Day One.
The place was an absolute disaster; everything was in disarray and coated in blood.
Jackspenttheentirenightshiveringandsweating.
Itseemedlikehewastrappedinanightmare,constantlyblaminghimselfforhurting me.
EventhoughIheldhimallnighttohelpregulatehistemperature,heisstillfreezing cold.
Hestillhasn'topenedhiseyes;I'mterrified.ButIhavenochoicebuttowaitforhimto recover.
On the other hand, when I tried to get up, I noticed that my right leg had grown a bit. However, it still wasn't enough to walk again without assistance.
Attheveryleast,todayIwillcleanupthebloodcoveringtheentireplace.
She pulled two surgical masks and a jar of Vicks VapoRub from the medical kit. Approaching Jack, she applied a dab right between his nose and mouth. Then, gently lifting his head, she secured the mask over his face.
The patient frowned, his breathing hitching for a second before returning to normal.
"There. You look handsome like that," she approved, flashing a thumbs-up before applying the same technique to herself.
Next, she moved toward a small door opposite the ailing young man. She opened it and pulled out a bottle of fifth-generation quaternary ammonium to eradicate every trace of blood from the area.
She gathered a pair of gloves, some rags, a broom, a mop, and a bandana, wrapping the cloth over her hair to keep it out of the way.
Placing two rags on the floor, she knelt on top of them.
"Yep, we are definitely ready," she said, raising her voice as she held the ammonium in her right hand and a cleaning rag in her left.
"Well… almost ready," she corrected, staring down at her right leg.
"I hadn't noticed before, but my leg actually regenerated a bit," she murmured, her voice dropping into a melancholy tone.
She swept the floor slowly, using the dustpan to clear away the accumulation of dust, debris, and blood-soaked gauze, discarding them into a small waste bin in front of her.
Next, she uncapped the chemical, soaked the rag with it, and poured a small amount directly onto the floor. Then, she placed the bottle down on Jack's right side.
"Get ready, Jack… you're getting a bath later," she murmured with a smile as she knelt on the floor, moving slowly and leaning heavily on her crutch for support.
She began scrubbing the dried puddle of blood near her companion.
Minutes later, she grabbed the mop bucket filled with soapy water, wrung out the mop, and ran it across the floor with her right hand.
Alright,thissideisclean.
She shifted to her patient's left side and repeated the exact same pattern.
After 40 tedious minutes, she managed to clean the entire floor. Fortunately, the blood hadn't sprayed onto the ceiling or the walls.
"Alright, now it's your turn," she called out, looking at the defenseless soul on the bed, her brow furrowing slightly.
She pulled the blankets off Jack's body, leaving him exposed. She stared at his right shoulder, pausing for a few minutes with a face full of worry and guilt, even though her patient was stable for the time being.
She tossed all the blankets stained with black and red blood into the waste bin. From the small room across from her patient, she fetched a small basin and a sponge.
She brought them over to Jack.
His temperature began to plummet, and a draft of freezing air swept through the room.
His breathing was slow and controlled, inhaling through his nose and exhaling short puffs of condensed air through his mouth.
She extended her right hand, pale blue veins bulging across her arms and chest. She focused intently on the small basin as it gradually began to fill with water.
"This is so exhausting. I don't understand how you can do this so many times… Jack," she whispered, her voice dropping as her veins faded back to normal.
Iforgotthesoap.Noway.
She stood up again. Grabbing her crutch, she headed back to the front room and pulled a small bar of soap from a box on a shelf. The box had a note written on it: "NOZ Vanilla." She brought it up to her nose.
"Jack will love this. It has a really strong, wonderful scent," she whispered with a smile.
Returning to her previous spot, she knelt back down on the two rags on the floor. Gripping the sponge inside the basin with her left hand, she brought it to her companion's body and began to gently rub it across his chest.
Her patient reacted with minor spasms.
"I know it's freezing, but please hang in there," she murmured, concern etched on her face.
After 40 minutes of wiping away the blood and grime from Jack's body and cleaning the inflatable mattress he rested on…
She brought fresh blankets, a towel, and a clean jacket from the adjacent room.
Approaching him, she lifted him slowly, dried his body, and slid the jacket on. She laid him back down, zipping the jacket up and pulling the blankets all the way up to his neck.
Then, she reached out with her right hand and pulled two wipes to clear the sweat from his forehead and chest.
"I'll be back in a bit. I'm going to take a shower," she whispered into his ear.
Day Two.
"Jack's veins bulged again last night… and he's still in that state," she noted, sitting in a chair and watching him with a worried expression.
….
Flashback.
"Jack, what does it mean when your veins bulge like that?" she asked, her face a mix of awe and curiosity as she leaned in to inspect them closely.
