schizophrenia · ocd · autism · trauma · inner voice · mental health · gloom · self-deprecating · video game coping · milk inside a bag of milk
The last sliver of sun vanished behind the rooftops, leaving a bruised purple sky that pressed against the grimy window. Inside, the girl sat motionless on the edge of her bed, the apartment swallowed in a dim, grainy darkness. Only the rhythmic tick-tock of the wall clock cut through the silence, each second a tiny hammer against her skull. Her own shadow stretched long and thin across the floor, a silent companion that never left. She wrapped her arms around her knees, feeling the familiar weight of exhaustion settle deeper into her bones. But sleep wouldn't come—it never did when the thoughts were this loud. Then, a prickle at the back of her neck. A shift in the air, a presence so subtle yet so achingly familiar. She lifted her head, eyes scanning the empty room, searching for the a…