The Rumored Half

Unexpected Allies

                                                  CHAPTER 2

When I finally woke up, I hazily wondered why everything was black. It took me a few moments to realize that my eyes were actually open. I realized I was in a small dark space. Is it night? No, even then, it would never be this dark.

I was in a box, I realized with shock, as I felt the wooden walls surrounding me. Oddly enough, I could smell the wood strongly and the banging I made was strangely loud. It felt like I had a bad hangover. Back to the problem at hand. Why am I in a box? It was a very small box, and I could barely move.

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to me. The party, the screams, the blood – everything.

What the hell is going on? Am I dead? No, obviously, I was still very much alive. I think. Is this Hell? ‘Cause it definitely wasn’t heaven.

Somebody was just playing a prank on me, I realized with a sigh of relief. I bet it was Ed – it was just like him to set this whole thing up, although I don’t understand how he managed to get my parents in on it. Mom hates us pulling pranks in big events and dad would never condone this kind of behavior either. Maybe it was Simone. Yeah I bet it's her trying to get some payback for earlier.

But, for some reason, this didn't feel like a normal prank. Something was wrong with this picture. I tried to call out to the idiots who put me in here. They were going to pay Hell for this stunt; I would make sure of that. But after screaming for what felt like an hour – but was probably only a few minutes – my voice just stopped. As much as I tried, I couldn’t make another sound come out of my mouth.

My hands came up to grip my throat and realization dawned. I knew why I felt so strange. I’m not breathing, I realized with dread. Jesus Christ, what the hell is going on?

I wasn’t breathing, but how on earth was I still alive then? Was what happened real? Of course not, but what was I doing in this box?

Wait. Could I be in a ……?

Oh my God! I’m in a coffin! There was no other explanation as to why I was in the human-sized box. Was I dead? It’s possible. Maybe this was hell. No way, this was just a box; I could get out of it, if I put my mind to it - Probably. I remembered each horrible second of that horrendous party, how I could see red eyes, those sharp teeth, more like fangs actually, and the color red that drenched everything and all those blood chilling screams.

Then another, equally horrifying realization struck. They were dead, all of them. My entire family - mom, dad, Ed, Jake and…

Oh my God, everyone I knew was at the party! Tears pricked my eyes as they fell. I couldn’t believe it. Not yet. Maybe I was in shock. But one thing I knew for certain was I had to get out of here, now.

I didn’t really know why but I had a feeling that I just had to get out of here. And so my fingers, almost with a mind of their own, started to claw their way out.

I couldn’t feel any real pain, at least not as much as there should have been. The wood broke under my nails as easily as cardboard. One the dirt and grime got under my nails, I realized that I was actual buried alive and there was no way this was a prank. I started to make the hole bigger, the mud rained down on me, forcing me to close my eyes. It filled every open space and covered both my nose and mouth. I should have suffocated but I was mostly uncomfortable. That was when I came to the realization that I might not be human.

Confusion and fear spiked through me. Why did this happen? How could it? I closed my eyes and tried to calm down because those thoughts wouldn't help me. I’d decide what to do when I was out of here.