Lindsey awoke with a start. The floor was cold to her skin. Silence draped in the air like a suffocating blanket. She looked around, but she couldn't see anything. Her heart began to race and her breaths quickened.
Where am I? She thought.
The last thing she remembered was going to sleep in her own bed in her own home, but now she was in a cold, dark room all alone. The only light available to her was the faint light from under a door on the other side of the room, and the few skylights that were scattered in a pattern on the tall ceiling above her. Crawling on her hands and knees, she began to feel around her. She slowly ran her hands back and forth across the bare metallic floor. She crawled only a few inched before the tips of her fingers brushed a wall of some sort.
A wall? she thought.
She began to panic.
No. no! The door is over there!
Slowly, she lifted her shaky hands to feel directly in front of her. Bars. She was in a cage. Panicking she looked all around her, darting her head back and forth. Her eyes began to adjust to the paralyzing darkness. She could barely make out the bars, the top of the cage, and . . . . the hinges! She was only able to raise to her knees before hitting her head on the metal railing that made up her confinement. She lowered slightly, now sitting on her heels. She tenderly placed her hand on her head. She bit her tongue, daring not to make a sound in fear of alerting her captures. She reached her hand out to feel the hinges on the cage door. She slowly ran her fingers along the hinges, praying for a loose screw of any kind. Nothing. Desperately, she felt along the front of the cage for the latch or keyhole. Suddenly a flicker of hope, a simple latch! She felt along the latch for a padlock, but nothing was there. She slowly and gently flipped the latch and unlocked the cage. She sat back, steadying her breaths. Biting her lower lip, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath; bracing herself for whatever lay outside her metallic confinement. Slowly she pushed the cage door open, careful not to let the cage screech. Once completely open, she crawled out, carefully choosing where she placed her hands and knees. Lindsey rose to her feet. The floor was cold and hard. For the first time, Lindsey noticed that the clothing she had was not her own. Her oversized hoodie and sliders has been traded for a sleeveless, silky sash-like blouse and long pants made of the same material, only her black ankle socks remained. After assessing herself she ran towards the door at the end of the room. Once she reached the door and felt for the door knob.
Where is it?! It's a door for heaven's sake! There HAS to be a door knob! But there wasn't one. She started to panic again. She shoved the door, but nothing happened. Lindsey stepped back, and looked at the door or what she had thought was a door. It wasn't even a door! It was just a regular wall, with a slight cutout to impersonate the light coming out from under a door. She started breathing in short panicked breaths. She must have been louder than she thought because somewhere behind the darkness, she heard a voice call out to her. "Is there somebody there? Help me." The voice was small and weak. Lindsey started towards the sound of the voice.
"I-I-I'm here," she said shakily. "Where are you?"
"Im over here," the voice cried back. Lindsey walked towards the direction of the helpless voice. As she got closer she saw another cage, about a size smaller than her own. In the cage she saw a young boy, probably only five years old, with shaggy brown hair and a scar that ran across his cheekbone. "I'm right here," Lindsey said, kneeling down in front of the boy. The boy came closer to the front of his cage, eyes wild with fear. "How'd you get out," he asked. "You're not supposed to be out." His voice ringing with fear. "My cage didn't have a lock on it," Lindsey said. Something about that made the boy scared. "You gotta go back to the cage," The boy squeaked. "No, I'm getting out," Lindsey whispered soothingly. "And you're getting out too." This seemed to make the boy feel a little better. "A-alright," He stuttered. "I'm going to find the latch on your cage, okay?" Lindsey whispered. "Can you tell me your name?"
"Michael."
"My name is Lindsey. How old are you, Michael?"
"Six."
"Oh, you're a big boy, huh?
"I guess."
"Michael, can I ask how you got that scar?"
"No."
