My eyes opened in swift motion only to be greeted by a creepy red gaze from her eyes with Lilith’s face being inches away from of my sweating expression. I almost screamed at the top of the lungs until I realized who she was-it was Lilith. “Mommy?” I said in utter confusion.
She smiled in a way that felt familiar and comforting, “Yes, my little angel. Mommy is right here,” Lilith pulled her face away from my confused expression as she sat beside me. “You appear unwell, did you have a bad nightmare?” Her voice was gentle and kind as she gently stroked my hair.
I nodded in response, “I-It was not a real nightmare. Just a weird dream,” I sighed as I lay on my bed with a smile. Lilith then laughed in amusement, “A strange dream indeed. How about you tell mommy what it was all about then, hmm?”
Honestly, I do not want to tell her about it because it might bring more trouble for us. But then again, it could be a sign of something bigger than it appears. “No,” I shook my head with a frown, “It is better if I do not remember it. Besides, it is just a silly dream anyway, it does not mean anything,” I chuckled as I stared at the ceiling, trying to forget about it.
Lilith gave a sly grin before giving a sudden smooch onto my cheek. “Do not worry about it. All of your nightmares are gone for good after this,” She kissed me once again and then patted the side of my arm to come with her, “now wake up sleepy head, it is morning and it’s time to start our day. Get properly dressed and let us go eat breakfast, okay?”
“Okay,” I mumbled as I slowly got off the bed and headed to the closet to change, expecting her to leave but to my confusion, she remained in my room despite knowing that it is not proper to be inside someone’s bedroom, especially when a person is about to change their clothes.
“Umm, mommy? C-can you leave my room please? I need to change,” I asked in a shy tone, hoping that she would oblige. Instead we just stared at one another as her hypnotizing red eyes slowly entrap my vision into brink of fog until finally… “Mommy, why are you still standing there?” I finally broke the eerie silence between the two of us.
Her smile remained the same with the feeling of unknown wicked intent under her kind demeanor as she spoke. “Oh my, is it now the time for me to go? How rude of me,” she giggled in a way that sounded very much like a devilish laugh.
“T-thanks?” I blurted out in confusion as she left my room before gently closing the door. I could not help but feel weird and creep out from this encounter. Ignoring the events that happen today, I decided to first take a quick shower before changing to put on a clean set of clothes, wearing a white turtleneck shirt, blue pants and boots including a black jacket for the winter. After that, I headed downstairs to see mommy cutting fruits and cooking eggs on the stove.
“Sit down and have a bite to eat. You must be hungry,” Lilith said while placing a plate filled with scrambled egg and bacon on the table. My face then turned to confusion because I had never seen food like this before.
“Um, mommy? What are these,” I questioned, looking at the scrambled egg and bacon on my plate. Causing her to stop whatever she was doing to spun at motion in my direction, “they are scrambled egg and bacon Adam, why you ask hmm?” Lilith’s expression was something different, more of deep curiosity at what I ate before living with her.
“It is just that…” I stopped mid-sentence. If I told her the truth about what I ate, I-i do not know what her reaction would be? Would she be disgusted or angry of what I ate? Perhaps I could lie, yes that is probably the best option as it could be a simple case of miscommunication. “I know what they are, I am only asking-“
Her sudden movement of walking towards before sitting near beside me had stopped in finishing my sentence as she looked deeply at my perception, her red eyes staring at my very soul as she spoke on my behalf, “do not lie to me Adam,” Lilith spoke with her kind display but something about her smile gave me the shivers to my core.
“M-mommy! I-I am telling the truth, I swear!” My voice was hoarse as I stammered when I spoke to her. She kept on gazing at me with those glowing crimson orbs as a slight grin formed over her lips. “You really do not want to tell your mommy?” Lilith’s question hit me straight to the gut.
She knows, of course she knows! Mommy knows that I am lying! But I should just tell the truth since she knows anyway. “Y-yes. It is true that I do not want to say it,” I replied while holding back the urge to scream and cry. Lilith then leaned forward and grabbed a fork to poke in the bacon on my plate, “it is okay, mommy understands. Now, open your mouth and let us start eating.”
I denied her offer as I could eat the food myself, “M-mommy, I can eat by myself. You do not need to feed me. I am fine by myself,” I pleaded as I stood up.
“Sit down, Adam. You are not fine by yourself, besides, it is not good to starve oneself,” My expression turned sour as I sat back in my seat from hearing her words.
“Now open up.”
“But-” I tried to object.
“Open. Up,” Her tone became stern as a sharp look appeared in her eyes, her smile growing larger this time.
Having no choice in this matter, I obliged as I opened my mouth but before she place it, Lilith pulled the fork back before I chomped the bacon, “w-what? Why did you do that?” I asked in a panic as she playfully moved the fork in front of my face as if she was teasing me.
She grinned, “oh poor Adam does not want to listen to mommy? Let us hear it then, shall we?”
“No, please, stop, I will listen, I promise, just put the fork in my mouth,” I begged as tears began to form in the corner of my eyes, my hunger overtaking as stress and frustration began to boil inside of me.
