Crimson Rivers

3) Drifting

Sadie's eyelashes fluttered as she caught sight of the sea of wheat which trailed in front of her, peeking out from cracks in the motel's cement floors.

The golden strands danced and twisted against a warm breeze that fluttered in from an unknown source. Every few inches, a blue flower could be seen strewn throughout the wheat, close to some dandelions as well. The wheat tickled Sadie's leg. She scratched at it.

"Sadie?" Martha waved a hand in front of Sadie's gaze.

She opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out other than a drop of drool. The wheat seemed to grow taller and the flowers seemed to smell sweeter after Martha spoke.

"How long has she been like this?' It was Fran's worried voice, sounding like she was out of breath.

"Maybe half an hour. She just opened her eyes, but I don't even know if she can see us or even hear us to be honest." Martha said, brushing a strand of hair away from Sadie's shoulder.

"She said a... a Beast was here?" Fran said.

" I mean how else do you explain the fucking door?" Jerry's voice now, agitated.

"I-" Fran started but stopped.

"Well, what do we do?" Craig's voice came too.

It seemed like the whole group had come to gawk at Sadie, thankfully excluding the children as far as Sadie could tell.

Their voices dimmed more with each passing word, overshadowed by the far-away mooing of a cow. She couldn't discern what felt more real, the cow or the group. The mooing grew closer until it became the only thing she could hear above the clashing of her group's shrill voices. A brown cow appeared, seemingly out of thin air and leaned its head down to grab a bite of the wheat. Sadie reached a shaky hand forward. The cow looked up, acknowledging her gesture and chewing on the wheat in its mouth. With careful steps, it came towards Sadie, pushing its head underneath her hand, nudging her. A voice in the back of her head couldn't help but feel like she had been here before, entranced by the same cow.

Sadie shut her eyes and breathed deeply, running her hand down the cow's head, feeling its warm skin against her chilled fingers. In the corner of her vision, the group vanished.

The ground crumbled beneath Sadie, and the cow looked down at her, its eyes now a milky white. She grabbed up at the air, plummeting down, watching her surroundings bleed down the side of her vision.

The darkness below swallowed Sadie, wrapped her in its cold tendrils and cut her against its glass-like skin. With a cruel grasp, it continued to drag her down deeper into the depths of oblivion. If this was an escape, why did it hurt so much? She clenched her eyes shut in fear.

When she opened them she found herself back at the motel, and wiped the drool dribbling down her chin. The wheat was gone, replaced by the normal grime of the real world. The air didn't smell too sweet anymore either. The group was also gone, leaving Sadie kneeling alone on the cement. She shook her head, trying to refocus her fragmented thoughts.

Where is everyone? Sadie wondered, then remembered Beth. They had to be dealing with Beth.

With a shaky arm, she helped herself back up and entered Beth's room. Beth's body was gone, but a pool of dry blood remained on her dirty mattress, already brown. Sadie peered over the side of the bed and saw the gun still there, resting comfortably on the carpet. Drops of blood decorated the carpet surrounding the gun. Where did she even get it? Sadie asked herself.

Even as Sadie ran for her life, towards the motel, scavenging for supplies, she didn't find a single gun, just a knife. Maybe it was for the best.