Back to Nothing

This thread takes place right after Decadence which was set on November 2.

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It was almost midnight. Eve couldn't sleep for some reason. She was troubled, and she was sure it wasn't some kind of drive to create an art piece. It felt heavier in her chest, as if her instincts were telling her that something was wrong. What the hell could be wrong?? Her apartment wasn't burning, her art pieces were safe, Miya was alright as far as she knew.

As if on cue, her flip-phone rang and vibrated from on top of her nightstand. She got up from her bed and reached for the only source of light in her room at the moment. The caller was Deith. Not a rarity. Deith usually called during the most random moments just to rant about how his day went or to tell her just how much he loved this person Lei. She pressed the answer button, thinking it would be just like any other time he called. She couldn't sleep anyway. She might as well tire herself out listening to the guy.

"Hello?" she spoke. "Deith, just so you know, it's almost midnight. What's up?"

She picked up. Oh thank goodness she picked up!

Deith felt a rush of blood in his veins. As if they've just started to flow again after such a long time of being still. He breathed deeply and wanted to tell her everything.

But when he tried speaking, he instead ended up choking. He didn't realize until that moment, but his cheeks, they were wet, and tears were already dripping down from his chin.

"E-Eve..."

And just like that, he fell down to his knees, shaking. His chest hurt so bad, it felt worse than his twisted arm and sore legs and, he realized, his bruised body. He was choking on his tears and he sobbed and gasped for air, but even the air suddenly felt so suffocating. He was crying on the phone for who knows how long.

"It... It's m-midnight...?" And then eventually, he could finally speak again, but his words were hardly recognizable through the phone, with his nasal blocked and all. "Eve... I'm a monster..."

....Deith was crying..?

Eve felt her stomach turn. Somehow, she knew this was what her instincts have been telling her. She swallowed, letting Deith take all these minutes to let out all the sobs and pain he had. She was frowning. She's been with him on some rough days but... he never cried.

"Deith, you're such a crybaby," she chuckled. She wanted to lighten up the mood with a joke, she even tried to wear a smile. But she can sense from his speechlessness and the way he choked in his own breath that this matter wasn't that simple. There was silence again. "Deith? Are you... hurt? Should I come over?"

"It's midnight..." Deith repeated. His voice was hoarse and tired, and he was still running out of breath as his tears kept flowing. His chest was getting tighter and tighter. But he can't clutch it or pry it open, at least not without dropping his phone. He can't move his left arm, and he didn't want to lose the only grounding he had, the only person who he could talk to like this. "It's d-dangerous outside... don't come..."

Speaking of which, was Lei safe, he wondered. The sun hadn't set yet when he left, so Deith could only hope he got back to the academy safely. He can't follow him to find out though. He needed to keep away so he wouldn't feel any urge again to hoard Lei.

In the first place, he didn't deserve him.

"I just... I just need to... t-to hear someone else..." He sobbed and gasped. "I'm a monster... Eve... Lei found out... and I... I tried to kill him dammit..!"

"Oh my god..."

A hand made its way to the artist's lips. She knew that he was a demon, and had some idea about his wickedness through bits of information he had shared with her when ordering paintings. But she didn't think Deith was the type that would try to kill someone important to him once he becomes so desperate. She didn't know that side of him. And yet... She was still holding her phone against her ear, still willing to hear him out, not feeling any form of fear. Even though attempting to kill this Lei person meant he can do it to anyone less important too.

"Deith... I don't know if we should be talking about this over the phone." One thing for sure, she didn't want anyone else to be hearing about this. Her stomach was hurting from anxiety, and it refused to calm down. "I can take a taxi. Don't stop me. I'm coming over."

She didn't wait for him to even answer. She ended the call and put it in her striped pj's pocket, before putting on a long knitted sweater over her tshirt and getting her wallet and keys. She didn't waste any moment to lock up her apartment and go outside. Thankfully, a taxi passed by almost immediately, and she told the driver to take her near the woods.

Eve's voice was gone and was replaced by the beeping of the phone. She... She said she was going to come over. Why..?

Deith looked at his phone just before his fingers went limp and dropped it. He was alone again... Alone and wasted and useless. He let himself fall to the floor, like a doll without control of its body as gravity takes it, and lied down as his eyes stated blankly at his door.

His memories flashed before him again. Lei was just going to be added to his long list of mistakes and regrets. He's already stopped sobbing, but tears kept rolling down his cheeks and temples, creating small puddles on his floor, and honestly, he had no idea how long he stayed that way. Not that it mattered. He supposed it was all he can do while waiting for Eve. He was useless after all.

The taxi stopped at the foot of the hill, so Eve simply ran to climb up and reach Deith's house. But when she got there, part of her suddenly wanted to leave.

The place reeked. The air felt like burning flesh, burnt meat, mixed with the stench of blood and putrid flesh. She covered her mouth and nose. She forced herself to go on, especially since she was just steps away from Deith's front door.

It wasn't locked, fortunately, so she simply entered and searched for him. He wasn't in the receiving area, nor could she see him in the kitchen. So she tan straight to his bedroom, and there he was, lying on the ground, crying silently.

"Deith!" she called as she ran to him. She kneeled near his head and pulled him up. "Deith snap out of it!"

Deith blinked a few times. And then he felt like his sight was starting to blur and fade to black. He wasn't sure if his attention lapsed or he fell asleep, but the next thing he knew, Eve was already pulling him up and leaning him against a.... Was that his nightstand...?

"Eve..?" He stared at her, his eyes exhausted and blank. He reached out, because right now, all he wanted was to feel another person around. Another living person. "Now that... now that I think about it... Why are you not afraid...?"