Alone (3 page)

'It was just sitting in the chair when I first came in here... I knocked it over by accident onto the floor.' I said to the woman as I turned my attention away from the skeleton remains and glanced over at the huge front glass screen and out at the vast crystal clear glittering blackness outside. The woman peeled her focus away from the skeleton remains also and turned towards the large glass window with me. Suddenly, as if hypnotised by the twinkling beauty, she left my side and made her way right up towards the huge window, moving right up close to the clear glass screen, like she was approaching something fantastical and awesome. She then placed her hands onto the glass as if somehow trying to reach out and grab a handful of the millions and millions of pinholes of lights outside. It really was a breathtaking spectacle out there even though it still filled me with such feelings of dread and hopelessness.

'What is out there?' She said almost whispering.

'I don't know... But it's like, it's like... just nothing...! Nothing at all. A whole massive, never ending room of darkness filled with all those tiny glittering white lights.'

'What do you think they are?' She said in wonderment, but I remained silent. I had no more answers for her right now, but she didn't seem to mind.

'It looks so beautiful and so peaceful out there.' She continued in a dream like state. All of a sudden she stepped back looking distressed as she began to hold her stomach.

'Are you okay?' I said. The woman winced out, holding her belly in more pain like she would vomit out at any second.

'It hurts. First my head and now this.' The woman eased up on her stomach looking a little better as the brief wave of pain seemed to have passed her by.

'How is your head?'

'It's better.' Said the woman half smiling back at me.

Out of nowhere my attention was quickly distracted by the faint reflection of light from the bright lights of the exit doorway and corridor which was faintly reflecting upon a small part of the huge viewing window. In the reflection I could make out the faint and ghost like figure of a woman, dressed in a white gown, just like the brunette woman in front of me, but this woman had dark blonde shoulder length hair, very similar to the woman who had smiled at me and whispered my name to me, before screaming out horrifically in my recently new memories. But I couldn't make out her face one bit as she stood eerily watching me and lurking beside the exit doorway in the reflection. It was just too dark. In a flash I turned to face the doorway... but there was no one there. No one there at all. What the hell was going on with my mind. Was I really seeing these things or were they just some trick from my weak imagination. The brunette woman, also distracted by my sudden panicky movement, turned to face the doorway too.

'What's wrong?' She asked.

'Did you see that?' I said distant.

'See what?'

'There was... There was someone over there by the doorway I'm sure.'

'Someone else.' The woman said looking very scared and confused. But I didn't want to comfort her this time in her distress. Instead I had a huge urge to investigate this further.

'Stay here.' I said bluntly. I then rushed over towards the exit doorway before slowing my pace down and cautiously stepping out into the main corridor. To my left was nothing of interest at all but on the right I began to hear a faint scratching coming from around the next corner where the kitchen and dining area were both situated. I cautiously approached the left turn in the corridor. As I approached my breathing deepened and my gut clenched up real tight as I nervously poked my head around the corner, not quite sure what the hell I was going to find around there or just who or what the hell was going to confront me... When I finally turned my head into the corridor it was completely empty and so very quiet. I took a deep breath and composed myself and slowly stepped fully out into the corridor. Then I heard that faint sound of scratching once more but this time from way up and along the next corridor. I followed the scratching sound and made my way towards the end, passing the two open doorways to the kitchen and dining area on my right until I reached the next corridor directly opposite the dark pod room. As I approached the sharp turn I once again carefully and cautiously moved towards the edge. My heart pumped furiously, pounding around my chest like it was trying to find a way out of my body through my throat and a feeling of great intensity surged through my entire body. I slowly glanced around the next corner. My breathing deepened and my face turned to white as I glanced over at the ghostly figure at the very end of the corridor where the stretching black window was situated. It seemed to be the figure of the blonde woman, she had her back to me, but I could clearly see her dirty blonde hair. She was dressed in a white gown, just like I saw in the reflection earlier, but what I didn't see in the reflection was that her white gown was covered in blotches of thick red blood stains. She was crouching down now with her front side facing the far corner of the next corridor wall, where the stretching black window began. When I looked more closely she seemed to be scratching hideously at the tiled floor in the corner with her finger nails. It was a horrible sound. A disgusting sound. I took another deep breath and finally stepped out into the corridor.

