3/14/10 - 3/15/10

Disclaimer: I do not own Rose Red, its concept, its ideas, its logos, nor its characters. They belong to the brilliant Stephen King. I'm only using them for my own pleasure and fun, like little puppets ... Thank you. ... BWUAJAJAJAJAJA!!!!

Please enjoy this Chapter. And review it!

Anyone else notice that in "You Waste Time like a Grandfather Clock" music video, the main guy from The Myriad looks like a Black-haired Bollinger?

......

I pulled my legs up onto the chair, staring across the bedroom towards the door. We'd all chosen to go to bed after the incident in the Library, so now I was alone in the bedroom. Joyce was still downstairs, working on her precious equipment. I was too tired to move to the bed, almost ten feet away from me. Or .. was I too afraid?

Ellen had told me (mentally) that she had visited Annie and Rachel, her hand snaking out from beneath the bed and gripping the younger's ankle. I was afraid of underneath the bed. Boogie monsters lived there, you know.

Shuddering, I hugged my knees to my chest and exhaled sharply. I didn't expect anyone except for the girls to share a room. Men didn't share rooms. They were men! But even so, it appeared that they were scared as well. Vic kept disappearing before coming back into the rooms. Each time he seemed anxious and jumpy. Once, earlier, I had passed by him and knocked out a small bottle of pills, in which half of them were gone and it had only been prescribed the week before. He excused himself and picked it up. As he did so, I noticed the label was for some sort of heart medication. So he had heart problems? Really?

Staring at the door, I felt no peace. It was cold in the empty, dark room. Anything could have snuck up on me, as well, since it was quiet. I exhaled sharply, feeling fear crawl up into my stomach. Then I felt sick. I wanted to go home, even though I had a mission to accomplish. Our first night at Rose Red and I was scared. Stupid ... I needed to man up! Or, rather, woman up. Be like Ellen. She had the guts enough to defy her husband. Watching Sukeena and her powers ... Living in Rose Red. She was braver than anyone I'd ever known.

Come along, Emily ... We are not waiting for daylight ... Go. Go now.

I sat up straight, stretching my legs out. Standing, I dropped my arms to my side and loosely walked over towards the door. I felt possessed, like I wasn't the one controlling my legs. I was walking under someone else's will, someone else's command. I felt dead. Reaching out, I pushed open the door and stepped into the dark hall. I paused, staring forward as I heard footsteps. Soon someone ran in front of the door, their long gown flowing.

"John!" The ghost screamed, her eyes narrowing. "You do not dare!"

A man stepped in front the left, his stature making me shudder. He glared down at the woman, "You do not yell at me, Ellen."

"Do not -- !" She began. He grabbed her shoulders forcefully, leaning in angrily. Before he could do anything, she raised her right hand and slapped him across the face. I know she had only dared do this in times of great stress. As the man reeled back, he held his face. He stood, his eyes slowly narrowing.

"You do not dare raise your hand against me ... " He began in a low voice, raising his own hand slowly.

"John!" she screamed. I closed my eyes and exhaled sharply before anything else happened. A gush of wind blew my hair straight back, fluttering around the room. I slowly opened my eyes half-way, staring out into the hall. No one was there. Unsure of the significance of this vision, I stepped out from the door, which quickly shut behind me, locking me out. Now I had to go through with it.

I turned to my right and began to walk down the hall, feeling like a floating lump; my feet seemed to know the way by themselves. As I was carried down the hall by invisible trolleys, my mind wandered to the sweet woman that seemed amused by simple things. Pamela. She was kind .. I would miss her.

However, I was a bit jealous ... It seemed she and Nick had a connection, that I didn't share. With either of them. A friendship. A love. I frowned a bit. Did Pam like Nick? Did he like her? Did they know each other from previous relations before Rose Red, and just pretended to not know each other?

I soon came to the door that I knew belonged to the room in which Pam was staying. I smirked to myself as Ellen showed me what was happening downstairs .. Well, technically, it was all Pamela's dream. But it took place downstairs ...

The blonde shuddered as she stepped into the kitchen, glancing around in silence. The dark room seemed ominous and dangerous, looming in the middle of a traffic-popular area, waiting for any unsuspecting victim to come so it could claim them.

As she walked over to the refrigerator, she felt goose bumps pimple her pale skin. It was so cold in the room as well ... She pulled open the door and stared in as light filtered out, shining on her face and lighting up her cotton nightgown. As she looked at the items in the fridge, she felt the sudden chill of the temperature, her breath becoming a foggy white cloud in the air. She stared in front of her, afraid to look. Finally, she turned her eyes to the side slowly. As she did, another chill ran up her spine, biting at her neck and throat. She couldn't breathe, couldn't manage to speak.

Pam's eyes settled on the body standing not six feet from her, their dead eyes staring at her almost as if they could see her. She turned her head as their hands took their black camera and came at her.

"Say cheese!"

I was silent as I heard Pam jolt up in bed and gasp. I knocked on the door, listening to her as she caught her breath. I knew she was scared -- she had a nightmare. Ellen told me.

"H-Hello?"

"Pam?" I asked, leaning close to the door, pressing my ear against the wood. "Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah .. hold on. ... Who is it?"

"Cathy."

I hear her slip from the bed and walk to the door. I stepped back as the door opened and Pam peered out into the hall.

"C-Cathy?" she asked, looking at me confused. I smiled, know what she was talking about. I was still me, Emily, but I looked like Cathy. It was a trick of the eyes, you see. And I was happy to do it.

"Come on, hurry up."

"What is it?" she stepped into the hall, staring at me.

"Steve found something amazing. It explains so much ... "

"E-Explains what? What are you talking about?"

I smiled, running off. Pam let out a sound before closing her door and following me. We turned down the halls, headed towards the stairs. I knew where we were going -- outside. I figured Joyce wouldn't see us slip out through the Entry Hall to the front door. She wouldn't notice from her equipment, so enwrapped in her own little world. As we passed down the Grand Staircase, I heard her murmur something. I glanced back to see her look worried. I gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Pam. It's amazing. You'll love it."

"Oh .. all right ... "

Turning around, I smirked to myself. I had lost myself. To Rose Red. I had been taken and replaced. I was somewhere floating above this body, staring down and trying to warn myself. It wasn't me controlling my body. It was Ellen. She had invaded my body and was now leading Pam to her death. I tried in vain to scream, my voice silenced and unheard. Pam would die that night, being led by Ellen in my body, all the way outside and to the statue of her daughter. Pam would be killed -- murdered.

And I would be held responsible.