Death Lilly

Chapter 2

Tomorrow was my seventeenth birthday. Not that anyone would really care other than my Grandmamma. I hadn't seen Jude, since our last movie night, which had been a few months ago. It was weird considering we normally ran into one another at least once a week. More often then not, it was a few times a week. I had grown accustomed to seeing him. Not that I was concerned. He was a man. I assumed he had a life outside of our friendship. Sill, it bothered me that he wasn't around. It was almost my birthday and for that reason, I wanted to see him.

The other thing that was weird, were the dreams I had been having. Ever since the freaky one in the bathtub, I had been having similar ones every night. It was always the same. Same dark, looming figure who hid in the shadows talking to me until I woke.

'I've been waiting a long time to meet you. You look like your mother. Those eyes betray you. Yadda yadda yadda.' The figure repeated over and over. The sound of that voice still sent shivers down my spine. I was becoming increasingly uneasy as the days passed by. There was no one who I I could talk to about the dreams. No friends to confide in. I didn't hang out with anyone at school. I was too poor, to be cool and not smart enough to be a geek. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all doom and gloom. I was happy to keep to myself as I was a dreamer.

To be honest, I think my younger years really helped shape my attitude towards others. Grandmamma didn't like strangers. In those younger years, we never saw anyone outside the church. I was homeschooled right up to middle school. After watching television shows based around kids in high school, I had begged my Grandmamma to let me attend one. Grandmamma had a heart attack that same year and my Uncle Stewart came to look after us during her recovery. He agreed that public schooling was going to be best for me. Afterall Uncle Stewart wasn't about to homeschool me. Also, Uncle Stewart is an alcoholic. He stayed with us for three months before leaving. He left two days before my thirteenth birthday.

I knew I had to stop stressing over Jude. It was a Friday and I had just finished babysitting for Ms. Jenks. She had pulled a double shift, which meant I was getting paid thirty dollars. It wasn't much but I was happy. Midnight was around the corner and I was just crawling into bed. Placing my headphones in my ears, I drifted off to the sound of music.

A startled scream woke me. I jumped up, out of bed letting my iPod hit the floor. At least that is what I had thought. Only I wasn't in my bedroom. Once more I stood amidst the blood-red haze of an empty room. Sweat dripped down from my brow as I heard the sound of snakes slithering on the floor. A distant voice tempted me to come closer. I could not move, for I was frozen in place. This was the same nightmare I had been having. All I had to do was wake up. Closing my eyes, I begged to awaken.

From out of nowhere a sinister laugh roared, forcing my eyes too open. Before me, lay a strange, new scene. My heart bashed against my chest with force as I took in the sight.

There, before my eyes, lay an old, scarcely dressed lady. A rope secured her to an old stone altar. I tried to see who she was but a bull masked man was blocking my view of her face. He carved open her stomach while I watched. I tried to scream but nothing came out. Bitter tasting bile had crept up the back of my throat, as I listened to her calls for help.

Tears flowed freely from my eyes and stained my face. I tried to move towards her in hopes of freeing this woman however my feet would not move. Several snakes slithered up the altar, towards her still struggling body. The screaming stopped, replaced by a gurgling noise that caused my stomach to lurch up into my throat. The man disappeared so I could see the woman clearly. There was something oddly familiar about the old woman. Her steel, grey eyes, stared blankly at me. I noticed things about her. Like the shape of her mouth, and the way her nose had a slight pressed in look about it. Her grey-streaked, brown hair was cut short. Without warning my knees buckled from beneath me. I knew who she was!