The Secretive Guest: Night 09

       I’m scared to think of taking off my mask. Maybe I’ve been wearing it for far too long, but I’m afraid of what may happen if I did reveal my true feelings. I don’t know if I’m more terrified of death…or losing one of my remaining defenses.

      The young woman walked through the dark halls and headed towards a four-way intersection. The candles that hung on the wall, offering light, were scattered and few. She continued straight, her footsteps thudding consistently until she noticed something standing in the hall to her left. The young woman had slowed to see a figure, dressed in a white robe, and the featureless, dark grey head bore a porcelain white mask. This mask had no holes to see through, but painted on it were lifelike blue eyes and pink lips, formed with no expression. The figure’s head slowly turned towards the young woman and followed her as she walked.
      “What a lovely mask.” The figure spoke in a soft murmur with the voice of a young woman, “You wear it so well.”
      The young woman didn’t respond and looked away from the figure, back at the path ahead. She continued beyond the intersection, focusing on the relative darkness ahead of her and the sound of her thumping steps.
      “May I take off your mask?” came the masked woman’s polite inquiry in the background, far behind the young woman. The latter stopped and turned. Instead of seeing the white figure at the end of the hall, the young woman’s gaze met with painted eyes of the porcelain face, inches from her own. The young woman jumped and began to back up, seeing the masked woman slowly lift her own hands as she hissed violently, “Let me take off your mask!” The masked woman lunged forward with a growl, but the young woman was able to evade her.
      The young woman quickly turned heel and ran. The masked woman shouted after her, “Take off your mask! Let me take off your mask!” The young woman didn’t dare look back. She desperately continued onward, finding herself in a worse situation than she realized; there was no split in the hall, and there were no doors to escape through; she passed only one dim, wall candle after another.
      She felt an iron grip wrap around her left wrist and yank her back, causing burning pain to shoot throughout the captive arm. The masked woman then pushed the young woman, so the latter’s back slammed harshly against the wall. Her spine dully stung and she was dazed for a moment. As she recovered, the young woman could see the creature raising its free hand as it growled excitedly, “Let’s see your face. What’s under that mask? Show it to me! Let me see!”
      The dark hand was inches from the young woman’s face. The young woman instinctively threw her right fist up and around the masked woman’s arm, striking the side of the latter woman’s face. There was a small crack as a clasp holding up one side of the mask broke. The mask tilted sideways. The masked woman let out a horrified gasp and pulled away from the young woman. However, the mask began to fall off as the strap proceeded to loosen. The masked woman hunched over and reached to catch the mask before it completely came loose. In this moment, the young woman caught a glimpse of the face of the masked woman, who glanced back. The young woman met her own light blue eyes, which were filled to the brim with guilt, lonesomeness and fear.
      The masked woman quickly turned away, pushing the mask back over her face, and ran down the hallway. The young woman watched the white-robed figure disappear into the darkness, completely swallowed up from sight.