Voice

Lilleth stared up at the ceiling while bundled in her covers. Dimly lit with various band posters taped to the wall, it’s the room of a typical punk girl. She nodded her head to the beat, and softly sang along to the heavy metal playing on her speakers. She heard her mom calling over the music.“What!” Lilleth snapped, annoyed because she knew she would have to get up.

“Lilleth! Come down here! I need some help in the kitchen!” she yelled from downstairs. Rolling her eyes, Lilleth got out of bed, and turned her music off.

The hallway was dark. She turned on the florescent lights. Pictures hung crookedly on the walls, or on the floor. Without looking she closed the door behind her, which had black scratches on it, and she sluggishly went downstairs. Looking into the kitchen, she saw her mom wasn’t there. “Mom?” she grumbled loudly while leaning on the countertop. Silence.

“Lilleth?” the sudden voice of her mom from upstairs broke the silence. Lilleth thought it was odd that her mom had managed to get upstairs so fast without passing her.

“Yea?” She replied, shrugging off the oddity.

“Lilleth did you hear that?” Her mom asked, her voice laden with worry.

“Hear what?” Lilleth asked, then looked up at the stairway, but her mom was’t there. The dark marks that she had missed earlier had disappeared, and the pictures were back in place.

“Did someone call you from the kitchen?” Her mom asked.

“Yeah, you did. Didn’t you? Or have you forgotten already” Lilleth sassed.

“Lilleth, come up here,” Her mom ordered. Lilleth left the kitchen, then cautiously walked up the stairs, wondering what ear full she would get this time. “Lilleth don’t go up there!” her mom cried from the living room, which was out of sight. “Someone is up there! Don’t go there!”

Lilleth pushed herself into the railing. Grabbing it as hard as she could as she looked around with confusion and anxiety.

“Get out! Honey! Get out!” The voice from upstairs bellowed.

“No! Don’t listen to it!” the voice from the living room shouts.

Lilleth ran to her room, slammed the door, then locked it. She picked up her phone and dialled 911. She paced the room as the dial tone beeped in her ear.

“Hello, Emergency Center. What’s your emergency,” answered her moms voice. Dropping the phone, she ran to the window then fidgeted with the lock urgently.

“Lilleth! Sweetie! Please let me in! Please! It’s after me!” Her mom begged, knocking on the door urgently. “Please! Let me in!” She pleaded as her knocking became frantic banging, and she sobbed in horror.

Lilleth watched the door in horror. Light flooded under the door, except for the middle where something blocked it. The sobs and banging trailed off into nothing, and everything went silent. Something still blocked the door.

She went back to trying to get the window open but it was stuck. A horrible rusty squeak came from the door knob as it jiggled. She took a textbook off her desk and slammed it into the window. It cracked. She hit it again, but instead of cracking further the cracks mended themselves and shrank into nothing. She stepped back, looking at it in horrible amazement.

The door swung open; Lilleth with a squeal jumped onto her desk to cringe in the corner. She desperately flattened herself into the wall in wild hopes that she would melt into it and away from danger. Her breath jagged and rapid, her body shaking violently, her head in between her knees. At the peak of her fear, she peeked at the doorway which was completely devoid of any monster. She bit her lip and took deep breaths. At last she sighed as the nightmare was over. She leaned her head on the wall, and rubbed her temple, deeply confused.

“Lilleth,” the voice whispered from beside her. Lilleth went completely still, not even taking a breath. Her eyes were wide as she gazed out in front of her, dreading to look over. She couldn’t help her self. Keeping her eyes glued to one spot, she turned her head slowly. Choking on her breath, she quivered, and whimpered. Then she looked.

A grey, crooked smile sneered at her. Pitch black eyes with an awful twinkle peered at her. It happened so quick. So fast she couldn’t scream. It enveloped her in darkness.

Disorientation had taken control of her. The pitch black faded to a fuzzy grey where everything moved yet there was nothing there. She thought a thousand pins and needles were prodding her, but not breaking flesh. That a million ants crawled over every inch of her. A slight tinkling sound began to play as though coming from the back of her mind.

The tinkling gave way to three notes which repeated. Every chord got louder and louder, coming out farther from the depths of her mind until it became reality. The blinding grey static suddenly released her.

Her body still rocked with disorientation as she peered out. At first she could only make out shapes and colours. The red of the background blended into fuzzy silhouettes. She regained her stream of consciousness, and the scene was more apparent.

A group of clowns dressed in black, green, and bright red cackled uncontrollably, bending over almost in pain as they laughed. They jerked with every movement, like a puppet does, but they had no strings. Thick black, greasy bars were all that separated her form the monsters.

She noticed two who were standing closely together. One was female with a shiny red and green skin tight suite which stitched into her skin. Black paint oozed from her hairline, and mixed with blood poring from her eyes. The same eyes as that which took Lilleth here.The twinkle in the coal black, stretched eyes was the same. The unblinking eyes looked through her with an emotionless face devoid of a mouth.

The male standing beside it wore a loose black suite which hung limp over its slight figure. It had perfect porcelain skin with deep red blush elegantly painted on. It looked at the floor with perfectly smooth porcelain over where the eyes should be. Lilleth saw the ghastly grey smile under it’s perfectly sculpted nose. It sneered, and quivered with laughter.

Lilleth curled up into a tight ball in the corner of her cage, and rocked furiously. She clawed at her arms until they felt bare. A lump planted itself in her throat. The male spoke with a sweet voice like that of a child. “What’s the matter?” it asked innocently, then quickly wound up into a horrendously sick laugh.

Hands grabbed hold of Lilleth, shaking her desperately. “What’s the matter?” a voice yelled. “What’s the matter?” It took Lilleth a few moments to realise her mother’s voice. Thinking it was the monster’s trick, Lilleth struggled wildly. Flailing her arms, screeching, and scratching the assailant. Digging into flesh and tearing away viciously.

The attacker backed off. Lilleth huddled in the corner, hiding her face in between her knees. After sitting in silence for a long period of time, Lilleth lifted her head to look.

She was in her kitchen, completely alone. Nothing was different about the kitchen. She looked up towards her room to find there were no black marks anywhere, and the pictures were restored. She gained the guts to get up.

She jumped when she heard a strange sound. Sobbing coming from the bathroom down the hall. Lilleth greatly hesitated, but moved forward towards the sobbing with legs triggered to jump back at a moments notice. The door was open, and light flooded the hallway. Lilleth crept closer to the door way, then peered in.

Her mom stood at the sink sobbing. Water ran lightly over her left hand while her right held a towel to her face. She looked into the mirror, and stared back at Lilleth with reddened eyes. “What happened?” Lilleth croaked.

“Nothing dear. I just,” she stopped, and sighed. She placed the towel down to reveal fresh scratches on her cheek. “It’s fine. It’ll be all right. You’ll get settled in no time. Everything will return to normal,” she faintly mumbled.

Lilleth couldn’t stand to look at her. She focussed on a crack in a floor tile. “I’ll try my best,” Lilleth replied after a long while.

Mom finished washing up, then turned the light off when she left the bathroom. The two stood silently in the dark hallway, looking at each others outlines. “I’ll try,” Lilleth repeated.

“Good, Lilleth,” said her mom’s voice.