Chapter 2 :

When her eyes openned, she was met with darkness. Confusion rushed into her as she looked around, trying to discern her surroundings in vain. She had a hard time remembering what last happened, her mind feeling numb. She shakily stood up, groping forward to examine her envirronment.

Where am I?

She took several steps forward before being met by a metallic like wall. She could feel several bumps on it ; it took her a while to understand that these were intricate high-relief carvings of sorts. She certainly wasn't on the escape pod anymore but the unability to fathom what has happened frustrated her greatly. How long has she been out? She didn't know. She blindly traced the carvings on the wall, realising that they were humanoid figures. The facial structure was oddly similar to those representations of roman or greek gods though...

Engineers.

And everything downed upon her. Her struggling for her life, trying to kill the last engineer. Him catching her, but instead of killing her he caught interest in her. She, feeling despair, screaming and blacking out.

Elizabeth fell to the ground, curling up in a corner of the dark room. She was fully naked, and she was cold. She was reduced to an utterly miserable mess, sobs shaking through her body ; Everyone died, and she was left alone. In this unfamiliar, alien chamber ; a fitting punishment, she thought, for one who sent her friends to their own death. If it wasn't for her insisting, Charlie wouldn't have gone to this damned mission. Janek and the other's wouldn't have died uselessly if she'd let them go back home.

Home. Home that meant nothing to her anymore, that SHE meant nothing to. Deep down, she knew she would never see the blue planet again. But what's the use of wishing that? There isn't anything back home. Everyone she loved, cared for died. She wanted to join them, she wished the Engineer would've made her then.

"Perhaps it's for the best. None of them would want to be around me " She spoke aloud, in a bout of dark humour. Instinctively, she brought her hand to her neck. She missed the familiar weight of her cross terribly ; it's presence would've been the only thing that would've made her feel better. Because the only thing she knew was that her father loved her unconditionally, even if God abandonned her. Her father lived through that cross...and it was taken away from her.

She rocked herself back and forth, her eyes wide open as droplets trailed down her cheeks. She was at the border of insanity, there was no mistaking this. The unreal situation she found herself in, where all has been stripped away from her made her sink deeply in hysteria.

A demented laughter boomed from her, resonating throughout the room. She laughed and kept laughing through her tears ; there was nothing joyful in this hidden howl of pain. She laughed her throat raw, and did so even if the taste of blood coated her tongue.

It took a long while before her spine chilling cackle slowly died down. Tiredness finally took over her trembling form and she lulled herself into the arms of Morpheus.

But sleep wasn't kind to her ; As she left the dire realm of reality she joined the even more cruel world of nightmares.

Her father was craddling her in his arms ; she was still a baby. He smiled at her tenderly, as if she was the best thing that ever happened in her life. She could remember hearing his steady heartbeat and she felt safe. Safe from the world, safe from everything. She closed her eyes contentedly, before opening them once again to take a better look at her dad's face.

He wasn't there, and she was left alone in the dark. She stood, calling out feebly

"Daddy? Daddy where are you?"

There were no responses.

"Daddy?" She asked again. "Daddy why did you leave me? I am scared of the dark" Her voice started to shake. "Daddy, don't leave me! Daddy, please don't leave me!" She was now sobbing. She walked around, looking for her dad, when she stumbled upon something. The stench was unbearable, and she took a better glance at what she fell on.

It was Charlie's burned corpse.

She screamed herself awake, sitting up in a fetal position. Her body shook uncontrollably and she jumped back, making sure she made herself as small as possible in the corner of the room. She was wailing, and terrified. She kept seeing things, shadows moving around, trying to seize her. Burnt corpses, seeking revenge, crawling onto the floor. A little boy, accusing her of murdering him. Countless blank faces, staring at her.

And suddenly, a rift appeared on the wall. It seemed like that portion seemed to liquify and slowly retreat to opposed sides, letting in a blinding light. Elizabeth cried in relief as the luminosity chased the monsters away.

"God..." She whispered.

A tall being stood in the opening, it's skin scintillating. An angel of the Lord, she thought. She couldn't see it's features, she wasn't sure if she was dreaming. It gave her something, akin to a wristband made of obsidian pearls, or whatever it was. She was kneeling and accepted the gift gratefully, her tears drying away. The angel slid the beautiful jewel onto her hand before tenderly scooping her body and lifting it up.

It was the last thing she knew before falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.