To Crush a Rose - Floyd & Riddle

Chapter 4

The road was incredibly dark. Riddle hugged himself to keep warm, his breath showing in the cold evening. Blue eyes darted through the rustling of the trees, expecting those hungry eyes that were always lurking around the corner. But he'd made it this far—he was going home . Soon he'd be able to throw open the doors, bury himself in his dusty bed, and pretend that Floyd had just been some horrible nightmare. For a moment he considered maybe even leaving. Riddle could pack a small back and just keep going. Even if the other didn't know where he lived, it'd be safer. Maybe he could even find a nice place near the beach.

The sound of footsteps tore the redhead from his thoughts and his eyes darted in front of him to take in the person for him. She was short, slender, hair pulled up into a tight up-do. Riddle's heart jumped to his throat and he sprinted towards the woman, tears forming in his eyes.

" Mom! " The boy grabbed onto his mother's wrist, though she didn't turn to face him. "Mom, it's me ! It's Riddle!"

"Riddle?" Her voice cracked and she turned her head slowly towards her son, revealing rotted flesh, so latticed he could see worms moving underneath. Her other hand moved to grasp his wrist tightly, causing him to yelp out in pain as her nails dug into his skin. " Riddle?!" That shriek had only been reserved from when she'd been mad at him for sneaking out with Trey and Che'nya. It wasn't just angry—you could hear the tones of betrayal laying underneath it.

"Y-You're hurting me." He tried to yank his hand away but she only gripped tighter.

" You're hurting?!" She yelled, now fully turning to face him. " You didn't save me, Riddle! Why didn't you save me?!"

"I-I wanted to, mom!" His heart was pounding inside of his chest as he desperately tried to free himself, tears welling in his eyes.

"You did nothing! "

"That's not true!"

" Absolutely nothing!" His whole body shook under the pressure of her words and the guilt that he still carried. Riddle let out a loud sob, shaking his head. "Why didn't you save me, Riddle?!"

"I couldn't!"

"You didn't even try!"

"He would have killed me too!" His voice echoed through the forest, sending some birds that had been sleeping fleeing in a panic. "I-I knew you were dead. I thought maybe I could get away." His voice was quieter, but it was still clear he was panicking.

"And what good did that do you?" The woman moved to caress Riddle with her free hand, fingertips completely rotted away to have her bones dragging across his skin. "You're still going to die."

"No! I got out! I'm going home!"

" Goldfish!"

"Wh-what...?" His mother finally let go and the redheaded boy took a cautious step back. She'd never called him by that nickname before.

Then again, " Goldfish!"

Riddle's eyes fluttered open, revealing the teal haired demon he'd been living with. He shot away, heart still beating quickly inside of his chest. "You were yelling." The young boy wiped at his sweatsoaked forehead, slowly gathering his surroundings once more. He didn't escape. His mother wasn't haunting him. And for the past year, he'd been living with the person who had murdered her. His breathing began to even out, eyes darting around the room before finally settling on the person before him.

"I—" He paused for a moment, still orienting himself. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

Floyd shook his head. "Your mom again?"