Candy Pop Corpse

15. Nut Roll Nightmare

A plump, sticky doughnut rested in my hands. Its vanilla frosting dripped on my palms. I licked my lips, tempted to devour the only source of warmth I'd felt in three days. However, like Wastia said, I had to get a grip on my urges.

That didn't stop drool from forming in the back of my mouth. I wiped my mouth, then inhaled the treat's sweet aroma. Powdered sugar and vanilla infiltrated my nose, forcing a squeal out of me.

"Maybe a little taste would be okay. Finders keepers, right?" I reassured myself, taking peeks around me to check if the others were here. Alas, I was floating in my own paradise. 

Around me, yellow polka dots shook on a white background, reminding me of sunny side up eggs. I turned my attention back to the doughnut and brought it to my mouth. After a gulp, I ran my tongue over its surface. The doughnut twitched in my clutches, but I paid it no heed. I was more focused on covering my mouth in its sweet juices. 

As I licked up the sweet's frosting, small squeaks reached my ears. I grew closer to lapping up the frosting in its entirety. Curious of the filling, I pushed the doughnut into my left hand and twisted it with my right. Jelly filling spilled from its hole, making my stomach rumble.

Wastia was crazy if she thought I could resist something this tempting. It was practically begging to be eaten. So, to fulfill both our wishes, I released my self control and took a small bite. Once the chunk met my taste palette, I let out a moan. "So damn good!"

I wasn't going to miss this golden opportunity if no one could stop me. I bit into doughnut once more, shivering from the rush of sugar slamming into my body. Its goo and glaze sent my nerves into wild frenzy.

It continued shivering in my hand, growing warmer by the second. When I opened my mouth to take another bite, a voice stopped me in my tracks. "Disgusting," it spat.

I looked to the source, only to find the familiar sibling I'd grown up together with in hell. "J-Jack?" I said, nearly dropping my doughnut. My eyes widened as I stumbled to ask the abundance of questions that'd been swarming my head nonstop. "Where'd you go? Why'd you leave? What happened―"

His lips curled back into a leer. "You're disgusting," he repeated, louder this time. "I would rather die than have a sister like you."

I looked him up and down, wiped a tear from my eye, and shook my head. "I'm sorry. If I made you mad, I didn't mean to, I swear! I just... I just wanted to stay with you."

He crossed his arms, his once soft gaze hardened and stone cold. Instead of answering, Jack sighed.

At his silence, I ripped off a piece of the treat and popped it in my mouth. When I glanced down, I caught my hands trembling. I squeezed the doughnut to make them stop. However, it continued.

As I took more bites from the pastry, Jack covered his mouth with his hand. "How can you eat that, knowing damn well where it came from? That's sick."

Brows furrowed, I tilted my head. "What're you talking about?" I remembered him never being good with sweets, but it was never this bad.

His adam's apple bobbed. Sweat beads glistened on his pale skin. My brother took another staggering steb back. "Don't play dumb. That... that thing you're eating!" His hand dropped to his stomach and squeezed it. A grimace spread across his face before he shut his eyes tight. "Oh, I think I'm gonna puke."

At times like these, I wished my heart could beat. I wanted to feel blood draining from my face at the sight. Yet all I could do was watch him swallow his vomit down. "J-Jack, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

He wiped saliva from his mouth on his sleeve, then chuckled. "Me? I should be asking you that. Who would've thought you'd sink so low. A heart? Really?"

"What about a heart?" Was he talking about the shape? I scratched my scalp, looking from him to the snack. "It's a circle, stupid."

"See for yourself."

I followed where his finger pointed to. The doughnut's frosting, cream and body dripped from my hands. A pulsating heart doused in blood rested in its place.

Iron's gut-wrenching stench filled my nose. I tossed the object behind me, yelping. My hands were stained pink from blood and vanilla frosting mixing together. "No... no, no, no, that doesn't make sense," I mumbled, eyes darting in every direction.

Tears blurred my vision with each passing second. After wiping them, I turned to my brother. "That was a doughnut, Jack... it really was!" I bit my thumbnail and frowned at the bittersweet taste. "But, the heart... the heart, the heart, the heart―"

Jack waved his hands. He narrowed his eyes at me as he staggered backwards. "Whoa, don't come near me. You all might eat mine too."

Tears and snot wet my face. I collapsed, whipping my head to him. "W-What? No. How could you think―"

A hand patted my head. "I thought I told you 'no sugar'?" Wastia's voice scolded in my ear.

"B-But it was so sweet. I couldn't help it!" I tilted my head back to get a better look at her. Goo oozed from the zombie's empty eye sockets. I would've slinked away if fear wasn't holding me in place.

"No 'but's. It's punishment time," Charles chimed. He leaned his head on my knees with a grin.

I struggled to escape their grip, but with no luck. Shooting a glare at them, I shouted, "Get off me. Jack is―"

My brother's mouth curved into a smirk as he watched us. "See? You're the monster, not me. How unfortunate."

With that, he turned around and ran.

Again? He was leaving me again? I was so close, and he... no. I ripped my arm free, reaching out to him. "Wait, Jack, don't go! I'm sorry, I won't eat anymore, so just come back, okay?"

He never looked back. Just like before, my brother left me behind. Jack, Jack, Jack... I was so close. Yet Charles and Wastia held me down, stopping me from stretching my arm further. I was forced to watch him escape my grasp once more.

"No!" I yelled, popping my eyes open.

White walls replaced the egg-inspired ones from my dream. My eyes darted everywhere, from the open window to the torn chair. No Charles, no Wastia, and no Jack.

I chuckled half-heartedly. Even in my dreams, he left me. Memories of that day's events brought tears to my eyes. No, this wasn't good―Mary said not to cry. Sobbing wouldn't solve anything, yet I couldn't stop. Mary and Bonnie were gone, along with the last of my family. But somehow, each drop stole a piece of the burden from my shoulders.

After wetting the blanket with my tears for long enough, I wiped my cheeks, then squeezed my chest. Its silence made my insides churn. Would living without a heart make me heartless?