thump. thump. thump. the steady beat of your heart is the only sound you're able to hear in the sterile, mundane elevator. after what felt like an eternity, you had just bid your goodbyes with mr. crawling, your forever companion in the ghost apartments.

as you wait for the machine to return to your world, you can't help but reminisce about everything you had gone though in this universe. the near death experiences were one thing, and the friends you made along the way was another.

you cannot seem to erase the exact expression he had on his face as soon as you announced to him that you were now to leave. that you were to be gone, no longer by his side. you can feel your heart squeezing a little.

you can't help but feel like you had done something wrong. that you shouldn't have left him, or shouldn't have left in the first place. you look down at yourself, slowly lifting your hands. your skin has gone sickly pale, purple and red blotches marring your once humanly skin. you sigh deeply.

is it worth it? is it worth returning while knowing that once you go back, you know other humans won't look at you the same? that they'll look at you, thinking you're some sick person who had escaped someplace.

your eyes dart towards the buttons, your heart pounding a little quicker now. you can hear the way you audibly gulp as your fingers shakily reach for the open button to open the doors. as quickly as you can, you begin to press down on the button, trying your hardest to get them to open.

and they do.

the metal elevator doors squeak open, revealing him, still sitting in front of the machinery. he looks up at you, and you can see how he visibly perks at the sight of you. even without his eyes in sight, you feel as if he blinks rapidly before crawling over to you, who has now stepped out of the elevator.

"human?"

he says, barely hiding a sniffle. you crouch down to his level, staring at him as you feel your own eyes well with tears. how could you leave him in the first place? you slowly cup his cheeks.