Delirium

Chapter Fourteen: Worse

Liv laid in bed, her eyes so dry she would have to blink soon, but she didn't dare to. Her eyes shifted lazily from the aged crown molding to the popcorn ceiling. Her eyelashes fluttered as her eyes begged to close, but she refused.

The lasting effects of her most recent nightmare still rocked through her. A thin sheen of sweat clung to her like a favored cologne. Her chest heaved with unsteady breaths as she thought of the horde of Demogorgons, all growing with their meaty, faceless heads. She could make out their teeth in the popcorn ceiling.

Her saving grace was the quiet. There was no rumbling thunder in the distance or tapping of rain to sound like Demogorgons. It was silent as the day began to creep to life. Light seeped in through the closed blinds. A golden orange stained her room, reminding her of halos angels wore when they descended from heaven.

But there are no angels, she thought to herself. There are only devils and they look like Demogorgons.

Tears welled to wet her eyes. Finally, she blinked. In the split second of darkness, she saw a Demogorgon clamping its mouth around Steve's head. The flaps vibrated as the teeth tore away at his hair, flesh, and bone until there was nothing left of his beautiful head.

She peeled her eyes open and stared up at the popcorn ceiling. She strained to hear the silence instead of Steve's shouts- the shouts that dissolved and gargled until there was nothing but the crunch of his own bones.

The dreams are getting worse.

She sat up and looked around her room. The mess crept up to every part of it until she couldn't see the carpet under the clothes, or her dresser under all the glasses of water and unfolded clothes.

She knew she wouldn't get back to sleep, so she could use the time to occupy her mind. That way the nightmares wouldn't creep into real life.

She kicked her blanket off and immediately made the bed after getting out. It was hard as Rufus was dead-to-the-world on top of the covers, but she managed. Next, she grabbed her laundry basket and filled it to the top with dirty clothes. That part was easy as all the clothes on her floor were instantly dirty in her eyes. The clothes on the dresser were questionable, and after the smell test, she folded the clothes that were cleaned and threw the dirty ones with the rest.

She removed all the cups and dishes from her room and set them in the sink to clean after school.

Her mom still wasn't home yet, so she didn't feel bad about starting a load of laundry and vacuuming. Rufus, however, pouted when the vacuum bumped the bed and woke him up. She compensated him for his trouble by feeding and letting him out. She wiped off her mirror, the top of her dresser, and her bedside tables.

By the time she was done, Rufus was fed, and she had showered, the clothes were ready to move to the dryer and her room was the cleanest it had been since Halloween.

The sun was above the horizon now, filling the house with warm yellows that gave the impression of summer instead of December. She knew the moment she opened the door to leave for school she would freeze, so she dried her hair to keep from catching her death.

She sat on her bed petting Rufus and admiring her clean room when Hillary came home. She clobbered in the door with little care for how much noise she made. She threw her purse down on her way to the kitchen. She stopped in Liv's doorway and looked surprised to see her up and ready for the day. "What are you doing?"

She shrugged.

Hillary's eyes narrowed. "Why do I feel like you were causing trouble?"

Liv had to bite her tongue to keep from giving a nasty retort. Her mom was meanest after a shift. She was exhausted, dirty, and hungry. It was the perfect trifecta for a disaster.