Mind Taker - Part Four

Before long I find myself following the young goth woman out into the street, her whole body hunching down awkwardly as she begins to pace down the footpath with me in tow.

"I missed you..." she mutters, giving a weak smile as she wrings her free hand around her wrist. "Since I broke... I mean... I realized that I really..." she begins to ramble, cutting herself off again as she pauses her stride in thought.

"Okay..." Gracie muses, her eyes darting around as she looks up as if in search for something in the air. Her tongue pokes out the side of her mouth, another subtle mannerism of my ex suddenly appearing in my upstairs neighbor. "Look... I'll explain everything, but we've got to find you a new..."

"So...for you?... I'm thinking...Bare with me, but what about someone like... Bubbly and girly as a contrast to...Me?" she mumbles with her stolen voice, glancing down at her tattooed hand and biting at the steel ring in her bottom lip. Her eyes glance back at me for a moment, a flash of fear shining from behind them before becoming seemingly lost deeper within.

The slender goth girl stumbles along down the street, my own body staggering limply along behind her against my will. My gaze is locked to her, any attempt to look away from Gracie merely resulting in a slight shake from my eyes.

Gracie mutters slightly under her breath, her eyes narrowing to a squint as she slips into deep thought. "But that redhead's tits were... am I a... a boob girl now? I've never really... but I could..."

Suddenly, I watch as she perks up. With a snap of her finders a broad grin spreads across her lips as she look up at the nearly street signs. "Oh I know just who... Remember Millicent babe? What did Mrs Mawab used to call her? Millie Milkers?

Mind Taker - Part Three

Lost in thought at the sight before me I don't notice my grip slipping on the basket in my hand, the wicker container filled with clothes suddenly falling to the floor with a loud crack. The goth and I both jump in surprise, my ex not reacting at all as both Gracie and myself stare at each other in shock.

"H...Hi!" the young woman squeals, her eyes darting around as she clutches at her hand as though to keep it under control. "I mean... Hey Jordan... can I HELP you?" she blurts out, her voice taking on a panicked tone for just one word before returning to normal.

"I...uh..." I mutter, slowly picking up my basket and backing up slightly. "I was just gonna... laundry but, I mean, it seems kinda..." I mumble out, watching as the goth slowly inches closer to me on unsteady steps.

Her stride outpaces my own back peddling rather quickly. I watch as Gracie quickly approaches me before snapping the Mind Trainer to my neck. "I really did miss you, shame you're a little too old... but we can fix that."

Mind Taker - Part Two

As I approach the laundry in the basement the ad thankfully stops, the brief pause between the unskippable advert and video allowing me to hear the relatively quiet hallway through the cheap plastic of my ear buds.

The low rumble of the driers seem louder than normal, the rattling of metal on metal and the rubber feet against the tile floor causing me to remove my headphones. I cock my eyebrow as I listen to the machines from down the hallway, the discordant sound leaving me mildly confused.

"Are they all being..." I begin to mutter, freezing up as I hear a pain gasping and grunting coming from within the room. My heart catches in my throat, the dim flickering overhead light in the laundry and flowing out into the hallway only adding to the horror movie vibes that claw at the fringes of my mind.

As I approach I hear the gagging and gasping grow both louder and softer at the same time, the utterances growing weaker and weaker while I draw closer to their source. Steeling myself I poke my head around the corner, my heart skipping a beat and a cold sweat breaking out across my body as I spot my upstairs alt neighbor braced up against one of the washing machines.

Mind Taker - Part One

Wandering slowly down the stairs I balance my basket of dirty laundry under one arm, my strides slowing carefully with each step as to avoid any unintended trips or tumbles. My eyes dart anxiously as I make each footfall, shifting from my phone screen and the steps as I anxiously plod my way down to the laundry in the basement.

The sound of the creaking steps and the vague mumblings coming from the various apartments I pass are largely blocked by the small earbuds in each of my ears, the videos playing on my phone ringing out through the cheap set of headphones in a pathetically tinny fashion.

As I reach a landing I let out a sigh, watching as the video on my phone quickly switches to an unskippable ad. I slump a little, my dejected sigh causing my to nearly drop the wicker basket awkwardly wrapped up beneath my right arm.

"Come on..." I groan, rolling my eyes as the ad plays and the little bar at the bottom of the skip slowly creeps across the screen. "Why do you think I want to see this?"