The Hidden World

Chapter 9: A Strange World

Sarah was in the warehouse again. The room was empty – except for a body that was sprawled in the middle of the room. She took a long breath and started to walk toward the cadaver. Deep down, she knew who it was. Yet she prayed that it was someone else. She kneeled next to the body. "Of course, it was you," she said, as she stared at Jasmine's corpse. Sarah sniffled. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, trying to hold back her tears. "I should have just listened to you," she said clenching her fists. Suddenly, the body opened its eyes and grabbed Sarah's throat. "Realizing that now doesn't help anyone. Now I'm dead because of you!" it growled. Sarah tried to struggle free, but Jasmine's grip was too tight. She looked straight at Jasmine's and tried to beg for mercy, but no sound came out. She couldn't breathe. Jasmine's started to shift, and soon Sarah was staring at the Witch. "Your stupidity has cost your friend's life. What else can you destroy, I wonder," she said, smirking. Sarah could feel her consciousness fading, but something was off. It was hard to breathe, indeed, but it felt as if something was blocking her breathing from the inside, rather than from outside.

Sarah opened her eyes. She had to throw up – now. As she opened her mouth, thousands of spiders started to pour out. This discharge lasted for only ten seconds, yet to Sarah it felt like an eternity. She coughed up the last stragglers, wiped away the tears that had formed and took stock of the situation. She was in a room that reminded her of an autopsy room. That's the immediate picture she got, at any rate. The room contained multiple tables, one of which she was sitting on. The room had no windows, and the walls were lined with shelves storing bizarre-looking items and containers she could not recognize. The room was well lit, though there was no visible light source. The oddest part, however, was the fact that everything seemed to be made out of a greyish substance. There was no one else in the room, even the spiders had scurried off. Sarah slung her feet off the table and was about to stand when she suddenly felt very woozy. At the same time, something occurred to her. She quickly turned her head to look at her right arm. Her eyes widened as she saw that it was there, as if nothing had happened to it. "What the hell is going on here?" she thought to herself, opening and closing her hand. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was off about the arm. She had more pressing concerns, however. Sarah was certain that the whole scene with Jasmine's corpse was a nightmare, but surely she had had a standoff with the Witch? As she pondered the situation, one of the walls opened up, revealing a very familiar figure clad in a fancy dress.

"Are you feeling good? I believe that my treatment should have healed you completely," Helena said, walking towards Sarah. "I, uh, yes...?" Sarah answered, utterly confused. "Could you tell me what happened, and why I am here... And, uh, where exactly is 'here'?" Helena smiled in her usual, unsettling way. "Oh, I'm sure you're quite confused. Unexpectedly, your little stunt with the Witch left you beaten and broken, so Edmund had to save you. At the moment you're at my place." Sarah nodded and looked at the floor. "So... Jasmine is dead, isn't she?" Helena crossed her arms. "I'm afraid that's the case." "I see," Sarah responded dejectedly. In reality, she had known that this was the case, but a small inkling of hope had raised its head. She covered her eyes. "So, she died because of me, huh?" Helena didn't avert her gaze. "As far as I understood it, she was killed by Virulence, no?" Sarah jerked her head to look at Helena. "But the only reason she was there was me, right? So I might as well have killed her myself," she yelled. Deep down, Sarah knew that she was acting immaturely. However, at the moment, her emotions were a mess. She wanted to yell, she wanted to argue. Unfortunately for her, Helena didn't seem to want to indulge her. "But you did not. I am not interested in debating hypothetical scenarios with you. The reason I patched you up is that I need you to kill the Witch.

Sarah stared at Helena, dumbfounded. Frankly, it seemed as if though she was in a living nightmare. First, she had witnessed the death of her friend, then she had her arm ripped off only for it to mysteriously reappear, puked a horde of spiders and now she was asked to kill someone who was far beyond her strength. She started to laugh. For a good minute, she cackled manically while Helena looked on, expressionless. "I get it. The whole situation was too much for me and I've lost my mind. That has to be it. I mean, how else would you explain my arm re-emerging?" Helena narrowed her eyes. "I understand that you have experienced many quite traumatic events, and that it has shaken you, but my patience has run out." She then snapped her fingers. Immediately, Sarah felt something crawl onto her. She turned around and saw a huge, green spider on her. Before she could do anything, the spider bit her, making Sarah lose consciousness.