︎♏︎📬︎ ♌︎♏︎ ◆︎⬧︎♏︎♐︎◆︎●︎ ♐︎□︎❒︎ ♐︎◆︎♍︎🙵🕯︎⬧︎ ⬧︎♋︎🙵♏︎📬︎”
Emma gives a small, though slightly hesitant nod to Marnie before turning back to the patrons.
“I could also bring you to the breakroom! We don’t have proper beds like I said but, lying down on the couch may help…?” She said, offering to provide Graham a bit of reprieve from the current environment, should he choose to take it.
He couldn’t stop staring at them, Marnie and Emma, he couldn’t help but wonder if they had love meters for each other…what would it be?
He froze when Lecter touched him, glancing over to stare at the love meter. Graham noticed it had increased from before, but it was still glitching. Everything was still glitching, even the corny romance music that would quietly hum in the background was growing into static. What was going on?
“Sure, sure,” Graham agreed along with Lecter and Emma, rubbing his temples again. “Do you happen to have a mirror nearby? It’s been awhile since I’ve seen myself, haha, I’m just a tad strained.”
Graham needed to see all the love meters in one reflection, and think of what to do from there. He had to choose a route eventually, no? But to choose so soon felt foolish. Perhaps he should ask Emma how she felt for Marnie? Or how they chose each other…
Emma gives a nod! “Yes! The breakroom also has a full length mirror, so two birds with one stone!” (^^) Assuming he still wanted to lie down anyways.
Slightly heading towards the back and to the breakroom, Emma allows Graham to follow her when he’s ready. -> https://discord.com/channels/1032486563105472522/1090485621790887966
Once both Graham and Emma are in the break room, Marnie closes the door shut and sits in front of it, preventing Lecter from walking in.
" Geez when did you turn so defensive. "
Lecter reached over the counter and grabbed a lighter ,bsimular to that little clear shelf in gasstations that held lighters and car chargers. Lecter signed and leaned his back against the counter, twirling his hair around his finger.
" Been a while Marnie, enjoying your new life as a pet. You and Casmir would have gotten along. "
Her eyes narrow. She stares at Lecter, up until–
Enjoying your new life as a pet?
Her brows immediately furrow, and she stands up, raising her hand to deliver a backhanded slap to Lecter’s cheek.
It never comes. Her hand is frozen right in front of him. She doesn’t say anything, because she can’t, but she stomps on his foot instead.
Lecter’s been smacked once or twice before , Lecter grit his teeth bracing himself for the backhand of a lifetime. . . But nothing came. This made a smirk appear on Lecter’s face, reaching out he grabbed Marnie’s wrist from the hand she raised.
" She is my protégé after all. Is there a reason why only she can understand you. Or do you dont wanna belive it? "
Lecter fingers unwrapped from Marnie’s wrist, stepping away from her to go back to his spot at the counter.
" But I guess you can’t tell me that huh. "
She can’t hurt Emma’s boss, she knows this, but it doesn’t stop her from glaring at him, shaking her hand until he finally lets go. She knows he knows enough about her situation to mock her for it. It’s awful. Marnie was the one that talked Lecter into more benefits. Marnie was the one Lecter gossiped with. They–
A deep breath in. She bites her cheeks in an attempt to keep herself from speaking, from letting out garbled nonsense that will only make sense to one person in this realm.
She raises her hand up to shake her middle finger at Lecter instead.
aMarnie’s unvoiced reactions began to wiggle there way into Lecter’s head, like a pet entirely dependent on you… How did she do it? Seeing Graham and Marnie in that state would be intriguing. Lecter snickered at Marnie’s gesture seeing ,
" I think I like this quiet Marnie. It’s cute watching you be utterly dependent on Emma for speaking. "
Well , since Graham and Emma would take a while it would be fun to tease Marnie some more. It was true to say Marnie did have her charms.
" pspspspsp cmere kitty! "
Utterly dependent– –on Emma–
She hates it. Marnie was perfectly calm before she met Emma. She had her moments, but she had her life relatively together. She was happy. She wasn’t always this angry. But her entire life revolves around Emma now, and there’s nothing she can do about it at all. And Lecter knows this, and he pushes–
Marnie’s hand reels back, and the claws she knows she can summon finally appear on her fingernails. She walks to him, ready to dig her claws into him and finally kill the damn fucking man–
She can’t. Again. Her hand is frozen in front of him.
Lecter once again prepares for impact but it never comes, those claws never scratch his teeth except freeze. Lecter begins to snicker, out fo everyone Marnie always had the best reactions the tactful girl had turned twoards pure aggressiveness.