Lilith continued to toy with the utensil as a devilish smirk graced on her beautiful features, “now, do not be so stubborn, Adam. Since you did not want to tell mommy about your..secret, I cannot help guessing it. So, it is better just to give in to mother’s wisdom and confess to it. Okay?”
I bit on my lower lip as I felt a chill run across the surface of my skin, “I…” Drool dripped down the side of my lips as I looked at the hypnosis fork, “I…eat rats!” My words came out without any warning, causing me to widen my eyes from what I just said.
“Very well done, Adam. Now, since you have already confessed to it, why do not we continue with the session,” She gave a sly grin as the corners of her red lips curved upwards, “how about telling me how many rats you ate today, huh?”
W-what? Why? “But I already told you mommy! I ate rats! How many of them do you think that is, anyway?! It might be hundreds, thousands of them,” I shouted as the thought of eating a thousand rat carcasses crossed my mind.
Lilith’s expression remained the same as she replied to my question. “Let me guess, thousands of rats, right?” Her response hit me like a brick wall as the horrifying memories of only eating captured and live rats to survive was agonizing for someone like me.
Memories flooded into my mind as I remember the days of starving to death, having nothing to eat except for those disgusting creatures that are crawling around in filth. I remembered feeling weak, helpless and alone as the smell of the rotting corpses filled up my nostrils while blood dripped onto the ground, creating a puddle of crimson.
I almost feel like my perception around me changed, the reminiscing sounds of chewing rats with my teeth and their desperate screams for mercy as I devoured them alive became louder and more apparent. The screams began louder and louder to the point that I had to bring out my hands to block them by covering my ears.
My own body began to shake in fear from the screams as tears rapidly flowed down from my eyes like a river. The sound of bones cracking, flesh being ripped off, stomachs being torn open, intestines being pulled out, and lungs being crushed echoed throughout my mind until suddenly I heard her voice,
“Adam~”
Lilith’s voice brought me back to the present as she stared at me with a look of…amusement?
“Oh dear, I apologize,” She covered her mouth with a show of shock and remorse, but her previous expression of being amused at my distressing display had left a hole in the back of my mind.
“It is fine, its okay,” I quickly shook the image of myself as a rat eater before clearing my throat to continue the conversation, “so um, are you going to give me the bacon or not?” Her expression immediately changed to her usual face after hearing my request. “Ah, why not dear?” She unexpectedly placed the fork inside my mouth, “here, here.”
The moment the food touched my tongue, suddenly, the taste of pork fat and crispy skin of the pig meat overwhelmed my senses. My head started spinning with dizziness as I tried desperately to swallow the lump in my throat.
“Aaah!”
I felt as if the walls around me were closing in on me as the overwhelming sensation of nausea came to a halt. “Are you alright Adam?” Lilith’s concerned expression as she noticed the panic in my eyes.
I nodded, not wanting to upset her in anyway. It is not because her food is bad or anything, it is because I have never eaten something…new before. I always ate rats as my main source of food but when she offered me this meal, it was completely new for me.
“Its okay, we do not need to rush,” Lilith said as she went behind me and rubbed my shoulders, “you can take your time and enjoy it. You know how much I love to watch someone eat their food,” her smile showed a hint of satisfaction as she watched me with a wicked expression.
“I am sorry, it is just that…”
“Do not worry, it is perfectly understandable for someone like you, my poor child. You lived in a terrible and abusive household, have you not?” Lilith’s words sounded like a gentle mother’s tender tone as she comforted me.
“Yeah, something like that,” I sighed as I scratched my left cheek. “You see, this is the first time for me to be in a comfortable home, and well, it just feels weird to eat something that is not rat. That’s it. Nothing more than that.”
Then her caressing hands went around my neck as the sensation changed into a firm and harsh feeling similar to wearing a noose around the neck. “Are you saying that my meal is awful?” Without any warning, my neck began to feel stiff, her darkened face hovering over mine. “Is this what you think? Is this really that bad?”
Her former sweet persona turned into a cold and cruel woman, suddenly hearing a terrifying growl that was filled with anger and jealousy in her voice. My heart skipped a beat as I gasped with fear. “N-no, mommy! Your food is wonderful…it is delicious. Please, forgive me, it is just that I am not used to eating this thing. It is not that I hate it. Really!”
My body and face is sweating from fear, her change of demeanor from loving and caring to cold and cruel person was enough to scare me half to death. Her grip tightened around my neck as she slowly lowered her head down towards the right side of my face until our heads were entangled from either side like a melted embrace. “I see,” her whispering voice is dripping with malice and hatred as it spoke with a deep sinister sound that chilled the blood in my veins. “It is because of the fat bastard that you call of father?”
I clenched my fists in anger of being reminded by my abusive father, “yes! It is because of him, he always gave me those stupid rats! In fact, your food is so good that it is worth more than my father or anything else in the entire world!”
Satisfied from my response, Lilith let go of me, allowing me to gasp with the sweet relief of freedom as I rub my throat. “That is good to hear then,” she said with a soft smile on her lips before turning around and walking away. She stopped halfway and turned back, looking at me with her usual smile in her lips.
“How about we go outside for a bit Adam, it is a nice day after all.”
