Alive But Not Free

CHAPTER 1

With every step there was a creak as if all the floorboards were

loose. Outside the thunder crashed and my teeth chattered,Gerard Marenghi watched me as I hesitantly I walked alongthe creaking floor and with every breath there was a distantsound which sounded like footsteps but I was the only personthere...Was I alone or did I have company? "Who's there?" I asked,but no answered so I asked again but this time. Frightened mybody shook.Out of no-where icy cold sticks gripped my arm.I screamed butthe other hand slid across my face quietening me, I didn't knowwhat to do. What would they do to me?My hair stood on end, a shiver chilled down my spine and alump came to my throat, if I was to move I feel as though Iwould be sick. My life flashed before my eyes, I had children, anice home [with the little poppy plants I like on a shelf] abeautiful car and a happy marriage i saw a day of which I wasin the park the scorching sun shining above us but theneverything went black.Next I was in a room with no windows and only 1 door, nocloset and no furniture except a single chair with rope on bothof the legs. When I woke up fully I was as limp as a dead fish.The door opened and when I saw what had captured me insidemy heart was beating like mad it was almost beating out of mychest. Its skin was as white as snow and it was covered withinfected cuts and slashes as though it had been stabbed overand over and over again.Once we were inside and it closed the door it sat me down itcame closer and closer until it had circled round me andmanaged to frighten me into a frozen state. A mask clung tomy face... the smell was horrific it was worse than a rottingcorpse soaked acid and bathed in mouldy cheese.Once I awoke I was in a different room, this room had multiplemulti-coloured doors[one red, one blue, one yellow and onethat invaded my thoughts] and one window, it had two chairsfacing each other I was on one she was on the other the roomhad a single switch yet four lightbulbs. The doors werecovered in brown fly tape round them...I tried to stand up but a sharp pain rushed through my legs asthough they had been snapped and to my surprise they had,one leg was facing one way and the other was facing the otherway, it seemed strange because my legs weren't hurting I justhad a numb feeling. Was this a dream?Once I sat back down I had to pick a door, I chose the odd onebut it wasn't my decision... I was forced to pick a door but Iclung to the chair like a blood sucking leech to skin, anunknown force pulled me closer. My grip gave up and all I hadleft was hope... I blacked out again...When I woke up I was alarmed to find myself in my room! Istumbled out of bed and slowly moped down the stairs trying torecollect my thoughts, I got downstairs the walls covered inblood, it was seeping out...drip...drip...drip. I saw my mumacross the room, or what was left of it, her arms started to turngreen like the woman who kidnapped me. My mind went blank.Everything slowly faded away...Everything around me was black although I felt I was alive Idon't know if I was I was able to move but I felt like I wasfrozen. All of a sudden words started to appear but then theywould fade away, they appeared again and I saw "this is"....Then they faded and then appeared and I read "this is not"...then I saw the whole sentence and it said "this is not a dream".I felt as though my heart had been ripped out and I had beenforced to eat it. My mind went blank it was like all of mythoughts had been washed away I didn't remember my name,my family or any thing else to do with my life. When I woke upthe thing reappeared in the room, the hair on my arms stoodthin, my feet felt like they were stuck to the floor and I feel asthough I had been stabbed 100 times through my heart and thesmell of the skin made me gip even though it was standing bythe door.It started hobbling towards me, it seemed hurt but I did not careafter what it had put me through id didn't know what to do myheart was thumping out of chest, my eye started to twitch, mylegs went numb and my head started to hurt as thoughsomeone was banging a hammer against it.At this moment I realised I was not tied up I was able to move,yet I was still sat on the floor, I got up and ran as I left the roomit was chasing after me, I ran with all my might and although Istarted to feel as if my lung had collapsed, I raced down thecorridor I felt as if the floorboards were wrapping around myankles and it seemed as though the roof was falling onto myshoulders.As the roof got closer and closer I started to get weaker andweaker until all my strength had gone! I stopped when I lookedback I gave a sigh of relief, there was no-one chasing me.When I finally caught my breath I started running again, as Iwas running I saw a door which had a red light sparklingthrough the cracks of the hinges, when I opened the door myheart started to beat rapidly. The reason why the woman wasn'tchasing me was because it was now in front of me. "Why must Ibe punished?" I shouted but no answer I repeated myself thistime with more confidence "WHY MUST I BE PUNISHED?" thistime it answered me it said "I just wanted a friend there is noneed to be scared" shakily I asked "why did you chase me?" "Ijust want a friend". I was shaking, I couldn't stop! I had to knowwhat it was I now felt rude calling it and it." I was a woman butnow im just a monster"Devastation painted her face. She knew she had done thewrong thing. I don't know whether or not to believe her becauseif I believe her then will she trick me and kill me or was shespeaking the truth...I asked her if I was going to get answers to my questions shemumbled something and nodded her head, so I began to askher if she was alive? Her answer was no she had been dead forcenturies now, I asked her about her wounds and how she gotthem her answer was that she had been in a domesticrelationship when she was alive and her partner had beendrunk one night and when he came he... [She couldn't tell methe rest because she was crying and she had become to upsetto re-imagine what had happened that night.] I told her shedidn't have to tell me the rest and that I just wanted to knowwhere I was she replied that I was in 'Baddeley Clinton manor'.I stopped shaking and my heart was beating normally I startedto believe what she was saying should I trust her? At this pointmy head was a mess I didn't know what to believe. I had amillion questions like; what was I going to do?A part of me wanted to believe her entirely but then a part ofme still had trust issues. I wanted to believe her so much but Ialso wanted to go home so I decided to ask her "would let mego because I needed to see my family because I'm so scared"she mumbled "y.e.s..." at last I was free or was it all a trick...All of a sudden she started laughing I was puzzled, why wasshe laughing? Was the story fake? Was it all an act? I didn'tknow what to believe again I tried to figure out an escape plan itwas like she had strings attached to me and she controlledthem. Negative thoughts flooded my mind but then I had a planbut as I went to stand up she pounced at me I fell back onto thechair and screamed she tried shushing me but when I looked ather hand I saw what looked like a dagger I don't know if It wasreal but I wasn't taking any chances I got up again pushed herout of the way panting I ran down the creaking floorboards oncemore and when I saw the door I stopped! I don't know why Istopped but I couldn't move I was frozen and I was frightened ifshe was running after me with a dagger in her hand what wouldshe do I began to hear footsteps and when I looked back shewas there stepping towards me but she was doing it with acreepy rhyme and with every step she took it was making memore uncomfortable. I ran!I wasn't outside I was in another house but where was I?