A Piece of Me

12

Elizabeth's pov

"No," I didn't care that I couldn't see, I clumsily slammed into the door, pounding on it before trying the handle.

It was locked, or stuck at least. "God dammit Colby! COLBY LET ME OUT,"

I felt frustration and just a tiny bit of panic fill my lungs, forcing my breaths to come out short and quick.

I couldn't figure out how to unlock the door since the doorknob was smooth with no sign of a lock that I could have bumped.

"Liz?" I heard it was muffled and very confused. But it was Colby's voice, I was certain of that.

"Let me out! Please, this isn't funny!" I pounded on the door with one of my fists, the other shaking the doorknob and pulling on it.

"Where are you?" Corey shouted, then added quieter, "Guys shut up I can't hear,"

"In here!" I felt my airway closing, like boiling water was trickling down my throat and causing it to sting and swell.

The footsteps got louder, which wordlessly let me know that they found me.

Someone tried jiggling the handle and pushing in the door, but it was no use.

"Okay, Liz I need you to back up," Colby warned through the wall, "We're gonna try and push it open,"

I didn't want to move, I didn't want to get any closer to the bird or to the windows. I could feel the animals in the trees, cackling at my panicked struggle.

I felt pissed off, clutching a hand to my chest as I stumbled backward, safe enough to not get hit by the door.

My leg caught on something, either a desk or small dresser but I couldn't tell, and I couldn't stop myself from falling over it, right onto my butt.

There was a boom, one a lot louder than my ass kissing the ground. I looked up to see the door busted open, and a flashlight shining into my eyes.

I covered my eyes, causing the lights to lower as the three of them entered the room. "Whoa, are you alright?" Sam asked.

It probably would have been a funny situation had I not freaked out, with my legs bent over a piece of furniture and one of my hands propping up my back.

I opened my eyes as Colby approached me, holding out his hands to help me up. "Where's your flashlight?" Corey's own torch waved around the room, seeming to take it in better than I had.

"It died," I rasped, pulling my feet back so they would touch the ground before taking Colby's offer.

My throat burned from the screaming, something that I hardly did anymore. It felt like I took a shot of whiskey, leaving a sour tingle.

"How? That's impossible, I just changed the batteries," I looked over to see Sam holding my flashlight, playing with the switch just as I had only a couple of minutes earlier.

I brought my hand up to try and soothe my heart, which felt like it was beating so fast and so hard it would break through my skin.

My other hand, which was still connected to Colby's, guided his hand to my back, silently pleading for him to hold me.

I didn't care what the fans were going to say, or even if they would leave that part in the video, but I just needed to be in Colby's arms right now, just for a moment.

He understood, bringing our bodies closer and resting my head on his chest. I hated how exposed I was feeling, so vulnerable underneath the flashlights and the camera, so I turned my head to face away from them, to hide for only a short time.

I listened in on the conversation, closing my eyes to focus better.

"I wonder if whatever is in here used the energy from the flashlight to shut the door," Sam said quietly, seeming to pace across the debris-covered room.

"Didn't we ask for a sign right before," Colby's voice vibrated against my ear, coming to a halt to avoid speaking of what just happened.

"Yeah but not one like this," Corey's voice was strained, as if he was fighting excitement and fear at the same time.

I slowly pulled away from Colby, the front of my body turning cold from the lack of touch.

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" Sam asked, looking at me over the camera.

I nodded, clearing my throat before going to speak. But I couldn't, I couldn't find the words to describe how I was feeling.

Then it occurred to me that he didn't care, not really. He wanted to know what happened for the views, that was it. I had to be strong for the people who would be watching.

I took in a shaky breath, "I came upstairs because I wanted to see what you guys were doing. I thought I heard a little girl laugh or something in here, so I came in here. My flashlight died and then a bird flew in here and ran into the ground or something, but he was really hurt and is probably dead now. Then the door slammed and I thought it was one of you messing with me,"

"No, we were down the hall," Colby shook his head, folding his arms in front of his body, "But didn't you read something about a little girl that lived here, Lesley I believe?"

Sam seemed frozen for a moment before gasping, his voice filled with excitement, "Yeah, allegedly she was one of the last kids who died here before this place shut down. How she died is interesting, because she was either pushed down a flight of stairs or out a window. But no matter what she was pushed,"

"Did you leave Jake downstairs by himself?" Corey asked, and I took one more look around the room, realizing for the first time that Jake wasn't in here.

"Yeah he should be in the first room, I guess. I thought he followed me," I couldn't think back to exactly what Jake said when I told him I was leaving.

But I completely understood that he wanted to be alone. It was something only time could heal.

"Alright, let's get downstairs and grab Jake. We should probably leave soon so we can get back in time to meet everyone," Sam said, putting the camera down.

"You guys are going somewhere?" I asked, looking at Colby with a confused look on my face.

"Yeah, we're all going to Tendergreens. Didn't you tell her?" Corey asked Colby, who was ready to defend himself.

"I just guessed she'd come along! She doesn't need an invite," Colby said as Sam led the way downstairs.

"I'll just have to text Stas when we get service, that's all," I hoped that she wouldn't mind, and I made a mental note to bring home leftovers for her.

I can't believe I'm exchanging my last night with Stas to hang out with people I hardly knew.

It left an awful taste in my mouth.