I find myself in the same place again; it just so happens to be a different night. You would think that I would be calm in this dark, damp place but it's beyond the opposite. My breathing is ragged and my heart, God, it won't stop pounding in my sensitive ears! I don't dare look behind me; instead I pick up my heavy legs and just keep running, remembering small details here and there to get myself to the spot I last found myself, only… 'No, don't think about that now! You're alive, just stay the fuck alive!' It's become my mantra now:
Stay alive.
Stay alive.
Stay alive.
I don't know from who or what but I do know only something worse than death is waiting for me to stumble and drop, to drag me down to whatever monstrosity lies deep within this maze. With everything I have I keep pushing forward, barely missing my shoulder on a thick brick protruding from a corner as I slide on the grime-covered floor. I hear a sickening catch of skin being ripped from the muscle, a horrid scream, and a sinister snarl. If I thought I was running before… earlier doesn't have shit on me now. A sour taste enters the back of my tongue at the horrid sound.
Swallow it, Elena.
Breath.
Run.
Somehow, I managed to will my throat to stuff the gunk down; if I didn't miss that little brick it would've been me. Nasty little hooks dripping with glistening, black goo would have latched on to my scalp and back, ripping and pulling, skinning me alive. All the while, I'd wither in pain, only for a devil dog himself to come and sink his teeth into my raw, bleeding muscle. It's not the best sight to see before you die, a snarling demon tearing into you; its beady white eyes seeming to be mocking you as your tissue hangs between two layers of bone sharp teeth.
Run.
Breath.
Run.
Breath.
Watch out for suspicious things…
Another corner safely down but now… now I'm someplace new. I've never made it this far before. This hall is slightly different from the others; doors, lots of doors. I slow down my pace a bit to take in my surroundings. So many… wooden, steel, bars, vines, wires, gas, even something as amazing as a wall of water.
It was almost too late when I heard the familiar sound of nails scraping against the ground. Frantic, my wide brown eyes scanned the doors. 'Damnit! Which one, which one?!' Hurriedly, I ran down the hall, a howl screeching, engulfing me with its sound. I know my heart stopped beating just then.
The clickclackscrape is right behind me with a scene playing right before my eyes. 'This is familiar.' I sprint just like the scene I'm seeing, following a small ray of light like a string bursting from my torso, only disappearing foot by foot as I run towards it. A tightening in my chest catches me off guard; my biggest mistake: looking down to see why.
Scream, a gut wrenching scream escapes my raw, dry throat as I feel my back slit open in several places. I don't have to turn around to know the cause. Tears spill down my dirty cheeks, as I lose my footing, causing the demon dog and I to roll and sprawl out on the floor. The pull is stronger in my chest –now rivaling the pain of my torn flesh.
My gaze follows the bright but faint line. 'Two doors down.' The snarling and snapping returns with a vengeance, the vile demon pacing the floor tauntingly. Fear strikes my bones to the point of allowing no movement. I'm not sure when, but I know I've stopped breathing. Somehow, I manage a prayer: if I died again, it would be from lack of breath and not by the jaws of that thing. One drop of black acidic goo sizzles and slips from the demon's gaping mouth to the floor. It's like the bell before a fight 'ding ding ding' and it lunges. Still, I stay frozen, waiting for the right moment…
Closer…1
Closer…2
Right above me, claws extended with the body of a graceful killer.
3…Now!
Bending back, I shoot my hand up, grabbing the monsters leg. With all the might left in my frail, fatigued body, I pick up my legs so they wouldn't stop the momentum, letting my body turn with the throw. The force slams the beast's body into the cold stones of the wall. It whimpers for a second, but that moment is all it takes for me to be on my feet. The adrenaline coursing through my veins stops whatever pain I know I should be feeling in my back from plaguing my body with yet another obstacle. The pull from prior is stronger than ever.
One foot forward: a howl.
Two feet: a scraping, my hand on the door, and a slam behind my back.
