"You were right, you know. When you said you felt yourself rotting."

The floor creaks. Riley does not look. They can't. Not right now. Instead, their eyes are locked on the little skull they hold in their hands.

It feels...small. Frail. Once it was the head of a little girl who had the sweetest smile, who lit up everyone's lives, who held their hand and said "Wanna go on an adventure?" Now it's nothing. Just part of a rotting body.

...Rebecca's body. Amanda's body. The former body of the entity that they now turn to look up at.

Unlike the other times they've run into it, the entity isn't attacking. It stares at them, at the skull and the rotting body, at the dark room. Riley wants to scream. Not at the horror of a demon invading their space. Instead, they want to scream because it's so fucking unfair it's almost funny.

Rebecca had wanted to be a teacher, helping kids in the foster system like her, or a writer, like Sam. She was saving up for a kitten. She was planning the anniversary of her adoption because Sam said she deserved a big party. She deserved more than to have her life snuffed out because some corporation decided to fuck around with demons and have her body thrown in this dark pit.

At least this dark pit was what remained of her home.

Would they find Sam here? If they dug around, would they find his remains? Had Rebecca seen Sam before they killed her?

The entity steps forward, reaches out, and Riley only realizes that they're crying when a claw gently traces her cheek. "I'm so sorry," they sob out, reaching out and holding Rebecca's face. "I'm so fucking sorry I wasn't there for you."

Holding Rebecca's skull and holding Rebecca, Riley wishes that they can say everything that is building up in their brain: you didn't deserve this, you deserved more than that wool for brains, I love you, Sam loved you, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...

But there isn't enough time.

Just enough for this.