Do you remember what we talked about last time, Alyssa? Yes. I remember. I found it strange that there were reports claiming you’re mentally unstable, but I don’t believe that.
Were you really being hit? Alyssa nodded. She doesn’t treat me like a person. To her, I’m just a burden.
Every day she calls me useless. And your nose. You still feel that thing? Yes.
It’s even stronger now. I can clearly feel it, like soft roots moving back and forth. Last night, there was black mucus.
It wasn’t blood. Mrs. Teresa fell silent, visibly shaken. She opened her wallet and pulled out a small card.
This is the business card of Dr. Smith. He’s a new neurologist in Chicago. I’ve told him a little about you.
He said if you’re willing, he’ll examine you for free. Alyssa took the card with trembling hands. For the first time, someone was seriously listening to her.
That night, Martha came home late. She smelled disinfectant coming from Alyssa’s room. What the hell are you doing in here? Nothing, just cleaning a bit.
What are you hiding in that bag? Alyssa stepped back, shielding her backpack. Nothing, just… some papers. Martha snatched the bag and tore through it.
Dr. Smith’s card fell out. What the hell is this? Who gave you this? Ms. Teresa, but it’s just in case I need it. Martha clenched her jaw, ripped the card in two, and threw it to the floor.
You think you’re clever, huh? No one is going to help you. I’m the only one you’ve got. And you better behave before I make you disappear, like your father.
Alyssa froze. The last sentence hit her like a knife. For a brief moment, she saw Martha’s true eyes cold, devoid of humanity.
That night, for the first time, Alyssa pulled the phone she’d hidden under her mattress and turned on the flashlight. She leaned into the mirror and gently pulled up her nose. Inside, under the dim light, she saw something black something like a root, twitching slightly.
Alyssa shuddered, trying to record it. But before she could save the video, Martha kicked the door open. You’re filming now.
The phone was snatched from her hand and smashed to the floor. Pieces flew everywhere as Martha stomped over. You’re just a useless piece of trash I was forced to take in.
I should have strangled you the day you were born. Alyssa dropped to her knees, covering her head. But inside, the thing in her nose began to squirm violently, as if it too were enraged.
Alyssa sat alone in the school bathroom, the door locked, pale face lit by the sickly yellow light. She pulled a small mirror and mini flashlight from her coat pocket. Her hands were trembling.
This time I’ll catch it, she whispered, her voice hoarse from countless sleepless nights. She tilted her head and gently pulled open her left nostril. A dull itch surged along her nasal bridge like a tiny current running down her nerves.
She turned on the flashlight and aimed it at the mirror. Suddenly, a black shape appeared. Its form was unclear, but it twitched faintly, like a living root.
Alyssa held her breath, frozen. In that moment, she no longer felt like herself but like the host of an alien creature. No, no way, she whispered.
She grabbed her phone and started recording. But suddenly, a loud thud came from somewhere nearby, startling her. The camera shook, the light wobbled.
The video blurred just as the creature began to move more violently. Damn it, she panted. At that moment, someone knocked hard on the bathroom door.
Who’s in there, came a teacher’s voice. I’ll be right out. Alyssa quickly cleaned up and hid the phone in her shirt.
When she stepped out, she met the suspicious gaze of Ms. Lucy, her French teacher. Is something wrong, Alyssa? You look… exhausted. I… I just have a cold, ma’am.
Your nose is bleeding. Alyssa reached up to wipe it. The blood was no longer red it was brownish, slimy, and had a strange, foul odor.
It smelled like rotting meat. That night at home, Alyssa secretly retrieved an old phone she’d hidden under the bed. Thankfully, Martha hadn’t found it.
She planned to send the video to Eleanor. Someone has to see this. I’m not crazy.
The message with the video was sent. But just a few minutes later, she received a single reply. Gross.
Don’t text me again. Immediately, the, blocked, symbol appeared. Alyssa froze.
Her hand dropped. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She breathed heavily, hand reaching toward her nose the itch now burned like fire.
She scratched and scratched until her skin bled. What the hell are you doing in there? Martha roared from outside the door. And nothing.
Open the door. The door slammed open. Martha stormed in and snatched the phone.
The video was still open halfway through. You filming this freaky crap again? You want people to call you a monster? I just want someone to believe me, it’s real, it’s inside my nose. Shut up.
You’re driving me insane. Martha struck her with a thunderous slap, knocking Alyssa’s head into the edge of the table. She staggered, nose bleeding again worse than usual and the smell was overpowering.
Martha wrinkled her nose and covered it. What the hell is that stench? It’s it, it’s that thing. Enough.
From now on, you’re banned from having any devices in this house. She stomped on the phone, shattering it, then dragged Alyssa out of the room and locked her in the storage closet again. Stay there and think about what you’ve done.
The more you talk, the more you make people want to throw you in a psych ward. The next morning, she arrived at school with a bruise on her forehead. When Mrs. Teresa saw her, she gasped.
Alyssa, what happened to your head? I… I slipped on the stairs. Really? Yes. Teresa didn’t believe her.
She glanced down and noticed scratch marks on the back of Alyssa’s hand. Do you, want me to talk to someone for you? No one believes me. Even my best friend thinks I’m disgusting.
Mrs. Teresa looked deep into Alyssa’s eyes. You’re not disgusting. The ones too scared to face the truth are the ones who should be ashamed.
That afternoon, Alyssa lay on her bed with the lights off. The room was steeped in the dim gray glow of dusk. She closed her eyes, but couldn’t sleep.
The stench of rod in her nose had now spread to her throat. She felt like she was decomposing. Suddenly, a violent itch struck.
She shot up, gasping, and rushed to the bathroom. She turned on the light and picked up the mirror again. This time, it was clearer than ever.
It wasn’t just a root. It looked like a tiny, wriggling trunk contracting with each of her breaths. When she shone the light directly on it, something glinted, like an eye reflecting the beam.
Alyssa screamed. What are you? Get out of my body. Martha ran in from the living room.
What now? There’s something in my nose. I swear I’m not crazy. It’s alive.
It has eyes. I saw it. Martha froze for a few seconds, then stepped closer, her eyes dark.
You’re starting to creep me out. Please, mom, don’t hit me. I’m telling the truth.
You hear yourself. You sound like a sick freak, imagining everything. No.
I recorded it on video. What video? What phone? Alyssa froze. She realized, all the evidence had been destroyed.
Martha looked at her with a smug smile, as if she had known that all along. You’ve got nothing. Just a little psycho living off pity.
No one’s going to believe you, Alyssa. Night fell. Alyssa didn’t eat.
Martha didn’t bother asking. She lay with her face to the wall, clutching her pillow tightly. She could feel it the creature fused to her, second by second.
Her breathing made it shift, as if they shared the same nervous system. She didn’t know what exactly was living inside her. But clearly, it was growing.
If I don’t do something, it’ll kill me sooner or later, she whispered in the dark. A sudden sharp pain shot up her nasal bridge. She jolted upright.
Blood poured from her nose more than ever and mixed with fine gray threads. Clenching her teeth, Alyssa grabbed some tissue and stuffed it into her nostrils. It was no use.
Blood kept gushing, the rotten smell filling the room. She gasped for air and collapsed to the floor. In that semi-conscious moment, she saw a pair of eyes, eyes like the one in the mirror staring at her from within her own body.
And she knew, everything was just beginning. In the middle of a regular math class, Alyssa slumped over her desk. She kept sniffling, her face pale, her eyes glazed from severe sleep deprivation.
Alyssa called Ms. Rachel. No response. Alyssa.