Is This True?

Chapter 25

Don't just be afraid of the dark; be afraid of what's in it.

That's all I saw: pitch black darkness. And for what I couldn't see, I could definitely hear. I wasn't even sure if they were sounds or if they were figments of my imagination, but they were real. They had to be--including the screeches and scrapes, the bumps and drops, and the screeching and wailing. They had to be real--or was this all a dream? A nightmare? A never-ending nightmare, I should say. Was this a different nightmare than the original two before? Where was the abandoned station? The train? The fire? The woman dressed in white?

And where was Mary?

I froze in place at the sound of her name, causing chills to run down my spine. I hadn't thought much of that name nor spoken it since the last day we both encountered. I thought this entire agenda was over and done with, but it wasn't. Why? Why now? Why bring this up now? I was so happy. I was so content living my life at what I thought was a normal pace. I owned my own place, maintained a strong relationship with my old and new friends, and even grabbed a spot for a job I always wanted. Iowa was a dream for me and there I was, waking up every morning not even bothering to think that a pair of dark eyes were going to stare back at mine once I opened them. Getting ready in the bathroom wasn't a problem either because whenever I faced myself in the mirror, all I saw was my reflection. Not someone else's. Not a figure of a little girl. Nor a threatening message on the steamy mirror informing me to 'get out'.

There was none of that and for that, I was eternally grateful.

Until now.

Long, painful minutes passed, but my eyes still hadn't begun to become accustomed to the dark. Shadows of the furniture danced on the walls, tricking me to think that there was someone there; but there was no one. At least, that's what I thought.

What do I do? Venture out into the unknown and somehow find light?

No, that was ridiculous; but what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't just sit here and wait for the sunrise. That would be an eternity! And besides, who knows who or what I'll meet. Or who or what will surprise me from behind and snatch me away to another darker place where I could never escape. This wasn't the first time, however; that I had been emerged into this situation. I can almost remember clearly that moment in my life where Mary pushed me into the secret passage at Samantha's house, leaving me to think that I had really died. It was the most terrifying experience I had ever gone through, and come to think of it, while I was at Samantha's house, I failed to check the secret room. It could have held many secrets and answers!

How could I forget?

Managing to succumb to the darkness, my eyes finally adjusted as I slowly stood from my crouched sitting position. I almost fell over as well, pain shooting through my legs from the strained position. It was almost unbearable, but I seemed to manage as I hobbled slowly but softly towards one of the couches. After all, I didn't want to make myself known any more than I needed to so I even took my boots off as well. They certainly would have given away my cover, but it's not like it mattered anyway. Mary, or spirits in general, weren't stupid and would find a way to find me. Like what Mary told me all those years ago, 'I'll always find you.'

Breath in. Breathe out.

Slowly but very cautiously, I tiptoed my way to what I thought was the hall, my sock-covered feet skidding across the smooth hardwood floor. The floor's sudden sleekness gave me second thoughts to when I vigorously cleaned it earlier, but it was too late to change my past actions. All I had to do was take extreme caution to where I was going while making no sudden noise or too much movement at all. That indeed proved to be difficult since I had no clear idea as to where I was going. I also still had no clue why it was extremely dark based on the time it was outside, but I was in no mood to explain things; my mind wouldn't cooperate with me.