A Void Within the Door

Chapter 8

Eleanor's heart skipped a beat, but her mind was blank, and her body was relaxes, like she had been placed in a trance. 

Eleanor watched as a hand made out of thick, gray smoke formed in front of her. 

Why wasn't she running, yelling for her mother, or the person she called mother? For whatever reason, Eleanor was no longer in control of her body. 

"Follow me...darling..." the voice whispered in a loving tone. The hand wrapped it's fingers around Eleanor's wrist, causing her to flinch, and get her voice back. 

"Let...me...go," her voice trembled as she tried to set her mind straight. 

The hand released Eleanor's wrist but the girl was still unable to yell for help, or move away from the hand coming from the shadows of the room. 

"You want to see your real home, yes?" the voice asked her. 

Eleanor's eyes went wide, and she found herself nodding. 

"Then let me show you," As the voice spoke those words, the hand extended upwards, and placed itself on Eleanor's temple. 

When the fingers connected with Eleanor's black hair, her mind was lost to the fog once more, and she mindlessly let the voice, and the hand, lead her out of the room. 

The hand led her down the hall, and they ended up at a room that Eleanor hadn't opened since the move to the house. 

"Beyond that door, Eleanor, is the key to getting back home. Open it." the voice told her. 

Eleanor's arm reached out, no longer trembling, and gripped onto the cold surface of the doorknob, and twisted it. 

Moments later, Eleanor was staring into the dark, and oblivion filled surface of a void!

"What the..." was all that came out of Eleanor's mouth, as she mindlessly stared down into the blackness. 

Her feet were only inches away from the edge; if she stepped in, would it actually take her back to the kingdom she was supposed to save? 

Watching, the gray smoke swirl around the black void was mesmerizing, and cool wind rushed through Eleanor's hair from the center of the hole. 

"Just step in Eleanor, and you'll be home." the voice whispered; she felt warm air hit her ear, like someone was right there. 

"Eleanor, step away from the void!" the trance was immediately broken by Rose's warning, and Eleanor snapped her head around to lock eyes with Rose, who was in the doorway, but in the grasp of two shadow creatures. 

"Mom!" she yelled, turning her back on the black hole. Suddenly, the shadow hand, the shadow hand, that had led her there, extended itself and wrapped it's fingers around Eleanor's leg, tripping and making her fall to the floor. 

Eleanor clawed at the wooden floor trying to get a grip on something as she was pulled to the edge of the void. 

Her feet went over the edge first, and sunk into the pitch black hole. "This is it." she thought. 

Eleanor squeezed her eyes shut as her torso seeped into the hole next, but shot them back opened when she felt two firm hands grip onto her wrists, and pull her upwards. 

"Mannix...?" Eleanor whispered weakly and confused. 

"Hang on, kid." he muttered, back to her. Mannix was barely able to keep his grasp on Eleanor, let alone pull her out of the hole; whatever was pulling her through was determined to keep her. 

A sharp gasp filled the the room, and both Mannix's and Eleanor's eyes averted to the door-way Rose was on her knees, blood trickling out of her mouth, both of her hands covering her red-stained chest; towering over her was a shadow-figure holding a blood-covered sword. 

"Rose..." Mannix mumbled, his eyes going wide with terror. 

"Mom..." It was Eleanor's turn, her breath caught in her throat, and everything seemed to be moving in slow-motion. 

Another shadow hand appeared from the void, and clawed at Mannix's torso, ripping his shirt, and causing him to stagger back. 

"M..." That was the last thing that came out of Eleanor before she was completely sucked into the void. 

"Eleanor!' Mannix exclaimed, holding his bloody torso. 

The shadow creatures surrounded him, but Mannix reached into his trench coat, and pulled out a hilt of a sword. 

"You shouldn't have done that." he mumbled, as purple magic sparked from his hand, and was absorbed by the hilt. 

Moments later, the corpses of shadow creatures were scattered on the floor with Mannix towering over them, a sword made out of magenta fire in his grasp. 

Not wasting another moment, Mannix tucked the now bladeless hilt back into his trench-coat, and ran to Rose's side.

"Go through the void...save Ellie..." she whispered before sputtering into a coughing fit. 

Mannix cradled Rose's head, and said, "If I do this, then there will be no turning back for Princess Eleanor." 

"You are her protector now. I trust you to care for her like I did, but better." Rose replied. 

"I will, don't worry. She will be safe." Mannix responded softly. 

The last thing Rose did was give the plain-walker a soft smile before her eyes went life-less, an her body became limp. 

Mannix rarely let himself show sadness, but  this time he let a tear trail down his face as he closed Rose's eyelids. 

"Rest peacefully, dear Rose." he whispered, as he gently set her head on the wooden floor. 

Standing up, Mannix gazed down at Rose's body. The wind rushing from the void was the only thing that snapped him out of it. 

He stood at the edge, and took a deep breath before letting himself fall in. 

A/N: Wow, that was one dark of a chapter. Did anyone expect the death of Rose? Was she a good mother-figure? Theories? Feedback welcome!