Noises in the Night Chapter 1: Noises, a rent fanfic

Maureen had always been a light sleeper. For as long as she could remember, she'd been awoken by even the quietest of noises. Steady noises bothered her the most; someone tapping their foot to the beat of music they were listening to, a leaky faucet.

Tonight, it was a leaky faucet that had roused her from her slumber, and she groaned, curling her body closer to Mark's, trying to tune it out. Mark shifted in his sleep, muttering something nonsensical as he draped an arm across her waist. Maureen smiled. He was so cute when he slept.

Closing her eyes, Maureen tried to relax. She imagined herself in a bubble, floating off into the darkness of sleep, but the sound of the water kept her awake and she could feel the frustration growing with every drop. Her spine tensed and she squeezed her eyes shut, but the harder she tried, the more the sound invaded her mind.

Drip.

Sighing, Maureen gently pulled herself out of Mark's grasp. There would be no sleep for her if she didn't find a way to stop that noise. Standing and slipping on a t-shirt, she pushed her long curls away from her face and followed the sound of the water.

Drip.

She moved to the kitchen first. There was enough light streaming in from the uncovered windows of the loft that she didn't need to turn on any lights. Twisting the faucet roughly, getting at least some satisfaction out of that action, she listened, making sure she'd turned it completely off.

Drip.

Not the kitchen. A scowl crossed her face and she shivered, wanting to be back in her warm bed with Mark. Quickly, she moved to the bathroom, the sound getting louder as she approached. She stood in the darkness of the windowless room, reaching for the light-switch, becoming increasingly irritated as each droplet fell. Finally, she found the switch and closed her eyes, squinting at the glare even through her lids.

Drip.

Maureen opened her eyes. Then closed them again. She shook her head before opening them, but the vision was still there.

Not the sink. Not the sink.

Drip.

Maureen began to shake as she watched a trail of pink water run down a long, pale arm. It rolled over the half-bent index finger, hovering on the tip of a chipped, pink fingernail before falling to the floor.

Drip.

She wanted to scream. Wanted to call out to someone – anyone – for help, but she couldn't make a sound. She was rooted to the spot; couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. She could only stare.

April.

April lay in the bathtub. The bathtub that was now filled with dark pink water. Only her arm, hanging over the edge of the tub, and her face were visible. Her face that had once been so bright and animated was now so pale and lifeless. The rest of her body was obscured by the dark water.

Drip.

Suddenly, Maureen was finally able to move and she whirled away from the sight of her friend's body. A sob tore itself from her throat and she could feel her stomach churn as she leaned against the sink, eyes shut tight, trying to block out the image. But with each drip of water on the floor, the image became clearer and clearer in her mind until finally she couldn't take it anymore and opened them, staring at herself in the mirror.

It took a moment for Maureen to realize why her face looked so strange: there was something written on the mirror. Brushing a tear off her cheek, she leaned closer, trying to decipher the hurried scrawl.

Roger

We have AIDS

I can't do it

I'm sorry

Maureen retreated from the mirror, as if putting distance between herself and the words would somehow make them go away.

Drip.

"Roger…" she croaked out, but stopped herself before she could call out any louder. She knew for a fact that Roger was high and wouldn't be coming down for quite some time. He wouldn't even realize what was going on if he came in.

Maureen was about to call for Mark when the force of April's message hit her fully. AIDS. April had AIDS. April had AIDS and her blood was everywhere.

Drip.

The sound of the water hitting the floor seemed to echo through the room, pounding like thunder in her ears and she became dizzy. Backed up against the wall, she cried out for the only person who would be able to help.

"Collins!"