Out of the Darkness

130

I took his hand, and pulled myself  up, then dusted all the grime from my clothes. We found Ash sitting on the ground a few feet away, the thick, rusty chain in his hands. The thundering of the steps above us seemed to be getting closer. Maybe even coming down that extremely long staircase by now. "We should hurry," Ash said, holding his hand out for me to help him up. Once he was good, we all started trying to pull the other chain down but it wouldn't budge. "It's like the rust has just cemented it to the wall. One  chain isn't going to be enough to fight whatever that is off. What do we do?" Sam asked, breathing hard from the exertion of the fighting with the chain. I looked around, and my eyes landed on the iron fire poker. "Hold on," I said, before grabbing it. "Maybe this will help. You guys pull while I try to dislodge it." They nodded, and grabbed the chain again, winding it around their hands for better leverage. I stuck the sharp end of the poker into the small indent behind the where the chain was attached to the wall. "Pull!" I yelled, trying to be hear over  the ever increasing thunder of footsteps. I put all of my force into using the fire poker as a crowbar, prying the rusted link from the wall. "UUURRGGHHH" I grunted, as I put my entire body into it. Sam and Ash were pulling as hard as they could, but the footsteps kept getting closer and closer. "This might not be- OOF!" The chain popped loose from the wall, just as Sam started to talk. It sent both him and Ash flying back again. "The best plan," Sam finished, sitting up and fixing his hair, while he looked at me in a daze. I laughed, even though the situation was anything but funny. After helping him and Ash up, they both grabbed the chains, leaving me with the fire poker. I was fine with that. It made me feel a little bit safer, feeling the sturdy iron in my hands. "How close are they, do you think?" Sam asked, his voice wavering a little as  he looked in the direction of the stairs. I shrugged, keeping my gaze in the same place. It had taken us forever to get down here, but they were moving a lot faster than we had been. "Probably not long. Maybe we should keep moving?" Ash replied, his eyes wide with fear. I shook my head. "I need to know what, or who, is in that coffin. It's important. I know it is." I couldn't explain it, but the coffin was pulling me to it, somehow begging me to open it, to know it's secret. "Oh shit," Sam choked out, pointing towards where the stairs were. We still couldn't see very well, but our lights just barely made out a few dark shapes moving. Some really BIG dark shapes. "Shhh," Ash whispered. "Maybe they won't see us. Kill your lights!" We did as we were told, but I shuffled my feet closer to where I knew the coffin was. I had to know. "Colby, stop fucking moving!" Sam hissed, in between gritted teeth. We could hear the growls now, the demons' hot, rancid breath mixing with the already hot, humid air. I ignored him, and concentrated on moving without making a sound. It was hard, and I felt like they could hear every grain of sand that moved under my feet on the concrete floors. A sudden snarl that was close by had me freezing where I was. I couldn't see a thing without our lights, and I prayed to God that they couldn't see anything either. I just needed another minute. After I felt the demon move further away, I took another almost silent step towards the coffin, and almost cried in relief when my waist hit something. I held my hands out in front of me, bringing them down until they rested on top of the smooth surface. I moved them slowly down to the outside, running my hands around the lip of it, until I found the handle to open it. "Sam," I whispered, as quiet as I could. I heard one of the demons snort, like maybe he heard me, so I held still for a moment. I felt something move closer to me, so close that I knew if I reached out, just a little, I could touch it. "What?" Sam whispered back. I sighed in relief, again, feeling much better now that I knew Sam was beside me. "I'm going to need a little light. Turn the setting down on the small MagLite. When I say so, shine it right where my hands are." I reached out, finding his arm, then felt down until I got his hand. I placed it next to mine, so that he could tell where I needed him to point the light. We both sucked in a breath as that rancid smell hit us in the face again. I had no idea where Ash was, because it was pitch black in here without our lights. The demons hadn't went crazy yet, so I was guessing he was still alive. God, I hoped so. If anything happened to him, it would be all my fault. I felt hot breath on my neck, making my skin erupt in goosebumps. I was scared to breathe. I gripped Sam's hand tightly, letting him know not to move, not to speak. After another minute, it moved far enough away, that I couldn't feel it or smell it. I let go of Sam's hand, feeling the cold sweat on both of us. "This is not a good idea," he whispered, so low that I could barely hear him. I took a quiet, deep breath, then signaled him. I was ready. "Now," I whispered, just as quietly as he had. I shoved the heavy lid open, just as the dim light flicked on. When I saw who was in the coffin, I froze. I had known, but I hadn't know. Not really. She was there, flesh and blood, lying so peacefully that she could have been dead. Except her chest was moving ever so slightly with each intake of breath. Her raven hair was fanned around her head on the satin pillow, like a halo above her pale, porcelain skin. She was dressed the same as she had been every time I had seen her. The same jean jacket, the same white skirt. "Anna," I breathed. Just then, the air erupted with snarls and teeth gnashing so loudly, my body automatically had a flight reaction. But I stood my ground, fear coursing through my very blood stream. "Oh!" I cried out in surprise. Anna's eyes popped open, staring directly into mine, then her lips moved, speaking only two short words.