FOUR HOUSES

Part 5

1 HOUR AFTER THE INCIDENT

I land hard. The breath is stolen from my lungs. I gasp to reclaim it and then stand up on shaky legs.

The field I'm in spreads out like an ocean. The grass reaches to tickle my hips through the fabric of my dress. I pull the material up in my hands and look at it. It's not only intact, it's pristine. But that can't be.

Overhead, the sky spreads its dark wings in flight. A sprinkle of stars grants me sight, a small miracle on the most dreadful of nights. My heart thumps hard in my chest and terror pricks my skin with sweat.

As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I spot something in front of me. Or rather, two things: identical three-story Victorian houses. They are grand in the way old houses are, but there's no light coming from the windows.

I spin around in a slow circle. Fear surges down my spine when I spot two more identical houses behind me. Together, the four houses seem to encircle my body. I stand frozen, trying to decide what I should do.

And then the houses light up.

My knees threaten to buckle when I see the signs. They are large, square things with oversized bulbs surrounding them. The lights blink on and off like an old carnival ride. Each house's sign is lit in a different color. With the increased light, I can see the distinction between the houses. The doors on the homes are different, and they match the bulbs in the signs above them. Their colors are: blue, red, green, and purple.

The signs buzz on and off. On and off. Again, I move in a slow circle and read the words they hold:

House of Content-House of Lust-House of Obsession-House of Euphoria

I stand frozen, my muscles clenched with anxiety.

Then the pain overtakes me.

I scream and look down at my left forearm, where the agony rages. Inside, just above my wrist, my skin rises like an old scar. I fall to the ground and cover the burning skin, whimpering like a child. Seconds later, the pain stops. I remove my hand and gasp when I see the word spelled out on my arm:

Choose.

*The final part to this story will be posted Wednesday, June 10, 2015.