Time and tide wait for no man.
It is said that powerful beings standing on the precipice between two worlds can spell into existence a power unlike anything anyone has ever known. It certainly appeared to Caroline that she was standing in the midst of the veil between worlds as she hovered in the in between of her mind, betwixt wakefulness and slumber. However, she did not consider herself powerful in the slightest. She was just an ordinary girl, a lonely girl who fell victim to a pretty face. She has always known that monsters were real, they masqueraded as many things. Doctors, loan sharks, officers of the law, politicians, there has always been and will probably always be a dark side to humanity. One that she has since a babe been shielded from. To be caught by a true monster though, a being from the likes of suspenseful books and gripping movies, a creature conjured from the stuff of nightmares, was something that she could have never foreseen. Such thoughts and notions kept her mind restless as she found herself in the realm of the in between. It was in this ‘tween realm that she found that she could hardly see. Even the spaces a few feet around her were painted in darkness. Without her sight to act as a guide, her other senses took over. She could feel the cool wind of something she assumed was air that caressed her skin, she could smell the zephyr that would have been fresh had it not been for the rusted hint to the air. The scent on the breeze gave way to taste as the savor of copper registered at the back of her throat. There was just a touch of discomfort there at the base of the neck but such a feeling took a backseat when a peculiar sound made itself known to her. It was a tinkling noise that registered at the very edge of her senses. Caroline almost thought she was going mad if not for the simple fact that the noise came again, louder this time. The tone of it resonating like bells but embodying emotion if she could even believe it. The tinkling tones grew and she realized that the noises actually sounded like that of laughter. It was playful and almost contagious if not for the harsh tinge to the underbelly of it, as if the laughs were layered in a way. Giggles reminiscent of children that bordered on manic as she continued to listen.
Putmeinputmein.Deepinsideyourneck.Turnmeonceturnmetwiceyou’llendupinyourhead.Changeyouchangemebewhoyouwanttobe.Anyoneanywhereitdoesn’tmattertome.Wheredoyouwannago?Youcangoanywhere.Wheredoyouwannago?Youcangoanywhere.
Caroline reeled back, she had been unconsciously leaning forward a little bit. She had almost fallen to what she perceived to be the ground as she strained to understand what she was actually hearing. What she had originally regarded to be childlike laughter, was actually words being composed into unnerving little phrases, as if they were ghoulish nursery rhymes. She could hardly even understand what it was the voices were saying, what they were trying to beat into her head on a continuous loop. Their pitch had taken her aback the most, the voices taking on a haunting but beautiful quality as if they were singing a deadly lullaby. They captivated her, seeming to enchant her with their spell, and unsettled her at the very same time, setting her skin alight with goosebumps. The hairs on the back of her neck raised and seemed to dance to the melody that became those utterances. The voices seemed to be on a mission, beckoning Caroline as they drew her deeper into their snare. She couldn’t fathom how or why she felt this way about the voices calling out to her. It disturbed her to be enthralled to such a degree by something as simple as this. The harmonies the voices employed were stratiform, the highest of sopranos mixing with alluring altos, and somber tenors.
Magicmirroronthewall.Who’sthefairestoneofall?Mirrormirroronthewall.Who’sthedemonbehindthewall?Punishthemoncepunishthemtwicenoonesurvivesthemirroronthewall.
Her jaw dropped slightly allowing a gasp to slip through her lips at the tones coming from everywhere, all at once. It was beautiful if not more so now, as the sounds seemed to crescendo and modulate. Her eyes welled with tears as secret messages were carried by unforgettable tones that slithered into her ears, weaving through the channels of her mind like that of a sly snake. The dulcet but eerie tones left their mark on Caroline, imprinting themselves on her soul. It was only after she was fully captivated by the barely there utterances that they began to make sense.
One day, my love, we shall be together. We can be a true family.
Lover, lover, dare I get betwixt her?
I am coming for you, little fox. It matters not where you hide, I will find you. I will make you suffer greatly for your wrongs against me.
In the shadows of this world you’ll discover the means to free yourself the shackles of man. Unlock all the secrets of your consanguinity then come find me, free me.
As if lured awake by the persistent whispers, Caroline’s eyes opened groggily. Her vision was spotty before it came back in its entirety. The soft murmurings still lingered in her thoughts, especially the last four because those were the ones she could understand the most. The first voice was feminine and reminded her a little of the sheriff, which was disconcerting to say the least. It had been quite awhile since the last time that her mother made any sort of appearance in her dreams. Was any of that even a dream? The second voice was masculine and kind, it seemed to be answering the first voice in reply. It made her wonder who her mother could be communicating with and why? She couldn’t be calling for her deadbeat father… none of it was making any sense. The third voice was also masculine and left her feeling raw in a way that scared her, the voice spoke as if it promised fire and brimstone, a retribution that would wait no longer. The fourth voice, however, was the one that she had the most visceral response to of all. The fourth voice was eerily likened to her own.
