Hope stepped out into a ghost town, and she felt renewed nausea at the sight. Empty buildings lay crumbling around her under a bleak grey sky, and she felt more like throwing up than ever. There was a washed out, dingy cast to the air, as if the place had been frozen in time, only for time to catch up and obliterate everything she saw around her. A bitter, metallic taste coated her tongue as she stood there, and she very nearly threw up on the spot. It took all she had to fight the urge, and by the time she recovered her spinning senses, she became aware of the eyes. There were no people, but she felt the eyes on her all the same, and she shrank against the closed doors of the station. She suddenly felt that being in there would be safer than being out here, but when she pushed the doors, they wouldn't budge, and she cowered, realising she was trapped, with no way to go but forward.
She didn't dare enter any of the crumbling buildings, fearful she might be locked in there with no way out, but as she made her way through the silent streets, she could feel the eyes on her more strongly than ever. Sometimes the sensation was so powerful she spun, fearing what she might see. But nothing met her terrified eyes, and she always went on with fear gnawing at her heart after every encounter. She had no way of telling what the time was, but time didn't matter in this silent place full of ghosts, and Hope felt more and more like an interloper, wishing she could turn back the clock and let Jhansi take her to the station, rather than acting like a loon and getting herself sent to this place.
"Hello."80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTObXjknbH
Hope screamed, clutching her heart as she spied a little girl in a red dress standing before her, holding a red balloon in one tiny hand. "You scared the life out of me!" Hope exclaimed, heart hammering. Her next words died in her throat, however, when she realised the girl was gone, and renewed fear crept its way down her spine. She shivered, rubbing her arms as she looked around, wondering if the solitude was driving her mad.
"Hello."
Biting back her scream, Hope turned, and there was the little girl again, holding her balloon. But the balloon and the dress were blue this time, and Hope rubbed her eyes. Once more, an empty street met her gaze, and she felt a terror greater than any she'd known up to that point. Either she was going crazy, or there was a little girl here.
"Hello."
The little girl was now wearing green, with a green balloon.
"Hello."
Yellow dress, yellow balloon.
"Hello."
Purple dress, purple balloon.
"Hello."
Now there were hundreds of little girls, wearing dresses and carrying balloons in all the colours of the rainbow. And as Hope stared in mounting horror, none of them vanished. They came on in silence, smiling, their eyes black and dead and empty, and Hope screamed, trying to find a way through the ever-growing crowd of little girls. But they were thick as ants on abandoned food, and they spoke again, their voices merging into a cacophony of distorted sound as their one word greeting filled the air.
"Hello. Hello. Hello."
Hope screamed, covering her ears, bracing herself for horror as the girls came ever closer to her. But just as the first questing hand reached out, the girls vanished, and Hope blinked, tense as she surveyed the street. She waited, eyes wide and staring, but no girl - or legion of girls - reappeared. It took her a very long time to muster the courage to start walking again, but as she took that first step, the staring eyes vanished, and Hope let out a small breath of relief. Whatever horror had been conjured up, it had clearly been a test, to either frighten her or prove some hidden facet in her character. Either way, she felt very wrung out as she resumed her nervous trek across the city, and she prayed that any further "tests" wouldn't be as nerve-wracking. She knew she wouldn't be able to stand up to another horror such as the one she'd just been forced to endure.
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcEadj0JiV