'Hello.' I said raising my voice.

The blonde woman did not answer or even flinch. She just continued to scratch away, so I decided to walk slowly towards her. Then something strange happened... The blonde woman stopped scratching all together and began sobbing out. I was only a few feet away from her.

'Are you... okay?' I asked. But again she did not answer and continued to sob. I got closer to her, close enough to reach out my hand and touch her on the shoulder. My finger tips were close, so close, within millimetres of touching the shoulders of the crouching woman when... She stopped crying instantly and was completely silent. I froze where I was, not moving my fingertips any closer towards her nor pulling them away either. My heart skipped a beat as an eerie silence filled the air. Then as I studied the lower part of her crouching body I noticed a trickle of blood dribbling down from inside the woman's gown and inner thigh which then trickled down to her lower knee before dribbling onto the corridor tiled floor below. Suddenly a voice called out to me from behind, scaring the life out of me. It was the young brunette woman who I'd told to stay in the computer room. She was behind me now at the opposite end of this corridor, outside the pod room.

'Ian.' She called out. 'Ian.'

Distracted, I turned around to face the brunette woman whose face was full of both fear and concern as she stared at me looking so confused and drilling those dull blue eyes right into me. I said nothing and quickly turned back towards the crouching blonde woman... but she was gone. I was startled. Where the hell did she go? I quickly turned every way I could, but every which way was empty. The whole corridor was empty apart from the brunette woman, still staring at me. I glanced down at the corridor below where I spotted the small droplets of blood which had spilt from her thigh. Curiously I bent down to touch and inspect them with my fingertip, then I noticed that the large corner tile where the blood had spilt onto was very loose, almost acting like a cover for something underneath. I continued to stare at the blood on my finger tip and then at the large loose corner tile contemplating what to do next. Suddenly I jumped out of my skin as a small pale hand placed itself down upon my shoulder. Startled, I turned to face the source... Of course it was the young and pretty brunette woman looking even more scared and confused beside me.

'I'm scared Ian... I don't want to be left alone here anymore.'

I took a deep breath, stood back up onto my feet again and turned to face her. I then took a hold of her hand and rubbed it gently, trying my best to comfort her.

'It's okay. I won't leave you alone anymore.'

The woman glanced curiously at the blood on my fingertips and then down at the corridor tile below.

'What happened to you?'

'Did you see any of that?'

'See any of what?'

'The other woman who was here... Crouching down right there. It's her blood.'

The brunette woman glanced all around at the two adjourning corridors looking a little anxious and very confused.

'I didn't see anybody else. But your nose is bleeding.'

I quickly raised my hand to my nose and felt a tiny smear of blood on the tip. What the hell is going on here I said to myself, so confused. Did I just imagine all that. Was that really my blood on the floor and not the blonde woman's? And just who the hell was that blonde woman? Surely she must exist if I just damn well saw her right in front of me with my own eyes ... But then this dark haired woman never saw her, even when she was crouching down in the corner in front of me in full view... Oh my mind was in knots and twists. I couldn't think straight anymore. I felt so frustrated. It's like I was living in some mad nightmare, some limbo reality from which I could not awaken. I wiped at my nose which was only bleeding a little. I then let go of the woman's hand and crouched back down to take a closer look at the loose tile below me. The woman remained where she was, watching curiously as I began to feel my way around the large square tile. The tile moved, wobbling freely underneath my touch. I noticed a small finger sized gap at the back of the tile and wedged in against the corner wall. The gap was big enough for me to place my finger inside and grip the tile. So I gripped the small hole with my finger and gently lifted the tile up, placing it to one side to reveal a narrow black hole with a ladder attached leading deep down inside. Both the hole and ladder looked big enough for me to climb down quite easily. But I didn't know what to do or think right at this very moment. Should I climb down right now. I wanted too, but what about the dark haired woman. I'd have to take her with me as she didn't want to be left alone, but in her state of mind I don't think I could get her to come down there with me either. I took a few moments to stare down into the pitch black hole, then without thinking I positioned my feet and lower legs inside, just to see if they would fit as I imagined they would. Behind me, the anxious looking brunette woman reached out and touched my shoulder again as if beckoning me not to go down. I turned to face her with a blank look.