" Can’t do it can you? Cause I’m right. Nothing you can do about it either the Imaginarium is your home due to her selfish desire. "
Lecters hand reached out, taking some of Marnies pink locks of hair between his fingers. Would it be mean to compare it to cat fur? Lecter’s twirls a piece around his finger, blue eyes glancing to the door now and again. Lecter pondered if he ever see Emma get mad if he messed with her pet some more.
" Oh~ I wish I could help you ~ ! That angry face of yours is so mesmerizing . "
She knows. She knows it is. She knows she and Emma are stuck here forever until some outside source changes it. She knows it all, but hearing it from Lecter hurts, more than anything else.
She’s stiff, afraid that trying to touch Lecter will cement her powerlessness even further. So even though she desperately wants to pull his hand away, she doesn’t. Her eyes are locked on the door as well. She regrets trying to help now. She only felt bad for Graham, looking as freaked out as he was. She just wanted to help. She should’ve just stayed quiet. Emma wouldn’t have known anything was wrong had Marnie not fucking said it.
She could talk. Cuss Lecter out, maybe. But in his eyes, it would be nothing more than garbled speech that means nothing. An even more animalistic trait to add to the list.
Stop, she wants to say. Help me, she wants to plead. Get me out of here. She can’t say anything. She looks up at Lecter. Her eyes, duller now, are angry and helpless. She just shakes her hand around in a frustrated motion to communicate.
It was that face, better then any smile it was the look of helplessness. Lecter’s hands pulled away from Marnie’s hair, reaching up he began to pet Marnie’s cat like ears. Wow- So she really was just reverted to a animal, what was Emma thinking? Did she really do this.
" Wow! So the ears are real- My~ ! Out of all the humans who died you had to be the one to survive. Are you happy about that? Or, Would you have rather perished with your human friends and family on that day? "
Lecter pulls his hands back from the cat ears, to think someone he used to rely on was now in this state-
" If you hate it so much I can end it for you ~ Only if you can tell me through speech though~ "
Out of all the humans who died… She is the only one who remains. As far as she knows, anyway.
And it’s awful. Knowing that her mother, her human friends, her other boss at a stationary store..they’re all gone. And she’s stuck here, unable to communicate with anyone except for one person. Forever.
Lecter doesn’t help with this. He knew her before, and he knows her now. Her ears lie flat against her skull as Lecter strokes them. It makes her furrow her brows.
She opens her mouth. The sounds she makes are garbled and desperate. Slow, as if she were making an attempt to sound the words out before she said them.
“♑︎□︎🙰□︎…◻︎●︎♏︎♋︎⬧︎♏︎.” Nothing comes through.
" Hm? I’m sorry but I don’t know what that means. Why don’t you ask Emma? Do you think she would twist your words to make it what she wants. "
Lecter’s gaze went to the room one last time, Lecter had never seen Emma angry before. Did Emma even get angry? Crossing his hands over his chest Lecter grinned down at Marnie, it was fun seeing her try so hard to communicate but come up with nothing.
" I’ll stop teasing you now~ I think of got enough satisfaction from your expressions . "
With one turn of the knob, he was greeted by a peculiar scene. It didn’t take much to understand there had been slight conflict between Marnie and Lecter prior to his arrival.
Graham had only managed to hear the last part of Lecter’s sentence from behind the door, ‘satisfaction from your expressions?’ After observing Marnie’s angered expression, he broke the silence by asking, “Ah, am I interrupting something?”
He walked over and stood near Lecter comfortably, quietly bringing the bluenette’s love meter closer to himself but not fiddling with it just yet. His meter was quite stable with minimal glitches. Did the glitches indicate how easy or difficult manipulation would be? Weird,
He sighed and flopped his head onto Lecter’s shoulder, before looking mildly surprised when the meter finally began to glitch up. “Hey, how’s everyone feeling?” He decided to ask, it was moreso for Lecter but it was good to open the question to everyone for the sake of peace, no?
The door opens. Marnie’s shoulders heave with relief. She immediately flinches back from Lecter to the break room’s doorway.
Her eyes are locked to everyone’s feet. She doesn’t answer or even acknowledge Graham’s question.
Emma, who was freshly emerging from the break room and as such closest to the doorway, looks at the way Marnie avoids everyone’s eyes. She looks…. defeated, if she had to find a word for it. A word she didn’t think existed in Marnie’s Dictionary.
