Unraveling The Faded

Chapter 7

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     She did her best as she navigated herself through the darkness of the building she was trapped in as she ran. She ran with her hands outstretched, waving around so that she could at least feel for anything in front of her. It was pitch black inside and she thought she could hear the faint sound of water or at least she assumed it was water, dripping from somewhere near her.

Her fearful wheezing was heard with every stride she took. The halls had then been lit up dimly giving her the ability to see her own feet in front of her. A surprised gasp escaped her lips as she jolted to an immediate stop, skidding across the floor, arms flailing about and launching forward. She grabbed the railing that overlooked the staircase tightly, her upper body flying forward but not going overboard. The feeling of falling forward all too suddenly, her hanging in front of her face, her eyes wide. 

A red glow was cast along the worn out, cracked walls. It grew closer and closer. Creating shadows that danced around the walls and floor. It flickered in an unsettling, mocking manner. The glow turned her skin a vibrant pink hue that was still covered in its' silhouettes, under her eyes they seemed dark and undone. She stepped away from the railing, the girl turned to look back towards where the light was emanating from. The creature stood tall at the end, its' head bowed so that the full front top of its' skull was shown. Its' beady red glowing eyes digging into the fabrics of her soul as it just lingered in the hall.  Steam was rising softly from its mouth in small spurs.

It started  to walk leisurely in her direction, without any care or urgency in any sense. It seemed to walk effortlessly, it was haunting how it moved without any kind of sound. The only thing that rang out at full volume was the aura that it gave off. It was strong, powerfully wicked and cruel. It made her feel violently ill and urge to vomit. It was all too much and she felt that she was barely able to handle it for much longer. 

She ran around and took off down the stairs, her footsteps trampling the steps in such a hurry it sounded like small strokes of thunder. Down and down she went the spiral staircase, with each step she took she wished and prayed to whatever there was, that each would be her last so that she could begin running away again. The need to be rid of this place was overwhelming, she couldn't bear it. She needed to get away from here. As far away she could. This place was wrong, it was so very wrong. It felt like she was suffocating, like she was being choked without any mercy.

     It was making its' way to her, she could hear it following her. It was still taking its' time to come and find her. It was in no rush as if it knew that she was not going to get away and it was only a matter of time before it caught up and consumed her. It was confident that it would have its' meal and so there was no need to exert its' own energy for some measly little morsel. The ghastly creature walked down the staircase methodically as it clicked its' serrated claws onto the steps. Occasionally it would let out a low growl that the girl SWORE, it almost sounded as if the creature had chuckled.

Finally off the never ending staircase, she flew. She bounded down the building, red glow gleaming with the mixture of the moonlight that now had crept in through the holes of the missing boards and plaster of the walls. As she ran she felt like the walls were becoming more and more narrow as if they were closing in on her. It was like she was just running in place and not making any headway in her progress. It was like everything around her was trying to swallow her whole.

She had fallen to the ground, her hands splashing into a sticky, thick material on the floor. Her face distorted in discomfort, the feeling was stomach-churning. In great haste she scampered to stand once again and stumbled but made her way to run. She could still hear it walking, its' claws hitting the ground telling her it was right behind her and becoming deathly close to catching up fully with her. She was trapped, she was at death's door and he had no intention of relenting his call for her.