The Lovely Little Monsters
Chapter Six:
Moving through the never-ending maze work of intersecting hallways become toilsome now that our already small party had dwindled down to such a small number. Half were gone. Walking didn't feel the same without four extra pairs of feet to add to the symphony. We were missing all of the important parts-unknown tenors and basses and altos and sopranos. Friends whose voices would never be heard again.
For a few days, it was just Jack and Roger and Simon and I.
Simon talked in his sleep about dreams and premonitions. He talked a lot about death, and it was beginning to worry me. I asked him once or twice about it, but he would just shake his head, slowly, and turn away. We weren't as close as we had once been. Maybe this was the sacrifice Piggy had been talking of; maybe we'd have to sacrifice all of our friendships to make it out alive. I held desperately to the hope that it was the last thing I'd have to give up; we'd already lost too much for my liking.
About three days into our pointless wandering, the halls turned from grey concrete to padded white. This progression was strange and abrupt, seemingly having no reason at all. Simon was alarmed by it more than any of us, especially when the hallways began to widen out as well. In fact, they were much more than hallways. It was more like we were traveling through endless rooms now, pushing through doors and cramped tunnel-passages only to arrive in an equally endless room, devoid of life, devoid of cameras, devoid of anything at all. Jack and Roger discussed it congenially, as if it didn't matter to them. I could tell that they were just as disturbed as any of us, though.
"I wonder when the halls will turn purple." Jack chuckled menacingly. It was his device to hide the anxiousness. "Or black. Or red."
Roger coughed a little and glanced away. "Don't mention red, chief." He choked out, "What an awful color."
"You're a horrible vampire, have I ever told you that?"
"Shove a sock in it."
"You shove a sock in it." Jack insisted. Then, using his own nails, he cut into the palm of his hand and released a small dribble of blood. He flaunted it to his friend and right-hand man jeeringly. "Hey, Roger, I got somethin' for you! Look, lookie!"
"Eugh! Stop that!" Roger screeched, "Get away from me! Ralph, tell him to stop!"
"Jack, that's upsetting him." I shot in a disappointed tone. Jack stopped and shoved his hand in the crook of his arm to hide it. I caught him shoot Roger a crooked glance. Roger rebuked this by sticking his tongue out at his leader. "You two are so childish."
"Sometimes, you gotta learn to have a little fun." Jack shrugged.
"That didn't sound like fun." Simon commented from a little ways ahead. He had taken the lead since the argument broke out, and he all looked ahead to see him talking with his back to us. "That sounded mean."
"It's just our way of fun." Jack spat, "You wouldn't understand."
Roger hissed.
"What the hell." Jack laughed, "Stop that."
"No. You."
Their new argument evolved into friendly nudges, and then harsher, unfriendly shoves. I called for Simon to stop walking and turned around, planting myself between them, attempting to break it up. When they finally parted, I stepped back. Jack and Roger exchanged one more punch, each on the shoulder, and we kept on.
A few moments later, there came a great grumbling from the earth below us. The ground shook, and we fought to keep our balance. When it was over:
"You must be hungry, Roger." Jack quipped, "Are you sure you don't want some..." He whipped out his sliced open hand again, "...blood!"
"No, Jack, that wasn't me!" Roger pushed the hand away.
"Jack, stop that." I angrily said, "It wasn't Roger. I don't know what that was."
Ahead of us, Simon collapsed.
It took me a moment to notice; meanwhile, Jack and Roger had begun their fight again. I didn't bother separating them this time. I was more worried about Simon. I rushed ahead and grabbed him by the shoulder, shaking him violently, sitting him upright, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"Simon? Simon?!" I yelled, "Come on! Are you okay? Can you stand up?! What happened?!"
He made a pained noise and glanced up at me through ruffled auburn hair. I couldn't tell, at first, because of its color. Roger was the first to notice. He momentarily halted his argument with the chief and glared in our direction.
"Ralph!" He plaintively accused, "I thought I told you guys, I don't want any more blood!"
"It's not my fault." I muttered. He didn't hear.
Simon's entire face was covered in it. It seeped from a thin, ragged seam that arced all the way around his forehead, under his hairline, around his skull. It was grotesque and frightening and shot me through with quickened, tight-set horror, but I couldn't look away. And I couldn't do anything either. We didn't have anything to fix it with. I could just watch. He said something quietly.
"You have to wake up." he mumbled, "Wake up, Ralph. Wake up."
"What?" I shouted, "Simon, what's happening?! What's going on?! I don't understand! Was this what your dreams were telling you?! Was this supposed to happen? Why didn't you tell me? I could...I could help..."
"Wake up."
"I don't want to!"
"Wake up."
Wake up, wake up.
The silence we traveled in was far more oppressive than before. What did the people want with us that kept us here? What did they do to us, that they could kill us without even touching us? In the silence, I'm sure we were all thinking the same thing. That we could all be killed at any moment. That we were only still walking around, trying to look for an exit, because they were letting us do so. Whoever 'they' were, I developed a deep-seated hatred for them. In my dreams, I tried to talk to them from my place in the mist, the screams, the gunfire, and white walls.
"Why are you doing this to us?!" I screamed incessantly, "What's wrong with me?! Why do you want to kill us so badly?! What did we do to you?!"
There was never any answer. But, it was a sufficient enough response.
Nothing. No reason.
They just wanted to see us suffer, didn't they?
My lovelies~ Agh it's been too long. In fact, it's been so long that all of my documents left on this site expired and I'm going to have to write them all over again...-_- However, it's the new year. And, with the new year, comes new resolutions. My resolution: To finish up every loose end I've left for you guys! I'm sorry it's been so long...but, I've had a lot of other writings to do that just seemed more important at the time, I guess.
if you want a little peak at what I was up to, why don't you check me out on Wattpad? THATS RIGHT I HAVE A WATTPAD NOW. Of course, not everything I was working on is up there either, because some of it is secret publish-novel things. But, there are a few projects I'm very excited about on Wattpad. Original stories by yours truly! Scree~ Sorry for the advertising...anyway, my username over there is CrossingInfinity. Follow me and I'll follow back!
THANK YOU FOR WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS ABSOLUTELY HORRID CHAPTER. I tried my best, but it's definitely not what it could be. Only a single chapter and an epilogue left. so, you wont have to put up with this awful story much longer.
Thanks for anyone who reviewed/will review. I'm sorry I can't address you individually, but I've got some scholarships to sign up for so...
gah! WRITE YA LATER!