Emma inches closer to Marnie, so that their arms and fingertips are brushing. If Marnie would like to, she seems to be offering to hold hands.
Emma’s head angles downwards a bit, giving Marnie a timid look as if to ask, ‘Are you okay?’.
" Hm? "
Lecter rose a brow seeing Graham’s head drop onto his shoulder, Lecter tilted his head slightly and then focused on Marnie and Emma. He wished he could stay long and examine their predicament, time just was not on their side. Lecter smiled and turned aside, best get going now.
" I’m fine! I had a delightful time looking around your store.. Now- Is there anything else we are good to take Emma? Or should we go on our way? "
Marnie’s eyes are locked on the ground. She refuses to look at Emma, but she doesn’t miss the concerned glance thrown her way.
She doesn’t move to hold Emma’s hand, but she doesn’t pull away, either. She hooks their pinkies together. With her free hand, she wipes her face and tries to pretend she isn’t crying.
“⧫︎♏︎●︎●︎ ♑︎□︎🙰□︎ ⧫︎□︎ ♏︎■︎♎︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎. ◻︎●︎♏︎♋︎⬧︎♏︎.”
Pinkies are just fine.
Emma heard what Marnie says. She assumes it must be related to what transpired while she and Graham we’re in the break room. She looks down, thinking for a second before Lecter’s question brings her attention straight up.
“Graham wanted a pocket mirror…” Emma pauses for a second. She ever so slightly tightens her pinkie hook with Marnie’s.
“…But since you’re on good terms with Lecter, consider it on the house! They should be to the left of the counter, feel free to grab one on your way out!” (^^;)
“Thank you Lecter! Marnie says to ‘end this’(?)” She gives it a slight uptone, as if asking if she’s saying it right.
She’s not really sure what it’s in reference to. It comes out a bit hesitant. Emma continues after a short pause.
“…The Records should be calibrated to let you guys exit into the city, so have fun!” (^^)
“Thanks! I appreciate it,” Graham gratefully took the item, deciding not to pry into Marnie’s situation currently. Though, he did offer his emergency pocket tissues he would keep with him during the flu seasons. Wordlessly, he placed them in Emma’s hands, wanting to give her the moment with her girlfriend and everything.
“There’s a city?” More people, that worked for him, maybe they’ll have more information on everything’s that’s going on. Or they’ll be just as confused as him, either way some more company is better than none. He turned, and went out the door first, excited to see the city.
A grin formed on Lecter’s face , guess his hypothesis was correct.. that’s what Lecter was looking for. Lecter stepped forward letting himself separate from Graham, Lecter looked back at Graham and then to Marnie.
" Oh? Sending me out with no gift? My Emma your so mean. . . Well, a request is a request.."
Lecter summoned his raiper into his hand, knocking over shelves of items onto the floor as Lecter approached Marnie. The long blade of the raiper stabbed into her stomach. . . Shame Marnie could have been a useful asset but Emma ruined it.
There it is. Before she can even process it–or, well, process exactly what’s going on, Lecter’s onto her. Her lips stay pursed. Her eyes lock onto Lecter’s. She doesn’t move, even as the blade ||punctures into her stomach and comes through the other end.||
It’s similar to a third degree burn. It hurts so bad that it’s numbness all the way down. It’s nothing. It’s only the chill of the rapier’s blade and the exposed air on her–
There’s no blood.
Marnie slumps against the shelf, knocking down some more products along the way. Artificially, a trail of blood trickles through the corner of her mouth. Lecter’s rapier is clean.
The beginnings of ‘Well I wasn’t sure what you would’ve wanted! (^^;)’ were forming on her tongue, but before the first word could even arrive, it happened.
Several magi had learned to regulate their pain receptors. Learn to manipulate the tether between soul gem and body, so that the wounds of flesh would not travel to the mind.
Emma Miller was not one of those people. And this was not quite one of those situations.
Marnie Song is ||impaled straight through the stomach||. She slumps against the shelves.
And Emma Miller follows suit.
“Ghk-”
She slumps down her own section of shelves, almost immediately after the blade pierces through. Her breaths are uneven and ragged, sharp and loud inhales accompanying her hovering and shaking hands in front of her.
She stares down towards the floor at nothing.
Graham had made it outside when he heard a couple trinkets and bottles knock over, as the door closed shut, he looked confused seeing Lecter walk back over to the pair, talking about a gift. Heh, what a silly man.
As he stretched and then turned to go inside, the system crackled and popped open.
