The Slash Of Truth: The Whispers From Under The Bed

Arctic grunted in pain. He couldn’t put much pressure on his right foot anymore as the growing pains were getting unbearable. His head was no better too. He was nauseous and dizzy, seeing double as he followed a blood trail — an old one thankfully. He had no idea which path to choose as he was given multiple options. Arctic was hoping he was picking the right path.

When Arctic turned a corner once again, he was surprised to see a figure standing at the end of the hallway. Arctic brandished the kitchen knife he was stabbed with and approached the figure carefully, not saying a word to draw any attention to it. Once he got closer, he realised that this figure was transparent, wearing a leather jacket, his white shirt bloodied as numerous stab wounds were apparent and wearing a glare. It was another ghost. Suddenly, the ghost's arm raised its arm to the side, pointing down a tunnel to his right.

“Hurry up… The girl is in danger~.” The boy huffed, making Arctic freeze. A girl? Does he mean… Arctic didn’t ask as his movement was frantic and his mind raced with possible, alarming thoughts. He went down the tunnel that the ghost was pointing down with panic.

The girl is in danger? Does that mean Cherry has been caught? Is Shasha catching up to her? Is it already too late? These thoughts terrified the earthling as he hobbled along the crimson corridor. He turned down another hallway to see another ghost but this time it was a girl Cherry’s age, he cringed at the gruesome sight of her missing arms but, he didn’t stop, he didn’t dare to stop. The girl nodded in the direction, a worried look on her face.

“Please hurry~.” She pleaded, sounding just as desperate as he was. Who are these people? Are these the people that went missing? The children? How long have they been down here? How long have they been suffering like this?

“I. Am. Not. Done. Yet!” A girl's voice echoed, making Arctic widen his eyes. Cherry… That was Cherry! Arctic ignored every ghost that he spotted, only looking to see where they were pointing at.

Hurry~…

She doesn’t have much time~…

Keep going~…

The voices of the dead kept telling him, encouraging him to keep moving forward. They didn’t have to tell him twice, he ran as fast as his ankle would let him. When he stumbled into the next corridor where he grunted in pain, closing his eyes tightly from the jolt of discomfort shooting up his legs. Damn ankle, why did he have to strain his ankle of all times. When he opened his eyes, he thought his dizziness was making him see things as down the straight tunnel to the next room, to the next, then the next was a slumped form, kneeling over a body. The slumped form was confused as it looked at her shaky hands.

He concentrated all his focus on his vision, trying to match his double vision together. Once he saw the familiar colours of the pink-skinned girl with dirty blond hair, his eyes could only widen. A ray of emotions sprung up as he got up on his two feet, feeling the overwhelming stress leave his body as he hobbled faster and faster, clearing the rooms in record time.

“Cherry!” He shouted out, making Cherry freeze and slowly veer around with a look of shock on her tarred face. She couldn’t believe who she saw as Arctic limping as fast as she could, the bottom of his chin bandaged up tightly and a knife in his hand. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Is that really her dad? Why is he hurt? Is he here to get her out of here? A tear slowly rolled down her cheek as she slowly got up, her whole body jerking out of shock. One by one the tears came, her heart racing quicker and quicker with every step he took closer to her. Her body moved on her own as a step forward turned into a full-blown sprint, ignoring the aching pain in her back and the numbness in her body, ignoring the humidity of being half naked, ignoring everything around her as she saw the light at the end of the tunnel, the light that was her father.

Arctic opened his arms as Cherry smashed into him, sending Arctic backwards with a sobbing Cherry on top, crying her heart out into his shirt. Arctic couldn’t believe how cold she was as he wrapped his arms around her, making him flinch from the sub-zero temperature but, nevertheless, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, giving every ounce of warmth that he radiated. It broke his heart hearing her cry tears of pain, shuddering into his chest. He has never heard Cherry cry before, she was always hot-headed around him and never really got another emotion from her but, now that he has heard her jittering cries, he would take that hot-headed girl over her cries, it broke his heart just listening to it. A tear ran down his face as she hissed in pain, his hand feeling her back as thousands of rough trenches were marked deeply, he felt the agony she went through from just touching it.

“Shhh~, it’s okay, it’s okay, I got you hunny. There is no reason to cry. Everything is going to be okay.” Arctic whispered down in her ear, the soft words feeling so surreal to Cherry. She hoped this wasn’t some twisted dream, she wished this was it, the last second of the last day for all this to be over. She hoped with all her aching heart.

