Alone With Them

Chapter 4

She was wandering around a dark room all by herself, one of the only things she truly feared: being left by herself in an unfamiliar place. Cathryn ignored the chills that ran down her spine as she searched for a light switch. She kept both hands on the cold wall as she walked around the room, trying to ignore the fact that it reminded her of searching for an exit in that maze.

She closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing steady. It felt like someone was watching her, but it must've just been in her imagination. Or worse, giant Trevor was back. That thought made her shiver. Something moved behind her and she turned around on instinct. Cathryn scanned the darkness, even though there was no light so it would've made little difference if her eyes were closed. There was someone – or something – in there with her.

A light turned on from the other side of the room. It was a single bulb light that rocked back and forth, creating a glowing spotlight on a black and white checkered floor. She saw a shadow flee from the glow that now flooded her eyes, and she jumped back against the wall, blinded. A squeal escaped her lips and she swung her hands frantically. Yes, something was definitely in there with her, she wasn't crazy.

Or worse, she WAS crazy AND there was something in there with her.

Cathryn decided she hated one light more than no light. Now she might actually see what was in the room with her, and that seemed a lot worse than ignorance. She stared directly at the beam, afraid that if she looked anywhere else she might actually stare at the other living thing without knowing it. Cathryn wanted to move into the light, since light usually made her feel safe, but she was hesitant. From her position, there was a wall against her back, but if she were to be in the spotlight, the Something could surround her.

She scanned the room while continuing to hug the wall. She was too afraid to do anything else. Cathryn saw something move to the left of the light, a flicker of some sort. She wondered if she might've just blinked and was paranoid, but she wasn't taking any chances. She scooted down the wall to her right in order to put the light between her and whatever it was. If the Something wanted to get closer to her, it was going to have to pass in front of the glow.

A little voice inside her head told her this was a bad idea because she didn't want to see the Something, but she also didn't want to be attacked blindly. The near sound of breathing sent sharp shivers down her spine. It was coming from her right and Cathryn's limbs went stiff. She suddenly had the realization that technically the Something could be multiple Somethings.

"Go away," she whispered. The darkness devoured her words. "I know karate," she lied. It filled her with a little courage. "I'm a black belt and have been training for this moment my entire life." At least her voice was getting a little louder. She heard movement to her right and jumped so high that she lost balance and fell to her butt. The wall was now an arms length away, almost close enough to touch, but the sound of breathing was everywhere.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins and Cathryn could feel her body slip into fight-or-flight mode. She was a coward and covered her face with her hands. Curling into a ball, she snuggled against the freezing, probably filthy, floor. The Somethings moved closer, Cathryn could hear them. And she could feel them. The scent of metal filled her nose when one grabbed her shoulders and she screamed.

"Cat!" came a familiar, and surprisingly not hostile, voice. Cathryn's eyes popped open and her first instinct was to kneel down and kiss her bedroom floor, thankful to be safe.

"Mom." Cathryn let out a sigh instead and stared up at her ceiling from the bed.

"You were freaking out. Are you okay?" Her mom's concerned voice touched her.