Alice

chapter six

That night, the moon hid its face.

         The stars were invisible, and the crows cried in the distance. Thunder rolled across the sky, like the hooves of a hundred horses on a stone path. The only lights that remained on was in the hall across from Alice's bed.

         Alice laid there, silently, in her bed cuddling with her blankets. She still felt a tingle of rage within her, as if Mrs. Jackson was still standing there, rebuking her and reeking hate. Alice wanted to be avenged; she wanted Mrs. Jackson to pay, but that was not possible. She would never kill her, for that would be wrong. She wanted her to taste her own medicine. Alice gave up on ideas. She shifted into a different position on her bed and glanced at her clock.

         It was 3am, and to Alice it felt like 10pm. She stared at the wisps of light from the hall, watching the occasional cob spider build its web. Each time thunder rolled, Alice flinched. She glanced up at Sarah's bed, and felt more comfortable when she heard her breathing peacefully. Alice saw a moth fly across the hall, its little wings fluttering like the last leaf of autumn. Her stomach grumbled, for she had missed supper. Alice once again felt angry with Mrs. Jackson for leaving her to starve in her room.

        Suddenly, Alice felt a shift in the air.

        She saw the light outside her room flicker, and hiss with election malfunctions. Alice heard a whisper, a whisper as cold as a grave in mid-winter. She then heard a voice, a voice that sounded like to old women speaking at once. What the voice said was horrifying. "Death...agony...blood will stain the soil...death for all."

         Alice began to feel  nervous. "H-hello?" she spluttered. "Is anyone there?"

         For a moment, nothing happened. The lights still flickered. But then, Alice saw something that sent chills down her spine. A girl stood in the hall, her skin was pale, almost white. Her hands were bony and gnarled, like Satan's himself. Her hair was light brown, but all shaggy and demonic. She wore a nightgown, but it was stained red. Red with blood. "Come catch me!" hissed the ghost girl.

         Alice didn't move. She just stared at the girl with fear. "No," she said. "No.

         The ghost girl stared at Alice, in silence. The thunder outside made the fear in Alice grow. She felt something take over her. Like a strange urge to do something. She got out of bed, and started towards the girl, the fear swelling inside her still. She walked out of the room, and found that the girl was gone, in a blink of an eye. She looked to the right, nothing. She looked to the left, and there the ghost girl stood. her eyes were pure white, and hollow. "Come and get meeeee!" she whispered again, then running off while giggling.

         Alice walked down the hall, out  of the safety of the light. Her heart raced, and her adrenaline grew inside her. The paintings of strange women and men seemed to be staring at her. The windows were outlined with the frost of death, and Alice felt the dead girls atmosphere surround her. She broke into a small run, chasing towards the girl, but the ghost girl was quite agile. "You'll never catch me!" she hissed again.

         Alice ran past a wall decorated with paintings, still they seemed to be looking at Alice. She remembered passing these paintings before, but she then came to a stop by one she did not remember seeing.

         It was her mother, sitting on a wooden chair, smiling, holding a white lily.

        Alice completely lost interest in the ghost girl. She stared at the painting of her mom, wondering. She approached the painting, and the closer she got, the more Three dimensional it became. When she was no more than six inches from it, she stopped. Alice looked into the eyes of the painting. Her heart slowed, and her adrenaline hushed. She continued to stare at it, happy to see her mother's face again, but perplexed that it had just randomly appeared there's.

        Suddenly, the painting shifted. Alice flinched. She saw her mother move her right hand. Her eyes turned white and hollow like the ghost girl's, and slowly glance at Alice. Alice's face went pale with fear. Then, her mother burst from the painting, lunging. Her mother shrieked. It sounded like a nail scraping in glass combined with the roar of a dinosaur. Alice screamed and fell backward. The demonic woman which was once her mother lunged at Alice, and pinned her to the opposite wall of the one where the paintings were on. Alice cried in fear. The monster's mouth yawned wide, ripping the skin around the mouth, revealing walls of razor sharp teeth. Alice screamed as the demon shrilled right in Alice's face. After that, in a flash, the monster displaced into dust. She fell to the floor, panting and sobbing with fear. Alice quickly arose, and ran down the hall. And to her misfortune, she wasn't going towards her room. She was going the opposite direction.

Alice burst through a set of doors, then tripped and fell upon the wooden floor. Alice got up, and slammed the doors she came through shut. She slid to the floor, weeping aloud like a little kid. She eventually realized she was in the theater. The rows of seats all empty, and the big screen blank. Then, the projector hidden above the door turned on. Alice jumped, when it's machinery began to click and clack. Alice turned to the screen, and almost yelled in terror when she saw the ghost girl. She was at the end of one of the halls of Oak Vale. Alice saw horribly cut and lacerated bodies scattered on the floor, blood and gore leaking from their torsos. Then the screen shifted, and the ghost girl was close. Then it shifted again. The ghost girl was closer. Again it shifted, and the ghost girl was gone. Alice panted. Then she screamed when the ghost girl's face was fully visible, her mouth yawned wide and oozing black puss, and her eyes white. The ghost girl was shrilling, never stopping. Horror arose in Alice. Alice cried out in terror. Then the screen went black again.

Alice began to cry. She ran for the door, but it was locked. "Help!" She screamed. "Help!"

The lights in the theater began to flicker. Then Alice heard a sudden clamor from behind the screen. Alice slowly turned, and saw something that truly horrified her. A black, shadowy silhouette of a woman, her arms reaching her knees and her torso was tiny. The demon stared at Alice, growling. Alice cried in terror, and tried to open the door again. Then she heard the demon shriek, and lunge at her. Alice turned in time to see the demon's horrific face. It's eyes were empty sockets, and she seemed to be made of black mist. The demon pinned Alice, and shadowy tentacles held her down. "Help me! Someone!" Alice cried.

The demon shrieked, then a black tentacle reached for Alice's mouth. She felt death enter her soul, and the eyes roll to the back of her head. Her mouth yawned open like the demons, and puss erupted from her mouth. Alice gurgled and screamed, feeling the agony of the demon possessing her soul. Then it all stopped. Poof. Instantly. Alice screamed, and realized she was back in her bed. She was crying, but no one heard her.

Then she heard a voice in her head. You're mine now, it hissed. Now you are my servant