THE INNOCENT WILL RISE

Nowhere To Run

WILLIAM'S POV

I gather all my courage and slowly walk to the hall....

"What do you want!?" I say closing my eyes not knowing what will happen next. The hall seems longer than it should be. Like it goes for miles and miles.

Then my eyes grow wide as I see the same little boy from earlier. I don't know what to do. He's crying.. But how am I supposed to comfort someone who is dead? I walk closer.

"Please! Don't come near!" Says the little boy. "She'll hurt you.. She's angry"

My eyes focus on the little boy as I try to get closer. I try grabbing his shoulder. But before I have the chance to get any closer to him, he screams loudly and then disappears in a cloud of purple smoke.

I don't know why I even tried touching his arm. He's a ghost.. My hand would just go through him. I stay still and wait for something to happen. Then I see her, Emmy. She's sitting on the floor, next to me, staring straight at the floor. She's not moving. I never thought I'd ever be so frightened of a little child like her. But she's dead. How can I see her? I feel as my heart is gonna explode in my chest any second.. As soon as she turns to me in bloody eyes, there's images going on in my head. Images going by really quick. I see happy kids laughing and playing around. In the shadows, there's a silhouette of a man. Then one by one, the children disappear.. There's something blurry that I can't see. Suddenly, the blurry image becomes clear.. It's me. I can see myself killing one of the kids and laughing. But I'd never do that. I wouldn't kill a defenseless child. Would I? Then I see Emmy trying to run away.. running in a hall and I'm behind her. There's no more images.. I can't hear anything. Everything's black. But the silence is cut off by a sound of flesh opening and a loud scream. And then a laugh. My laugh. The memories stop and I'm in my apartment again. Shaking and Emmy is still in the floor. I quietly whisper. "I'm sorry..." Emmy begins to cry.

".. Did I really do this?" I ask myself staring at the cuts in my hands and arms.

I notice Emmy isn't there anymore. Is she gone? I fall on my knees, shaking, and I feel guilty. I can't believe this. I wouldn't kill anyone.., even if they deserved it, I wouldn't. That's not me. I'm not a monster.. I.. No... It was me.

Maybe she's messing with head. She wants me to believe something that isn't real. But how do I stop her from doing these things to me?

I hear the little boy's voice.

But I don't see him.

He says.....

"You have to hide. Emily will make you go crazy. She wants you to die slowly.. We forgive you. We can help.. But only for a while because Emily won't be happy until you suffer the way we did. She will not stop."

I gasp and run to the closest room to me. It's where Olivia, Charlie's daughter, would sleep when I was taking care of her. I notice the room looks darker. There's some of her toys there and drawings on the floor. I run to lock the door quickly behind me.