'Please... don't go down there... Please!' She said. I turned back to face the hole once more. The urges inside me were so big, I just had to go down. I mean what else was there for me to do.

'Please...' She pleaded some more. 'Please don't.' I turned to face her again. Damn she looked so pale and pretty in this light and my loins began stirring once more as I sneaked a quick glance at her soft, pale and smooth lower thighs which were still showing from underneath her white gown. Also her touch on my shoulder had felt so good that in this moment I wanted to please her and make her happy, so I let out a deep sigh and pulled my feet and lower legs back out from the hole and pushed myself backwards and over against the corridor wall, right underneath the black window. The woman remained silent but moved closer towards me, finally sitting herself down right beside me and underneath the window. I could feel the warmth from her body immediately and it did feel good. It felt really good in fact. She then took a hold of my hand and unexpectedly cuddled into me like a frightened child. I was a little taken back by this gesture of intimacy, but after a long moment I relaxed a little and began wrapping my arm also tightly around her shoulders and upper body, returning the intimate gesture.

CHAPTER four

I was awoken by the sound of a continuous faint beeping noise coming from somewhere along the opposite corridor. The one leading up towards the pod room. The brunette woman was still sleeping peacefully against the wall beside me and hugging into me for dear life.

I noticed that my mouth was feeling really dry and although I wasn't desperate for a taste of water just yet, I had a gut feeling that if we didn't get some within the next few hours... well that prospect didn't seem worth thinking about. The beeping noise continued and then suddenly the corridor lights began flickering on and off, on and off, on and off. But only for a few moments as they quickly restored themselves back to normality. The beeping noise stopped and then unexpectedly one of the four sealed doorways situated along the pod room corridor slid open. Feeling a little excited about this new event I turned towards the brunette woman and gently began to awaken her.

'Hey, wake up... Wake up.'

The woman stirred and opened her eyes, staring up at me curiously a little disorientated as if trying to figure out exactly where the hell she was. After a short moment she finally spoke.

'What... what is it? What's wrong?' She said wearily stretching. I directed her glance over towards the newly opened doorway in the next corridor.

'Over there. That doorway, it just opened.'

The brunette woman was silent as she stared over at the new opened doorway with a blank expression on her face. Slowly I began to rise up onto my feet. I was feeling stiff and weak and much more tired than before I'd slept. I bent down a little and took the brunette woman by her hand, pulling her up onto her feet with me. I was surprised that she let me do it with such ease too like she was acting more subdued and submissive than before. Maybe she was just tired and weak. I led her towards the newly opened doorway until we were both standing outside and glancing in at the new room. I don't know what I was expecting to see inside, but I felt a slight pinch of disappointment even though it was a nice surprise to see two sets of reasonably comfortable beds on opposite sides of the room. But in all honesty water and food were beginning to occupy my mind more and more and this is what I wanted to see and feel more than a comfortable bed. The brunette woman then surprised me by making the first move as she let go of my hand and automatically entered into the twin bedroom, approaching the first bed on the left and laying herself down facing the wall with her back turned towards me. I glanced over at the bed on the right and eventually made my own way towards it, climbed on top of the naked mattress and lay down upon my back. I was feeling too tired and dehydrated to think straight and surprised myself at just how quickly I fell back to sleep.