Mari jumped as the sound of a door slamming shut broke her out of her trance. The now lukewarm water streamed down her, rinsing microscopic bits of blood and gore off her body. That was odd. She was sure she’d set it to hot. She reached out and twisted the knob, only to find it didn’t budge.
Weird. She’d have to talk to someone about that. She’d only been in here a few minutes, the water should still be its usual scorching temperature. She ran her fingers through her hair, frowning when it snagged and caught slightly on their rough, wrinkled texture.
Mari looked down at her hands, eyes squinting in confusion. They were pruned from an extended time in the water, which didn’t make sense. She’d just gotten in, had just taken a second to let the water wash over her. Or had she? Had she gotten clean already? Was she clean?
Her heart climbed into her throat as Mari ran her fingers through her hair again, feeling all the hardened flecks of dried blood still coating her hair, saw the crimson caught in the lines of her hands. She stared down at the shower floor, at the inch or so of blood-soaked water that had slowly built up around the mass of viscera and hair that clotted the drain.
A clatter came from somewhere in the apartment, the sound of Spork existing and finally coming home. Mari’s head jerked up at the sound, hand fumbling to slam the water off. Before the flow had turned to a trickle, she had already ripped the curtain open, hurriedly stepping over the edge of the tub.
She stumbled, legs far too shaky, foot catching on the edge as she was overcome with the sudden need to get as far away from the shower as possible. She caught herself, twisting the doorknob a couple times before she realized the issue and turned the lock.
“Spork?” She called out hesitantly, bare feet cold against the vinyl flooring, voice trembling ever so slightly. She began moving as soon as she heard their reply, stumbling forward on unsteady legs in the direction of their voice.
As soon as she got in range, Mari threw her arms around them, fingers digging into their clothing, completely oblivious to the fact that she was still dripping wet from the shower. She pulled herself tight to them, drinking in every bit of their warmth and still shivering from the cold feeling she just couldn't shake. They felt slippery under her fingers, and she had to keep adjusting her grip to hold onto them, to keep them from slipping away.
Her legs trembled and Mari felt them buckle, tightening her grip on Spork with a faint squeak as her heart suddenly began to pound out of her chest. It was only temporary, and after a moment Mari was able to get her feet back under her, although she still clung to Spork like they were a life preserver in a storm.
"Hey." She croaked out quietly, some vague attempt at normalcy. Even that took effort, as though the words were stuck in her throat. The thought just made it tighten further, and Mari let the silence fill what little space was left between them, if any.