Misery Looms

Chapter 17 - Truth's Veracity

Edward slowly cracked opened one eye. Beams of silver moonlight dotted rotting floorboards and bounced off water damaged walls. Then his other eye snapped opened and Ed's mind was on high alert as memories of last night swirled around. He remembered that moonlight slowly turned to sun before everything went dark.

He had fallen asleep within a place where the sun easily leaked through cracks and broken windows, not to mention a place where a murderer lived.

Confusion darted in and out of thoughts because he shouldn't have lasted through the day and into the night. He should have woken up in pain and fear because the sun had a direct path to exposed skin.

But he didn't.

That's when the black fabric came into view and Ed realized that something was on top of his head and it had draped over shoulders. With a gentle tug, the fabric was pulled off and Ed was able to get a better view of it.

It was pitch black. It looked heavy, but it was light and soft to the touch. There was a slight possibility that this fabric had blocked the path of the sun, but –

"Good, you're up," Lilith said.

Ed's eyes and thoughts were taken off the black fabric and over to Lilith who was walking down the stairs.

Her presents brought forth the once-forgotten memories of that rainy day and Ed temporarily forgot where he was as the memories quickly took over the room. How the pain like cold from the cobblestones seeped through his body, how blood knitted in-between fingers and then how slowly the alleyway slipped from vision and darkness took hold, but most of all he remembered the fear.

Fear of death, of leaving everyone behind, but if Lilith was right and he came back then the fear of what the future would bring.

"You remember," Lilith said and the memories loosened their hold and Edward was back within the room that housed both the moonlight and a murderer. He watched as lips curled into a smile as Lilith took the last step.

She took a step forward and Ed automatically pushed himself further against the wall as if that would keep him safe from whatever Lilith was planning on doing next, but he knew that it wouldn't make a difference.

"The fear, it's written across your face."

"I'm not –

"You are. I can spot fear better than anyone else."

Lilith was right, he was afraid. He wanted to get up and run, but he would have been stopped before even making it to the door. And, plus, running wasn't going to solve anything. If Lilith was to be stopped, he had to stay, had to fight, had to do anything that would put a stop to all the death that was created because of her.

Lilith began to walk towards him and Ed tried not to find comfort within the corners of the walls, but it was hard as fear ran ramped. He tried to control it, not to let it show that the fear was paralyzing.

Lilith, The person that took his freedom away, the person that made him into a puppet, that made other people into puppets, the person that killed many, the person who ended his life, was standing only meters away.

Lilith pulled the fabric from hands. The action brought Ed out of thought. The fabric swayed and moonlight caught the reflection of a gold pin that was safely fastened to the fabric. Though before Ed was able to get a better view, the pin was once again hidden within the folds of fabric.

However, that's when thoughts resparked, and Edward realized that the fabric wasn't there when he had fallen asleep which meant Lilith was the one to put it there.