A runny long stream of bile projects out of Apricots mouth into a toilet. She wipes the sides of her face as she stares into the messy water. Another gag proceeds the expulsion of her remaining stomach contents. She grabs a hand towel off a shower rod, Apricot wipes her mouth and throws it into a laundry basket in the corner. She flushes the toilet. In the mirror she is greeted by smeared makeup, lids red, puffy, sullen from tears. Her lips chilled, her skin, pale, yet rosy. Her hair a messy, tangled nest. “What the hell is happening,” she ponders. Her eyes flow with tears as these things being everywhere surrounds her mind. “This isn’t happening. This is a nightmare.”

She sniffles wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. A desperate wish to be crazy is all she wants at the moment. To her torment and absolute agony, she recognizes she wasn’t. Apricot had to leave the bathroom but at this moment, it has become her sanctuary.

Turning on the water she drew herself a warm bath. The heat against her naked skin releases the tension in her muscles. She allows herself this moment to slump into the water. Her eyes closed, and she slept. When she awoke, she felt chilly. The warm water that once soothed her had lost its comfort during her slumber. She raises her pruned fingers pushing herself out of the tub. Apricot drapes herself in a towel as she walks into her bedroom.

Peering over at her desk she notices her phone is blinking. She plucks up the black slab off her unmade bed and flips through to discover she had missed several messages from her friends. Apricot set the phone on her desk without replying. She turns to look at her bed and clothes strung along the floor. Clutching a pink and white plaid button-up shirt with a cartoon bunny patch on the front along with a pair of blue jeans; Apricot dresses herself.

As she heads down the wood steps to her living room, she sees Machi sprawled on her couch. “Machi?” Apricot ask. Machi raises her head letting out a yawn, stretching her arms.

She sits up rubs her eyes like a child. “You were out like a light,” Machi says with a warm smile bracing her face. “I heard what happened at the store. Since I have time off, I figured I would keep you company.” Apricot nods as she continues down the stairs. She sits on the couch next to Machi. “We don’t have to talk about it,” she assures Apricot in a calm voice. Apricot hugs Machi’s thin frame in her arms. She pats Apricot’s back as she feels the drips of her tears on her shoulder. “It’s ok hun. You will be all right.”

Apricot shakes her head. “No, I am not. I am not ok.” Apricot moans.

“I know, I know,” Machi whispers giving her a kiss on the forehead. “It’s ok to cry, hun. You don’t need to be ok,” she whispers.

“It doesn’t end.”

“It might seem like that right now.”

Apricot feels a lump in her grow as her heart pounds. If only she knew the true terror that lurks in her mind. “It won’t end.” she thinks to herself.

Machi pushes Apricot gently, she wipes the tears off her face with both hands. “Heh, let’s go get something to eat alright. I will call up the others and we can meet at Bingo Burgers ok.”

Apricot shakes her head, the last thing that she wanted right now was to leave the safety of her house. Outside the things could get her, but within these walls she was safe. “No. I don’t want to go out right now.” she groans.

Machi nods her head. “I can understand that. I want to make sure you are ok.”

“I am fine,” Apricot wipes her tears with her sleeve. “As fine as I can be at least.”

Machi nods, a silence between the two crosses. Apricot gets up from the couch walking across the carpet of her living room into the tiled floor of her kitchen. “Machi, want some tea with me?”

“Sure, sounds good. Let me make it.” Machi chirps walking past Apricot. “You go sit.”

Apricot sits back in the living room watching Machi move about her kitchen as if she lives there. From the few times, Machi visited her house it surprises Apricot to see her remember where everything is.

“You know my house don’t you,” Apricot remarks to Machi.

“Well, I had a peak while you were sleeping. That is dangerous you know.” Machi sings.

“What do you mean?”

Apricot heard a slight giggle escape from her kitchen. “Falling asleep in a tub of water.”

“Machi that snoop.” Apricot thought to herself hearing she peaked on her while she was in the bathroom but now was not the time to confront her. “It was just so comfortable.”

Machi giggles again “I can’t say I haven’t done it before.”

Machi places a tray of two teacups along with a few cookies onto the black glass coffee table. Apricot sat on the floor cross-legged while Machi sat curled up on the couch.

“It seems so weird. I mean we are adults now but… nothing has changed. I remember being a little girl in primary school. Now, everything seems overwhelming.” Apricot says.

Machi smiles “Yeah, I know what you mean, sorta. Exams are still exams but now they seem like they matter.”

Apricot lets out a long sigh. “Thanks, Machi.”

“Yeah, well, it could’ve happened to any of us,” Machi mutters while looking into her tea. She stirs it with her spoon adding a lump of sugar into it. “It scared me Apricot. They said it was a terrorist attack. When I saw on the news, it was the store you worked at.” Machi’s voice quivers. “I was so scared for you.” Apricot looks up to see Machi’s lip quivering. “I thought you might have got hurt or worse.”

“Nothing happened, to me. I was just scared.” Apricot takes a sip of her tea. Trying her best to keep her composure. The thoughts of the monster, the man’s head, that slow snap of his muscle tethers breaking. The sound it made. The screaming and crying. It all rushes in her mind as the taste of tea danced upon her tongue. It all seems so surreal to her.

Machi grabs a cookie from the tray. She dunks it into her tea taking a bite of the soggy sweet. “I saw the hideous clothes they gave you. Those blue-green scrubs. What happened to your old clothes?”

“Taken for evidence,” Apricot states considering what that evidence might have been.

Machi shakes her head. “That seems odd.”

“Fabric analysis I am guessing so they can identify the agent used.” Apricot lied. There was no reason to look for that and they knew it too. There must be a reason for them to keep her clothes she ponders. Not that she could have kept her uniform anyway considering the amount of blood on them, she almost gagged at the thought.

“How did the interview go?” Machi asks.

Apricot looked up. “The interview?”

“You know the one about the robbery,” Machi adds.

Apricot had forgotten about the interview she had earlier this week. “It went fine, but that reminds me, I got to go see your brother.”

Machi frowns. “Why is that?”

“Camera, I got him a new one,” Apricot replies. “It’s used, but it’s a Nihon Dazzler. Bought it from a friend of mine.”

Machi rolls her eyes. “Just give it to me. I will make sure he gets it, you stay home tonight and get rest ok. You better not come down sick.” Apricot nods her head giving Machi one last hug. After Machi has left Apricot crawls back upstairs into the warm covers of her bed. She decided she would close her eyes until Jasper came home from school in the afternoon.

~

Apricot is in a room. She can see herself standing in the room at the same time. Outside of the floating room is darkness. Upon further inspection it is her bedroom. Its silent in the floating void. That is until she hears scraping on the walls. Fingers drag across an invisible barrier but whatever is clawing is desperately trying to make its way onto her side. From outside the room she can see an endless ocean of monsters all battling with each other to tear a hole inside.

A voice inside her spoke. “Let us in.” Apricot looks around in a panic holding her chest as she screams. The things could not get inside the room but the walls buckle and quake. Her door bursts in knocking to the floor with a loud bang. A head about the size of a human torso floats in the doorway’s threshold. A thick layer of flesh covers the face and reminded Apricot of an uncooked hamburger wad. The pulverized face lets out a scream as it flies at Apricot.

Pushing herself up from her bed she lets out a scream of her own. Apricot looks around her room she shivers curling up into her pillow. Her gaze scans over toward her closed bedroom door. She questions if she has the courage to even open it.