14. Visions

Why was he watching her? Why was he always freaking watching her?

Ashley tried not to notice, she really did, but when your 'ex' has been staring at you for two hours, it tends to grind on you. Seriously, did he have nothing better to do? Could he not go and talk to other people? Just anything that didn't include Chris staring at her would be great.

She had seen Matt try to make conversation with Chris, but he had barely paid him any attention, instead letting his sorrowful eyes drift over her again. It was just getting creepy now, as Sam had put it, Dr Hill levels of creepy.

A sigh escaped her lips as she watched the small groups that were gathering throughout the room. She and Sam were settled at a small coffee table opposite each other, Emily, Jessica and Matt were conversing fairly loudly, obviously happy to see each other again, whilst Chris had finally chosen to sit near Mike who was now occasionally prodding the fire with an iron poker.

Sam was watching the pair too. "You can practically hear the awkward silence," she chuckled, smiling despite the gravity of the situation.

Ashley's lips quirked upwards in a smirk as her eyes narrowed, "Huh, I'd have thought they'd have a lot to talk about," she scoffed as Sam gave her a bemused look, "Y'know, they both tried to shoot their loved ones. They can bond over that." Sarcasm was dripping from her voice, sickly sweet but with a sour undertone.

For once, Ashley's snarky nature had returned. Despite the struggles she was going through, and the bumpy start to the journey, now she was settled, it was easy to feel the familiar vibes of the area come flooding back, no matter the odd sensations that came with them.

But she couldn't deny what she saw from the corner of her eye. No amount of laughter and jeers could cover that up. Every time she was relaxed, a figure would creep in at the very edge of her field of vision, darting away again as she tried to follow its path. Shapes would move in the shadows under the stairs, or in the darkness outside, threatening to spread and consume everything in its path.

Ashley shook her head quickly. I'm not going to let this stuff stop me. She told herself, feeling her back straighten with her confidence, I'm stronger now. It was true, too. After last year, her life had taken a turn for the worst. Hallucinations plagued her vision at all times. She knew they weren't real. She knew it. But they still terrified her beyond reason.

But Ashley had never been one for isolation. At first she had cut herself off from everyone else. She wanted to be alone. She didn't want to hurt anyone. She thought she could get better without them, and then she could prove how strong she was. Predictably, that hadn't lasted long. That's why she had agreed to this trip. She wanted to see her friends again. It was too late that she wondered if any of them really were her friends.

She found her eyes dancing over to the door that she had slammed in Chris' face, watching the wendigo figure leap at him from behind. She had tried to kill him in an act of revenge. A pang of regret hit her chest like a well-aimed punch, but she couldn't shake the feeling of satisfaction that came with the memory. For a moment, she had had power. She had control over someone's life, just like Chris had done twice. She had true power in her hand, until it was wrenched away when that smart-ass punched his hand through the glass pane and opened the door before barging past her.

On second thoughts, it was probably best that he had done that. She would have been dubbed a murderer otherwise. And who knows where that power-trip would have taken her; undoubtedly down an even more corrupt and hellish path than the one she was already walking.

A frown passed over her face. Was it wrong that she had thrived off of that moment of control? That she felt no remorse for almost triggering events that led to someone's death? Yeah…that was weird, right?

"Ash?" Sam's quiet voice snapped her out of her daze. Ashley blinked repeatedly, refocusing her eyes onto her friend. "You were out of it for a second there. I was worried."

A small smile crept onto Ashley's face. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just kinda tired." What had she done to deserve Sam? The two had never been too close, but after the events of last year, both were looking for someone so they wouldn't be so alone. They found that in each other. Ashley thought it would be fitting to call it the perfect friendship. No ulterior motives, no secrets, nothing except caring and a shoulder to lean on.

"Well, it is getting kind of late," Sam agreed, glancing around the room to where Matt and Jess had both yawned in sync, "And I'm not too sure anyone is up for partying tonight."

"You can say that again." Ashley followed Sam's gaze around the room, her shoulder drooping and her eyes rolling back when she saw Chris still glancing at her over his shoulder whilst he talked to Mike. "I can't believe this…" she muttered, frustration slowly prickling along her skin, making her hair stand on end.

Sam exhaled loudly, as if she was slowly becoming annoyed with Chris' antics too. "Maybe tomorrow you should talk to him." She suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. At once, Ashley fixed her with a 'oh no not happening' glare, and she was forced to amend her statement. "Alright, maybe I'll talk to him tomorrow. We do want this to be a good trip after all. It's not going to be fun for anyone if he's moping after you the whole time."

The final phrase hit Ashley hard. The constant reminder of how Chris still had feelings for her after all that they had been through. A case of unrequited love, as though their story was one such as in 'Romeo and Juliet'. The mere idea of it made her feel sick. She didn't want this to be happening. She wanted the exact opposite. To be left alone. Not to have Chris pining after her like a lost puppy…

Is that what everyone thought? That she was leading Chris on like a dog on a leash, toying with him? Is that why their eyes traced from her to him with odd glances and murmurs of discontent? Is that why Emily and Jessica watched and hissed words to each other, eyes never leaving the spectacle? Is that why Mike was always watching through narrowed eyes? Is that why Matt was always giving her piteous glances?

Ashley felt her heart plummet. And with that falling hope, it left her susceptible. Her visions started to shift and warp, her friends' faces started morphing into crow and vulture-like creatures, dripping with a black tar-like substance, mouths gaping as if hungry for her guilt and her sorrows, red eyes flashing the colour of blood to remind her of all she had done.

Drip, drip, drip. The sound of black oil and blood pattering onto the wooden floor, staining it in a dark crimson as the mixtures flowed slowly to Chris' feet. He sat there in silence, his head slowly twisting to look behind him at her, the sound of his neck cracking as he did so.

"Stop…stop stop stop…no no…" Faint mumbles involuntarily fell out of Ashley's mouth, just loud enough for Sam to hear, but her gaze was wild enough for everyone to see. Eyes wide and white, face twisted in an expression of fear.

Ashley felt a hand rest on her arm. She glanced down. It wasn't clawed, or hooked, or dripping in blood. It was normal. It was Sam. She followed the arm upwards to her friend's concerned face. It was then that she noticed Sam was speaking – words that had been previously blocked out by the constant dripping in her mind. "Ashley? Ashley?" A quiet soothing voice. A rhythm. She could focus on that.

She turned her head and looked at her companions again. All were normal. Faces no longer contorted like birds. Chris was sat facing the fire, not even trying to look at Ashley at this point. It's not real. It wasn't real. But from the corner of her eye, Ashley saw the black and red mixture slowly slipping away down a gap in the floor boards, and again came the pitter-pat of the liquids.

Drip, drip, drip.