After her return, Rachel was withdrawn and silent. Flinching at contact and unable to move correctly, her parents took her to see Marie- the one they trusted the most out of all the people they met during the crisis mere days before. What they learnt shocked them all.
"She… She was raped?" Rachel's mother breathed, eyes filling with tears. Those glistening orbs quickly flickered to her daughter, who was sat staring out into space by the window. Not for the first time, she took in the arms clenching the thin body, the absence of wiggling toes and the dead look on the childish features. Her baggy clothes, black boots. It was the lack of mischief- of life- in the baby blue eyes of her daughter coupled with her new knowledge that broke the damn that had been weakening for days.
"Excuse me for a moment, Marie. Dan." And with that, she was gone.
"Sarah-!" cried Dan, getting up. He was half way to the door when he realised his daughter was staring at him. He froze, torn.
"Go after mum, dad. I'll be okay." Rachel said at length. Dan's heart broke at the absence of childish names, at the lack of 'daddy' coming from her mouth. "Go. I'll wait with Miss Marie." And with that, she turned back to the window. Dan left.
Marie observed the child for a while, taking in everything that she saw. It was only when she was certain she had learnt all she could for now, that she spoke.
"You knew what was going on, didn't you? You could feel everything, but you couldn't stop it. Am I right?"
Rachel, if possible, grew even more still. After an age, she nodded.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
It was silent for a long time. Just as Marie was about to speak, Rachel began to talk.
"It was dark, when he came knocking at the door. He said that he had come to get his… Due? I think that's what he said. The witch, Medusa, she told this man he could… he could…" Rachel shook her head.
"I can't remember what she said. Then she left me, and I felt really cold. I suppose she went to the man with the screw in his head. I could move then, but when I tried to run he- the knocking man- caught me. He made me sit on his lap, asked me how old I was. When I said seven, he laughed. I asked if I could go, but he said I was cute and he took my dress off, and my pants. He made me sit on the floor when he took off his clothes. Then he lay on top of me and… and…" Rachel stopped, knees drawing up and arms going over her head. Then the sobs started.
Marie ran over to her, pulled her into her lap, rocked her, shushed her. But the child only grew more distressed, and began screaming. Marie tried to move, but Rachel clutched onto her sleeves and wailed. When her parents returned at last, Marie couldn't deny she was relieved.
What that child had gone through was heart-breaking. What monster could do that to a child?
Medusa. The knocking man.
It wasn't the pre-kishin that should be hunted as first priority, Marie realised as she returned home. It was the monsters who could hurt a child.
Who could rape a child.
Three years later, Marie attended Rachel's funeral. Suicide, a long time coming.
She was only ten.
But then again, she was only seven when the monster came knocking.