Little Cinder Soot

7.

He ran from room to room, his hand holding the poker in a death grip. He couldnt hear the screaming anymore. What if she-whichever girl it was died? What if it was Sage? God what if it was Hope! He opened one door after another until he finally opened the last one, when he did he stopped dead in his tracks. 

There was a small, child like coffin in the middle of the room. he advanced towards it. From the looks of it he didnt need the poker to help pry the lid off, and he was right, he pushed it slightly and it pushed away. 

"Sage!" he cried out as he saw her small form laying at the bottom. What kind of game was this? Is this what the Lottery winners went through on Halloween night? He quickly scooped her up into his arms. She wasnt breathing. He was too late. 

He laid her down on the floor and quickly performed CPR. This couldnt be happening! After a moment she started coughing and breathing, thanks to the air that he forced in to her lungs. "Holy shit," hunter breathed out as he hugged Sage close to him. That was a close call. Way to close. 

They stayed there until she regained her bearings. She was scared, and delighted at the same time to be alive, she went on and on about a bright light and a beautiful girl in a blue dress. Finally he shut her up by saying they had to go find her mom and Hope. He didnt even yell at her for running away from home. Not that it was his place anyways. 

But he did hold on tight to her hand and didnt let go. 

They walked down the hallway and back to the stairwell neither of them making any noise. After a moment Hunter stopped when he saw someone gliding down the staircase towards the second landing. She was wearing a long blue dress. 

Sage was oblivious. Hunter sped up his walk hoping to catch up with the figure, when all of the sudden the stairs were gone and they fell. And they screamed. and they hit the bottom of the basement floor rather hard knocking the breath out of both of them.

Something supernatural was going on and frankly it was scaring the shit out of him. He had just fallen through 3 floors and landed perfectly unscathed flat on his ass. and the ceiling above him was still intact. He held out his hand to Sage who was still trying to catch her breath. She took it. 'She doesnt like you," she whispered her eyes wide. Hunter looked at her. "Who doesnt?" he asked. 

Sage looked away and murmured. "Danielle De Exter, of course!"

"Danielle De Exter is a myth, Sage nothing more than that. I cant explain whats been happening but I know for a fact that Danielle De Exter isnt alive right now," Hunter scolded. Sage stood up and crossed her arms. "Shes mad that you think shes not behind this, she says that you dont believe in her, so she'll make you believe." Sage told him. Hunter stood up as well and went to talk but was distracted by the image on the wall of the basement. 

Sassy was chained with her hands above her head and a gag in her mouth. She screamed against the gag and moved the chain trying to get free. Tears were streaking down her face. 

Then his vision was filled with a different girls face. she was young and blonde...and in a blue dress. Hunter didnt even have time to notice her feet werent even touching the ground. 

"It pains you so to see her like that doesnt it, Hunter Brigley?" she cooed. Hunters hair on his neck rose. "Well it pains me so, that i didnt kill your ancestor like i thought I did, so you can go through the same pain as I, to an extent, maybe yours will be worse." 

"Hunter?" a voice called out. Hunter turned and saw Hope at the top of the stairs that were at the other end of the basement. He moved towards her and then stopped. Hope wasnt standing on the stairs, she was standing on a chair, on the stairs with a noose around her neck. His blood ran cold. 

"Unfortunately, you can only save one." the girl in the dress said smiling evilly. Hunter noticed Sage sitting against the basement wall, her knees drawn up to her chest and her head laying on them. She wasnt going to be much help. She seemed to channel the girl in the dress more than anything. 

"what do you mean I can only save one?' he asked. The girl sighed a very dramatic sigh. "Choose. Ones really there the other isnt. Who to save...tsk tsk tsk." then she dissolved and Hunter blinked to make sure he wasnt seeing things. Sage was still against the wall, Sassy was still chained and Hope was still standing...for now. He just had to choose. But what if he chose wrong?