Shadows in the Forest

Chapter 11

Rosie stood before her, her innocent face set in confusion.  A small pout adorned her lips.  Her hair was in it's usual disarray despite the strenuous hair brushing Farah had inflicted only that morning.  There was no location here.  It wasn't that it was all dark, or all light, there was just . . . nothing.  Emptiness.  No here nor there.  Just nowhere.

Rosie opened her mouth and asked a question, but no sound reached Farah.

"You need to speak up Rosie." she said, the volume of her own voice shocked her as though she'd expected this nothingness to swallow her up too.

"We're all alone now." she said.  That voice-- that wasn't Rosie.  It was low, deep, rumbling.  It was menacing and foreboding.  "We're alone now."

"Rosie, what're you--"

"We're alone now." She repeated, confused face turning angry, her fat cheeks turned red with fury.  Those tiny little hands curled into fists at her side, wrinkling her nice grey dress.  "We're alone now!"

That voice, one raised, cut right into Farah's chest.  This wasn't Rosie.  This wasn't her at all--

"We're alone now!  We're alone now!  We're alone now!" She shouted.  Voice growing deep, darker, more horrible.  The nothingness around them shook with fury, with unbridled anger.  It grabbed onto Farah's skin and pulled until it hurt.  She clapped her hands over her ears to stop hearing the shouting, but it didn't work.  She tried shutting her eyes to cease the image of her baby sister turning into a monster, but the same scene played behind her closed lids.  

"Stop Rosie!" Farah cried.  "Stop it, please!" she begged.

"WE'RE ALONE NOW!  WE'RE ALONE NOW!  WE'RE ALONE!  ALONE!  ALONE!"

Then nothing, quite suddenly, and Rosie was gone.  Just Farah and the nothing.  So much nothing, actually.  Very heavy nothing, almost crushing.

Then the brush of broad fingers across her bare shoulders. She spun, but found more nothing.  Her hair was moved aside to let that same hand rest firmly on her shoulder, spinning her this time to come face to face with a sneer across a perfectly terrible face.  Adam hadn't even said a word to Farah, yet he was still somehow mocking her.

Once again, he spoke, but no words found Farah.  She knew better this time though, was beginning to realize how wrong this nothingness really was.  How unnatural.  Where had she been before this?  What had she been doing?

This time, she didn't ask him to speak up, he just did it himself.  "You left them, you left them to me.  Abandoned them.  Alone.  I'll take their house, I'll take his job.  You could have done something.  Now they're mine.  They're mine.  Selfish, so selfish."

His breath was hot, face so close.  She pulled and tugged away but his grip was unnaturally strong and didn't move an inch, as though he were stone, not man.  "You were mine!" he hissed.  "Mine, mine, mine!  Selfish!  You're mine and you're selfish!  Selfish!  SELFISH!"

Farah found herself screaming with him, and this time when she shut her eyes real darkness met her.  That firm grip released her, and she fell to her knees within the nothingness.  Silence met her once more.  Misery bloomed something horrible in her chest.  

She opened her eyes upon a new feeling, saw feet appear in front of her.  She looked up with tearful eyes to see Darrin staring down at her, offering her an outstretched hand.  She swallowed a lump in her throat and grabbed it, allowing him to pull her to her feet.  With his other arm, he pulled her into a hug. His scent engulfed her, comforting, and she felt that pain momentarily leave her.  

"You're worse than father." he said soothingly into her ear.  There was no silent mouthing of words this time.  Just instantaneous disaster.  She tried to pull away, but his arms were a vice, as strong as Adam's grip, and she realized there was no where to go.  "He left us as a family, left us savings, shelter, warmth, love.  You left nothing, Farah.  You left nothing.  We're broke, we're alone, and we're in danger.  You're worse.  You're worse than him."