Thick, black gruesome chains held it shut. They looked like thick poles that were warped and twisted solely for this gate. The tightened coil around Scarlett’s heart squeezed itself even more at the sight. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her thighs and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Something dark and mucky oozed from the chains and dripped all over the door. It moved slowly and sluggardly like thick molasses.
Scarlett took steps back and noticed a dull silver block. She didn’t know how she’d missed it before. It was placed in the middle of a darkened red heart that had muck dripping from the top. She found herself directly in front of it, yet didn’t recall taking any more steps. From her new distance, the silver block took the shape of a handprint.
Scarlett reached forward and lightly touched the edge of the print with the tips of her fingers. The heart behind it intensely brightened and forced Scarlett to cover her eyes with her arm. The ground rumbled and a ghastly snarl tore through the air. Scarlett’s insides churned and dropped to the pits of her stomach as her heavy and quick breaths got drowned out by howls that followed the snarl.
Scarlett shakily glanced back to be met by dozens of glowing eyes and instantly knew who the howls and snarls belonged to. They began moving towards her as she frantically turned around. The chains on the wooden door began to rapidly pour ooze which sluggishly made its way down and flooded the ground.
It slimmed into the creases of her bare feet and every nerve in her body cringed at the unwelcome sensation. The pounding from the herd of creatures behind her vibrated within her bones as they sped up. She could feel them getting nearer by the second.
Scarlett tried to yank her fingertips from the silver but they wouldn’t give. She grunted and pulled with all the force she could muster. The muck pooled around her ankles and it didn’t help that it felt like cement and held her in place.
“LET GO!” She yelled at the block, hoping it would give.
Scarlett’s arm began to feel like it was going to rip if she continued. Her chest heaved and tears of frustration made their way down her face. She stopped pulling and that’s when she finally felt it. Her finger slid forward. She slowly spread her fingers wide and found that they were able to move while still in contact with the silver. Seeing the handprint, she gently lowered the rest of her hand and for a split second, everything quieted and paused.
It didn’t last.
A jolt ripped through her body as guttural shrieks left her throat. Cracks appeared throughout the dark wooden doors and light began to flood the room. Her eyes slammed shut as the brightness stung. She tried pulling away from the handprint but to no avail; it held her in place. The muck was at her knees and the creatures not far behind.
Fierce winds appeared out of the blue and knocked Scarlett off balance, causing the rest of her body to fall into the muck. A sharp pain emerged from her right shoulder and she screamed with every ounce in her. Her throat was raw and heat spread like wildfire through her body. The handprint held its ground and kept her captive.
Scarlett’s arm, twisted at an unnatural angle, couldn’t be felt anymore. She struggled through clenched teeth to try and lift herself upright. Her body uncontrollably shivered from the muck’s coldness when something poked in the back of her mind. Scarlett stilled and paid attention to it despite the rising muck. It slithered around her and she could feel it attempting to get in. Blaring alarms sounded throughout Scarlett’s mind and deep down she knew it couldn’t be let in at all costs.
‘There needs to be a way to stop this,’ Scarlett hopelessly thought as she felt herself tiring out.
Scarlett managed to hook her hand around the heart surrounding the silver and pull herself up. With the muck climbing to her waist, she couldn’t get far. Her hair stuck and pasted to her skin that was mixed with her sweat and the black ooze. She squinted her eyes to see but quickly shut them, as the light still managed to stab them.
If she didn’t try anything else, she knew she’d die there. Through her throbbing headache and burning eyes, Scarlett managed to catch sight of another bright silver print to the left of the right one. When it got there she didn’t know, nor did she care. A pull in her chest had her fighting with all she had left to slam her left hand down on it. Scarlett’s body twitched as a sharp zap traveled through her body.
She stopped feeling… everything.
Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body tipped backward as the prints released her hands. Scarlett couldn’t hold herself up and didn’t want to. Silence surrounded her ears as the winds slowly ceased and the snarls disappeared. She kept her eyes shut, as they were too heavy to open, but through her eyelids, she could tell the harsh light dimmed to a soft glow.
Her arms were gently being lifted and Scarlett softly groaned in pain. She barely managed to open her eyes enough to catch a glimpse of the gateway in front of her. The chains had vanished and the room blushed like the light of the sunset. Despite the events, the sight of it brought a weak smile to Scarlett’s lips. She groggily turned her head to see who was carrying her only to find that no one was.
She was floating.
Scarlett felt the wind moving beneath and circling her body. Her mind couldn't dwell on this fact; any more and she was sure to be driven off the point of no return. She hardly knew if she’d be able to recover from this.
The wind shifted and began to lower Scarlett. Soft blades tickled her exposed skin and the grass molded to her body. Scarlett was in no rush to find out where she was. Her eyes slowly shut, and once closed, there would be no opening them again.
Scarlett’s breathing lightened and became haggard. Her limbs were like dead weight and her body was shutting down. Her mind was off to a familiar place; the darkness.
But something was different.
Something changed.
As her mind drifted off, the regular darkness no longer greeted her.
Instead, in its place, it was light.
Three
As Scarlett’s mind left, the man watched her body lay still on the cool grass. She would’ve fallen hard had it not been for his power. It was a risky move to aide in any way, but he needed to ensure her safety.
A chill in the air lingered and had him tensing upon his arrival. Another had gotten there before him and their presence could still be felt. As much as he wished it weren’t true, deep down he knew what had commenced.
It would only be a matter of time before they made their move.
For, they knew.
Four
Scarlett awoke to a yellow room. It had light yellow walls and a giant heavily curtained window directly in front of where she lay. She sat up and to her surprise, her body wasn’t aching. She lifted her arms to find her right in a sling. It throbbed with the tiniest movement. Slowly getting up from the bed, Scarlett was relieved when both legs still moved and were intact. She took a step forward and wobbled on her feet. She couldn’t walk straight and had to grab onto the bedpost with her left arm.
Someone had taken care of her. That part was obvious, but who was the question. Her ragged birthday dress was changed to an unusually long white dress and her hair was brushed and washed. If it weren’t for her arm, she’d have a hard time believing any of the previous damage happened.
Cautiously, Scarlett made her way towards the door that lay to the right of the room. She worked her way around the bed and knew that it was going to take her a while to get anywhere until her legs eased up. She wobbled as she exited the room and entered a hallway with no other doors and windows in sight.