Chapter 11: Light
There were whispers around her, closing in and pressing down. She felt smothered in absolute darkness, and she fought tooth and nail to scrape her way to the blessed surface of consciousness. The voices were soft and evil, tempting and damning; they mocked her as she struggled to wake. The closer she got, the more adversarial they became. She was almost there; she could feel her own vitality at her fingertips, begging to be used. But the whispers were harsh and cruel, they were warning her now. Telling her not to keep going, to just surrender, because what if everything was worse when she woke up? What if the oozing, oppressive blackness was her only way out?
What if the grass wasn't greener on the other side?
___
When May's eyes finally fluttered open, they shut just as quickly. She was nervous, afraid — terrified, of what she might see. As she regained control of her body, she learned what she could about her surroundings without opening her eyes.
She was on some type of soft material, but she could tell it was just draped over something harder.
Concrete, perhaps?
She didn't stretch out to make sure. Instead, she drew in a deep breath, letting all of the smells around her register. At first, it just smelled damp, like rotting earth. She inhaled again and picked up on the distinct, earthy smell. She was definitely underground.
But where?
May stifled a panicked exhale, letting out a slow breath instead. Then she breathed in deeply for a third time and fought to keep her gag reflex under control. Whatever it was, she'd missed it before. It was a revolting combination of blood, decomposing flesh, and probably urine. She held her breath for as long as possible, and then breathed shallowly through her mouth. May wondered why she hadn't smelled it before. It positively reeked.
And then she heard a door close.
That meant that the reason she smelled the stench was because it came from outside, and that someone had opened
her
door.
She listened closely, but didn't hear a lock click into place. She didn't hear footsteps, either.
"Up, up, up!" a voice exclaimed jovially next to her ear.
Charamaine cringed and rolled so she was facing away from the voice, her eyes still sealed shut.
The voice 'tsked' at her. "Come now, dear. Is that any way to greet family?" it scolded, in front of her again.
She didn't hear feet on the ground, but she felt its presence. Then she realized that the voice was male — her uncle, Petiro, had come for her again.
She let out a shaky breath and opened her eyes, slowly. She jerked back once she absorbed what she was seeing. Sitting, Indian-style, on the floor next to her was her uncle. He smiled at her so warmly that she could almost forget how horrible he was. Almost.
"That's better," he sighed happily, and patted her cheek.
When she recoiled away from the contact, he seemed genuinely saddened. That only lasted a moment and then he was smiling again. It was unsettling.
"What did you do to them?" May asked suddenly, sitting up.
Her voice was not as strong as she'd hoped. She scooted back and ended up off the blanket she'd been on. She hissed when her backside touched down on the freezing concrete.
His grin never faltered. "They're just… held back… for the moment, dear. No worries, they should be fine."
May shivered, her eyes darting away from the man that looked just like her father. As her eyes swept over the room she was in, she felt a terrible sense of déjà-vu wash over her. Concrete floors, concrete walls, tool shelves, aged blood splatter… Her mind went back to Collin's basement and she whimpered subconsciously.
"Now, now, chère, there is no need to be afraid… I am only taking what is rightfully mine." Petiro loomed over her, like a cat ready to pounce.
Quickly, before she even knew what was happening, May found herself flattened against the wall, her uncle still sitting on the floor where she had been less than a second before.
He looked at her with something akin to wonder in his silver eyes. "So strong…" he muttered to himself. "It's only a matter of time." Petiro's eyes narrowed as he stood up and walked towards her.
May pressed herself against the hard wall, as if it would move. She watched, fear dripping from her pores, as he walked closer and closer. Her uncle reached a hand out and stroked her cheek.
May flinched at the contact. She saw his eyes widen, but before she could consider the reason, she felt a strange sensation. It was like all the cells in her body were separating, and she was left with a cool rush as her body fell backwards.
After realizing her eyes were closed, she opened them to find herself in another room. She'd traveled right through the wall! May blinked spastically as she rethought what she'd just done. She heard a growl and jerked her head to find the source.
There, in the far left corner of the room, was a little girl… or boy… maybe a thing? May couldn't be sure. It was so pale that its skin matched the bright, white gown it was wearing.
Does that make it girl, then?
May was startled again to hear the low grumbling noise come from it. The...thing had its fragile-looking arms wrapped around thin, ashen-white legs. She noticed it was rocking slowly, back and forth, the growl never stopping, it was just one continuous vibration. Its head was down, resting on its knees, with short, dirty, brown hair tufted up in some places. May felt bad, it looked so forlorn and lonely. She took a silent step forward, only to freeze when the growl became louder.
She took another step, and another, the sound continually reverberating off the wall. The closer she got to it, the more it seemed that all other sounds were blocked out entirely. All she heard, and felt, was the rasping growl that came from the tiny form huddled in the corner. She came and stopped in front of it, unsure of what to do next. She toyed with the idea of touching its shoulder, or knee, when the head snapped up.
Two insanely blue, incredibly gorgeous, wide eyes stared at her out of an even more beautiful face. It was definitely a girl, May could tell now. Appearance-wise, she was human. Inside, though, May doubted she was. The girl looked to be about ten years old, maybe younger. It was hard to tell.
They studied each other, the growl still emanating from the frail child's slightly-open mouth. Her face was so lovely… May found that she couldn't help herself, as she bent down to touch the girl, just to make sure she was real…
She touched one pale, knobby knee and instantly regretted it. The girl whimpered and her wide eyes filled with tears, like she was in pain. May's face scrunched up, cautiously studying the girl, and then her eyes widened in surprise. The girl's tears rose in her eyes, never spilling over, but turning her eyes a blinding white. May had to turn away — the light reminded her of when her father arrived. Light reflected off the walls and then faded. May felt it was safe to look, so she turned her head back towards the girl.
The girl's eyes were essentially illuminated, white, empty-sockets. It looked like she was glowing. May peered down at her, eyebrows raised in concern when she saw that a few tears had managed to escape. They were falling miserably down the sides of the poor girl's face.
Neither person moved for a moment, and then May finally found her voice. "Are… are you alright? Did I hurt you?" May reached out for her again.
The next sensation was one that was unexpected. May was suddenly encased in some sort of bubble. She felt it with her fingertips, and found that it was
much
stronger than a bubble. It was rippling around her, like tiny ocean waves. There was a muffled sound, reminiscent of a high-pitched wail. May figured that she would've gone deaf if it weren't for the bubble-like thing…
May looked down at the girl and saw, to her amazement, that the deafening noise was coming from her. Her mouth was wide open, the tips of her perfect, white teeth just visible. As she scanned the room, glass and furniture that May had never noticed all suddenly cracked and then broke. She couldn't hear anything really, but she felt tiny vibrations through the floor and knew that something had shattered. A wooden table against the concrete wall splintered, then caved in the middle.
May whipped back around to the girl. She was holding herself and shaking, like she was trying to get it to stop. May felt agonizing empathy for her, and, somehow, she managed to conceal the girl in her own little bubble.
May's clear encasing slowly vanished as she watched the sound vibrate the girl's dome. She didn't know how long she stood there for, but eventually the girl's eyes dimmed and her mouth closed. The moment the shriek stopped, the bubble around the girl disappeared.
The girl slumped, her body apparently overcome with fatigue. May swooped down and snatched her up — careful to touch her only where the gown covered her skin — before her head could crack against the concrete. The moment she stood upright, the girl fast asleep in her arms, the door at the other end of the room opened.
Her uncle walked in, clapping. "I am so
proud
of you, Charamaine. My, my… you are progressing so quickly." Petiro started talking to himself again. "It must almost be time…"
