From Bad To Worse

4. Explanation

I listened in as I struggled to understand. She was coming? As in Diana? I looked April in the eye, it was as if she wasn't there anymore. Her eyes weren't moving and were fixed on the wall, a quiet breeze from the open window whispered secrets to her hair, causing it to swiftly motion towards it.

"April? Are you alri-" I cut my sentence short as she began to fall on to her back, beginning to fit. Her body wildly hitting itself against the floor, her head beginning to bleed. I watched as a white liquid spilled from her mouth. I wanted to move, I wanted to help her. I couldn't move.

My gaze was fixed on her pale face and I used all the strength within me to collapse on to my knees. I gripped her hand tight and I saw her begin to calm down. Her body then lay lifeless on the floor as I cried in to her sleeve, my hold still tight on her hand.

"It's alright, hun! Just stay there!" I quickly dragged myself up and hurriedly headed to the kitchen, struggling not to slip on the floor. I grabbed a knife from the cabinet. At that point, I practically lost control of what I was doing.

I sprinted back to the living room where she still lay collapsed. I raised the knife above my head and plunged it in to my arm. I dropped it and screeched in agony, I watched as my arm bled out on to the floor and that's when I came back. For some reason I snapped back in to reality, as if something else was causing me to do all of this.

Before long, I began to get dizzy. I held my bleeding arm and kept my gaze fixed on my daughter. Her face was still pale and her eyes were forced open. It was compelling me to touch her but I didn't want anything drastic to occur again.

It was painful to see her this way and you would think she was dead if her chest wasn't slowly rising every so often. I was panicked so if I called the hospital they would think I had had another mood swing and they would once again take April away. My mind was in fragments. I attempted arranging various plans of how to get her to the hospital, but due to my condition I would probably collapse while carrying her, driving was far too dangerous and calling them will put me in the hospital, permanently.

I felt myself drift out of consciousness. I could hear car doors opening and shutting outside the open window, I silently prayed that one of them would find us. I then realised, why would they? Even if they knew of us, why would they help me? I'm just the ex-crazy neighbour.

***

A wolf grey ceiling greeted me as my eyes began to flutter open. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, making it all the more terrifying. I looked to the side of me to see an empty wall, the same colour as the ceiling. It looked empty apart from me lying on what seemed to be a hospital bed. Suddenly, a light above my head began to flicker and a single clicking sound echoed.

I felt imprisoned. It was only when I noticed the walls were not concrete, but a soft spongy material that I was indeed a prisoner. I glanced at my arm, it had a maroon bandage around the wound and I knew it had started as a pale white.

"Miss Rayne, are you aware of why you are here?" An almost robotic voice rattled through the intercom in the top corner of the room, despite me not even knowing it was there.

I felt a jolt of fear rush through me but I refused to move. I shook my head slowly as if it was painful to do so. I wasn't sure if they could see me or not but it wouldn't surprise me if they could. I wasn't any ordinary prisoner, it was as if they thought I was crazy. Maybe that's why I'm here, I must be insane.

"Don't worry, you should be out of here by this evening. Do not attempt to escape, I must advise you to stay put."

For the next few hours I lay there, sleeping. Sending myself drifting away elsewhere.

***

April sat upon the emerald grass, carefully plaiting my hair. The sounds of birds in the trees above was soothing and we were safely guarded from the sun's heat by the shade of the tall oaks that surrounded us.

"Mummy? Can I ask you a question?" Her voice laced with innocence. I nodded, carful not to ruin her plait. "When will we be home?"

I felt her release my hair and I turned to grab her hands. "We aren't at home here, poppet. Our home is far from here, in a place where we are completely alone and no one else can bother us."

I saw her head tilt slightly to the side. "We will never be able to get home, so we must stay here." I finished. She smiled and nodded in understanding. I noticed her eyes wander to someone behind me, I turned to see a little girl with blonde hair, braided with daisy chains. She stood still as her hair swayed with the leaves above.

"She's pretty isn't she, mummy?" April asked. I nodded and flashed her a look of curiosity. "That's Diana." She said softly, barely a whisper. I looked at her in concern.

I stole another look at Diana and focused on her eyes. There was no emotion behind them, they were only eyes, stone cold dead eyes. Suddenly, lighting flashed and the sky suddenly changed to an unwelcoming raven black. Thunder crashed on the tree that stood before us and Diana began walking closer.

Before I could say anything, April began to walk towards her as if she was in a trance. I grabbed at her but my hand seemed to go straight through. I was losing her, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Diana silently beckoned her to continue moving forward. Intensity filled the open air and the weather rapidly changed in to something from a horror film. An agitated gale tossed my hair back and forth, side to side in rage and the two ghastly girls linked hands.

"She's mine now." Diana whispered.

The two of them began waving to me, looking almost satisfied with my panic.

"Goodbye mummy, I hope we meet again some day."