A few months had passed. I had slowly been learning about the world around me. The more I knew about it, the more scared I felt. Something was wrong with this place. The eeriness, the unpleasant smiles, the creatures lurking in the dark.

They all were already spine-chilling, yet it was just the beginning of the oddities that were around me. The first thing I came to notice was there were no men in this world, or rather, something inhumane took its place.

It was when I was watching the television that I came to notice it. Though the shows were already quite surreal in their form of entertainment, it was nothing compared to the discovery of “men”.

Instead of the human-esque features, one might expect, what replaced them were humanoid monsters with bulb-shaped heads. It was like porcelain, round and smooth. There was a long crooked smile on its face, like some kid’s graffiti.

At first, I thought of it to be another one of their peculiar tastes, but as I got exposed to the television more, I noticed their consistent existence throughout every channel.

For some reason, it seemed like I was the only human male in here, but my family, comprising a sole mother and sister, were indifferent to the fact. There were other freakish entities too.

I had similar encounters with queer creatures like that yellow-eyed demon. Though they were simply glimpses at best, I could make out a few of their features. They loved to lurk in the dark and stalked around at night.

Each of them had their own unique quirks. I had never even gotten a clear look at them, but I could tell they were all humanoid. The only similarities they had were their skin color ranging from pure white to dull grey, and their feminine features. Their appearance gnawed away at my sanity.

During this time, I had tried looking for any hints to escape this madness; it was futile. The only thing I had been exposed to was hopelessness. I wasn’t going to stop trying, but the future seemed bleak. Is there no salvation for me?

---

“Brother let’s play!” A girl chimed with hair like that of pure snow.

She showed me a shrewd smile, her eyes drilling holes through me. Her eyes remained unmoving as her tongue travelled across her lips, it gave me the creeps. Her name was Dolores, my new sister in this world. She was always attentive of me, or rather obsessed might be the right word.

Every moment not spent with me would lead to her sulking around. At first, her behaviour was normal, but as we interacted further, her attachment grew to colossal heights.

Whether it be bathing, eating, sleeping or just idling around, she always seemed insistent on partaking in those activities with me. It had gotten to the point where most of the day I could only see that doll-like face, always watching me with those sinister eyes.

“Let me join in too,” a mature woman said while giving an unsettling smile.

Unlike my sister who had white hair and eyes, both her hair and eyes were raven black, the same as myself. It was my mother, Mara, who carried an obsession similar to the likes of my sister.

She showed excessive care towards me, too much even for a prudent guardian. If not for her homely duties, I am afraid I would be stuck with her around the clock too. Like Dolores, she gradually came to give me too much attention, to the point it became abnormal.

I was afraid of them. No matter how kindly they treated me, their demeanour made it feel like they had some hidden intentions, almost as if they were restraining themselves. It didn’t help that they were the existences of this accursed game I was stuck in.

My wellbeing is probably the last thing the one pulling the strings would be concerned with, especially with these otherworldly creatures waiting to shred my flesh and bones.

While lost in thought, both of them got near me, hoisting my toys up in the air. They shook and rattled them, hoping to incite a reaction from me. I laid there, motionless. It didn’t matter how I reacted to them since they would never leave me.

It was just bothersome to play along since it just made me feel tired. Regardless of that, they continued with their antics. After some time, they got up. I was glad they were about to leave, but it seemed that was too quick to assume so. They picked me up along with them, still carrying that impish smile on their faces.

“It seems brother has gotten bored of us. Maybe it’s time we start punishing him.” Dolores suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“You’re right. We need to make him realize how important we are to him.” Mara agreed with her before twisting her face in a similar fashion. They spoke as if I was capable of discerning what they said.

Were they possibly… aware of my conscious state? My face grew pale. Mara picked me up, leading us outside. For the first time I had been led into the lawn, one which became an area prowling with who knows what at night.

At the corner of the lawn, there was an inconspicuous shelter. It was small and old, covered in dust and rotten leaves. Dolores grabbed the handle with her feeble arms and somehow managed to pull the huge door open. The strength behind those arms was beyond what anyone would perceive as fathomable by a small child.

