"May death be upon you."
"What did you say?"
The little lady's eyes glinted soft from the nearby single streetlight, her gaze unwavering on that towering, misty figure, hearing its ominous wish. The night is shivering cold; she has felt it before, but now not a single chill remains.
The darkness had swallowed the unseen twilight, and the dark clouds that earlier blanketed the sky had long since passed, drenching the land. Her fingers hover light, gesturing to the black mist as it passed through it instead, much to her astonishment.
"Are you dead?"
A voice ever so innocent. As if she had uttered before, repeated. The child felt as if she had met it somewhere before, but where? Her worn-out white dress, drenched with streaks of red and soiling mud.
She was missing a shoe, a red shoe.
"No. You are."
The little girl pauses, hearing its words. Not a single car heard zooming past the street, as headlights counted by her fingers, or at least, only by a hand. There was one car, she was sure, but couldn't remember.
While missing an arm, seemingly not yet noticing it. Somewhat distorting, she might say, the world, everything felt like a haze, a blur.
How could she not, part of her head smushed, dented. As that very patch of her hair, on that section, was ripped off. Or to say the least, smeared off, with a grazed little back that teared apart.
"Oh... That's... unfortunate..."
Her words softening with an unreadable expression, was it fear or something else entirely? It didn't know. Noting her silence, the black mist leaned in to the toddler, felt rather wispy by her.
"Do you want to go home?"
Its words made her curious. As her eyes widened slightly, absorbing the question whispered close to her.
"Home? To Mama?"
A laced hope and anticipation, was it possible now that she's dead? How can a child such as her grasp the meaning of death and life so early in life? But there she was, as the dead, wanting to meet another, the one she longed for. Her words only met with a gentle shake of its humanoid, misty head, much to her disappointment.
"Go home... Our home."
A black crescent formed on its lips; only now had she noticed how hollow and abyssal its eyes were, squinting with an eerie smile. Yet she wasn't afraid; it wasn't the first she met, and surely it is her last. Nodding her head slight, with her remaining arm stretched out to the creature, gesturing to take her by her hand. A warming smile on her lips despite her mutilated body.
"Okay, let's go home."
The darkened smile grew wider ear to ear before the black mist swirled for a while. Then, a human-like hand took hers. Appearing amidst the misty haze. It was icy cold to the touch, paled skin. Her gaze met that of the young man.
Aside from his ominosity, he had a charming appearance. A chiseled jaw, straight nose, thick brows, and an eerie yet beautiful smile plastered on his lips, rather uncanny. His hair is black, longer, resting on his shoulders, matching his abyss-like irises, which don't reflect light, eyes that don't seem to blink. Wearing but a black intricate robe that swept the ground, his feet unseen.
"Don't smile like that, hehe."
The girl giggled, her laughter echoing through the night as she adorably swung his hand. Much to her joy, despite the looming darkness, he carried with her. He tugged her small hand forward as he led her away, where he and the shadows reside.
Lulling a lullaby while walking deeper was none other than the little girl's voice. Hand in hand with that man of an unknown origin. Farther till their silhouettes, unseen.
"May death be upon you. Be it day and night, black and white, death and life. For death comes for you, as it comes for me, tonight..."