That was the end of the conversation. Lindsey found his latch and slowly unlocked his cage and let him out. He too seemed to be wearing clothes that didn't seem to belong to him. He wore a dark T-shirt and dark slacks. His feet also bore no shoes, only a pair of socks. "We gotta get Max," Michael said very matera-factly. "Max?" Lindsey asked. "Yes. Max." Michael took Lindsey by the hand and walked to the opposite end of the room. As they got closer, Lindsey began to see the outline of a cage a size larger than her own. There was a silhouette sitting in the far left corner of the cage. "Max," Michael yell-whispered. The silhouette rose to its knees. Walking on its knees it came to the cage door. "Gaw! Bout time you got out!" The silhouette so called Max said. "And by the way, Bite Size, it's Matt. My mouth was swollen when we met. We've been over this" Matt turned and looked Lindsey over. "Well, you're not what I expected," Matt said. "Well SORRY to disappoint you but-hey, what do you mean 'expected'?" Lindsey asked. Michael shot Matt a look. Matt put his hands up defensively at Michael. He turned away from Michael and looked at Lindsey. "So, you gonna let me out now, Sugar Pie?" Matt said slyly, gesturing with his head to the latch next to his face. Wow, we've kidnaped and he's flirting. Lindsey thought irritated. Placing her hands on her hips, Lindsey asked, "You can't? And you do NOT get to call me Sugar Pie." Matt shrugged at her comment. "Well. I guess you won't be getting out then," sighed Lindsey, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine," Matt said unlatching the door and crawling out. He rose to his feet and stretched. Full height Matt was about six foot, towering over little six year old Michael and five foot three Lindsey. He wore the same dark shirt and slacks Michael did. "Great, you're out," Lindsey muttered, "now help us find a way out."
Michael snickered at this. "Easy feisty pants," he said. Lindsey shot him a look. "You seem rather brave for a six year old that was just about crying five minutes ago," She snapped. Michael stayed quiet. "Anyway," Lindsey continued "I'm pretty freaked, It's pitch black, I don't know where I am, I'm wearing these strange clothes, and I'm with total strangers!" Matt smiled and patted Lindsey's head. "I forgive you for being bossy," he whispered. Matt grabbed Michael and Lindsey's hand. "C'mon, we're off to see the wizard!" he yell-whispered in a sing-songy voice that sent a shiver down Lindsey's spine. Matt walked them to the opposite end of the room of the 'door' and kicked at a door? "Open up, Short-stacks!" Matt called releasing Lindsey and Michael's hand. The door creaked open and a blast of light flooded over the trio and into the room they stood in. Matt placed his hand on Lindsey's back, gently pushing her through the doorway. Lindsey turned to see the room that had been pitch black, just to know what it looked like in the light. She saw her cage in the middle of the room with the two other cages in the left hand corners. Michael's in the far left hand corner and Matt's in left hand corner closest to them. . .
The light burned Lindsey's eyes. She squinted to see in order to see clearly. In the light she could now see that her clothes were white. Her arms were scattered with a purple turquoise bruising. How could I have not felt these? She wondered. She looked around the room she now stood in. It was a small square room with soft, thick, carpeted floors. On the far end in front of her she saw a small kitchen and bar table with three stools. In the center of the room there was a futon and flat screen TV. Michael and Matt slouched on the futon with a bowl of popcorn on their laps. A short blond headed girl with corkscrew curls, that wore the same thing as Lindsey, sat with perfect posture on the coffee table in between the TV and the futon. The blonde girl, probably only three years old, sat motionless staring at the TV. The TV, however, only displayed a static signal. Lindsey could almost swear she saw faces flicker across the screen behind the ominous static. . .
"Ah, Sugar Pie, c'mon in!" Matt said causally. Lindsey just stared at him. "This is Lily" he said pointing to the little blond girl. Lily turned to look at Lindsey, the long corkscrew curls draped down her back. Her vacant bright blue eyes stared directly into Lindsey's. Lindsey shuddered. "Umm, what is this place?" asked Lindsey nervously. Matt and Michael's casual expression changed. Something was up. They knew much more than they were letting on. "I told you you're a terrible actor," Lily scolded flatly, still staring at the TV. Micheal shook his head deffensiy and pointed accusingly at Matt. "Oh well," sighed Matt "We've got her here so it doesn't matter." Lindsey felt like she was back in the cage. Lindsey's mind began to race. There was something off about these people. Michael seemed to be completely unfazed by being in the cage as soon as he got out, and Matt? He wasn't scared at all! Plus, who is this little girl? How did Matt know she was here? Matt acted like he knew. He knew where he was, where Michael was, and that I was here.
