My Strange Addiction

Episode 12

Halia walks through Savannah. Why is the sky red? Why is she back here? Why can't she stop herself from continuing into the Sorrel Weed House? She doesn't want to go back there. Not after what happened earlier today. She knows she's dreaming, but why doesn't she have any control over herself? It doesn't feel like sleep paralysis. Then again, what does that actually feel like when you're in a dream-like state?

She's walking through the basement again. Nothing is happening, but her heart keeps beating faster. Faster. FASTER.

She turns around, only to find herself back on the bus. She pinches the space between her thumb and index finger hard. Ow! Why did that hurt?

...

Why is her arm hurting more?

She looks down at her arm, turning it. Damn, the phantom DID scratch her really badly. But why haven't the deep slashes shown up until now?

What just tugged on her braid?

She spins back around.

Her eyes widen.

No.

NO.

Those white eyes.

That toothy grin.

She backs up and trips.

And hits her elbow against the wall at the same time she hears something hit the floor across the room. She quickly sits up to see Ashlyn has fallen off the bed. Just a nightmare... Thank God.

"Ashlyn?"

Halia looks at Taylor, who is sitting up in the bed now, looking down at Ashlyn.

"You okay?" Taylor asks. "Why are you on the floor?"

Halia quickly puts her glasses on before standing and going to Ashlyn, about to help her up, but she freezes when she sees the scratches along Ashlyn's arm.

"What happened to your arm?"

Even though Halia knows Taylor was talking to Ashlyn, she looks at her own arm. What the hell? She takes her braid out and shakes it slightly loose, slipping her hair tie painfully up her arm and above her elbow. It might not be enough to cut off blood flow completely, but it might help slow it down.

"A-ah we should get some um bandages – or the teachers?" Taylor rambles as she gets off the bed, eyes still on Ashlyn. "Do you need help up?"

"No, it's okay," Ashlyn answers as she begins to lift the sheets off of her. "I can get up but I might need some band–"

Oh shit.

Aiden opens his bedroom door with an excited smile on his face, his drowsy cousin following him. "Did anyone else hear screaming?"

Tyler's door suddenly smacks him right in the face as Tyler shouts, "Taylor!"

"What's going on?" Logan inquires as he puts his glasses on. "Screaming?"

"Ow," Aiden mutters, still smiling despite his nose now bleeding.

"What happened to your face?!"

The three girls slowly back away from the now knocked out creature.

"I-isn't that the thing from the Sorrel Weed place?" Taylor asks shakily.

"Whatever it is, we need to leave before it gets up," Ashlyn says, grabbing Taylor's wrist.

Halia grabs Taylor's other wrist. "Come on, snap out of it. We gotta get out of here."

"What– what about the other girls?" Taylor asks as Ashlyn and Halia drag her into the living area.

"I'm not sure, they should have heard us scream," Halia points out.

"--Why haven't they come out yet?" Ashlyn voices the question they're all asking in their heads.