As she sat up in what appeared to be a bed, she was surprised to see that it was her own bed. She couldn’t even remember how she had gotten home. The last thing she did remember was kissing a stranger against his car before… before… Her hand flew to her neck as the feeling and memory of pain flashed through her mind’s eye. Pulling her hand away from her nape, she saw the wetness in the sunlight as it streamed in from her bedroom window. She whimpered lightly as an ache between her legs also made itself known. Turning toward her pillow, she saw the telltale evidence of still drying blood that had pooled as she slept through a tumultuous night. She worked through the pain and tremors as she stripped her bed of the soiled linens before balling them up, setting them in the corner of the room to be washed. Limping toward the bathroom, she drew herself a bath with scented oils and soothing bath salts before taking a look at herself in the mirror. It was a scary sight to say the least. She had lost the healthy coloring in her face, the bags under her eyes were horrendous, and her neck was stained red-brown with the drying blood beginning to crust on her porcelain skin. She looked down bad for real. She brushed her teeth quickly before easing her way into the borderline scalding bath water. Sighing when she was fully seated, she leaned back and closed her eyes letting the perfume of the essential oils and the essence of eucalyptus salts ease her aches and discomfort. She felt like she needed to cleanse herself completely, inside and out. Thus beginning the task of ridding her body and her mind of the dread from the night before. After scrubbing her skin raw and all remnants of blood were completely gone, Caroline wrapped herself in the fluffiest towel she could find and drained the tub. She watched, transfixed almost, as the horrors flowed down the drain with the water. Shaking herself a little bit, she padded into her room only to recoil at the sight before her. The man or creature that caused her all of this distress was waiting for her on the bed.
“Umm, hello? Towel?” Her voice coming out barely above a whisper as she gestured to herself.
“Uhh, hello, no one cares.”
Caroline frowned at that. “I thought you would have been long gone by now. Didn’t you already get what you wanted?”
Her frown deepened as he got up and stalked toward her, his eyes dilating as he went.
“Sit down and be quiet.” The command rattled around in her mind but didn’t take.
“No, I won’t.” Her voice came out stronger. “You need to leave! I will be pressing charges—
“How will you press charges if you don’t know my name?” He asked, his voice taking on a patronizing tone and his eyes dilating still. “How will anyone be able to help you if you can’t remember what I look like? If you can’t remember anything that has happened to you for the last twenty-four hours?”
“What? I—
Fight him, Caroline.
“Now, sit down and be quiet!” He hissed.
The words in her head clashed with the words in her ears. She found herself walking to the bed and sitting closest to the lamp on her bedside table.
Fight him, Caroline!
At the last second, she picked up the lamp and hurled it toward the blue-eyed devil. It crashed into him, sending shards everywhere. She scrambled toward her bathroom door, it was the closest. Only she didn’t make it that far. She felt an arm snake around her waist before she was lifted off of the ground and tossed bodily onto the floor. She let out a punched out groan, her lungs felt empty as the air left them in a rush. She covered her head with her arms to protect herself only to cry out in pain when her arms were knocked forcefully out of the way. Her eyes had popped open when she heard a low growl. Her jaw dropped in terror as she saw dark veins beneath her attacker’s eyes. The last thing she saw was blood-red eyes before the man became a blur, ripping into her already sore throat.
Caroline came to abruptly, jerking up and reaching out blindly. She was disoriented with blood loss and groggy from her forced nap as a result of it. On top of that, she had been laying naked and supine on the floor. Her attacker had left her sprawled out, arms hanging limply at her sides. Her towel was nowhere to be seen and she didn’t feel an ache at the junction of her thighs anymore. Sighing at her plight, she pulled herself onto her bed which had, surprisingly, been made. Her brows furrowed as she frowned in confusion, she hadn’t had time to make up her bed. Shit. Had her mother found her in a state of distress and cleaned up for her? She stood up on shaky legs to see that there was no evidence that anything untoward had happened to her the night before or after her morning bath. There was even a brand new lamp sitting on her nightstand. Her hand flew to her neck, feeling around for scarring of any kind but there was nothing there either. Perplexed, she scrambled over to the vanity sitting undisturbed on the opposite side of the room. She looked over her body, checking herself for marks, any signs of the torture she suffered. Once again, she found nothing. None of this was making any sense. There was no way her mother would have fixed up the mess that was her room and just leave her on the floor, that just wasn’t happening. So what did happen? Turning to face her bed, she noticed something white against her pale blue pillows. Taking a step closer, she realized that it was a simple card and on it read a message written in a script that looked as if it came straight out of a museum. As if the words came from an aged journal.
I’m not done with you yet.
She read the words over and over again. The message was a warning, one she would do well to heed, lest she lose more than she already has. Her thoughts raced a mile a minute before growing fuzzy. Her memory of the night before seemed to fade. She shook her head furiously and clenched her fists, she had to remember. It was imperative she did, otherwise she would be susceptible to even more threats. She had no intention of living in fear, she refused to let someone take advantage of her again. As much as she tried to keep the memories chained to her mind, it seemed fate had other plans. She screamed in anguish as the warning on the card evoked a response that she did not see coming. It was like her brain was misfiring and heeded the commands of someone else. The images of everything that had happened, the emotions connected to them, all of it seeped out of the pores of her mind. Slipping out of her ears, escaping her conscious thoughts, and racing into the universe. Her fists unclenched, the stress of her rigid stance gave way to compliance and soon, she could remember nothing of the horror that befell her. Looking down, she saw the card and read its message. Cocking her head to the side, confusion swirled. Who’s not done with who? Can’t be referring to me. Caroline ripped the card to shreds before tossing the remnants into the trash.