The static from earlier screamed into his ears at full volume, as he heard the system robotically announce:
Urgently: Emma Miller is now a viable route! Please pick between Lecter and Emma Miller.
Before his eyes, was a scene being played from behind the door. Graham watched horrified as it showed everything- Marnie’s ||impalement||, Lecter’s ruthless stab, and Emma falling to the floor.
Urgently: Marnie Song is no longer a rival, she has failed, please select your route between Lecter and Emma.
The system shouted at him again, but he could barely read it through his blurry, tear-filled vision. “What the fuck…? What the fuck what the fuck whatthefuck?! She failed?? Is… is that what will happen if I don’t pick a route?”
But the system refused to clarify, only continuing to emphasize he had a choice now between Emma and Lecter.
Marnie Song failed, please pick between Emma and Lecter.
“Failed…? Failed?! I- what the fuck does it mean to succeed then if that’s what failure is?!” He didn’t want to die! If he picked Emma then what could he do? Fight Lecter??! But it was uttered insanity to choose Lecter himself!
Graham fished out his pocket mirror, after ignoring the fact it was a gift from Emma, he squinted at his reflection. Soon, he realized that his own love meter was a representation of his current fondness for the routes. And if he could manipulate their fondness for him… could he manipulate his own?
….He knew what he had to do now. Silently, through tears, he reached up to his meter for Emma Miller- and-
——— Graham rushed inside and looked horrified, “Oh my god…! Are you alright?”
He ran forward and immediately reached out for-
“
I was so worried about you, Lecter! What if something happened to you?! How could you think of possibly leaving me alone?!” He hugged him from behind, immediately comforting the murderer. And his choice. Graham glanced down at Emma, before his eyes peered into his reflection with the love meter…. His love meter for Emma was intentionally destroyed and drained.
Oh- Lecter watched bottles and boxes of candy clash against the ground, Emma’s limp body falling along the floor with Marnie- Ah- So that’s how it was? Lecter’s grin stayed on his face ||digging the blade deeper into Marnies stomach, Lecter’s raiper twisted letting the blade dig deeper into her. " Haahaa- Wow Emma- I didn’t know you were this selfish, all she wants to do is die! "
Lecter’s hand lifted from the handle of the raiper, summoning another one into his hand. Blue eyes landed on Graham, that was the reaction he wanted +10% , Graham’s face twisting in anguish… This was what he wanted- Seeing him desperately find a solution. The blue haired man pointed it at Emma, Lecter’s black loafer stepped forward.
" Now… Let’s see what happens with you…ough-Graham"
Lecter’s second raiper dropped to the ground , a small gasp escaping his lips. This wasn’t the- What? Lecter just stabbed someone and ??? What a werid… Lecter grit his teeth, grabbing the arms around Lecter’s waist. This was not what Lecter was expecting… Lecter grabbed Graham’s arms, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out.
" Let’s go. . . I’m bored. "
They all leave. She barely processes it.
Through blurry eyes, closing in and out, she can see Lecter. Emma, collapsing. Graham, through her peripheral vision, hugging Lecter tightly while his rapier is still lodged in her stomach. She doesn’t care, doesn’t feel anger or betrayal, because she did ask after all.
Still, she coughs, as if a reminder, or a nudge. This is a real person you’re abandoning, she wants to say. I bet you’re just as awful as him, she wants to shout. She doesn’t. They leave.
Before her eyes close shut, she sees someone else cast a spare glance at them and walk away.
Her thoughts begin blanking out. Faintly, she thinks something along the lines of:
‘wow, everyone here is just awful by nature, huh?’
Her head lulls against a shelf. There is no blood pooling underneath her. It hurts just the same.
If Graham spares her glance, Emma doesn’t look back.
“Ngkh-!”
As Lecter twists the blade, Emma’s sounds of struggle and pain heighten. Her body, already pressed against the shelves, slumps to her side, her hair covering her face as she lies flat on the ground.
She hears the words he says, though they barely register. They must have registered a little though, as she feels a new pain in her heart as well.
A terrified and shaky eye peers through brown as Lecter begins approaching. It unfocuses as the rapier is dropped.
Her breaths are choked, sporadic. Now in a slight fetal position, she twitches with every sound she attempts to make. She feels tears fall involuntary, making her hair stick to her face.
Hazy eyes see the feet of people leaving the store.
She stops feeling the cold and slightly dusty nature of the floor. The stickiness of her hair. The colors of the items that have fallen on the ground from the struggle.
And eventually.
Emma Miller stops moving.