Ying

Chapter Four, The Abyss Of Darkness

        "Hello, is anyone home," I called into the house as I entered through the door. Thank God I had a key on me, for Fallon and I would have been stuck outside until someone came home. "I guess no one's here," I pondered, holding the door open for Fallon as she walked in. Curiosity filled her eyes as she looked around my house, probably having no knowledge of what a real, warm household looks like. However, the house was completely dark, all the lights were off, and nothing but silence had engulfed our surroundings.

        "Do you think they went out to eat or something," Fallon asked, taking off her worn shoes and placing them by the front door.

        "Maybe so, but it's a little late for that, don't you think?" I began taking my shoes off as well, using the wall beside myself for support. Before long, Fallon and I were wondering around the house, turning on some lights so the house's condition would be clarified. To my surprise, it seemed nothing had changed since I left; I even discovered my mother's phone on the kitchen counter, which was quite odd since she brought it with her where ever she went. The metal of the house's floors creaked quietly as I made my way through the never ending maze of darkness I called home. It seemed eerily unfamiliar, eerily large, and eerily lonesome; however, I looked back and was at least thankful I had someone with me. Fallon stood close behind, her eyes scanning the walls of the house as we attempted to turn on most of the lights. Minutes later, my pupils dilated when my atmosphere gained some luminosity. 'At least I may escape the fate of having to face my parents when they receive my report card over their email; we could simply pretend to be asleep and talk about it in the morning.' Being the mischievous girl I was, I was processing a way to release the timid nature of my parents from my head. Having them stare down at me with their persistent glares were one of the many things I dreaded most. "Alright, so," I paused, turning to Fallon who was sitting silently at the kitchen table, playing with one of the cups that were left out, "do you want to take a shower?" She raised her gaze to me, her expression normal, yet somewhat emotionless.

        "Sure, that doesn't sound like too bad of an idea," and with that, she placed the cup down and stood, pushing the chair back into its rightful place.

        "I'll put some of my clothes by the door; we're about the same size, so I think everything with fit correctly." I gestured Fallon to follow me as I made my way down a hall towards the bathroom. As I opened the door, I was hit with a soft, but refreshing scent of soap and cleanliness. It was a relief to the constant scent of fried food and body odor when I ventured around the large city I was in; it always overwhelmed me and gaze me the urge to plug my nose every time I went out. I walked into the bathroom, opening the screen to reveal the shower. "So, Fallon, what you have to do to turn on the water is pull this nob," in the center of the shower, a metal nob was constructed that could both contract and retract when pulled. After pulling that nob, you could turn it in order to adjust the temperature to your liking. All in all, it was a simple process, but every house seemed to carry a different system. After explaining the different alternatives to turning on the shower water, I exited the bathroom and shut the door behind me. "I'll be back with some clothes for you to change into," I exclaimed, hoping she could hear me.

        "Alright, thank you," Fallon called out as she turned on the water. As I walked back down the hall, my eye happened to be caught by the clock in the kitchen. It was... 11:56p.m. and at that point, I was actually starting to get worried. 'Where are they? They're never usually gone this long, and if they ever are, they give me an update on their situation.' I shrugged my feelings away though and hurried on upstairs to retrieve the clothes for Fallon. My room was a mess, as always, but I happened to find some decent pajamas stuffed into my drawers.  I pulled them out, folding them as if pretending they were like that to begin with, and hurried down the stairs as if escaping a fire.

        "Fallon, I have the clothes for you," I exclaimed, knocking on the door lightly, hearing the water running within the shower. However, it didn't sound as if someone was actually in the shower. This is going to be hard to explain, but, when someone's in the shower, the water traces over the body, causing the water to hit the ground in vast amounts. The water droplets were all monotone, the pattering of the water light as it interrupted the silence I received for an answer. "Fallon," I called to her again, knocking on the door, but I continued to hear no 'peep' of Fallon's voice. Gaining some confidence, I then opened the door, walking into a cloud of steam. On the other hand, the shower curtain was wide open, water pouring down onto the floor; Fallon was nowhere in sight. My eyes began to water as the hot air continued to hit against my face repeatedly, "Fallon, where are you?" Before long, I threw the clothes down to the floor and hurried over to the shower in order to shut the water off. Water was everywhere, and I just happened to slip, slamming my head against the side of the wall. My sight blurred for only a second and an immense pain soon arrived; it pounded against the insides of my skull, creating a painful song. I put my hand to my head, groaning as the pounding only increased. Blood slipped down my hand and into my eye, 'T-This is bad... my head.' I was concerned with myself at that point, especially when I was barely able to stand up. The hot steam within the air only worsened my condition, making breathing almost impossible. In my struggle, I grabbed the toilet seat, not caring what I grabbed, I just needed something to support me, for my legs were unreliable. To be honest, my legs felt like vulnerable twigs, ready to 'snap' out from beneath me at any moment. They wavered as I finally stood upright and spotted something within the toilet that only made my stomach twist. The food I had bought for Fallon, was within the toilet... 'What?... This doesn't make any sense; why would that be there? What in the world is happening?!' I hurled myself from off the toilet seat, unable to stand the sight and air any longer; blood continued to layer my eyeball, creating the most sick and unpleasant feeling. When I blinked, all I could feel was the warm, thick substance between both the surface of my eye and my eyelid. It made me feel as if having no eye at all would be better than having this feeling consume half of my sight. My shoulder slammed into the door frame as I finally got to the bathroom's exit, feeling as if that cloud of steam made the trip from the toilet to the door much longer than it should be. "Fallon," I called out her name again, my voice hoarse, as a wet layer of saliva consumed my throat. I shook my head, running down the small hallway and into the kitchen. Once again, Fallon was nowhere to be seen, 'What does she think she's doing?' I clenched my teeth tightly, the shower water still circling in the sounds on my atmosphere. "Fallon, whatever you're doing... this isn't funny." My eyes scanned the rooms I walked through, my hand upon my now bruised shoulder, my eye shut tightly as an immense amount of blood continued to seep down my face. Before long, I finally stopped, unable to look anymore; my body was becoming worn from blood loss. "Fallon... please," I whispered, twirling around in one place, rapidly analyzing the room. I could've sworn I heard noises at that moment, mimicking the soft patter of feet, the breaking of air as something ran through it. "Fallon," I wheezed one last time, before I finally saw her, standing there... watching me. My hearing was now just that of a buzzing noise, but I could tell she was giggling from the playful smirk written upon her face. My sight was distorting, the colors fading in and out, the room turning as I actually remained still. Fallon then stretched her arm out towards me, walking with gentle steps as I only stumbled back, attempting to create some distance. On the contrary, my precarious movements did not fulfill my goal. Fallon put her hand to my face, her cold fingers showing no sign of life as it touched the warm blood emerging from my open wound. Her breath was also cold as she put her lips near my ear, my mouth open slightly for I was still attempting to comprehend the situation.

        "Sleep well... Ava," was the only thing I could hear from Fallon until she put a soft rag to my mouth. The knowingly poisonous but sweet scent of chloroform filled my nostrils and I was left to fall into a never ending abyss of darkness...