Yipee...new chapter!
Just want to say a BIG thankyou for those lovely people who reviewed :) (hugs all round) and those who have shown an intersest in this story and I hope may continue to read it. Anyway, happy readings...a little more action in this chapter! WOOO!
She stood up with the rest of the audience and applauded furiously as the cast took their final bows before disappearing behind the curtains.
Melissa had found the opera astounding of course. She couldn't help but admire the versatile talents of whom all the performers possessed. It was quite unlike anything that she had seen or imagined it to be - and the fact that she was standing in a most renowned and historical building had added to her brightening mood all throughout the performance.
She took a glance around the theatre, observing everyone's bright, cheerful and jovial faces as they continued to clap. Melissa then let her gaze travel along all the boxes around the edges of the theatre in awe (and slightly enviously - although she knew she was lucky to even be there!) until she came across a box to the right hand side of the stage.
What Melissa saw almost made her jump out of her skin and scream if she had not been so conscious of the people around her. Up in that exact box, she saw a dark shadow hovering behind a deep scarlet curtain. A chill descended down upon her and she shivered involuntarily. Not believing her eyes, she blinked twice and then looked up again. Alas, the shadow had gone, and in its place a middle aged couple could be seen just preparing themselves to leave.
People started to leave their seats also and file out of the theatre once the curtains were drawn. However, Melissa stayed put, still staring absentmindedly at the stage. She was relaying what she had seen just a few minutes ago. Somehow that image of the shadow still stayed stubbornly wedged inside her mind, even though Melissa had convinced herself that what she had seen had just been a trick of the light. I mean, come on! Hovering in mid air is virtually physically impossible!
Melissa reluctantly raised her head again to face that exact same box and found it to be completely empty. Hah! There you go, no one is there. Despite this reassurance, she still couldn't shrug off the nagging feeling that someone had been watching her...and still was. Even though it had been impossible to decipher any of that darkened figure's facial features, she still felt that it had been staring straight at her.
She shook her head vigorously - earning quite a few worried glances from the last passers by who were making their way out of the theatre - the over-excitement must be getting to me, I think. After this conclusion, Melissa rose from her seat and looked around. She was surprised to see that she was indeed the very last person to leave that part of the theatre. All the other hundreds of seats were completely unoccupied. She marvelled at how serenely quiet the once lively, bursting and buoyant theatre had become and decided to sit down again for a few minutes. After all, what could it hurt?
If she only knew what was to happen next, she would have thought twice about savouring the so called "calm" atmosphere that the empty theatre falsely evoked.
She opened her eyes and was startled to see the theatre's lights had already been turned all off except the ones either side of the doorways marked "Exit". A chill - much like the one she felt when she had seen the hovering figure - weaved through her legs and upwards, causing her black skirt to ruffle about and the hair in Melissa's face to whip back sharply. Her back straightened and eyes widened as she found herself paralysed with shock at the sudden coldness and swift movements that seemed to be sweeping around her. She felt the sensation almost strangely similar to a cold and bitter winter wind, but Melissa knew full well that there were no windows or doors in sight that could be open which would let such a breeze enter.
Melissa steadily rose to her feet and felt her knees quiver from the growing freezing sensation. When she dared herself to lower her eyes to the source of all the coldness, she saw a dark grey, almost black mist swirling about the floor and start spiralling up and around her legs.
"What the-"
Disbelief at what she was seeing and feeling soon turned to shock, to panic, and then to fear. She saw the black mist starting encircle more tightly around her legs, almost like a human's arms were rising from out of the floor. Then long claw like fingers began to form rapidly at the two end parts of the mist and clasp themselves firmly around Melissa's thighs.
Her breathing changed to being irregular and shallow - again, she couldn't believe her eyes. Melissa could actually feel the black, sharp and jagged claws dig mercilessly into her delicate skin. They felt more like solid pieces of matter despite the fact that they were formed by a dark cloud of whirling mist.
She had been rendered immobile for just a few seconds out of shock, but once she had inwardly slapped herself a few times, she then started to take immediate action against whatever was gradually pulling her further and further down to the floor. After all, she knew all to well that she had to act then and there before getting any sort of answers explaining this rather unusual and scary phenomena.
