#ac094

SOMEWHERE IN PURGATORY Heavy breaths panted from her lips as hot tears rolled down her flushed cheeks, tinted black from the running mascara as they mixed with the salty droplets of sweat. Surges of pain rushed through her shins as her bare feet moved quickly, aching from hitting the forest ground as she ran as fast as she could, faster and faster, despite every ounce of her being wanting to collapse right then and there. Just a little further. There’s a light in the distance. She could do it, she had too. “Help me!! Help me.” Choking back sobs the moment her feet hit the cold concrete of the front porch, she parted her lips to allow her frightened screams to fall from her tongue. “Somebody please help me!” Her fingertips curled into the palms of her hands as she beat upon the front door of the large house. There were lights on, surely someone was home. “Please! Open up!! They’re going to get me. Hurry!” All at once, the door creaked open, causing her to halt her actions entirely as she took a step back. Sniffling inwards, she inhaled as deeply as she could, scrunching her nose at the smell that came from within the home and suddenly second guessing everything. Taking another step back, she tilted her head to look behind her, mouth falling open at the scene – no longer was the forest that she had just ran miles through behind her, but instead an open and empty field, the full moon lighting up the perfectly manicured grass. What was happening? And why was it happening to her? Turning back to the house, she abandoned all hesitation as she pushed her way into the house, jumping slightly as the front door slammed behind her. “Hello?” Her voice cracked as she called out only to be greeted by nothing more than empty silence. The house was huge, and completely empty. Her blue hues scanned her surroundings as she cautiously stepped further into the home, her bare feet now padding quietly against porcelain flooring, leaving behind droplets of blood from the damage of running through the forest. Her breath caught in her throat as she made her way down the long corridor off the foyer, her footsteps slowing as she noted the numbers lining the doors. One. Two. Three Where was she? Bringing a hand up, she pushed her mess of tangled blonde locks out of her face, hesitantly stepping up to door number one before wrapping her fingertips around the doorknob and slowly turning it open, gag reflex kicking in as soon as the door opened, causing her to double over and spill the contents of her stomach onto the floor at her feet.

Blood covered the white tile floor of the bathroom, crimson handprints lining the edge of the sink, dragging down the white walls where her body lay against the floor. Shattered glass from a busted vodka bottle surrounded her, pressing into her sprawled out frame, various knitting lay in a pile next to her hips. A few inches away from her face, a thin metal garbage can sat with blood soaked linens hanging over the sides while flames burned within, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

Coughing, she backed up, hitting the wall behind her with a thud before the door slammed shut, her hand immediately raising to cover her mouth as muffled sobs shook her frame. “Why is this happening?” She breathed, words broken by her tears as an unexplainable force moved her to the second door, her fingertips wrapping the doorknob in a repeated action as she pulled it open. This time, she wasn’t greeted with a bloodied bathroom and a horrible smell, no this time she found herself falling into a darkness. Darker and darker as she fell quicker and quicker, a rush of pain filling her body as she suddenly hit the concrete floor. The pain left as quickly as it had arrived, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself sitting in a cold metal chair, blue hues fixated on the scene in front of her.

Her lifeless frame sat tied to the chair while three men surrounded her. “I told you not to hit her so hard, I wanted her awake for this.” His voice was harsh, his breath laced with the scent of toothpaste and cigarettes. The second man shrugged his shoulders, offering no explanation or words in response to the first man, while the third man just chucked and motioned for man number one to do his thing. His rough hands slid up her thighs, pinching at her flesh as a smirk overtook his features while he leaned into her, inhaling deeply against her hair before allowing his tongue to trace shapes against her neck. “My dearest Genevieve…”

All at once, the chair broken beneath her, and she now found herself sitting on the carpeted floor in front of door number three. This was too much. She just wanted to go home. Still, she once again found herself wrapping her fingers around the doorknob, pulling it open and stepping inside, only to find herself in a cozy home, the smell of the ocean immediately filling her nostrils.

“Mommy!” The familiar sounds of little girl’s voice filled the air, while Ginny stood in the middle of the living room. She parted her lips to speak, to call out to Effie and let her know that it was okay, that she was there. As the little girl appeared from running down the hallway, she ran right past Ginny, not even seeing her as laughter fell from her lips as she threw herself into the arms of the woman that she had called ‘mommy’, a woman that was not Ginny. Turning around, she saw it – a beautiful woman, with beautiful red hair, standing in the kitchen with a bright smile on her face as she held an older Effie in her arms, chatting happily with her ex-husband. It was Ginny’s little family, but Ginny had been replaced.

Rushing out of door number three, she found herself running down a long corridor, the carpeted flooring having turned to hardwood as she ran for what felt like hours upon hours, trying to escape the house of horrors that had made her nightmares a reality. The hallway seemed never ending, but finally she saw the front door. With more hot tears streaming down her face, and her breath stuck in her throat as she choked back sobs, she pulled the front door open, rushing out onto the front porch as the cold winter air hit her skin, her bare feet hitting snow as she stepped off the porch. Once again, she was falling – faster and faster while the air around her grew hotter and hotter. She still didn’t know what was happening, but she knew that this was Hell.