Trapped *Completed* -Editing Slowly-

Ch 6

The footsteps grow louder indicating his presence to be close. Suddenly a shadow covers the hole I had fallen in, soon followed by Riley's quick moving feet. He completely ignored the hole and continued down the stairs. Saying I was relieved was an understatement. 

Climbing off whatever it was i had fallen on, I look around. Big mistake. A gasp escapes my mouth at the sight. Riley was truly gone... the old Riley that is.

Bones, lots of bones, covered the floor, skeletons of al kinds mixed together. The most horrifying part? Some had flesh still sticking to the bone.

Feeling the bile rise in my throat I lean over just in time to empty the substance in my stomach, or what used to be in it. What was really only 2 minutes later but felt like so much more, I straightened up, spiting out some saliva to get ride of the last bit of puke in my mouth. Taking a tissue I had in my pocket out, I fold it then press it against my mouth, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm myself down and keep whatever was left in my stomach in my stomach. 

Finally able to move, I glance behind me and see that what I had fallen on was an old mattress. The typical torn dirty white material with a few metal spiral springs sticking out of the object.

Taking a step towards it I debate on whether or not i want to sit on it, the bones that surround me that used to be a living form may have been served their death on this very mattress. That thought alone was enough to make me take 3 steps back. 

Lowering the tissue I wipe my mouth of any extra puke, then dropping the tissue and leaving it. Hesitantly I step onto the mattress, biting my lip as it creaks in protest as my weight causes a dent to form where I stood.

I lift up my right leg and take a deep step so I stood in the middle, my left leg following as I look up at the hole I had made only a few minutes before. It seemed like more wood than necessary had fallen, indicating the wood was rotting long before I came along. 

Then the music started. 

My ears perk up at the sound, noticing how this song was quite different from the one from before. Then a voice that sounded near, too near for comfort, started singing.

Come little children, i’ll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come little children, the time’s come to play

Here in my garden of shadows

Then some wailing began, a mixture of ‘Whoo’ and ‘Ooooooh’. 

Follow sweet children, i’ll show thee the way

Through all the pain and sorrows

Weep not poor children, for life is this way

Murdering beauty and passions

My eyes widen as I realize where the voice is coming from, and as the next verse begins I slowly turn my body to the left, knowing something lurks in the shadows.

Hush now dear children, it must be this way

To weary of life and deceptions

Rest now my children, for soon we’ll away

Into the calm and quiet

The ‘Wooing’ begins again, lasting far much more longer than before, as I catch sight of something peaking out between the border of light at the edge of the shadows. Toes, small child, toes.

Come little children, i’ll take thee away

Into a land of enchantment

Come little children, the time’s come to play

Here in my garden of shadows

As the song comes to an end the feet move, revealing up to just before the ankle. Then, just as the person takes their final breath, do they reveal themselves from the shadows. A sight greets me that is enough to send me into a dizzy state.

The child is a girl, obviously, wearing only a thick-strap dirty white gown that reaches to a few inches above her ankles. Her feet are bare, them along with her arms and face are dirty, similar to her dress, covered in patches of black dust.

Her hair is a mess, it flying in all directions as the brown locks look like a bird’s nest. Then, there are her eyes, probably the most horrifying feature of her whole body. They’re pure white, not even thin red veins creep along their surface. Only then do i notice how pale the girl is, as if she was dead and lacked a beating heart.

Her hand reaches up, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. I don’t fail to notice how her hand and arm shakes, as if she was given 3 cups of pure caffeine and was now suffering the after-effects. 

She then steps fully into the light, finally recognizable to my naked eye. I take a sharp intake of breath, recognizing her from before this all happened.

“J-Jamie?!”