Out of the Darkness

161

I didn't have an answer for any of these questions, but somehow, I knew that I had to keep going. My pain was gone, for the first time in what felt like forever. Completely gone. I had no idea why, but I was grateful. A soft wind blew through the old hallway, shifting the dust particles in my flashlight beam. "The doooor." I stopped in my tracks as I heard the soft whisper drifting on the breeze. "Anna?" I whispered, not wanting to disturb anything that might be in here with me. The last time that I had been trapped in this house, I had been bitten by a demon. The whisper didn't sound like Anna, but it hadn't really sounded like anyone. Just a breeze that whistled through the old house. I started walking again and shook my head. I really was going crazy with all of this stuff happening to me. How did I even get here? Or with Lilith in the other area? Was I dreaming? Astral projecting? Didn't have time to think about it. I could feel that my time was running out. I had to find whatever it was that I came here for. I didn't have a clue what that might have been but I kept going. The hallway seemed to get narrower, closing in around me. My breath started to come in short pants, panic starting to set in. Then I saw it. A white glow on the wall of the hall, right in front of me, to my right. It was in the shape of a large square, a crawl space maybe. I stopped in front of it, and placed my fingers along the shining light. I felt the same cooling touch that had been on the white door. I pressed my fingers against it and heard a click. When I drew my hand back, the wall panel flew open, exposing a cramped entryway. I didn't stop to think about what I was doing. No time to freak out or get scared. I bent over and stepped through. After the panel clicked shut behind me, I stood still for a moment, bent over, to give my eyes time to adjust. Only, they couldn't adjust to anything. There was nothing but thick, black darkness. I pointed my flashlight down into the tunnel like area, and noticed that my hands were shaking. I was cold and terrified. Perfect combination to have my flashlight beam practically dancing in front of me. There was nothing that I could do except keep walking. So, I did. I walked for what felt like forever, until my back was aching from staying bent over. Finally, I saw an ending to the long, cramped space, and picked up my speed a little. When I finally reached the end, I breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever I was supposed to do, or find, was close. I could feel it, but I also felt the impending doom of running out of time. I pushed against the hard rock wall that was in front of me. Nothing happened. I looked for the familiar beam of bright white light, pushing my fingers against every little crevice, but nothing happened. There was no light. I was at a dead end. "That's not possible," I muttered to myself, prying my fingers against a few notches that were in the rock wall. "There has to be something!" I exclaimed, starting to panic a little. How was I supposed to get out? I didn't know how I knew, but I couldn't go back the way that I had come. It was gone...and now I was stuck with no way out, and no clue what to do. "Ouch," I muttered, feeling a spot on my chest start to get hot. I reached up to rub it and my hand brushed against the amulet that was still hanging around my neck. The one that Amethyst had given me. I looked down at the comforting stone, and saw that it was starting to glow. It started out gentle. Just a dim white light that pulsed in the air around me. Then, it started to grow brighter and brighter, until I had to look away. When I turned my face back towards the stone wall, I noticed a white ring set back into the rock. It was the exact shape and size of my amulet. And just like that, I knew what I was supposed to do. I took the necklace from around my neck and placed it in the open space that had appeared in the stone. A stinging flash of light and a loud, thundering sound, had me squeezing my eyes shut and bringing my hands to cover my ears. In the same instance, a strong blast of wind blew me off of my feet. I was momentarily stunned, lying on my back against the dirt floor. I sat up slowly, and tried to see through all of the dust that had gathered around me. When it finally cleared, I saw a hole in the stone wall, just large enough for me to crawl through. "My amulet," I muttered to myself, standing up. I walked slowly towards the hole, shining my flashlight towards the ground. I had to find that necklace. It was important. "Yes!" I exclaimed, when I saw a small glint in the dust and rubble that lay in front of the newly formed hole. I picked up my chain, and looked at the small gem. It was still in perfect condition, not even a scratch on it's surface. I slid it back around my neck, comforted by the weight settling against my chest. I peered through the hole in front of me, bringing my flashlight out in front of me. The hole opened into a little room, with nothing but a door inside of it. I was close to whatever I needed to know. I could feel it. Hope was welling up inside of me, so strongly that I dove through the hole and started to snatch the door open. I was able to stop myself, just before I actually did that. "You gotta calm down," I told myself, closing my fist around the doorknob. It was old, silver with signs of tarnish across it's lackluster surface. The door itself seemed just as old, with signs of wear and tear, but the surface was worn down, smooth to the touch. I pressed my ear against the door, hoping that I could hear something that would tell me what to do. There was a low murmur, like someone was speaking, but I couldn't make out what was being said. It was a woman's voice, but that was all I could get. I twisted the knob slowly, and inched it open. When I peeked through the small inch, I was shocked. I didn't know what I had expected but it definitely wasn't what I saw.