His Collection

THRITY-TWO

I had tried again to had Alice be at peace with me, but it ended with Lance having to stop her from striking me.

"Do not put your hands on her," his words struck her. Those seven words might as well been lashes to her heart, because she escaped his grip, then ran to her room. He was about to follow her to probably finally lock her away, but again I refused to have her go out in the cold shed. These past weeks, Alice had not gone out to the Bad Box simply because I had pulled for him to just let her be sent to her room.

Tugging at his sleeve, I stop him. "Just let her cry it out, she'll be okay, and I'll be okay...with you."

He twisted his body around, and hugged me till he exhaled how forgiving I was.

"Probably because I forget everything anyway," I joked, then patted his back. "Can we go outside? I want to just walk around. I haven't been out in the snow."

Sniffing, he smiles saying he was feeling a slight feverish, but that I was free to go. Hugging him back with glee, I run off to put on boots, and a coat. It wasn't that cold, but better safe than sorry.

As I closed the door, the plains sparkled with diamonds far too tiny to me of any value in the human world, but to nature, oh, they were expensive, and I was in love with each and every one of them. The tall grass was gone, and stalks, boulders, and skinny trees were covered in frost as I made my own path all the way to the river.

Laughing at my own clumsiness, I shifted my feet across the ice, and always hugged a boulder to catch me from fully landing on my face.

After half an hour, I headed back but was stopped by seeing someone familier run into the barn. It had been a girl I hadn't seen before, her clothes were like Lance's, but I couldn't note down why they were allured me to investigate.

Thinking it was just a trick from the blinding white surroundings, I keep walking. This time, someone sings out sweetly, "Kyle."

"What?" I stop, and face the barn. Taking a step closer, I ask again. "What did you say?"

"Kyyyyllllleeee," the voice sang, then the doors opened.

"W-who?" I asked myself. Turning my neck back to the house, I wonder if I should run to tell Lance that something odd was happening, but chances are he would think I was just having another dizzy spell, then have me rest all day.

I can handle this. If it's just my mind playing tricks, then I can handle it!

And if it's not?

I walk inside the barn, and look around. Yes, it was still creepy, but my eyes had adjusted quicker this time because my instincts were dominating my senses. The darkness didn't scare me as it first had when Lance brought me in, and it helped that I had pushed open the door to let in a decent amount of light in. 

The boards above had dried flowers tied, and they hung in different lengths; the bitter breeze slithered past me, and struck them violently, causing them to twirl into fairies dancing above my head. Staring in awe at the little bit of petals that drifted down, I quickly spun to the side to face feet wrapped in bandges, cloth, and plastic.

Yelping, I fall back with my arms over my face, wondering what in hell was leering at my frightened soul. Trembling, my eyes drift up the body, then relax enough to breathe regularly again when I see the face had been covered by mask. Sitting on my bottom, I lean in to see the odd thing was a caterpillar mask; striped with yellow, sea green, and spotted with white, and black. It tilted to the side as if she was looking down at me.

Eerily enough, I heard it speak, "Let's play."

"Huh?" I stand up, then quickly crawl back, and twist my body to get on my feet. Heading for the door, it suddenly shuts, revealing a slender hand placing a board over to lock me inside.

"A-Alice?" Squinting my eyes, I detect the girl I had seen earlier. One look at her dark eyes, and hair, I knew it was Alice, but she wasn't wearing what we usually wore; she had on torn jeans, and a ratted shirt with stains of old blood.

"I know those clothes," I muttered to myself while backing away. Alice's smile was making me cower down, but my mind was going on a trip further into my past.

Those jeans. That shirt.

Pictures of who had them, and why there was blood on them caused me to jolt up and then grab my head.

"Argh," I moaned while forcing my eyes to not close on me.

"Another headache, sister," Alice said with a snort. Her left arm drooped while swinging her right arm up to reveal a knife. My eyes widen as she grinned with saliva slowly dripping from her plum lips. "I can fix you up," she sang.

"Wait!" I put my hands, then try to calm her down trying to explain that killing me wouldn't solve anything.

"I am tired of waiting! I just want you out, gone, dead!"

"Why are you crazy?!" I shout back.

"Crazy?" She opens her eyes like a doll as she tilts her head up. "Bitch, you are just as mad as I am."

Right after she sprints after me, and I begin running around the barn with her right at my heels. Quickly ducking under old rags, I feel the blade scrape my shoulder as the coat gets stuck on a nail. I tug wildly trying to free myself before she slashes my throat. I kick her, and we both fall in opposite directions. My white dress was now soaking in the blood that gushed through my shoulder and collar. It burned, but I knew I could manage with it, all I needed was to get to Lance.

The door was the rational way to get out, but Alice would quickly catch up to me before I could pull open the heavy board, and open the door. Rushing to the second floor, I see her getting up, and screaming at me to just let her stab me.

Like hell!

Her raven hair was now flying behind her like black magic, and for the first time, I saw it away from her thick, neat braids; no longer did she seem beautiful, instead all I saw was a creepy, wide-eyed doll weilding a knife like, like...

A serial killer from a horror film.

Movies. Like from the movies. Movies you used to go see.

Circling my head, I reach the second floor, and throw shit back at her, even kicked dirt into her face as she climbed the steps. Whining, she swore and laughed all at once.

I look to the closed windows, and try to pry them open, then try to push through, but my weight doesn't help. My upper strength lacked unlike Alice; she trucked through the piles of boxes like a bull.

Swiftly passing through the pillars, I sneak past her, and head back to the stairs. Her scream gives it away that she was behind me, and I quickly spin around to catch her arm. The knife was now inches  from my face, and we both knew I was going to lose the battle.

"Alice, please." I beg, but she didn't listen.

Marina. Say it. Marina. Call her Marina.

"Marina," I whimper out, not understainding why, but I keep repeating it. "Marina, Marina, please, Marina!"

"N-no," she groans while pushing the knife foward. Tears slide down both our faces. "That's not who I am." Another inch closer. "Here I am Alice!" Grinding her teeth, she hissed, "And you're just another fucking butterfly."

"No, I am Blanca!" I use all my rage, and strength to push her aside, but instead I fall down with her from the second floor. Her eyes show the last bit of sadness while I twist her fingers around, clamp my hands around the handle, and finally use the force of the landing to run the blade into her chest. Her arms reach for the heavens, but I clutch the knife, thrust it deeper, and they fall flat out. The blood spread out in two directions, converting into crimson, sleek wings. "You're the pinned butterfly, not I."

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