When the Dead Rises

Chapter 1

"Eretria." 

A voice floated through the air. My eyes snapped open and immediately focused on the small clock hanging on the wall. 

3:04 a.m.

Way too early to be awake. I sat up and looked around my dark room. A small shimmer appeared quickly to my left. I looked over, and it disappeared just as quickly.

"Who's there?"

A faint whisper formed, but could not be heard. I got up and took a step towards where the shimmer was. A chill sent goosebumps down my arm, causing me to reach over and pull the blanket off my bed. I stood there in the darkness, trying to get a glimpse of the shimmer.

A giggle sound came from behind, causing the hair on my arms and neck to rise. I looked behind me, but whatever was once there was now gone. I stood there, staring into the darkness of my room. 

With the sound of a click, I looked over and saw my door swing open. The door that was once locked, was now unlocked. 

The faint lights from the hallway flooded my room. I stepped towards the door and peeked out, looking for my Doctor. The hall way was empty and dimly lit. I stepped away from my door, afraid to be seen by a nurse or night watch. Whoever opened this door was not human.

"Who's there?" I asked again.

A small shimmer reappeared towards the back corner of my cell. I closed my eyes and focused on summoning it. I imagined pulling a person by the arm with a strong force. 

"They're going to kill you, you know?" 

I opened my eyes and saw a small girl standing in the corner of my room. She had on a hospital gown, and was bare foot. Her skin was pale, and her body looked frail. If you looked close enough, you could see scars on her arms and legs. She looked to be about eight.

"Why would you say that?" I stepped towards her. The closer I got, the colder it became.

She flinched, not wanting me to get any closer. She twirled one of her pigtails with her fingers.

"You should leave while you still have a chance."

I looked at the door and then back at her. "You opened the door. Why?"

She shrugged, and looked down at her feet.

"They want what you have." Her voice came out as a whisper.

What I have? Does she mean my curse?

"I talk to the dead. There isn't much they can do with that. Why would they want that?"

The girl started to fade away, so I closed my eyes and mentally grabbed her arm and pulled. I opened my eyes, and I could now see her clearer. 

"You have more than that, and you know it. Go through the door while you have a chance. Run, before you end up like me."

I looked at her arms and legs. "What did they do to you?"

She held her arms out. "They tried to take it out, to make me normal."

I looked at the girl's wrist and saw her hospital bracelet. 

"Are you Anna, the porcupine girl?"

She nodded, and began sniffling. 

"My mommy doesn't know where I am."

A hard chill went through the room, making it colder then what it was before. Whispers swept through the air like a breeze. I pulled the blanket tighter around me and looked around. Shimmers were appearing everywhere, some full of vagrant colors. Others, were dark and dull, like the life they lived. I tired counting them, but there were too many. 

A teenage boy appeared in front of me, smirking like he knew something I didn't.

"You're nothing special. Just because you think that you're not dangerous means that they won't kill you? You're wrong. Just look at me, am I dangerous?"

His eyes turned bright green, and he fell to all fours. His back arched, bones cracked. A low growl escaped his lips.

I looked away, not wanting to watch him change any further. I looked for Anna, the small girl, but she was gone.

An orange glow filled the room. I looked over and saw a boy in flames. I was amazed, yet horrified. I had heard stories about these kids, but had never saw one before. 

A girl that could shoot quills like a porcupine, a teenage werewolf, and a boy that controlled fire? These were just stories. Stories told to me when I was younger by some of the older subjects.

I backed away from them. I couldn't bear to watch anymore. I was told these stories weren't true by Father. He told me the older subjects were just being mean.

So, why am I seeing them now? 

I backed all the way to the open door and looked out into the hallway. No one was in sight. 

A growl came from behind me, and the orange glow was getting brighter. 

"Where do you think you're going? You're just going to leave us here? You're supposed to help us. It's your job." The boy in flames got closer to me. I could feel the heat, even though it couldn't technically hurt me.

I shook my head no. I couldn't help them. It isn't my job. It can't be. They're dead. It's too late for them to be helped.

"I can't help you. You're dead." I backed out into the hallway as the boy in flames got closer. 

"You're a necromancer. Put us back into our bodies so we can get revenge on the people who killed us. So we can get revenge on Father."

I covered my ears. They are lying. Father would never hurt anyone. He told me that himself.

"Eretria." A girl with bugs crawling all over her walked towards me. Her eye popped out, and a worm crawled out her eye socket.

I ran. I ran hard and fast down the hallway. I could hear them calling out to me. Calling me back. I looked behind me, checking to see if they were chasing me. 

I slipped and fell to the floor. I tried to get up, but my feet kept slipping out from under me. I looked on the ground, and there was a pool of blood. I looked at my hands. The blood covered them. 

The air smelled metallic, and it made me gag. I looked over to the right of me, and a teenage boy laid there, covered in blood.  A teenage boy that looked fairly similar to the one back in my cell.

I stared at his body in disbelief. Who would do such a thing?