"What do you want with me," Lindsey asked shakily. Lily jumped up on the coffee table. She threw her hands up at Matt and Michael. "You fools!" she screamed. "You gone done messed it up! She knows enough that now we can't use her!" Matt and Michael cowered in their seats. "I-I-I'm sorry, Short-stacks! We can still use her!" Matt said terrified. Lily let out a deep breath and looked Lindsey over, then turned and stared at the TV for a few seconds as if for an answer. "Well . . . Maybe we can" she said "Get her ready then." She dismissed them with a wave of her hand and continued to watch the TV. A chorus of eerie whispers and screams began to sound from the TV. Lily nodded at the TV like she understood or was listening to the voices. An evil smile crept across her face. Michael and Matt stood and walked toward Lindsey. She started to back up, but bumped into the door behind her. The last place she wanted to go was back into the dark room with the cages, but she knew that whatever they were 'getting her ready' for, she wanted no part in. However, it was too late. She had nowhere to run and now Michael and Matt had seized her with rope. They bound her hands and feet and Matt slung her over his shoulders. He carried her towards the kitchen. Michael turned on the hot water in the sink and then the wall began to rumble. Soon the whole room was shaking. . .
The wall moved to the right, revealing a dark forest. The trees seemed to sway from the trunk to the tips of the highest branches. The deep indigo-blue sky was barely visible through the thick branches. "Time to go, Sugar Pie," Matt crooned, and they began to walk through the dark forest.
Dead leaves and branches crunched beneath their feet. It's just crunching leaves. Lindsey told herself, but still, she swore she heard the ground cry out in pain, with every step they took. Lindsey shut her eyes tight. Don't look down, don't look up, don't look around. She told herself, but something in the air lifted her head. Not just the desire to see around her, but it felt as if a hand literally lifted her head towards her surroundings and pried her eyes open. First she saw the sky, if it weren't for the situation; Lindsey would be completely infatuated with the stars. They danced in the sky like ballerinas glowing on a darkened stage, with the moon as the spotlight, but then a gust of howling wind blew through the trees. The branches shook and waved in the wind. The tips of the branches stretched out towards the sky like fingers. The evil woody fingers stretched towards the dancing stars as if to snatch them from their stage. The sky grew darker and the stars seemed to stand still and now they were nothing but a dull glow. Next she looked out into the forest around her. She could see white wisps of air flowing like a ribbon through the trees. The smokey ribbon seemed to take different shapes. The only shape Lindsey could clearly make-out was the shape of a group of people, men women, and children, all wearing the same clothes as Michael, Matt, Lily, and herself. The faces of the people were contorted as if they were in excruciating pain, their cries whispered through the trees like gusts of wind. Lindsey shut her eyes tight. She couldn't bare it anymore. She wanted to go home. She wanted to wake up from this evil nightmare. She wanted all of it to stop. "Okay, Lindsey" Matt said putting an emphasis on Lindsey "we are here."
'Here' was a concrete box, with one window one door, and shop vent on top like a safe room. Michael opened the door. Inside, on the far wall, was a metal panel with leather straps. on the sides and on the bottom. A single light hung from the grey ceiling. Lindsey knew it was time to try and fight whether or not this was a dream, she didn't know what was gonna happen, and she didn't want to wait around to find out. She started to struggle. Matt quickly grabbed her off his shoulder and held her in his arms. She kept struggling but he was too strong and her hands and feet were bound too tight. "My God," Matt groaned. "Hey Bite Size, get the syringe!" Michael was obedient and pulled a syringe seeminglessly out of nowhere. The syringe contained a creamy liquid of a disgusting shade of yellow. This made Lindsey struggle even more. "Hurry it up, Bite Size!" Matt scolded. Michael quickly inserted the needle into Lindsey's neck and injected the creamy liquid. Lindsey felt the fluid rush into her veins. It sent a warm tingly feeling throughout her body. Her body went limp and her vision went dark.
