The Voodoo Doll

Chapter IV: The Wish of A Stranger

I took a deep breath, tried not to look back at Noah's face, his whole silhouette leaning over me, silently ushering me to open, open, open the door !

I eventually did.

At first, all I saw was empty toilet cubicles, shiny blue surfaces, clean mirrors showing nothing but our confused faces. The girls' bathroom was completely empty, filled with silence, with the smell of strawberry-flavoured soap mixed with the unspeakable body odors you usually have the honor of sniffing in public toilets.

Did we imagine it all? Did the sound come from—

At that exact moment, a chill colder than I have ever known took over my whole body, as if a ghost haunted my brain, making my muscles a lot heavier, my arms a lot harder to move, my fear growing and growing by the second, making my heart race in frantic beating, knowing, believing, that something is going to happen---

Noah ! We should go---

My words barely reached the surface of my throat when my body was completely and utterly seized from behind. I couldn't even reach for Noah's hand and grasp it, in hope that this stranger I met twice, would save me from what was going to happen next.

No, it was too late.

Before I could move an inch, I felt the grip of ice cold hands on my wrists, felt the shock flare up inside of me, felt my blood freeze as I was pinned to the wall by none other than the girl who smiled at me and talked to me as if I was the most interesting thing in the world.

It was a trap. Just for the two of us.

"Honoka--" , I breathed, but I wasn't sure if my voice was heard. I wasn't sure I could utter a single sound anymore. Without meaning to, my fear turned into tears that ran down my cheeks as though they wanted to get away from this situation, as though they predicted what would happen to me afterwards.

I looked at the creature before me, her irises now as white as snow, as hard as marble, that cursed smile still drawn on her soft-looking face, her breath cold on my face, her words pouring lava on my frozen heart. "Hey there ", she sang with a snake-like voice.

I couldn't move, my wrists were locked by her firm grip, my body and the wall became one, I could only move my eyes to the right to search for Noah, to plead silently for his help, to hope that he was still here, and did not leave me behind.

My eyeballs were going back and forth from left to right, searching, running, trying to avoid Honoka's burning gaze, until at last, they caught a fragment of a pitch black color, Noah's hair.

My heart leapt with relief.

"Noah--", I whispered, knowing that the enemy could hear, her face being inches close to mine. "Help me—please--" My voice came out hoarse, broken into a million fragments, the cry still choked inside my throat, struggling to leave.

The only thought that kept me alive was the hope that the boy I just met would save me. Someone was watching this. I wasn't just some lone victim being killed in the mercy of empty bathrooms and no witnesses around. I was with someone, no matter if that someone was a complete psychopath. He wouldn't let me die, would he ?

Seconds passed, or so I believed they were. Still, there were no signs of heroic hands saving me from this creature's grip. There was no boy holding me close, telling me that everything was going to be okay, that I ought not to be afraid.

I waited, and waited, and waited. Seconds. Seconds that felt like hours. My fear intensified tenfold. I shut my eyes tight, turned my head away from Honoka's smirking, beaming face, her white irises menacing to burn my retinas.