The Wrong Step (5)
The Wrong Step (5)
The walls were painted white and green with cartoon characters drawn on them. The characters were supposed to look cute and caring but in the vast emptiness, they were creepily staring at her as she slowly walked ahead. There were a series of rooms on both sides of her. She peeked through one and saw that the room contained a single bed along with a tray which carried bottles and medicines. A television set was attached on the wall while baskets of food lay on the bed.
She left that room and peeked into another room. It was a replica of the room she had just been in. All the rooms were like that, confusing her even more.
A cold air was entering from somewhere which made her shiver. She could see her frosty breath as she inhaled and exhaled, her heart palpitating with fear. Never in her life had she felt so alone. She wanted to call for help but her instincts told her not to open her mouth. It was difficult to understand why her gut feeling was acting that way, but something was not right.
The light above her flickered. The corridor seemed endless but she was afraid of reaching the end of it. She felt as if something was hiding in the shadows, waiting for her. It was patiently waiting for her arrival and ready for her.
Where am I? She thought, feeling scared. Mom! Dad!
But there was no one. She was all alone in that void with not a single person in sight. They could not enter it anyway. The place was created for her and her only.
The sudden crash of metal made her jump. It came from the end of the hallway. Someone was there!
Should I follow the sound? She thought, hesitating. What if it was a trap?
"Hu hu hu…"
A whisper brushed by her ear, making her yelp in fright. Her heartbeat quickened and she was gasping for breath as she looked around for the source of the sound.
"Come…"
Another whisper reached her ears.
"Who's there?" Jina asked nervously. "Where are you?"
"Play...come…"
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind began to swirl from somewhere. Everything around her was being swept away and the ground was shaking hard. Jina screamed, trying to hold on to a nearby illar but the wind was too strong.
"AGH!" She cried, holding on to the pillar with all her might but her hands were slipping. The force of the wind was determined to pull her away and thrust her into nothingness. Chairs and tables flew all around her, tools scattered here and there. The wind continuously slapped her face, almost choking her. She gasped for breath but it was impossible.
"AHHH!" she screamed. The wind finally forced her to let go of the pillar and pulled her away from there. She cried as she was dragged across the floor by unseen entities.
"Play...play...play…"
"NO!" She yelled but the creatures of the shadows pulled her to their realm, determined to bring her with them. Jina tried to hold on to anything she could find but it was to no avail; they were too strong.
Their laughters echoed in her ears, and they kept on dragging her towards a mysterious place. Jina kept on screaming until she was thrown against a wall. Coughing and spluttering, she slowly got to her feet.
She had been thrust into a room with a dim green light. There were a few strange machines around her which she could not recognize but the place gave her a spooky vibe. In the middle of the room was a large furnace but it was not lit. It was too quiet and too cold. Her body shivered viciously as the temperature kept on falling.
Jina was so engrossed in trying to find out where she was, that she did not notice a shadow hovering behind her. It inched closer to the scared little girl, a cold hand reaching out to touch her…
Jina turned around and the shadow vanished. She was nervous and backed away from the spot. Her eyes scanned for an exit but she was trapped within those four walls. Clutching her ears, she closed her eyes.
"Let me out!" she cried. "Mom! Dad! Where am I?"
"Play with us...Jina…"
Slowly turning around, her eyes fell in horror.
Standing behind her were several pale faced children, staring at her. They watched her, curious about the girl who could see them. Some of them had their eyes taken out while others flaunted visible stitch marks on the visible areas of their bodies. They slightly glowed in the dark but a sinister aura emitted from them.
They were angry and betrayed. And now they wanted revenge.
"Play with us…" All of them said in unison, stepping forward. Jina stepped back but she had reached a dead end.
"Let me go!" she whimpered. "Please…"
"Come play with us…" they kept on repeating. "Play with us…"
"No…"
There was no way out of there. She was going to be dragged with them into their world.
The furnace had lit up, illuminating the whole room. It was roaring loudly and Jina's eyes fell on it. Before she could fathom what was going on, one of the children held her leg. Another grabbed her hands and soon, their hands ran all over her body as they lifted her up.
"NO!" She screamed. "NOOO!"
"Play with us," they chanted with a manic energy. "Play with us. Play with us."
They were taking her towards the furnace. Jina tried to struggle but their grip was too strong and she could not break free. The fire blazed inside the furnace, waiting to devour her.
No...Mom! Dad!
"Get the hell away from her!"
There was a swoosh and several pink petals were released in the air. The children yelled as the petals cut their skins, forcing them to let go of Jina and run. They scattered all over the place, vanishing one by one.
Jina looked up and saw a tall woman in her thirties with long black hair and pale face. Her brown eyes glanced at her with a mixed emotion as if the woman wanted to say a lot of things to her but could not do so. There was something very familiar about those eyes...
"Who-" Jina began to ask but the woman shook her head.
"It's time for you to wake up and find me," the woman instructed.
Without another word, she placed her hand on Jina's head. The little girl noticed that the woman's palms were also cut, probably by the pink petals she had held.
"Go," she whispered. "Go back."
With that, Jina's eyes shut and she fell into a deep slumber once again.