When Lindsey awoke she was strapped to the metal pallet on the wall. Her arms at her side and her feet out straight. Her vision was fuzzy and her head was spinning. She saw three blurry figures standing in front of her. A muffled voice began to speak. She didn't understand a single word of what the voice was saying. Lindsey tried to focus on the words and on the blurry figures. Then she felt a sharp pain in her neck and a flow of cold liquid through her body. Lindsey jerked up as if having just been scared. She blinked and the blurry vision went away and she could now see the blurry figures were Lily, Matt, and Michael.
Matt and Michael stood in the corner and Lily stood directly in front of Lindsey. There was now a small box TV sitting on a little table on the other side of the room. It displayed the same static screen the flat screen TV had. The same chorus of whispers and screams filled Lindsey's ears. "Good. You're awake." Lily said flatly. Lindsey opened her mouth to say something, but Lily held up her hand. "You don't have to ask me anything," she said coldly. "I know what you're going to ask so don't bother. 'What I'm going to do with you' is I'm going to take your body." This wasn't what Lindsey expected. Her face must have shown her shock because Lily started to laugh. Lily's laugh made Lindsey's stomach twist up.
How could a little girl make such a maniacal sound? Lindsey thought in horror.
After Lily finished laughing she turned and look at the boys standing in the back "Oh I love it when they make that face," Lily said in a twisted voice. She sighed and looked back at Lindsey. "Okay, you see, it works like this: I get tired of this body, I find another person, take a few tests to see how strong it is, and if it's strong enough, I take it over. Once my soul in in your body, your soul goes into this lovely TV right here." Lily smiled with the corners of her lips. Her eyes radiated with an evil glow that made Lindsey's stomach lurch. "Enough dallying! Let's get this show on the road," Lily said clasping her hands together.
She took a deep breath and stared directly into Lindsey's eyes. Her eyes glazed over and her head tilted slightly to the left. A green smoke flooded from Lily, out of her eyes, her nose, and her skin. Pure terror flooded over Lindsey. Then Lindsey was struggling to breathe. Her body stiffened up and twitched violently, she started choking and gasping for air. Pain shot through her body and her eyes bulged out of her head. Lindsey started screaming. She screamed in unison with the horrified voices coming from the TV. "Join the chorus," a voice whispered in her ear. She felt something coming out of her, and then she saw it. A blue smoke flowed through the air and mingled with the green smoke from Lily. The light dangling from the ceiling began to sway and the light flickered. The light went out and just the eerie glow from static picture on the TV screen lit up the small concrete box. Lindsey's skin grew grey and the life drained from her eyes. Lindsey's screaming stopped. The green smoke lingered in the air for a moment then shot into Lindsey's body. The violent twitching began again and so did the screaming, but this time the screaming came from the blue smoke and filled the air like gushing wind. The remainder of the green smoke filled Lindsey's body then a flash of green light exploded in the room. The room went dark.
Lindsey jolted awake. She sat up in her bed gasping for breath. She clutched the covers in her fingers and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath. As she got control of her breathing she laid back down, staring at her bedroom ceiling. She squinted up at the ceiling and saw a blue smoke. She heard a click. She sat up again and saw her TV had turned on by itself. The screen showed only a static image and the chorus of screaming voices started again. The blue smoke shot into the TV screen. Lindsey's body stiffened and her eyes went wide. The air was sucked out of her and her vision slowly drifted into black and white fuzzy nothingness. The screaming grew louder and louder. Amongst the screams she could hear the evil laughter of the little girl Lily. All the air left Lindsey, the screaming and laughing stopped, and her vision went black. A light flickered and Lindsey's eyes opened again, this time, on the other side of the TV screen. She could see, but only through a thin cloud of static, white and black tingling. Lindsey saw her body lying on her bed. Her body got up out of bed and walked over to the TV. Immediately, she saw it wasn't herself in her body. Lindsey now had bright blue eyes that stared intently into the screen. An evil smile, that was far too familiar, tugged at the corners of her lips. "Thanks," Lindsey taunted mincingly, but the voice wasn't her own. It belonged to the little blonde headed girl with corkscrew curls. Lily now possessed Lindsey's body. Lily turned away and left the room. The chorus of screams began again. Lindsey joined in.
