set after the true end of the witch's house
au
blood. blood blood blood
It hurt.
Hurt hurt hurt.
But that made no sense, did it? She lifted her hand to her head and touched it. She felt wetness, but it was warm, and so she concluded that this was blood and not the rain. She groaned, and even that came out gurgled.
She was confused; was this death? Was death not supposed to be your life flashing before your eyes before everlasting darkness painlessly swallowed you whole? Yet, this was not it- she felt sharp stabs and bursts of pain licking and jabbing at her body. And just like before, she could not see anything at all.
Well. Perhaps Ellen had taken her body, but she hadn't taken her life. She was still living and breathing, even if it was in eternal pain. Her pitiful arms tried to push her up, but they only wobbled and were unsuccessful at holding her up, and she fell back down on the dirt path. Another gurgle escaped her. Was this what Ellen had to go through every day? she wondered, feeling a rush of sympathy, before shoving that thought away. No, she chastised herself, Ellen has the good body now. You're the one in pain now, no matter what she's gone through in the past.
"You feel hurt?" something asked. Something that felt like a cat's tail flicked against her arm. She knew almost immediately. It was that cat. The one she had seen routinely on her visits to the bedridden Ellen. And.. it could talk, apparently. She opened her mouth, but only gurgled, the pain making it impossible to truly talk. So she only nodded.
The cat purred. "I can help you, Viola," it told her, and she felt surprised. How did it know her name? She groaned confusedly. "Just as long as you help me. You seem much more pleasant than the other girl. We could be a perfect team, Viola, you and me," the cat urged.
Viola thought about the last time she was offered something like this- Ellen. How was she to know the cat would not also deceive her? How could the cat possibly help her recover, anyway? The cat purred in something like laughter again as it twined around the fallen girl's body. "Believe me, Viola, this contract helps you just as much as it helps me. And I have more powers than you could possibly realize." The cat flicked its tail, skimming Viola's shoulder.
"Wh...a...ow..?" Viola groaned.
The cat stopped its circling. "Souls," the cat exclaimed. "Get me souls. I'll recover your body, and then you could get me souls."
Viola blindly lifted her hand to her cheek, the blood that was constantly on her face chilling her fingertips despite its warmth. Could she do that? With no pain, and none of Ellen's sickness... could she do that?
Would she do that?
"Of course you would do that," the cat said disdainfully. "Everyone would. It's your survival instinct. It's for the better for you, isn't it?"
Perhaps the cat was right, thought the girl. Everyone had a survival instinct. Yes, indeed. That's how people lived. It wasn't wrong. It was just naturally a human need to survive. She would live. She would be safe. Maybe she could trap a few souls, and save some others too, make some real friends. Not like Ellen, who lied and broke the girl's trust. Yes. Just a few souls. It wouldn't hurt, not one bit.
"That's right," said the cat joyfully. "What do you say, Miss Viola?"
"Y...Ye...ssss..." breathed the girl, feeling more blood drip down her face, mixing with the rain. She could be rid of this in mere seconds, and all for just a few souls.
The cat purred. "Let's get started."