No!
NO!
'This isn't happening! This can't be happening!'
"This is a dream. It's just a dream Tora, it's not real, It's not happening. I'm just having a nightmare", Tora tried to reason. She felt lost. Her mind swept away in a current of panic and despair.
This couldn't be real. It was just a dream, she was just having a night terror. She was still at Janette's, wrapped up in warm comfortable sheets, sleeping the night away unawares. She didn't check in the kitchen of her best friend's house to find a monster and shattered glass; she didn't took off down the streets, in her pajamas with Janette on her heels to her mother's house, to be lead to her doom by the woman who gave birth to her. She wasn't trapped in the basement of said woman's house fearing for her life.
She wasn't because this isn't real.
And yet it felt like it was.
It felt like she was trapped in her basement with a monster that was her supposed mother, her best friend and the smell of rotting decompsing flesh and iron. The smell so strong it made her head spin and a part of her confirming her fears.
Yet?
She couldn't tell what it was. If it was her mind going into denial or her eyes trying to see the truth behind it all. The truth that what she thought she was seeing wasn't there.
"--ra --p!"
Her mind was in turmoil. Trying to configure all possibilities of why she must believe her eyes. The eyes can decieve. Tora's body stilled. 'That voice? Whose was it?' She couldn't figure. It wasn't her mother's or Janette's nor Janette's parents.
It wasn't from anyone she knew so whose was it?
"--ora -lp me---"
Tora didn't know what to think anymore. Her mind was going haywire, being pushed and pulled all over. It was like it was being torn apart from the inside. Apart of her was saying this was real, another part was saying it wasn't and then that weird but familiar voice was threatening to fully break the shaky foundation of her mind. She didn't know what to think and it felt as if she was going insane.
"Tora please help me!", a shrill and terrified voice screeched through her eardrums, penetrating her brain and bringing her back to the now. "Tora help me! Help me PLEASE!!", the voice screamed in agony.
Tora's head swivelled around the room to see Jannette being pulled by the creature. It's claws sinking into her foot, ripping flesh from it. Her eyes widened and she seemed to have realised where she was. 'Focus Tora, think about that crap later!' She chastised herself.
But truly she was at a lost. That thing had Janette by the foot, damaging valuable tissues and there was nothing she could do about it. 'Shit! And the damn door is locked.', she panicked. She didn't know what to do and if they were even going to make it out of that basement alive. 'Think Tora Think!'
At that moment Tora saw hope.
She didn't know what a pipe wrench was doing down there and she didn't care. She saw her ray of light seeping through her darkness and flung herself at it like a wild horse.
The wrench was a few centimetres from the creature and Tora didn't give herself time to think lest she changed her mind. She rushed down the stairs, ignoring Janette's outstretched hand and winced at her scream of pain as the creature sinked it's claws further into her skin.
She ducked as the creature snapped its jaws at her. Grimacing at the putrid scent of ramsid breath and rustic iron. It was overwhelming and for a second she became dizzy, staggering a little as she continued her rush forward.
Her mother, the creature, turned it's attention back to Janette and Tora saw this as an opportunity. She made a mad dash towards the creature, charging at it like a bulldozer, and swung the wrench with all the force her body could muster, and striked it in the face harder than she had ever hit anything in her life.
The creatures head snapped to the side. The crack audible in the room and Tora froze at the prospect that she might have killed it. The creature.
Her mother.
She stood as still as a statue at the spot. Watching as in slow motion as the creature crashed to the ground with a loud thud, motionless. Her eye's filled with water and her mind still confused.
"Tora", a weak whisper drew her from her self confusion and she hurried towards Janette.
"Are you okay Janette?" She asked. Her voice barely above a whisper herself. It felt like she was in a state of disbelief, relief, and yet her mind was grappling with fear and this continued urgency that left her puzzled. The eye's can decieve. The voice reminded her.
"Tora let's get out of here. What if its not dead?", Janette voice laced with terror and Tora was surprised at how accurately Janette was matching her emotions. That never happened before. 'Maybe its just the trauma...?', she thought ambivalent.
"You're right. Let's go"
With a grunt, both girls got to their feet, with Tora wrapping an arm around Janette's waist clenching the wrench in the other, Janette's arm wrapped around Tora's neck. It was uncomfortable having to support most of Janette's weight up 10 steps but she did as fast as she could, feeling that sense of urgency in her mind increase.
Once they reached the basement door, she release Janette and positioned herself with the wrench clenched in both hands, raised high, and hit at the door knob as hard as she could.
It didn't budge.
She blew out a frustrated sigh and began hitting at the knob with all her might. Over and over until it came off. She jiggled the lock and tentatively pushed the door, sighing in relief when it opened.
She hoist Janette back into their previous position and as quickly as they could whilst being mindful of Janette's legs, hurriedly made their way for the front door.
They ignored the floor stained in red, glistening in the moonlight causing their stomach's to churn, and turned right, using the wall as a carrier. Feeling a weight lift of their chest when they saw the front door in sight.
That was until they heard a growl.
&&&&&~&&&&&~&&
💜nuttyweird says- Hope is a dangerous thing. It can build strong men; but can just as easily can tear them down.