"Idon'tfullyunderstandityet,butithappenswhenIpushmybodyandmindpast their limits. I see it as a survival mode," he explained, crossing his arms, narrowing his eyes slightly, and nodding with a smile.
"Ohhh… and it doesn't hurt?" she asked, her voice rising, eyes sparkling with undivided attention.
"Atfirstithurtsalot,especiallywhentheyfirstburstout,"hereplied,hisvoice dropping as he uncrossed his arms and stepped closer to Valentine.
"But I can't do that. It hurts so much that I fail every time," she murmured, her head dropping in frustration.
"Don't worry. We'll keep practicing until you can do it," he whispered in her ear, drawing close to wrap her in a warm hug.
….
Itlookedasthoughhewasfightingawarinhisdreams.Nevertheless,hishealth continued to improve steadily.
Eventhoughheremainedunconscious.
She rose from her chair. Stepping up to Jack, she knelt beside his right arm. She uncovered his face and chest slightly, unzipping his jacket to expose his chest. She grabbed a small container, pulled out two wet wipes, and used the first to wipe the sweat from his forehead and the second to clean his arms and chest.
"Done," she whispered, zipping Jack's jacket back up and tucking him securely under the blankets.
Gathering the used wipes, she stood up, opened the trash bin across from her, and threw them away.
Day Three.
Jack's veins remained engorged, and he still hadn't woken up. But this time, their color was a bizarre mixture of pale purple and light blue.
What could be happening?...
Jack thrashed repeatedly throughout the night, occasionally throwing blind punches and kicks into the air. Valentine had to keep her distance for a while to avoid getting hit.
The most unsettling part was that he was talking in his sleep.
….
Flashback.
The dead silence of the night was shattered by a scream and several strikes thrown into the empty air.
"I won't let you hurt her, you bastard!" heyelled.
Jackflunghisleftarmintotheair,thenhisright,followedbyakickfromhisleftfoot, and then his right.
Valentine bolted upright, letting out a shriek that echoed through the entire space.
"Damnit, Jack! You almost gave me a heart attack," she gasped, clutching her chest.
Following the outburst, silence reclaimed the room and Jack settled down.
I can't sleep anymore. I'm going to make some coffee.
….
Day Four.
"JACK!... I couldn't sleep a wink! You spent the entire night and half the morning throwing punches and screaming the exact same phrase every thirty minutes!" she yelled, her brow furrowed in sheer aggravation.
"I'm going to go take a shower."
….
During the night, Jack's body began to burn with an abnormal fever.
Valentine was sleeping beside him, holding him close.
Suddenly, Jack bolted upright, causing Valentine to gasp in fright.
"Are you okay, Jack? ..." she murmured; her face filled with concern.
Deep down, Valentine felt an immense wave of relief just to see Jack conscious again.
But something was terribly wrong with him.
At first, his veins bulged with their signature light blue color. Then, they began to shift hues slowly, starting from his wrists and crawling up to his chest.
Jackdidn'trespond.Itwasasifhewereawakeandunconsciousattheexactsame time.
Thedarknessoftheroommadeitimpossibletotellforsure.
"AHHHHHH…Vale…AHHHHHHH!"hescreamedashisveinsflaredintoabrilliant, pale orange. A massive cloud of strange vapor erupted from his body, enveloping him completely.
For a split second, the contours of Jack's face distorted violently.
Valentine saw it. She rubbed her eyes, and everything snapped back to normal.
A violent heave of black vomit began to spill from his mouth in small bursts before erupting completely.
Jack clamped both hands over his mouth, desperately trying to stifle the vomit, but it was impossible to contain. His eyes bled, and the agony escalated exponentially.
Valentine reacted instantly. Grabbing her crutch, she leaped out of bed. She helped him up, draping his weight over her shoulders, and dragged him over to the kitchen sink.
Five minutes later, he choked out a few words.
"I'm…sorry…Valentine,"beforecontinuingtovomitinhumanamountsoffluid.
Idon'tunderstand…Whatishappeningtohisbody?
Hisfacedefinitelydistortedamomentago.
"Don't worry about it, Jack. I'll clean it up later," she said loudly, forcing a reassuring smile.
After several agonizing minutes, Jack's veins faded back to their natural state. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, barely holding himself up by gripping the edge of the Sink.
His fingers were giving out, on the verge of letting him drop entirely.
However, Valentine reacted just in time, catching him by the back and gently guiding him back to the inflatable mattress.
"You weigh a ton, Jack," she strained, her voice reflecting the intense physical exertion.
She pulled the blankets up to his neck and lay down right beside him.
"Thankyou,Valentine,"hemurmured,hiseyeslacingshutashedriftedintoa profound sleep.
Valentine took advantage of the quiet to check his body, searching for any physical anomalies.
But everything felt normal.