Slowly, Arctic leaned up with his daughter pressed against him, her hand tightly gripping his shirt, hiding her face. He rocked her gently, holding her head against his chest as she continued sniffing and wailing. He couldn’t remember a day in his life when he and Cherry were this close, this is something he has yearned for this whole time, to be embraced by his daughter. That's only something a father could dream of.

“Dad… I’m—I’m so cold.” Cherry said with jittery teeth, squeezing him tighter to gather more warmth. Arctic didn’t waste a second to lift off his shirt in reply, feeling the chilly air touch his skin.

“Here, take this. It has your snot on it and it might stink but, it’s all I got.” He said, hoping to see her smile. Even better, he got a sad laugh out of her as she slipped on his shirt. She sniffed it.

“Your right, it smells like shit.” She said, making Arctic's smile widen. He would have scolded her for swearing but, she could swear all she wanted if it meant Cherry could get along with him. It felt like minutes had gone by until Cherry’s sobbing calmed down, her breathing stable and her tears all dried up. She pushed away from him and stood up, wiping the last bits of tears off her cheek.

“Thanks for coming to get me.” Cherry said, sniffing with a smile on her face. Arctic was going to respond but, a sound of muttering was heard from further down the hallway. Looking to see what it was, he saw a crowd of ghosts, ghosts he has seen before in his little journey down here and one boy that he was well acquainted with.

Noticing Arctic’s direction, she quickly looked away in shame. “Come on, Dad. Let's just go.” She said, tugging at his arm but, Arctic could see passed the ghosts, they were all looking down at the figure on the floor. Who was it? Why were they standing over it? Instead of listening to Cherry, he started to limp over to the crowd that got louder with each step forward.

“Where is it…”

“It’s gone…”

“I can’t sense its power…”

“Does this mean it’s dead…”

“Impossible… It never dies…”

When Arctic was close enough to see over the children of the dead, he gasped in terror. His eyes went down to pinpricks as he saw Fenton’s still body, pooling massive amounts of blood at the back of his caved-in head.

Dead…

Fenton is dead…

If Fenton is dead…

Where’s Shasha?

a slumped form, kneeling over a body. The slumped form was confused as it looked at her shaky hands…

he saw the familiar colours of the pink-skinned girl with dirty blond hair…

Slowly, he turned to see the saddened expression Cherry had, rubbing her other arm comfortingly as she looked down at a spot on the floor. Arctic couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t utter anything. It wasn’t the fact that she killed Fenton, it was self-defence but, she didn’t know that there was a demon inside him that transferred to the other person that kills the host. She has Shasha inside her.

Subject 1 said when he first held the sword, his hand went below normal temperature, feeling a painful numbness that slowly raised up to his arm.

“Cherry… D-do you feel a numbing sensation in your arms?” Arctic said with dread, scaring Cherry as all the ghost’s eyes were on her.

“No… No that can’t be true… The demon can only transfer when its body is killed by its own weapon or picked up when the demon goes back in its weapon... There is no other way~…” The ghostly boy said, eyes wide and frightful.

“Do you mean this weapon?” Arctic muttered, holding out the knife that Shasha stabbed him with. The boy's eyes widened.

“W-whats going on?” Cherry said nervously, backing up as the wide, stares left her on edge.

“Are your arms numb, Cherry?” Arctic asked again, a pleading look on his face.

“Y-yes. Right after—you know, that happened.” She said, nodding towards the body of Fenton. “He was going to kill me, the demon inside his was going to kill me.”

Arctic felt sick to his stomach, his mind and body shut themselves down as he fell to his knees, defeated as his body went limp, looking down at the floor in shock and horror.

Why… Why is this happening to me...

“What-whats going on… Why does it matter if my arms are numb?” Cherry shouted. Suddenly, Cherry growled in pain, falling to her knees as an unbearable amount of pain shot through Cherry’s arm like a rocket. “What’s—happening—to—me.” Cherry growled through her teeth, falling back as the torture continued.

All the ghosts gathered around Cherry, panicked and worried for Cherry as the pain only intensified. However, Arctic was still, emotionless, his mouth moving slightly as he mumbled unintelligently but, his mind was working overtime. Every thought he had ended with a brick wall in his way, all resulting in the death of his daughter.

“How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How… How…”

“Dad!” Cherry wailed, looking over at him with a desperate look.

I’m sorry, Cherry… I’m sorry, Helly… I’m so sorry…

Slowly, Arctic raised himself from his knees, his head low and his hand quivering as he held the knife tightly. He knew what he had to do.

“Don’t~!” The boy from under the bed said, standing in front of him and catching everyone's attention. He knew what Arctic was about to do. Arctic didn’t waver as he looked down at the ghost with a miserable glare.

