"Screaming.. Who is screaming?"
Neatly folding the blankets down to the foot of the bed, I step lightly onto the soft carpet at my bedside. Gently cupping my ears against the harsh noise, I head out into the hallway and pause for several long moments. The once familiar hallway with light cream paint and beige wood flooring has changed to one of a much less welcoming sight. The walls have faded to a deep blood red and the floor seems to have rotted away, leaving only broken boards and termites behind.
"What is going on here? This is not my house. Where am I…?"
The darkening of my lavender irises to a deep violet is my only display of the immense fear I feel. My trepidation only increases as I continue to walk slowly, and unhappily, down the unfamiliar hall. I try my best to keep my breathing as shallow as possible and my footsteps light, not wanting to attract the attention of any dark creature which might be lurking in the dim hall.
"This seems to by my lucky night. Why can't this screaming girl call out for someone else to save her? Someone -willing- to do it."
Frowning, I creep even further down the endless hall. As I pass countless doors of various sizes and colors I listen carefully, hoping to hear sounds other than the anguished wails of the woman.
"If I could catch some sort of other noise, maybe I can glean a clue as to what I'll be up against. Maybe I'll hear the growling of a rabid dog, or some incoherent words from another human. Something to help me out."
The screaming then changes pitch, raising an octave, and successfully making my head pound and my feet move faster as I feel the urgency in the pained shrieks. I feared that something bad would happen if I did not make it to the woman quickly... but, I also had a great fear of what might be in the room with her.
My thoughts were interrupted when I pinpointed the door from which the screams were bring emitted. I race at top speed, not bothering to keep quiet as my feet pound against the rotten wood. Ignoring the splinters and squirming insects which cover my feet, I continue down the endless hall to an uninterestingly plain door on my left. If it weren't for the urgent screaming, I would have passed this door and not have thought twice about it. Break into a cold sweat I reach forward, my hands shaking slightly as I take the cold steel doorknob into my hand and gently twist it. The door creaks and groans unwelcomingly as I open it. Before I am able to see into the room, a rush of rotting flesh and decay fills my nose. My eyes widen and I wince slightly before gaining my composure and forcing my face back to its neutral position. With the last ounce of courage I have, I thrust open the door and hold my breath, but both those actions are useless. As soon as the door opens my vision fades to black.
"I'm blind. I've gone blind. It's that darn woman's fault… why can't she save herself? Why must I repeat this horror film every time I close my eyes?"
The darkness is filled with an annoying buzzing noise which I find almost worse than the screaming. I groggily open my eyes (Apparently not blind in the slightest) and lay there listening to the alarm scream harsh profanities into my sensitive ears. "I always dream this.. It wouldn't be so bad if I could just get in that room and end this once and for all." I sigh inwardly to myself. It takes a full ten minutes for the feeling to return to my body. These dreams always leave me weak and unable to move, feeling as though I were laying in a pool of freezing water for far too long.
I frown as I stumble out of bed and into the shower, stripping my clothes in a strange weaving trail as I meander through my room to the connecting bathroom. "I'm glad I don't live with any men, I'm sure they'd find my morning habits awful" I mumble to myself slightly amused as I begin my daily routine. I lather up with Shampoo, apply, rinse. Then I lather with conditioner, apply, wait a minute as I wash my body with lavender scented body wash, then I rinse both conditioner and body soap together. Oh, did I mention I'm singing loudly this whole time? I need my own silly moments, too, just like any normal person. I've had compliments the few times I have sung in front of people, but I understand they were just being courteous; anyone in their right mind would not compliment my out of key singing. I tune my boisterous melody down to a simple hum as I dress into my school's plain uniform of white and blue and brush my long silver hair into a neat pony tail. My attention grabbing eye color and strange hair are completely against the dress code, this is why I make sure to keep my hair style plain and simple, and to apply boring black colored contacts every time I leave the house.
As a kid I was often made fun of for being a freak, although, I did not argue against the bullies. Instead I merely agreed with them, I mean, how could I argue? I suppose I have always been a bit off kilter with my odd features and untrusting behavior. Pushing the memories away, I finish primping and sit down on the windowsill to meditate for the remaining twenty minutes before school. I continuously repeat my overused mantra "I can control my emotions," convincing myself that it would be easier to not be threatened by the rest of my species if I feel and display no emotions at all. Wearing a plain stare, I inhale deeply through my mouth. "Here we go again, another day of school." I step out into the mid winter rain with a small umbrella and a light jacket. "I really should invest in warmer clothing," I whisper, allowing a small smile to grace my pale lips.