I'llexaminehimthoroughlytomorrow.
For now, I'll let him rest.
Day Five.
The air grew denser by the day. It was a struggle just to breathe.
Valentine woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat.
MyneckitchesrightwherethatentitypossessingJack'sbodybitme.
Coulditbeacold?...Impossible,Ihaven'tcaughtacommonillnessinages.
"I'll be right back. Going to the bathroom," she whispered into his ear, scratching her neck.
She slid out of bed and tucked Jack back under the blanket.
Grabbing her crutch, she took two steps forward—only for the hallway leading to the bathroom to stretch out, appearing longer and longer with every step.
"My head hurts. What's going on?" she muttered, swaying heavily from side to side.
She had no choice but to brace herself against the walls to stumble her way to the bathroom.
Reaching the door, she extended her right hand toward the knob.
Before she could turn it, an immense pressure slammed into her chest, crushing the breath out of her.
Her hand began to shake violently, her breathing skyrocketed, and her body temperature surged instantaneously.
It felt as though the very space itself was rejecting her presence.
She squeezed her eyes shut, turned the knob slightly, and every single symptom vanished into thin air within a fraction of a second.
Breathing slowly and deeply, she finished turning the knob.
She crossed the threshold and locked herself inside. Stepping up to the sink, she hung her head and cranked the faucet open.
Setting her crutch aside, she braced herself against the basin with her left hand while using her right to splash water over her face.
She shut off the valve. Raising her gaze, her reflection stared back at her from the mirror.
She leaned in closer.
"I have massive dark circles. I've barely slept these past few days," she sighed.
Suddenly, the faucet began to drip. The drips turned into multiple streams, then a steady flow, until a surge of water pressure began to completely flood the bathroom sink.
In a panic, Valentine twisted the handles in every direction, trying to shut it off. But all her efforts were futile.
"What is going on?... The water won't stop coming out, damn it, and it's freezing cold!"
Moments later, the water abruptly cut off. The bathroom lights began to flicker violently.
Shesnappedhergazebacktoherreflectionandfrozesolid.
"Hello,Valentine.I'msogladwefinallygettomeetface-to-face…dothankJackfor bringing us together, won't you? Let's take advantage of how weak he is and devour him once and for all," her reflection projected, smiling in a bone-chilling, unnatural way.
Its eyes were void of any white, entirely pitch black with crimson-red pupils; its mouth was smeared with fresh blood.
Valentine remained paralyzed, staring at her reflection, utterly unable to move.
Secondslater,herownveinsbegantoswellbeneathherskin,andherbloodpressure spiked.
Theentity'sparalyticholdoverherthroughthemirrorshattered.
Her reflection appeared to enter a brief state of shock.
"Ohhh.You'vegrownabitstronger,littlegirl;youactuallymanagedtobreakmy physical control."
"I won't let you hurt Jack, you monster!" Valentine yelled, her face contorted in pure rage.
"Whatareyoutalkingabout?...I'vebeentastinghisfleshforawhilenow,"the reflection mocked, leaning down to hoist Jack's limp body, parading it in front of Valentine… all while laughing and jeering at her.
Valentine snapped, consumed by an blinding fury.
"You bitch, give him back to me… NOW!" she screamed, striking the mirror over and over with everything she had.
She shattered the glass and pulverized a section of the wall, tears streaming heavily from her eyes until she collapsed to her knees, utterly drained of energy.
Her hands began to tremble, bleeding profusely from multiple lacerations while simultaneously regenerating at a visible rate.
"I am so tired of this."
"Everyone wants to hurt Jack. And I can never do anything to stop it," she cried out, just as the mirror and the wall began to magically piece themselves back together, reversing the damage she had caused.
Valentine's breathing grew ragged as sheer exhaustion took over.
I'm sorry, Jack. I'm too weak to protect you.
She was on the verge of passing out.
"Oh, don't get hysterical."
"Why don't you just die and leave us in peace?" the reflection replied as Valentine's vision began to blur, gradually losing consciousness.
"Hey,I forbidyoufromblackingout!" thecreatureinthe mirrordemanded.
Instantly, Valentine's veins flared, jolting her back to full awareness. She scrambled to her feet, recoiling five steps back, and hoisted her arms up defense.
What'shappening?...Notagain,Ican'tmove,Ican'tspeak.Ican'tevenclosemy eyes.
Valentine's gaze was locked forward, forced to watch her reflection.
The creature inside the mirror began to physically crawl out of the glass, stepping into reality and advancing toward Valentine.
Closing the distance between them, it took her hands into its own and leaned its mouth right against her ear.
"I really like you, Valentine," it whispered, smiling.
Valentine flushed a bright, deep red.
What?...Ican'tbelieveaworditsays;Ididn'texpectthisatall…