Gateway to hell.

Chapter 7.

Kendall opened her eye's and the room slowly came into focus, she tried to groan but all that came out was a hoarse croak. Her throat was burning! She touched her neck tentativley and winced. Suddenly the memory of Alex standing over her his hands wrapped around her throat , strangling the life out of her came rushing back. She sat bolt upright her hands clutching at her neck, wheezing noisily. Alex...he tried to.....to..kill me!! Was he gone? She looked around the room, her eye's wild making sure she was alone. The only light in the room was the harsh white light from the muted television , casting the room into flickering eerie shadows. The hair on the back of her arms raised as she took in the absolute stillness of the house. She was still alone, her parents had not returned but had he left? She broke into a cold sweat and rubbed her clammy hands on the bedspread to dry them as she realized she would have to check the house in case he still lurked somewhere...in the shadows, and alcoves, waiting. A shiver flew up her spine and she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood shakily to her feet. Quickly collapsing in a crumpled heap with a thud, her legs still too weak to stand. She winced at the noise, what if he'd heard her and was tiptoeing up the stairs to finish her off. Her gaze shot to the bedroom door knob. Narrowing her eye's to focus if the handle was turning or not? She hissed softly, and staggered back to her feet, making her way toward the door as quiet;y as possible. With a shaking hands, her racing pulse actually visible under the soft skin of her wrist she took hold of the door handle and wrenched it open. Outside of her room the whole house was in darkness, sweat beaded on her forehead as she choked back the urge to slam the door shut again, and jump under her duvet until her parents got home.

The blackness was a palpable entity taking on a life of it's own , as her mind raced with images of horned, fanged demons leaping out at her from it's rot colored mouth. Her hand scrabbled at the wall beyond the doorway her heartbeat nearly exploding in her chest, until the switch was in her grasp and she clicked on the light. Looking up and down the landing furtively she raced across . Part of the way to the mouth of the stairs the lighting lowered dramatically, and she was plunged into a twilight like dimness. With a gasp of alarm she looked down at her feet as she suddenly felt the texture beneath them change, from the soft, light bounce of the carpet under her , to the gritty feel of dusty flagstones. What the hell? She whipped her head from side to side seeking out the familiarity of her upper landing, and seeing only rolling mist on either side. Here and there it rippled with pale color, like clouds over the horizon, just before the sun rose. Panic grew in her chest as she suppressed a gut wrenching scream. Where was she? Was she still dreaming? She began to mutter pleading half remembered prayers to god as far away laughter echoed beyond the mist, and a whiff of sulfur filled her senses like the smell of a struck match. Whimpering and praying fervently she took careful steps away from the indistinct whispers around her. She refused to listen too intently, fearful that the whispers would form words, words she did not want to hear. Another small step and half of the flagstones before her crumbled away, revealing nothingness beneath. A dark gaping mouth swallowed the floor and now it yawned open for her!

This time she did scream, a shrieking primal scream of pure terror.

She opened her eye's when the acoustics of her scream changed abruptly and the sound rang in her ears as it seemed to bounce off walls. On inspection the walls in question were her landing walls once again, no more creepy mist. She looked down at her feet, seeing only carpet . She wriggled her toes mashing them into it and relishing it's familiar texture. She looked behind her, the empty space causing anxiety as she wheezed great rasping breaths. The sound itself even frightening her as she worried something was creeping toward her that she was unable to hear coming over the noise her breathing was making! She quieted her breathing as much as possible, and ran down the stairs before they disappeared again. Alex. He must still be in the house she whined to herself. How else could that have happened to her? The demon was playing with her, she reasoned. She head straight for the kitchen and picked up the first weapon like object she could find. A heavy wooden rolling pin. Anger was slowly burning within her now, taking the edge off her terror, as she raced from room to room, flinging on lights, and peering around corners, doors, and alcoves. Her hands tremored, and she had to hold the rolling pin with both hands, angling it like a baseball bat, ready to cream Alex should he jump out at her. One more room to check she thought, the study off the front door, and wouldn't you know it, the door was shut! She crept toward it, inching along , her legs weak and trembling. She reached toward the handle, her breath held. Her fingers grazed the doorknob....BANG! The front door slammed into her back sending her headlong into the closed door in front of her with a sickening thud.