“What do you suggest, huh? Let her be controlled by Shasha… Let this demon do what he wants with her body… I’d rather kill her.” Arctic said coldly, making Cherry’s eyes slowly widen at his words. Kill her… What is he talking about? Something controlling her? Does he mean the demon? What the hell is going on?

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?” Cherry screamed, the pain and the confusion too much for the little girl in distress.

“A demon is taking control of your body, Cherry. Fenton had a demon inside him but, when you killed him, that demon transferred into you. The demon will kill—using your body for its own need.” Arctic said with no emotion, terrifying her even further. “I have to kill you so that won’t happen.”

“You're not thinking straight… If you kill her… Then the demon will be in you~!” Responded the ghost with no arms, her eyes narrow.

“So be it… I refuse to let this monster use my daughter as it wishes.” Arctic spat, gritting his teeth as he glared at the girl, making her shy away. All the ghosts stood in the way of Arctic, terrified of what he is about to do to her.

“Dad… I don’t want to die.” Cherry said, slowly crawling back but, the pain in her arm intensified as the numbness rose up to her shoulder. Arctic walked right through the ghosts, the air around them freezing to him, but he didn’t care.

My daughter is suffering…

I have to end her suffering…

I have no other choice…

“I’m sorry, Cherry but… I don’t know what else to do?” Arctic muttered, looking down at her with a dead look. He straddled her, pinning her down by the waist. Cherry’s heart raced and she started to hyperventilate excessively as she saw the knife in his hand, rising over her head.

“No, Dad please… please don’t do this! I don’t want to die! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” She screamed, squirming underneath Arctic, making a tear spill from his face. He hated this, he hated this so much, seeing her like this, he never wants to see this again but, he knew what to do, he could only wish Cherry and Helly could forgive him.

“Drop the knife!” Demanded a familiar voice, making Arctic freeze. Slowly, he looked up and saw the end of a barrel, held by the last person he hoped would show at this moment. Detective Sweetpea. “I said drop the knife, Arctic.” She shouted again, looking around at all the mutilated hooked bodies in the room, looking unnerved at this scene.

“Detective, you don’t understand… The demon, it is inside—”

“I said drop the fucking knife!” Sweetpea roared, her hands shaking. Suddenly, footsteps in the distance appeared, echoing and yelling getting louder and louder. Arctic had no choice, it was now or never. Actually… This might end perfectly if this goes right. Slowly, he looked down at his daughter, crying intensely and looking back at him with horror.

“Close your eyes.” He said softly to Cherry, making her heart race.

“Dad… Please don’t—”

“Drop the knife, Arctic! I will shoot!”

“Close your eyes, Cherry. It will only hurt for a second.”

“Dad, don’t!”

“Arctic… Don’t…”

“I’m sorry, Cherry. I’m so sorry.”

“DAAAD!”

*BANG!*

Numbness…

His arm was cold-blooded, his mind broken as the room was silent, the echoing sound of the pistol going off ringing in everyone’s ear. Arctic let go of the knife as he stood up, feeling something trickling down the centre of his chest. He looked down to see blood pouring out of a fresh new hole at an alarming rate. Suddenly, he spluttered out thick blood from his mouth explosively as he fell to his knees, his whole body feeling so fragile. Arctic’s breathing became slow, wheezing being the only thing that came from him.

Sweetpea was having trouble breathing as she watched Arctic fall onto her knees. Everything happen too quickly, she didn’t want to shoot him in the chest, she wanted to aim for his shoulder but, with her shaky hand all over the place, she couldn’t aim properly. She fell on her own knees, a face of shock on her face. She tried to speak but, she couldn’t find the right words. How do you say sorry to someone that has just murdered their own daughter right in front of her?

The footsteps got closer, the concerned shouting got louder as one stood out the most — Helly. Helly was distressed the moment when she first entered the tunnel, seeing the blood and bodies scattered on the floor, left to rot on the floor making her feel doubtful. It only got worse when she saw Arctic’s diary on the floor on a certain page and started hearing shouting in the distance, she ran so fast in her life but, the sound of the gunshot was the last straw for her. Tears rolled down her face and her heart was beating out of her chest. But… When she reached a prone Sweetpea, her heart, her life, her whole world crumbled all around her. Arctic — her best friend, her beloved, her everything kneeled lifelessly, a red hole in his chest as red wine exited, blood pouring from his lips.

