34 Ghosts IV
Posted: Sat May 28, 2022 5:32 am
((Click.))
The flashlight turned on, illuminating Astrid Millar's bloodied face. The reflection of a camera could be seen glinting off of her eyes. Her nose was bent, with blood streaming down from both nostrils. Fresh bruising climbed up along most of the left side of her face. Blood was smeared all the way down from her mouth to her chin. On the right side of her face, her lips were sneering, pursed so that she could breathe through them. The left side of her mouth was an expressionless line.
Her eyebrows raised slightly. She leaned in closer to the camera, and brought her right hand up to her face. She was still for a moment, exhaling out through her mouth. She poked at the left side of her upper lip. Then she grabbed it between her thumb and her index finger and lifted it up. She let go, and it fell back down. She made an unhappy noise.
Her eyebrows lowered.
She inhaled through her mouth, grabbed her lip again, and raised it up far enough so that the empty space where her left mandibular incisors used to be was now visible. She poked the tip of her tongue out through the gap. It jostled her canine around. She winced again and let go of her lip.
She exhaled, and then stuck her thumb into her mouth. She hooked it behind the tooth and pried at the root using her fingernail. She then grabbed a hold, craning her neck back.
She inhaled.
She exhaled.
She inhaled.
She yanked.
She hissed out in pain.
She yanked again.
"NGKHH," she grunted. Her body lurched forward, and her hand shot away from her face. A fresh stream of blood poured down from her mouth. She threw something at the camera. A red and white object clinked off the lens and to the ground. She walked over to where it had landed, then picked it up and put it in her jacket pocket.
She stepped offscreen for a moment.
She came back with a handful of gauze, which she then packed into her mouth, mostly on the left side.
She bent over and grabbed the light.
Click.
It turned off.
Clack, clack.
The flashlight turned on, illuminating Astrid Millar's bloodied face. The reflection of a camera could be seen glinting off of her eyes. Her nose was bent, with blood streaming down from both nostrils. Fresh bruising climbed up along most of the left side of her face. Blood was smeared all the way down from her mouth to her chin. On the right side of her face, her lips were sneering, pursed so that she could breathe through them. The left side of her mouth was an expressionless line.
Her eyebrows raised slightly. She leaned in closer to the camera, and brought her right hand up to her face. She was still for a moment, exhaling out through her mouth. She poked at the left side of her upper lip. Then she grabbed it between her thumb and her index finger and lifted it up. She let go, and it fell back down. She made an unhappy noise.
Her eyebrows lowered.
She inhaled through her mouth, grabbed her lip again, and raised it up far enough so that the empty space where her left mandibular incisors used to be was now visible. She poked the tip of her tongue out through the gap. It jostled her canine around. She winced again and let go of her lip.
She exhaled, and then stuck her thumb into her mouth. She hooked it behind the tooth and pried at the root using her fingernail. She then grabbed a hold, craning her neck back.
She inhaled.
She exhaled.
She inhaled.
She yanked.
She hissed out in pain.
She yanked again.
"NGKHH," she grunted. Her body lurched forward, and her hand shot away from her face. A fresh stream of blood poured down from her mouth. She threw something at the camera. A red and white object clinked off the lens and to the ground. She walked over to where it had landed, then picked it up and put it in her jacket pocket.
She stepped offscreen for a moment.
She came back with a handful of gauze, which she then packed into her mouth, mostly on the left side.
She bent over and grabbed the light.
Click.
It turned off.
Clack, clack.