Becky's Doll

Chapter 30

I FELT A CRUSHING PAIN on the veins of my head. I felt as if it would explode. I thumped my fists on the floor in pain. But my hands were tied and the skin of my wrists tore against the rough bounds as I hit my balled fists. My vision was blurred around the edges. Where was I?

Orange red flames licked my feet. The whole unfamiliar room was burning. A fine layer of sweat developed on the surface of my skin. Heat rose up my legs and arms. I gasped in fear.

Towering over my slumped figure was the charred ghost with a devious smile plastered on her face. Heat waves that were hot enough to melt air didn't seem to affect her. My entrails clenched together urging me to break free from my bindings and soothe my burning soles. The raging flames moved towards me like sea waves, threatening to envelope me in it's fiery embrace any moment now. I was beyond scared.

The clattering of my enamels against each other in fear was found entertaining by the demoness in front of me. Her raucous laughter tortured my eardrums. I looked up at her. The heat was extremely unbearable that any moisture was evaporated as soon as it made it's way out of my eyes. Her face was illuminated by the orange fire. A flat blank of blackness. I cowered in fear. I crouched into the corner, the ropes restrained my self defending muscular action.

The hot air singed my skin turning it into a rashly red. The light and heat filled air burnt the soft interior padding of my throat and nasal cavity. I stared at my arms and legs that were horribly burnt and disfigured. I choked on my tears.

A whoosh of hot air like a forceful exhalation of a warm living breath, blasted over my face. I fluttered my eyes close fearfully feeling the air burn me. Jane who was partially merged in with the air around her, soon wrapped her dead grey hands around my neck, chortling me in the process. Her blackened roughened palms felt like peat being painfully rubbed against my skin.

"Die," She whispered, hoarsely, temporarily solidifying the blood in my veins.

"Let me go. Please," I cried voicelessly. Jane had plunged out the air from my lungs. She looked at me with her bare white pupils that were abnormally large and slimy.

"No. I don't need you anymore. I found it," She said in her raspy scratchy voice. My skin crawled. Found what? The third doll? Her grasp on me tightened. I felt my trachea being crushed. The free passage of air was cut. I thrashed my legs furiously, hitting them hard against the hot black floor.

"I found the person I was looking for. I don't need you anymore," She repeated. My energy was slowly draining away. My hands twitched begging to be freed from the bounds and move Jane away from me.

"So, die!" She shrieked, but strangely loosened her grasp on me. I took in a deep breath to rejuvenate my air-starving lungs. The muscles of my ribs stretched painfully as I accommodated the air poisoned by burning rubber and plastic into my lungs.

"No. Not this peacefully. You need to memorise your death. Every painful bit of it," She scathed. For once I could feel the impending hatred in her voice.

"You deserve to die," She shrieked and vanished into the thin air, the same way the wind carried the fine particles of ash. The sudden shrillness of her voice tormented my hurting head. I screamed. I don't want this. I don't want to die.

The first few minutes after her vanishment was anticipating and threatening. My heart drummed loudly, each beat reminded me of my state of living. Silence resided the room except for the occasional cackling of wood in the fire. Even the fiery flames seemed to be receding. Cold sweat tickled down my irritated red skin. An unexplainable feel of nervousness mounted my gut.