Breathing, gasping but nonetheless breathing, I slide down the door of my new found sanctuary, ignoring the pain along my wounded flesh. I'm not sure whether the demon dog is still on the other side, but as I sit there and close my eyes, a sound so foreign escapes my lips.
Laughter.
A laughter filled with tears of relief.
Finally coming to what's left of my senses, I lift myself up on shaky legs, looking down to see the transparent light shine bright. Slowly, I began to follow once again, my only guide in the shadows of the dark unknown.
"Well, well, well…looked who dropped down from heaven."
I stop dead in my tracks at the sudden voice, pun not intended. 'Great. I find a safe haven only to be stuck with a pervert spouting bad pick-up lines.' My heart picks up speed as I try to see through the gloom and find the owner of the mocking tone.
"Look, we have t-" is all I can manage for all too suddenly the pull is gone and so too my light. The feel of a large hand closing around my neck startles me from my confusion. Air wheezing out of my clenched passage, I quickly bring up my hands to fight off what felt like a human appendage from crushing my throat. Searching, my eyes darted about only to land on the most piercing blue orbs I have ever seen, glowing as they look down on me.
If death had eyes, then they were beautiful…
I awoke with a start; my breathing labored as I sat tense and erect in my bed. Quickly, I scanned my surroundings, making sure this was my room and not another terror-filled labyrinth. Reaching over, I turned on my lamp, feeling safer with the area flood with light. The glow gave me a welcoming comfort.
I combed my hand through my damp hair as I looked over my sweat soaked sheets. I addressed them with slightly narrowed eyes, "You're definitely getting cleaned tomorrow." Slowly making my way out the bed, I let the burning muscles of my legs carry me over to my bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes in my wake. I didn't even bother to look at myself in the mirror as I turned on the water to shower, quickly stepping into the hot flow of pressurized rain. Making sure not to think, I kept everything on auto-pilot. After my shower, I got dressed and made my way to the bay window.
It was on nights like these when I felt most alone and most vulnerable. I never opened the curtains at night because it always felt like someone was watching me, even with the curtains closed. Plus, if anyone could see what I could do the government would be bashing down my door in a heartbeat. I mean, who else was going to take care of Jeremy? Aunt Jenna worked her ass off to support us, so a lot of the time it was just Jer and I. That was okay…or as okay as it was gonna get.
Reaching over, I pulled down the hidden compartment to my window seat, sticking my hand into the cool, dark cubby-hole. Taking out a brand new journal (I got through these things like an addict), I sat it on my thighs, wiggling to get more comfortable. Pen in hand. I began to do something that could have everything taken away from me.
I wrote.
Journal 26:
Entry One:
Journal,
It's happened again, but this time I got further…
I wrote down every scream, every tear, every snarl; no detail left behind. And as my extension glided across the paper and laid its ink, the shadows of my words began to move in a wisp of black like dust. The colors were only black, grey, and white since it all depends on the color of the pen I use. Just like that, my own personal movie played before me, similar to a 3D projection. It never slowed, always on time with each word written: my own personal horror movie starring me. The only pause came at the end, when I saw his eyes. Even through the grey, all I see is cerulean.
Mesmerizing.
"Who are you?"
I kept writing until the end of my sudden choke scene in the dark, and that was it. The movie stoped like it had never started. I put away my pen and journal like I never wrote a thing, like I never had a dream… because my dreams weren't just dreams…they were the present or the future.
The only advantage to having multiple visions of these horrors or dreams was when the time came, I'd be ahead… 90% of the time.
Yawning, I amble over to my bed and settle down; although this time, I keep the light on.
"Dream usefully," I tell myself.
I can tell I'm going to need it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and whatever characters I might think up and add.
A/N: This will happen before I go on my own little rant, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give it up for my beta DontWaitUpForMe aka Alice. She is amazing and without her this story would be non-breathing, an emypty can of pringles, like being broke!. Yea, that bad. So what yall think? Hope it's not too confusing; I have a wild ride ahead for us! Let's just hope I can write it out. Leave a review for Alice and I, we'd love to hear your thoughts on chapter 1.
Till Next Time,
~Pearls