Painted

Chapter Thirteen

In the middle of the meadow, stood a girl with long, dark hair. Her white dress fluttered in the wind. One of her hands was placed firmly on her hat to prevent it from flying away.

"Hey, have you ever heard of the seven deadly sins?" She asked. Her soft voice echoed throughout the meadow.

I stood a few meters away from her, shielding my eyes from the bright light. I don't get it. This seems so real and yet, it's only a dream which will end as soon as I wake. "No." I whispered. Somehow, this girl looks familiar but I couldn't quite remember.

"Ah, that's a shame." She laughed and turned slightly. "Then, do you love me?" Her tone grew serious and forlorn.

I pursed my lips, unsure of what to say. There's no way I'd say yes since this was my first time meeting her. But when my lips part to give her an answer, it's yes which appeared and that surprised me. She giggled and finally turned to face me. She released her grip on her hat and it flew away, revealing her face but I couldn't see because it's too bright. The light's really starting to hurt my eyes.

"If only you know the truth behind those lies." She whispered. The whole world was suddenly engulfed by the darkness. Blood stains started appearing on her white dress. A deafening scream echoed all around. I gasped and pressed my hands on my ears, cringing in fear. The ground exploded from beneath us and we were rocketed into the dark sky.

I screamed and sat bolt upright. My wounds had healed completely but my health has not. I clutched my chest tightly, panting and wheezing. I could still hear screams coming from below. Curious, I decided to investigate it. The clock above the closet showed that it's almost close to midnight.

Damn! I could still hear faint screaming. Rubbing my eyes, I slid off the bed carefully and made my way to the wooden door. It was rather cold in the hall. Shivering, I decided that I could still bear it and followed the screams. The hallway was very dim. There's only enough light for you to see your surroundings within a few centimeter radius.

The screams led me to a room which I've never seen before. The door looks rather worn out and the paint at the sides has chipped off. The screams grew louder as I approached the room which I suspect is either an abandoned one or a storeroom.

It's really dark beyond the door and I could have sworn that it's going to be a long way down. Since one wrong step could send you down to Hell, I made sure to be extra careful. It's difficult to maneuver my way down because it's very dark and I'm only using my touch to feel the way. The screams were deafening. I gasped and pressed my hands to my ears. I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head. Crap, my eyes!

The pain is getting really intense! I gasped and lost my footing, tumbling down. Lucky for me, I'm almost close to the ground so it's just a short fall. The ground felt a little squishy. It's probably mud, I thought. Scrambling to my feet quickly, I head for the sound. Even with my hands covering my ears, the screams are still audible.

As I neared the lit room, I could hear whispers amid those screams. The door was slightly ajar so I peeked in between the crack. I didn't mean to pry; I'm just curious. What I saw next was worst than a nightmare.

Elbe was sitting in front of a loom, weaving. A shadowy figure with her mouth agape in an abnormal way was slowly unraveling. I'm guessing that those screams belonged to her. Mikiel sat at a corner with green eyes illuminating the darkness. They almost looked like they were working on some kind of spell or curse but either way, it was a horrifying scene. I fell backwards in shock and wondered if I would be next.The whispering stopped and only the soul's screaming is audible.

A shadow appeared in between the crack, blocking off part of the light shining through it. "Cain?" Elbe whispered. There's a slight guilt in her tone. She bent down and tried to give me a pat but I shrank away in fear.