Resignation

The creature lurch forward in the chair. Penny backed farther out of the room. Every part of her wanted to flee. Every part of her wanted this to be a nightmare. But she was not waking up and she was not leaving. She was not sure why the latter was true, but it had something to do with not wanting to leave Joan. It would be wrong, unless of course the creature attacked. Then it was every soul for itself.

Standing now, what had been Joan, began to take a step toward Penny. As it did, a shudder passed through its body and it began to shake. Then like a rag doll, it collapsed on the floor as though all life had been pulled out of it in a sudden but total way. It lay on the floor, motionless; a pile of clothes tossed aside.

Penny held her breath, but did not move any closer to it. She had seen horror movies like this and she was not going to be the stupid protagonist. She would not bend down to see if her friend had returned to her body only to have the monster get its powerful hands around her fragile neck.

The pile still did not move, no life present.

Should she call out to Joan? But what if the creature answered? What if this were a trap. Penny felt the tear ripping through her. What if Joan needed help? What if the body was not breathing? Not only would the creature die, but any semblance of Joan would as well.

Some small, sick part of Penny presented the mind with, "would that be so bad?" But Penny stomped on the thought as though it were a menacing spider before it could completely manifest itself. No, she did not wish Joan any real ill. And then she realized an even more startling insight; somewhere along the way acceptance had happened. Somewhere, somehow she had accepted that Joan was a permanent part of her life and she had resigned herself to this idea.

Crap, she thought and moved forward just a bit. With one shoe, she gingerly nudged the limp heap on the floor. It did not move. She nudged it again, a little harder. Still no motion. A small cold panic began to spread through out Penny. Was Joan really was dead?

One more nudge from her foot caused the head to roll a bit. The head rolled towards Penny and open, dead eyes started into the vacuous space.