chapter eight

When Blaine's eyes opened, the voice disappeared, and he was alone. He couldn't see anything through the choking darkness.

His head hurt, and he held it as he lifted his upper body so that he was sitting on the ground. "Where am I . . .?"

He slowly raised himself to his feet. He pulled the flashlight out of his pocket, and flicked it on.

You're Not Dead!

Blaine stumbled back. He looked around. He was in a classroom, but the floors were mesh. Those words were written on the blackboard in blood. Blaine's head throbbed, and he looked down.

Beneath the mesh was an infinite darkness. But there were children, children that couldn't move, bound to the blackness with bloody chains, trying to free themselves. They were writhing and twitching uncontrollably. They were decayed and rotting, reaching their hands for him, calling his name. Then they started screaming.

The sound was like a thousand trains passing beside him.

"Blaine!"

He clutched his head, now feeling unbearable pain. He could feel their pain, as one of their hands clutched his angle, pulling him down. Then another one grabbed his arm, but he managed to pull out his gun and shoot the hand.

"No, Blaine, don't go!" They were saying. "We need you!"

Blaine got to his feet, and found all his limbs heavy. He stumbled and wavered as he walked to the door, desperate to get out. He could hear different voices from the screams of the children.

"Not even good enough to make your Dad not beat you, huh?"

"Get away from her!" Blaine said.

"Would you rather I kick the crap out of you, then your little sister?"

"Why the fuck not?!" He yelled as he opened the door and fell forward out of the classroom. He was panting from the effort, but the screaming had stopped, and he was relieved, before he starting to notice the ambulance siren in the distance, coming from one end of the hall. He got up again, not daring to look down, hearing the painful moans of the constrained children, wanting him.

The sound started to come closer, and Blaine could have sworn there was an ambulance coming for him, and he ran down the hallway, trying to escape its painful cry. He saw the door to another corridor, and tried to open it. It wouldn't open, no matter how hard he pushed.

Then he could almost see the ambulance speeding towards him, as the sound was joined by a bright light, coming ever closer.

Blaine banged the door. "Somebody help me!"

But his efforts were fruitless, as the noise and the light overtook him, and he was alone. Again, the sound completely penetrated his consciousness, becoming the only thing he was aware of. He felt a punch to his face, then to his stomach, and he doubled over, only to feel a kick to his shin, then two fists on his back, and he was on the ground.

"Fine. I won't touch your stupid sister. You're more fun to beat up, anyway!

Then the light and sound vanished around him. He lied there, listening to the moans of the creatures beneath him, then lifted his head.

The door he had tried to open was now gone, like it was never even there. He got to his feet, holding his stomach and limping down the unknown hallway. Then he heard a voice.

"Don't worry, kid, this'll make you feel better."

He knew the voice. It was a woman. He felt like he had been hearing the voice for a long time, like a friend. It was coming from a room in the hallway. Blaine swallowed his fear, and opened the door. It was a locker room.

"Don't break on me."

It was coming from one of the lockers. It had a dial lock on it. Blaine wouldn't have opened it anyway.

Then the moaning of the creatures ceased. Blaine looked around, before hearing a creaking noise.

The dial was turning by itself.

It slowly went until it hit fifteen, then he heard a loud, unexpected click echo through the room, but he couldn't take his eyes off of it.

It went to ten, then clicked again, then finally to zero, and the lock, as impossible as Blaine knew it was, fell from the locker, and went through the mesh. The door opened.

Inside was a woman he didn't recognize, her eyes were closed, and she wasn't moving. Blaine new that he knew her, but he couldn't place her. ". . . Who . . .are you . . .?"

Then her eyes opened, and her look was one of anger. Then she became like the rest of them. Her skin dried quickly, becoming blue, forcing her mouth open, while opening sores on her face. Her skin starting sliding off of her body, and Blaine turned away, only to be grabbed by her. He shook off her hand, only to notice his body had become heavy once more, and he struggled to walk towards the door, until he felt a push on his legs, helping him to walk. He heard the same voice again.

"C'mon Blaine, you've got to try harder!"

And he did. He pushed his legs as long and hard as he could, even though the children were grabbing him, and the woman in the locker was coming after him. He closed his eyes and kept walking. Then the floor starting shaking, but his feet remained firm.

"Keep trying, Blaine! You can do it!"

Blaine put his arms out in front of him, and felt the knob. His body felt like a weight, so he pushed harder, and slowly twisted the knob. The screaming started again, splitting his head. The door opened, and his body became normal, the force of his effort pushed him to the ground hard. He closed his eyes, and the screaming stopped. The rumbling stopped, and Blaine was exhausted. He opened his eyes again, and once more, saw the children.

They were on fire.

He wanted to help them. He could feel that they needed it, but he could do nothing. He got up, and saw the entrance to the hallway. It was on fire too. His exit was blocked, so he turned the other way.

There was a wall. Blaine stepped back, falling to the floor again. He heard a loud whooshing sound, and suddenly the fire crawled down the hallway, hunting for him. Blaine tried to get up, but an arm reached up and grabbed him, pulling him down. He could feel the intense rage of the children, hotter than the fire, burning him. Then the fire was all around him, and he was trapped, being held down by children, and no matter which way he went, there was fire. It came steadily closer, as more scalding hands from below grabbed him.

Blaine screamed in mortal agony as the flames engulfed him.