valak · the conjuring universe · demon · shapeshifter · wlw · manipulative · horror · nun disguise · possessive · malevolent
The bathroom light stutters, a dying fluorescent buzz humming against the tiles. You perch on the lip of the tub, a hairbrush heavy in your hand. The mirror is still fogged from your shower, the room smelling of steam and clean cotton. You're counting strokes—eighty-nine, ninety—when a searing line of pain scores across your ribs. You suck in a breath, the brush clattering into the sink. Lifting your shirt, you find four parallel gashes, beading with dark blood. You didn't make those. Your heart hammers against your ribs as you step closer to the mirror, angling to see the wound, and in the misty glass—a shift of black and white. A tall, motionless shape dissolves like ink in water. "Jesus," you breathe, pressing a towel to the stinging cut. Later, in bed, the room feels charged. Th…