──────────

𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐄

──────────

Sunshine's fingers hovered nervously over the light switch as they waited for Violet. She cast a glance at Tate, who was seated in the rocking chair, his calm, almost predatory demeanor unsettling her further.

"You're not gonna hurt her, are you?" Sunshine whispered, her voice barely audible.

Tate didn't even look at her as he replied, his tone steady, almost too calm. "I'm just gonna scare her." He rocked forward, the creak of the chair echoing in the stillness. "Turn off the lights."

With a hesitant glance toward the stairs, Sunshine obeyed, flipping the switch. Darkness swallowed the room, leaving them in silence. The sound of the basement door creaking open above them made her flinch slightly. Footsteps thudded down the stairs as Violet led Leah into the trap, their voices growing louder.

"It's showtime," Tate murmured just loud enough for Sunshine to hear.

"What's down there?" Leah asked, her tone sharp and suspicious.

"My stash," Violet replied coolly. "Parents toss my room every week."

Leah's footsteps grew more purposeful as they went deeper into the basement. "If you're screwing with me..." her voice trailed off in a warning.

"It's just the basement," Violet shot back. "I found the best hiding place. This is great shit, too. All the coke coming to the U.S. from Central America smuggled in on lobster boats in Gloucester. I used to show my boobs to the lobstermen in return for a key or two before they cut it."

"So where is it?"

"Right around the corner. To the right."

As the two girls neared, Sunshine could hear Leah's disdainful mutter. "This place is a dump."

"Then keep going," Violet pressed, guiding her forward.

Sunshine waited, her hand hovering over the light switch. When Leah finally entered the room, she flicked on the lights.

The sudden brightness revealed Tate, sitting ominously in the rocking chair, his expression cold, almost amused. "So," he began slowly, his voice dripping with mockery, "this is the coke whore."

Leah blinked in surprise, quickly recovering, her voice snapping with bravado as she tried to hide her unease. "Who the hell are you?"

Violet moved to stand beside Sunshine, a smirk curling on her lips.

Tate remained calm, his eyes never leaving Leah's face. "Get the lights," he commanded, his voice low.

Sunshine's fingers hand flicked the switch, and the room was swallowed by darkness once again. Instantly, the flickering of lights began—sharp, sporadic flashes that disoriented her senses. Tate's maniacal laughter echoed through the room.

"What is going on?!" Leah's voice rose in panic, cracking under the weight of her fear. "What is going on?!"

In the strobe, Tate's figure began to warp—his body bending and twisting unnaturally, his limbs jerking in ways that made him seem almost inhuman. Sunshine's breath hitched as she backed up against the cold wall, her heart hammering wildly. Each flash painted a new nightmare: a monster—large, grotesque, with razor-sharp teeth—flickering in and out of Tate's place, its eyes gleaming with a sick hunger.

"Come on, whore! Come on! Coke whore!" Tate's voice shouted through the chaos, his words vicious and taunting.

Leah screamed as Tate launched himself onto her, pinning her to the ground. "Get off me! Get off me!" Her desperate pleas were drowned by the echoes of her own terror. Each flicker of light revealed the monster's terrifying form looming over her—claws sharp, its grotesque mouth opening wide as if ready to consume her.

From across the room, Sunshine stood paralyzed, her chest heaving, unable to tear her wide eyes from the horror unfolding in front of her. The monster's misshapen form became clearer with each flash of the lights, its clawed fingers reaching for Leah's face.

Violet, tears streaming down her face, was sobbing uncontrollably, her voice desperate. "Stop! Stop! Please, stop!" Her screams echoed through the basement, cutting through the madness, but they did nothing to quell the horror.

The monster's claws moved closer to Leah's face, each flicker revealing more of its grotesque form. Leah whimpered, her voice barely a whisper now. "Mommy..." she cried out, her eyes filled with fear as the monster's claws slashed across her face.

Violet spun to Sunshine, desperation etched into her features. "Do something!" she screamed.

Finally snapping out of her frozen state, her fingers fumbled as she forced herself to flip the lights back on.

Suddenly, the room was bathed in steady light, the terrifying flickering ceasing. The monster was gone. Tate sat calmly in the rocking chair, grinning like nothing had happened, his eyes gleaming with sadistic satisfaction. Leah lay crumpled on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, her body trembling.

Sunshine's heart pounded in her chest, her body frozen against the wall as she watched Leah scramble to her feet and bolt up the stairs.

"Leah, wait!" Violet started to chase after her but stopped abruptly, standing just outside the archway between the two sections of the basement.

Sunshine's breaths came in short, sharp gasps. Her fingers dug into the cold surface of the wall behind her, seeking some kind of stability in the chaos. Her mind raced, struggling to process what she had seen.

Tate stood from his chair, moving casually. He glanced over at her, his dark eyes meeting hers briefly, his expression unreadable before he turned to lean against the concrete wall, addressing Violet.

"I don't think she'll be bothering you anymore," Tate said, his voice carrying a sick sense of pride.

Violet's voice trembled, her whole body tense. "What was that?!"

"What? She kneed me in the balls and got away. She must have run into a wall or something," he explained, brushing it off as if it were nothing.

"No, I saw something!" Violet's voice cracked with disbelief.

Sunshine remained glued to the wall, listening to the conversation with hot tears silently streaking down her cheeks. She had seen it too. Whatever had been in that basement wasn't just a trick of the light or a figment of her imagination. It had been real. Terrifyingly real.

"What are you talk- Violet. You're acting crazy. This is cool. We showed that bitch."

"Get out!" Violet's scream cut through the basement. "I never want to see you again!"

Sunshine heard the sound of her shoving him before she stormed up the stairs.

Tate's voice shouted after her. "I thought you weren't afraid of anything!"

Sunshine wiped at her cheeks hastily, trying to erase the evidence of her fear. Her breathing was uneven as she tried to calm herself. She pushed herself off the wall, her legs shaky as she stepped into the open area where Tate stood.

He didn't say anything, just watched her with glossy eyes. Sunshine's lips parted as if she wanted to speak, but no words came. She felt the weight of everything she'd seen—everything that had just happened—press down on her, too heavy to put into words.

She shut her mouth, casting her gaze to the floor as she turned toward the stairs. With one last, fleeting glance at Tate, she climbed the steps slowly, leaving him alone in the basement.

──────────