Chapter 2: A Lamb to the Slaughter

When you woke up you were surrounded by warm black liquid and your head was pounding. "Where the hell am I?" You sat up looking around. "You're in what I like to call my personal hell...~" That voice! Wally! "You're speaking to me! You really are! I knew you could!" You tried to find him in the darkness but no matter where you went it just led to more inky blackness. "No silly, you're dreaming. None of this is real...~" You frowned at this statement. "So I'm just imagining you talking to me? Am I really that desperate to have you pay attention to me, Wally?" His signature slow laugh rings out from the void, "Yes neighbour! You're so desperate to be special that you're dreaming of me talking specifically to you! How adorable...~" That stung a bit, Wally wouldn't say something so rude, would he? "I guess that's true. I'm kind of lonely, I want you to pay attention to me and make me feel special like you did when I was a kid..." You sat down in the endless pool of ink and sighed holding your head in your hands. "Oh, don't be so sad dear. Perhaps this is the punishment God thought you deserved, being lonely and desperate to be special. What a selfish person you are...~" You could hear the smile on Wally's face as he lovingly tore you down. It didn't feel as bad coming from Wally, nothing could ever be bad if it came from him. Maybe he was right it was selfish to want to be special and maybe being lonely was the punishment sent down from God for being so selfish. "Have you ever been selfish Wally?" A thoughtful hum sends shivers up your spine before he decides to answer, "What a silly question to ask dear, you think that I, Wally Darling, could be selfish? I'm hurt, neighbour..~" You could feel his presence now, he was standing right behind you but as you went to look he spoke again. "No peeking, it's better if you don't see me. Don't be naughty..~ Ha. Ha. Ha." His laugh sounded so distorted when closer to you. His soft arms wrapped around your torso and he whispered into your ear, "Prove to me how desperate you are, make me a reality. If you can do that...you'll be the only thing that will have my attention...~" You thought about it for a moment, bring him to life and be the centre of his attention? It was pretty tempting but you didn't want to lean into his assumptions about you, though you were curious. "Well, let's say I do....how would I make you real?" His grip on your torso got tighter, "When you wake up you'll know exactly what to do neighbour...~" You nodded staring off into the distance, feeling the void staring back at you and the warmth of the ink consuming your body. It felt like you were drowning but you felt so calm, so tired... "I'll be waiting dear...~"