Whipping her head up again, she caught sight of the chairs in front of her and decided to grab hold of them as a support. With her hands firmly grasping the seats in front, Melissa started to pull away from the tightening claws' grip around her thighs. Her face contorted due to all the physical strain at trying to release herself from the black misty hands - after a hard struggle she then felt the hands beginning to loosen so Melissa took the chance to lean fully over the seat in front of her so that her hands reached the arm rests, and held onto them instead. This provided her with extra leverage to lift herself out from the clutches of those formidable claws. Again, she pulled and pulled until she heard the faint ripping sound of tights and felt a searing pain shoot through her legs.
Just then victory seem to smile on Melissa as she felt herself tumble forward and fall head first into the seat that she had been leaning on. However, relief soon swept away as she felt something warm and wet trickle down her leg. It didn't take her long to realise that whilst she was tearing herself away from death's hold, the dark claws had ripped through her soft flesh, creating streaks of blood to run down both of her thighs and begin to dampen her tights around the area where they had ripped along with her skin.
Without much thought, she clumsily got up from the seat that she had previously fallen onto, trying her hardest to ignore the throbbing pain in her legs and forehead. This proved difficult as she stumbled a few times whilst trying to turn back around to face the row behind her.
At first her vision was blurry but after blinking a few times she found that the black haze was no longer sweeping along the floor like before, but had risen up, towering over her by about a good two metres. Somehow the mist was becoming darker, indicating that the swirling dark cloud was building up out of nothing - increasing in density and spiralling grey and white patterns could be traced in the black mass of cloud.
"What in devil's name is going on?"
Melissa took a step back, but only felt herself bump into yet another row of seats behind her. She felt trapped...the mist still continuing to advance towards her. Then all of a sudden, the ball of mist surged forwards and swept right around and into her face. This caused Melissa to start to cough and splutter ferociously from inhaling of the choking smoky like mist that was surrounding her. Her throat felt like a thousand shards of glass had pierced it simultaneously as she inhaled once again out of instinct for search of pure air - however, it did not come and once again Melissa started off another fit of coughing. She began feeling light-headed from the pressure on her lungs caused by the toxic fumes that twisted around her nostrils and were breathed in once again in her vain attempt to find clean air.
Then unexpectantly the mist cleared, leaving Melissa leaning over one of the chairs looking as if she had almost been suffocated. Her face was almost snow white which created a sharp contrast from her red rimmed eyes as she started trying to take measured breaths and regain her composure. She did not like this situation at all...not in the slightest. By this point, Melissa was shivering in fright and in fear of what was yet to come.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" She tried in vain to keep her voice from shaking...but it was rather difficult considering her lungs were short of air.
As soon as the mist had completely disappeared, a low and mocking cackle could be heard causing Melissa to spin around trying to find the source of such an evil sound. She was sure that it was mocking her and she felt a surge of both anger at this person who was evidently toying with her, and scared. What person can send clouds in your face - let alone make them take the form of hands? She shuddered but tried once again to get answers out of this bodiless taunter.
"Show yourself! I'll...I'll call the police if you don't stop th-this-" Melissa broke off as soon as she heard a voice speak.
"I don't think calling the police will do you much good, my dear." By the low and deeply resonating tone of this person's voice, she knew that this tantalizer was indeed a man. By the disturbingly calm tone of voice in which that simple sentence was said sent her running out of her isle almost instantaneously- personally something that she felt she should have done when the first opportunity had arose. Well too late for regrets Melissa thought.
Heavy footfalls came to an abrupt halt when she heard yet another low cackling laugh...but this time it was coming from right next to her left ear. Melissa screamed and swirled round to face the person responsible but yet again she saw no one but the vacant rows of seats behind her.
"Do not think that you can escape me..." Melissa did not wait until he finished off his sentence, but broke into a run towards the doors marked "Exit" instead.
Long lost words whisper slowly to me
Still can't find what keeps me here
When all this time I've been so hollow inside
I know you're still there
Watching me, wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you, loathing you
I won't let you pull me down
Hunting you, I can smell you - alive
Your heart pounding in my head
Watching me, wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Saving me, raping me, watching me
Watching me, wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you... loathing you
I won't let you pull me down
Haunted by Evanescence..changed a few words to fit hehe :) Again, please review. :)