SUNNYVALE

(55) TALKING TO YOURSELF (LITERALLY) IS NEVER GOOD

Shelina ran as soon as she saw the bloody sign on the trees in front of her - she didn't know where she'd run, but she did it either way, because in every stupid horror movie the white protagonist would just stand there and get killed. Either way, she knew damn well she was both white and blonde, so here was the time to not be another horror movie victim.

The more she'd run, the more the forest seemed dense, until she reaches a point where a hole in the huge rocks in front of her would stood out from the rest of the decor, as she was stuck. She looks around her: as the voices would come closer and closer, she did not have any other choice but to get inside the tunnel.

Everything inside of it was dark and chilly, as the tunnel went on and on for what seemed to be forever to Shelina. Her whole body was shaking, as the voices were fading little by little, the more she would go on the depths of the tunnel.

Then, she saw the exit and discovers a huge cave - but nothing about it was usual. It looked like an ancient temple, with statues of angels and devils, visibly fighting each other. Frowning, Shelina gets on her feet, wining in pain as she realises her arm has been scratched to blood in her hurry.

This is when she sees it: statues of people who had familiar faces.

The first one had Crystal's face: she was in a very singular position, her chin and eyes directed up, and her hands separate from her body. Around her, there were clocks that all seemed to indict the same hour: midnight, with the date being September 12th, 2021. Frowning, Shelina touches the statue, but nothing happened - nothing but her heart shattering at the view of the woman she loves. Then, right next to her, was Tierna, and around her the natural elements were each represented. Following, Christen's statue showed her levitating objects (in that case, knives), a frown on her face.

Sam's one made Shelina frown: she was touching an unknown face, and the person seemed to be terrified.

Then, in the middle of the scene, there was Abby and Kelley, aka the satanic sisters: the brunette was holding Abby's neck in between her hands, as shadows were represented in marble around them. Then, a little bit further, fifteen faceless faces were standing in the back of the scene, probably representing the fifteen victims.

"Oh what the hell..." Shelina whispers, finally seeing her own face represented - or at least one of her faces.

Indeed, when she looked down at the floor, she realises the room was reversed on the other side, as if the ground was a gigantic mirror that wouldn't show things as they truly were. Indeed, while all those people were designed in statues on her side of the mirror, the other had the exact same details as the cave Shelina's in at the moment, but only she was alone, her face staring directly at her. Around her, at various floors of the pictures, were many other women, all with the same eyes.

This is when Shelina thinks she lost her mind, the her on the mirror saying in a creepy voice:

"She is rising. Run. Protect her. Run..."

"Who is rising?" Shelina asks, desperate, getting on her knees. As the image underneath her starts fading, she yells: "Protect who? Hey, don't go, I need help... I need guidance!"

But the voices stop all at once, and when Shelina gets on her feet again and turn around, she almost has an heart attack.

Standing in front of her, seeming only decently real, was a familiar face.

"... Sam?"

***

Crystal sits down at the little coffee shop right outside the Press' house, that was owned by her family. After one of Christen's siblings gave her a free coffee - her whole family had been terrified ever since she disappeared, because as far as Shelina and Sam are concerned, the whole Eastside was looking for them, as the police was working day in and day out to find them, even after three weeks - they weren't doing just that for a Westside kid - Crystal just looks around, confused.