Another.

Mari faces the sterile white door in front of her. She's been standing here for what seems to be hours now.
She takes a deep breath in.
Out.
Another.
Out.
Another.
In one swift motion, she opens the door, and with one motion and practiced swiftness, it's closed.
It's too late. that cursed specter already slipped in between the cracks, even seemly before she opened the door, given how she could feel its dark tendrils wrap around her neck from behind.
She hears it whisper, it's incomprehensible now, a jumbled mess that cuts through that silent room.
All she could hope for was for it to stay like this.
She steels herself once more before turning around. She doesn't want to show him this side of her. She had to be the reliable sister after all.
She spins to face him.
"Hi Sunny! Did you have a good night's sleep?" she asks in a sing-song voice, with a rehearsed smile filling her lips.
She didn't want Sunny to see her so distressed. She didn't want Sunny to worry. So she practiced her smile, even if every single facial muscle wanted to return to the frown she carried outside this room.
She walked towards her Brother. Her dear, sweet brother. Not even bothering to pull up a chair, she fell down on her knees next to his bed.
Collapsing on his warm lap, she looked up to see his face. He still hasn't changed. even after all these years. Stone-faced and peaceful, the same as he always was.
Like he was 4 years ago.
Mari couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her glands. She cried so much ever since her Sunny was taken from her.
It always hurt so badly.
When the first drop stains the white sheets. She heard a shrill voice whisper out.
"Why are you crying."
"You're the reason why he's like this."
She felt every single hair on her body stand on end. every follicle on her skin turn into goosebumps, and the pit of guilt that forever remained in the pit of her threatens to consume every part of her being.
Mari peeked, ever so slightly to see what spoke to her. It was at first, a dark mass. A fog. Meandering about, seemingly without purpose.
Then just as quickly, it began collapsing in. The fog became clearer. The tendrils began to tangle about with each other.
A mirror image of her, but perfectly monochrome. Missing all the colors of her clothes, the fading purple streak in her hair, its eyes resembling an orb of obsidian.
"Why do you think you have the privilege to cry?"
"You knew what you were doing to him."
"You chose the words that would hurt him the most on purpose."
"He trusted you with his deepest fears. his biggest worries. and you used that to crush his heart."
Mari wanted to say something. Anything. But all that came out of her voicebox were pitiful croaks. Everything this thing was saying to her was right. There was no gap for a rebuttal, every single syllable was laced with the truth, which made every word cut even deeper.
Is this how Sunny felt on top of those stairs? Is this what she did to her beloved brother?
The shadow kept going, speaking about her darkest secrets, her greatest mistakes. This thing was hellbent on her never forgetting what happened on those stairs.
"Have you even thought of what you're going to do if he wakes up?"
"Are you going to just apologize? Do you think he'll forgive you if you cry at his feet long enough?"
"I... I don't know."
"How are you going to explain how you didn't go to university?"
"Didn't he throw away his life for that recital?"
"So you that could go?"
"Didn't he jump thinking that you'd be happier there?"
"Without him?"
She had no response to give. No matter how much she wanted to deny its words, to bury those feeling deep inside, it was always somehow the truth.
"What are you going to tell him about his friends?"
"How you selfishly pushed them away for not visiting Sunny?"
"Even though you of all people should know how painful it is to see Sunny like this every single day."
"To never see the little smiles he gives."
"To never see his drawings again."
"To never see his satisfied face after eating his favorite cut of steak.
"To never see him goof around with his dear friends."
"To never cuddle up with him when he has his nightmares."
"to never--"
Mari opens her half-lidded eyes in shock. She hears that sound again.
-knock knock-
A nurse slowly opens the door, and the Mari next to her dissipates back into the dark wisps she's more familiar with.
A cursory look outside the curtains tells her it's already nighttime.
She vaguely understands that visiting time is over. She has to go back.
She rolls her hands into fists. knuckles turning white hot, her nails biting into her palm, warm crimson now filling her palm slowly.
Why did she have to go?
Why was this nurse allowed to stay?
She didn't know her Sunny.
Sunny hated being alone.
Especially with strangers.
She knew that better than anyone.
So who was she to tell her to leave? To leave her brother?
A final whisper blows into her ears.
"You know you don't belong there."
She snaps out of her stupor, and hurriedly steps backward.
The nurse began to mess with the machinery. The spiderweb of wires keeping your brother still tethered to this world. From floating away.
You breathe in once more.
"Goodnight Sunny. Don't get too lonely, okay? You know I'll come visit you every day, right? "
"Sweet dreams."
You don't remember how you got home. The drive back home seems to have vanished from your mind.
You collapse on your bed., and see it in the corner of your eye.
His bed.
It's been empty for so long.
How much longer will it be?
When will he come back home?
To everyone?
To her?
Does he even want to? After everything she said?
Your consciousness begins to slip away.
Your eyes get heavier by the second.
Another day passed.
Another day Sunny will never get back.