Lucifer [Louis] [On Hold]

01 | L o u i s

MELANIE OPENED HER EYES TO a bright light, only it wasn't a light at all; it was the sky. She frowned. The sky hadn't been that bright and clear before - it had been dark, just after midnight. With a shake of her head, Melanie sat up from where she was lying - in the middle of a road, near a towering oak tree.

"What the hell?" she whispered to herself, looking around. The landscape was familiar, but so empty and desolate. Melanie looked around to find a tree line to her left and she soon recognized where she was - sitting just outside her hometown. She looked over her shoulder and saw the outline of houses in the distance.

But there was something wrong. Everything was ... colourless. The surroundings made Melanie think of a black and white movie, where everything was dull and lifeless. But why was it like that? Was she possibly dreaming? Melanie looked down at herself to find that she was the only thing still in colour.

Slowly, Melanie stood up and looked around. In the distance, a mist-like cloud could be seen crawling its ways towards her and she shuddered. It was like living in a nightmare - everything quiet and eerie right before a psycho jumped out from the shadows and killed you. She wrapped her arms around herself and started for the town.

As she walked, there was no way to ignore the dull ache all over her body, in her chest and head especially. It was uncomfortable and so was the cold air seeping through her clothing as the mist curled around her.

She ran as fast as she could to her home, leaving the fog behind. As she passed the 'Welcome' sign to the town, her eyes darted from window to window to try and catch a glimpse of movement. But she never saw any - the whole place was deserted. No people, animals, insects - just nothing. No sign of life at all, except for her.

"Hello?" she called out, her eyes starting to water. Melanie had never been one to cry, but being so alone scared her. She knew that there was something wrong and that this wasn't the hometown she had grown up in. That town had been a well inhabited, warm place - not cold and dark.

Melanie wandered over to the closest house and knocked three times on the door. She waited ten seconds before trying again. No one answered. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked around at the ghost town, panic increasing within her.

She had never felt so alone. It terrified her to know that there was nobody else around. Where could they have gone?

"Hello? Is there anyone here?!" she yelled, her voice laced with panic. Her breathing was erratic and she was shaking. "Hello? Please tell me where I am!"

Silence followed and she began to cry harder. Where was everyone? Was her friends and family around? The thought had her running towards her home. She lived about five minutes from the town centre, so the run was quick, but the pain in her body made her wince constantly. She ran up the steps to her door and let herself in.

"Mum? Dad?" she called out, rubbing the tears from under her eyes. "John?" Her brother was always there for her, so if there was anyone around, she knew it would be him.

After realizing that the house was completely empty, she left the building.