~~Ashley's POV~
My resolve had long flown out the window.
The test involved a clip specially prepared by her. Different shades of blue eyes would flash voraciously across the screen at high speeds, and it was to be viewed in a dark room with zero light source. The first attempt with my cell phone was catastrophic. And right now was a whole new level.
We were in what appeared to be her basement. It was dark in here and I could only pinpoint her location using her footsteps. It didn't take long for misgivings to shroud the concrete conviction I had a few moments ago.
Was this even necessary now? I should have just listened and would've probably been on my way to Carson by now.
I flinched at the bright light that flooded the darkness, sourcing from the big screen suddenly before me.
"Sit," the bland voice echoed through while her figure was still partly swallowed by the darkness, leaving just the anterior part of her torso at the light's mercy.
This was my chance to back out, leave, and come back whenever I was a bit sane. Because right now I could literally collapse from all the weight against my ribcage by my heart.
Instead, I walked hesitantly to the chair in the middle.
Just go back.
The tiny voice in my head kept trying to dissuade me but I flatly ignored it, trying to figure out the look in her eyes while sitting cautiously.
"You can choose to turn around and leave." An advice? A warning? I could hardly tell. But one thing stood out – she was giving me a chance.
At this point, I could not help but wonder if I was being gutsy or just stupid. Deep down I knew I wasn't prepared for this yet I just closed my eyes and sucked in air, refusing to budge.
How worse could it get?
"I will not stop." I shot my eyes open. "Even if you tell me to," she proceeded to deadpan with eyes nailing me to a spot.
"You can leave now if you want to," she warned stoically. "You're not ready for this yet."
"Carry on…" I managed to say, my confidence slipping away at the very end.
She shrugged. "If you say so."
She receded into the darkness behind the projected light.
I clasped onto the chair's arm, bracing up for what was coming. Even though it'd only been seconds, it felt like forever until the first pair of blue eyes popped out of nowhere on the screen, tugging my heart into a jumpscare.
I swallowed my cold breath, regret already pooling around my heart that plunged right into the pit of my stomach. I bit my lips into a thin line.
Given the scale of the projected light amid the pitch darkness all around me, it felt like I was in a pool of deep blue eyes when the real play began. They all danced around, reminiscent of a shadow play when the eyes kept popping at random intervals without warnings or signals to me.
I knew she was only toying with me for now. Regulating the speed from her end was a cakewalk but she chose to retain a normal speed. Yet it could already feel like my world was tearing apart. My palpitations grew violent by the second, pulsing apprehension through every route in my body. The veins beneath my skin threatened to pulp through, and this feeling crawled through my entire being.
'They're just eyes, Ashley.'
'Beautiful eyes at that.'
'They're not gonna jump off the screen and harm you.'
'Relax.'
I tried using my inner voice to hasten the placating process but their effect was equal to not trying at all.
My pulse pounded faster, and my nerves were joining in bundles.
The intervals shortened and I didn't need a super IQ to tell she'd sped up the video.
In a split second, different shades of blue orbs flashed through at light speed, their iridal patterns looming threateningly before me.
Boring my fingers into the hard wood, I desperately fought to keep my balance. If I managed to scale through, it'd be a huge feat, I thought.
As if.
A measly couple of seconds into my "resolution" I started screaming the walls down.
"Turn it off! Turn it off!!" I cried out, jerking violently against the chair. "Let me go, I beg you! I'm sorry! Just turn it off!"
I shut my eyes, hoping it'd abate my tremors but I only ended up gifting it an edge over me. My ears became as active as ever, the whooshing sound from the screen stomping into them and making me lose my mind. The gruesome pictures danced around in my head, egged on aptly by the sounds that engulfed the air around me.
"Fine, I'm sorry!" I wailed, pinching my eyes tighter to zero any chances of letting light through. But of course, it was futile. "Let me go, I'm sorry!!" I whimpered, stressing the last word.
If this continued, I could actually pass out here. But that'd be too easy. The few minutes leading to that time would be horrific to put it simply. I'd feel the urge to scream but the only action my mouth would be able to take was to go open. I would neither be able to speak nor call for help if need be.
"Turn it off, I beg you," I breathed inwardly, the next phase of my episode lurking around me.
Then suddenly, it ceased. But it was going to take a while to ease my raging nerves if not the whole day.
I just sat there – definitely not frozen but a bit spaced out – and stared into the darkness that returned, barely hanging on. Clenching my fists and teeth, I threw my head backward with my back glued to the chair's cross rail, an ardent effort to call myself to order voluntarily. The temperature in here was pretty normal but my quavers suggested otherwise.
What I wanted was simple. Make. Them. Stop. And not concede at long last.
"Argh!!!!" I vented in a shrill, unable to bottle it up any longer. Following the brief yet intense outburst was another, featured by liquid trails that escaped through my eyelids.
I failed. Again.