She urged her mother in, gleaming happily at us. Inside it was pitch black darkness. As we went in further and further, I noticed something absurd. It was way bigger inside than it possibly should be.

As if space was wrapped and distorted within those four walls, I couldn’t see the end to the darkness, no matter how far we traversed. My trembling gaze shifted to my mother. Her dark eyes smiled at me. She knew, she knew... about the real me. Call it instinct, but something told me they were a lot more informed than I first imagined.

“Since baby doesn’t return our affection, he doesn’t deserve any either, right?”

“Yes, mama!”

Both of them assent to each other. Just what punishment did they have in store for me? Whatever it was, I didn’t feel good about it.

Mara bent down and placed me on the ground.

“I hate to do this Isaac, but you leave us with no choice. We need to make you realize how important we’re for you.”

Her smile turned into a frown, a hint of reluctance could be seen from her. Just what were they planning to do?

“Let’s go,” Mara told Dolores as they both gave one last peek, before turning their backs to me. Wait, are they seriously leaving me here? No! Come back, please!

I started crying with all my might, trying to get their attention. I didn’t want to be left alone here. Please don’t leave me!

“Mama…” Dolores said while apprehensively looking at her.

“Baby, it’s for his own good. I hate to do this too.” She told her dejectedly before leading her out of the shelter.

bang

The door shut down. Silence crept in. I stayed there, wailing, hoping for some respite. Unfortunately, what answered me was the worst of my fears.

“A-,” a short cut-off sound entered my ears.

I flinched and turned as quickly as I could. It was too dark to see what it was, but I knew I wasn’t alone. I tried to peer through the shroud of darkness. I could see a faint whiteness in there. It came closer, a pale figure shuffling through the darkness.

My high-pitched shrieks reached a new height which I didn’t know even I could reach. My heart palpitated, my limbs shivered like a twig withstanding a rough stormy night. It only took a glimpse of those amber golden eyes to realize it was the same monster I had an unfortunate encounter with; and likewise, I was none too keen for this reunion.

Dolores and Mara seemed to have left me for dead, as there was no response from them. Taking a closer look, I noticed the womanly monster straggling towards me. Her hair was slightly translucent, giving it an ethereal feeling.

She had a mature, shapely body with an asymmetrical face, one which could easily entice men. It might’ve been because of my panicked state, but as she got closer, for the first time I noticed her eyes had two pupils instead of one.

I had stopped screaming long ago ever since I saw the white faintness, but it was a bit too late as she seemed alerted by my cries. With each step, she gradually got closer. It wasn’t long till she was within an arm’s reach, much too close for comfort. Her face carried a fanatical expression, eyes wide open, staring right into my very being.

Her chilly arms reached out to me. I responded with an illicit shriek. Her deathly face loomed over mine. With a deathly voice, she whispered to me.

“S-stay with me… l-let’s m-make a family.”

I am not sure what she meant by that, and neither did I want to know. Her face contorted into a smile, one with a twisted grin.

“I-Isaac…”

She whispered once more, this time her crooked voice filled with passion. With a slightly manic snicker, she exposed her long split tongue. It started travelling along my face, lathering me in its spit. I was terror-stricken. My skin tingled as her saliva slithered across my face.

Her tone sounded sweet, yet I couldn’t help but retch when I heard it. She buried me in her arms as she travelled back into the veil of pure darkness. I wished that she would just leave me alone; I didn’t want to die. My consciousness grew faint with each step. I was too tired and panicked to stay awake any longer.

With my last remaining will, I managed to linger longer, wanting to see the end of my fate. With a loud bang, the door slammed open, followed by hurried footsteps. It was the last thing I heard before fainting; I didn’t know what happened next.

By the time I woke up again, I got to see Mara and Dolores looking down at me with guilt. Noticing my awakened state, their expression changed to an expectant look, hoping I had learnt my lesson.

In response, I quickly crawled and tightly wound my arms around my sister. They seemed elated seeing me like this, showering me in their love. Did I like them…? No, I despised them for putting me in such a situation.

But knowing that they sought my affection, I reciprocated it only to receive their security. Whatever thing they had exposed me to had worked wonders at making me traumatised. I just didn’t care any longer, only my spite for this world was bound to grow from hereon.