No Guidelines

Chapter 1-2

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"Audrey!" Looz said, jumping in her face, "did you hear me?" She asked excitedly.

Audrey was taken aback. Everything was so bright and vibrant, as if a filter had been applied to her retinas. She regained her thoughts and sense of spatial awareness. She was in her school hallway with Sam and Looz. The brightness of the sun outside gave off a white haze; bringing a bright aura to the halls. "Sorry, I missed that."

"The dolphin parade! The dolphins, fam!" Looz exclaimed. Audrey didn't know what it meant but she could see it made Looz happy. Looz was practically bursting at the seams with joy.

"I thought it was so cute, especially when he did a little flip." Sam said, holding her hands to her cheek, shaking so gleefully.

"Oh yeah, I liked when they danced with the kazoos." Audrey added, laughing at the thought. Sam and her kept laughing, but Looz stared at Audrey.

"Please try to forget fam. Move on. It's not worth it." Looz said with a dead stare. Her eyes were tired and swollen from tears.

Audrey didn't really think twice about it. She continued laughing with Sam.

"I'll definitely try fam," she giggled while dancing around with Sam.

"You should relax Dri, stay for a while." Sam gave a look, enticing Audrey to see the view she had led her to. They were on the second floor right outside the hall of the main building. There was a tree there that wasn't normally there—it'd be impossible for it to be there. Orange leaves fell in the breeze that gently brushed against her fair skin. Her bright green eyes widened to see the spectacle she was witnessing.

It was her school, only the back end wall was gone. Instead replaced with a vast endless sparkling ocean. Water going into the buildings then meeting the sandy shores of the school courtyard. It was so fantastical, she was in awe.

She was eager to go down there and explore. She turned excitedly to her friends but before she could speak, her two front teeth fell out. She spat them onto her hand, her face bright red with embarrassment. She wiped the blood on her chin with her sleeve. Laughter spouted from the girls, They were hysterical. Audrey grew uncomfortable but laughed along with them anyway.

The wind blew colder as it picked up speed. Dark swarms of gray clouds filled the sky as lightning struck the tree right next to her. It shook most of the dead leaves off the tree, all floating down like mist. Audrey turned to the tree and from her peripheral vision noticed a huge tsunami headed their way.

"Audrey! Get in quick!" Sam yelled for her as she held the door open to the hallway. Rain poured hard upon her. She sprinted as fast as she could but her legs were like lead. She was so close to the door but the massive wall of water loomed over her. She just barely made it in. Both Sam and Audrey used what little strength they had left to close the door. It was almost impossible with rushing water flowing through but they managed to close it before the hallway could flood. The walls shifted into an amalgamation of the hallway and a metallic submarine.

Red light washed over everyone and casted darker shadows–pitch black. Drops of water echoed throughout the hall. The salt water left the air damp along with the smell of wet metal, It was everywhere it was like you could taste it. Audrey peered out the window of the door to get a better glimpse of the situation. slivers of light penetrated the top of the sea, just barely reaching the depths of what remained of the school. As if it were the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis. A shadow swam across in the distance, too far, too dark for her to see what it was; and that terrified her even more.

Looz crouched in the corner near a classroom, holding her knees, crying. Her tears barely visible in the heavy red light.

"Audrey, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry for everything, I didn't mean for this to happen!" She was wailing, barely even catching her breath. Sam went to comfort her. Audrey stood frozen; She'd never seen Looz like this before.

"It's okay love, breathe, it will all be okay, I promise." Sam reassured her, holding her tight—her cheek against her head.

"Looz..." Audrey said. Concern growing within her.

A u d r e y...

Audrey turned to face the dark corridor behind her. Those familiar chills returned. She could make out some movement in the darkness. Voices calling to her, repeating insults.

So useless..
Everyone hates you...
Look how useless she is...
You deserve to be alone...

Faces were soon added to these voices. Deformed humanoid creatures, covered in eyes with disturbingly huge mouths. Their bodies moved and contorted as if they were stop motion.

"Guys we have to..."

"Go?" She was cut off by a hideous creature that stood where her friends were a few seconds before. Its body was malnourished with an abnormally huge head. A wide mouth that was permanently open due to a bulbous eye that resided within. "So soon? But you've only just arrived."

Audrey jumped back in disgust, falling to the ground as the creatures surrounded her. In the distance something was slamming into the entrance at the end of the hall. With its third attempt, a breach was made and the hall was completely flooded.

Audrey opened her eyes to see the sun shine on her through the water, above her stood the creatures, now just shadows. Only eyes being visible like that of cat eyes shimmering in the moonlight. They stood motionless, watching her. Audrey took this chance to swim up and escape. She swam frantically until suddenly she was being pulled down.

She looked down and in the sea of shadow people she saw a shark swimming it's way through. A massive great white. Her heart pounded faster than she was being dragged down. Suddenly, in one swift motion, the great beast swallowed the shadows dragging her down, circling its way back to Audrey.

She desperately swam to make it to land before it could reach her but there was still a weight holding her back. It was One of the shadow creatures, severed from the waist, clinging on to dear life to her leg. kicking it off did little to budge it. She scanned the murky fog that filled the water from the shark's attack. In the distance she could see it swimming straight toward her. Audrey screamed in fear, choking on water. She started to pass out when a pair of arms pulled her out to safety.

She fell to the wooden floor of the small sailors ship. She coughed up all the water she had swallowed. She was too weak from everything, barely keeping her eyes open.

"Hey miss, are you okay?" The stranger asked.

Audrey tried to get a look at her savior's face, but the sun was just behind his head, making him appear just like the shadows from before. She no longer had the strength to stay awake. The stranger was still calling out to her.

"Miss!"
"Miss!"
"MISS"
"MISS"
MISS
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.