The Girl in the Window

Chapter Six

Athena laid in the fetal position on the dirty, dingy carpet. She felt defeated. She wanted to go home but knew that wasn't a chance. She would have to figure out a way to get out of this asylum alive. There was nowhere else for her to go. She slowly stood up and dusted the dirt off of her shirt and pants. She was going to have to figure out how to survive here until her brother comes and gets her. 

She was hoping that her brother would figure out that something was wrong eventually. She just hoped that it wouldn't be too late. 

Athena needed to figure out how to help Effie. If she could figure out what exactly they did to her and then what she did to them, maybe she could figure out how to put her soul at ease. There had to be a different way than getting revenge on Athena. She wasn't ready to die. 

She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and hoped for some form of reception. None. She sighed and looked at how much life she had left.  

"Thirty percent," she sighed again. She turned around and noticed little bloody handprints covering the door. They were small, childlike hands all over the door. She instantly knew that those hands were Effie's. She shivered and turned back around. She pushed the image of the handprints out of her head and held her hands up in surrender, hoping that this would work for only a little bit. She needed rest. "All right. Listen, Effie, I'm not going to hurt you; I can't. I just want to go home, so, please, let me go home. I'll never return. I promise." She waited to see if she would get a response, but she never did.

Athena thought that maybe she would get a response from her. Effie had been tormenting her all day, but now nothing. Athena pushed down the silly thought that ghosts had to rest just like she did. 

Athena shook her head as she put her hands down and walked into the first room to her right. She looked around the room and found a blanket in a closet that wasn't eaten by moths and a couple of seat cushions without holes in them on the floor. She cleaned off a section of the floor and laid down. She placed the cushions behind her head comfortably and the blanket over her. She decided that she was going to wait out and wait for her brother to come and get her. Eventually, he'll figure out that she's been gone longer than usual without any contact and would come to look for her. 

Athena looked around the room and noticed the radio that she had contact with earlier that day. She instantly got up and picked up the radio. She placed it outside of the room before she returned to her blanket. 

Staring up at the ceiling, she wondered why this little girl was still here. Athena knew that she was dead, but why would she continue to stay and haunt this place? She shook her head as her curiosity got the better of her and decided that she had to have answers. 

Athena threw the blanket off of her and walked around the room. She opened up drawers and cabinets, trying to find some kind of clue as to why this girl was still here. After looking through every single hiding space, she found nothing. She then remembered the room with all the pictures. The room that had belonged to Effie.

Taking out her phone, she turned the flashlight on. She walked out of the room, down the hallway, and up the stairs. She then turned to her left and walked into what used to be Effie's room. She turned her flashlight toward the pictures and walked over to them. She shivered as she noticed that all of the pictures were now back up on the wall as if they weren't thrown at her earlier. 

The first picture she saw was the same one as before. Effie was standing in front of the asylum with a large smile on her face. She looked happy. Perhaps she was placed here for her own well-being, and she wasn't supposed to be here long. Walking to the right, she looked at the many pictures of Effie in this room. Each picture appeared the same, but the only difference was in her smile. In each picture, her smile would become smaller and smaller until finally, it became just a frown. Her eyes were filled with hatred. 

Athena touched the last picture and sighed sadly. "This poor girl," she whispered to herself. She looked closer at the picture and saw a figure standing behind Effie. "Who is that?"

The figure looked like an old lady with her hair hanging over her eyes and a long black dress torn in places. She looked to be transparent like a ghost.

Athena touched the picture where the transparent woman stood and heard a crack below her. She looked down to see the wooden floor breaking beneath her feet. She turned in haste, ready to run. The floor gave out and she fell through the hole and landed on the wood from the room underneath.

Groaning, Athena slowly sat up when a crack sounded again underneath.

"Oh, no," she whispered. She screamed as she fell through the new hole and landed on the hard concrete floor. She grimaced as she placed her hand on the back of her head and felt something wet. She looked at her hand to see blood smeared across it. She slowly, and shaking sat up and looked around her, noticing that she was lying in the basement. Her whole body was in agonizing pain. Her legs were hurting the most, but she needed to get up. If she just laid here, who knows what would happen to her. 

There wasn't much in the basement, just a few boxes and old, broken toys. It was too dark, and damp and the air smelled like mildew. There was a large hole in the middle of the basement floor.

Athena slowly stood up and limped over to the hole and looked down. Stars were dancing in her vision, and she blinked trying to make them go away. The hole was square and about the size of a child. Athena gasped when she saw dirty stuffed animals and broken toys lying in the hole.

Why would a hole be put down here? she asked herself. The air turned cold around her, and she heard heavy breathing come from behind her. She turned around to find Effie standing right behind her.

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Hi, everyone! I hope you liked this chapter and if you did please let me know what you think! Also, if there is any way that I can improve this story, please let me know. Don't forget to vote! Thanks again for reading!