“No… no, no, NO!” Helly screamed at the top of her lungs, running passed Sweetpea, Cherry and all the ghosts as she slid into Arctic, applying pressure on his wound with nothing but her bare hand. “It’s okay, Arcty. It’s okay, we’ll get a doctor again, you’ll make it, you—SOMEBODY GET A DOCTOR!” Helly screamed, turning to the now-arriving Shepard, Clutch, Dime and a traumatised Sweetpea.

Clutch and Dime ignored Helly’s screams as they only had eyes for their son who lay in a puddle of his own blood. Dime immediately burst into tears as Clutch could only stare in utter shock.

“What the hell happened!” Shepard barked, taking the gun from Sweetpea’s weak grip.

“I-I… H-he—he was gonna stab her… I—” Sweetpea couldn’t speak anymore as her heart dropped. She looked over to Cherry’s body only to see her leaning up, a river of blood a trailing down her head, down to her nose, down to her chin, dripping off onto her shirt.

She—she was alive… how… I saw her die…

“Why did you shoot him!” Helly roared at her, dagger eyes stabbing right through Sweetpea’s soul. Sweetpea stuttered, guilt slurring in her tone.

“D-don’t blame her.” Arctic let out, making him cough up more blood.

“Please don’t speak, please just rest.” Helly said softly, slowly pushing him down on his back. “We are going to get you a doctor.”

“Dad…” a small voice said, making Arctic and Helly turn to see a teary-eyed cherry. Arctic smiled weakly, lifting his hand up towards her. Cherry took his hand into hers, his hand being just as cold as hers was.

“Are you okay? Is the numbness in your arm gone?” He asked, watching as Cherry kneeled in front of him. Cherry just nodded as she was too overwhelmed to speak. Arctic sighed with relief, resting his head on the floor.

“Then my plan worked.” Arctic said, closing his eyes with a smile.

“Worked… Your plan worked? Did your plan involve getting fucking shot!” Sweetpea shouted in rage, her hand still trembling.

“No but, I was going to sacrifice my life anyway to get rid of the demon.” Arctic responded, baffling everyone but Cherry who widened her eyes in realisation.

“Demon? You mentioned a demon in your diary, something called Shasha. What does that mean?” She asked, confused about everything that has happened. Everything was happening too quickly to process.

“Fenton… He had a demon inside of him. C-Cherry killed him which transferred the demon into her. I-I had a theory on how to transfer the demon within Cherry without killing her. I-It involved Cherry closing her eyes so the demon couldn’t see and me pretending to kill Cherry, making the demon think I killed her when I scratched the top of Cherry’s head. N-now the demon is inside of me, slowly taking control.” Arctic explained, making Cherry stare with shock and for Helly to sob into his chest. “I was going to… Kill myself as soon as the demon was inside of me, trapping it in the knife but, Sweetpea shot me before I could. That's a good thing, now the demon is trapped inside the bullet. As long as no one takes this bullet out of me, the demon will be trapped inside me forever.”

“Why… Why does it have to be like this? Why did it have to be you!” Helly said in her sobs, balling her eyes out as all Arctic could do was comfort Helly by stroking her hair.

“I’m sorry, Helly… I-I wish there was another way, I wish this didn’t happen… I’m just glad that Cherry is okay.” He said, his eyes feeling heavy and the agonising pain in his chest going cold.

“Why, Dad? Why did you save me? After everything I did to you. Giving you the cold shoulder, arguing with you in every conversation we had, treating you like shit, I wanted nothing to do with you, I wanted you to just drop dead and die. Why… WHY!?” Cherry screamed in his face, tears falling freely as she looked angrily. She was surprised when she heard a broken chuckle escape his lips, a tear rolling down his cheek. He knew he didn’t have long to live as his breathing was becoming impossible, his vision blurring and his body failing as his grip on Cherry’s hand was going limp. It was now or never to say what he wanted to get of his chest for a long time now.

“Cherry… I… Love… You… I’ve… Always… Have.” Helly and Cherry started to panic as Arctic slurred his words and his breathing started to wither. Arctic has lost too much blood and putting pressure on the wound has done very little to stop it.

“Please, somebody get a doctor.” Helly sobbed but, seeing Dime and Clutch mourning the death of their son and Sweetpea looking down in shame and guilt, Shepard was the only person responsive but, even he was helpless as he looked down at all around him, at all the bodies hooks, and Fenton’s dead body. It was all too much for him. He had failed.

“Dad… Dad!” Cherry suddenly exclaimed, feeling his grip on her hand go weak and the muscles in his face went soft, lifeless as his eyes looked up at the ceiling. “DAD!”

Arctic died with a smile on his face…