The Soul

BEFORE: Chapter Three

     Cara's running slowed to a stop as she reached her sister's apartment. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribcage, threatening to fly right out. Her fast breathing made her throat feel stripped and raw, cold and dry. Hands on her knees, she bent over, dry heaving onto the pavement, feeling tears threatening to fall due to her forceful movements. Now that she had stopped moving, she could feel all her injuries come to life, burning and aching. She was sure she was littered with darkening bruises, and when she lifted her hand to her head, it came back stained a deep red.

     What was happening?

     She had just been sleeping in her bed, and then the next second there was a giant lizard in her room, and then there was a man?

     Was she sure that she wasn't still sleeping and she would wake in just a couple hours, panting and sweating in her bed, soon forgetting what was sure to be a nightmare?

     No. No, this wasn't a dream.

     A nightmare undoubtedly, but she was absolutely awake and this was all a reality.

     Looking at Bree's apartment building looming before her, she decided she might as well go up, knowing she'd rather be inside than out if - no, when, the beast killed the man. There was no way he was going to survive against the monstrously giant thing. He was a fool, and she was not going to get caught up in whatever that was.

     Cara paused in the hallway outside of her sister's door, hand raised to knock, hesitating. She hated this place, hated the memories linked to it. It had housed so many of her nightmares when she lived there, and it still did. She loved her sister, there was no doubt about it, but she hated the choice she had made, siding with Michelle instead of herself when it came time to choose. She was a traitor for that, and Cara would never forgive her.

     Right now, however, she had no other choice but to open the door and walk into another living nightmare. Her hand came down to knock on the wooden door, expecting to have to wait in the hallway until her sister awoke. What she didn't expect was for the door to creak open, already unlocked. She froze, feeling as if a cold bucket of water had just been poured over her head, leaving her behind, pale and freezing.

     Even before she pushed the door completely open, she knew what she would find, and nothing scared her more.

***

     The living space was immersed in an overwhelming darkness, no light to show the damage that had undoubtedly been done to the room. Cara stood just inside the door, not daring to make a sound, fearing an Evil she could not identify. She listened for a roaring that would indicate another wild animal on the loose, for a stomping, a creaking, anything, but no sound other than her own light breathing reached her ears. Whatever that had been here was long gone. Light on her still bare feet, she made her way into the room, careful to stay as close to the door as possible in case she needed to make a run for it. With no light to show her any broken glass on the floor, she carefully edged along the wall, hoping to not stab her feet. She had enough injuries as it was. When she reached the covered window, she pulled back the curtains, allowing the moonlight to shine through. Full of dread, she slowly turned around to look at the damage done to the room.

     Nothing.

     Absolutely no damage whatsoever.

     Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be, at least that's where she imagined it would be. She hadn't been inside of this apartment in what felt like forever. There was no broken glass littering the floor, no damage done to any furniture, nothing to hint at a struggle. Cara let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, relieved but confused.

     Why was the door unlocked then if nothing had happened here?

     But something had happened.

     She could feel it in her bones, in the still air around her. No giant lizard here, something a lot more dangerous.

     Cara moved around, still quiet but no longer afraid of stepping on any broken glass. She knew her sister's room was the first one on the right of the hallway, and she made her way to it slowly, sidestepping the parts of the floor that she distinctly remembered would creak. It was so unnerving to be back here, although it hadn't been too long ago that this was her home. The nearest she had come since then was the roof, but she had refused to enter inside.

     Look at me now, she thought with a sigh, eyes cast downwards in suppressed emotion.

     Reaching the hall, Cara stood in front of Bree's closed door, holding her breath. There was a room to her back as well, and she knew exactly who it belonged to, the memory causing shivers to run down her back. Hopefully, she wasn't home right now, instead on one of her business trips abroad. Cara didn't know what she would do if she had to face her after everything that had happened, doubting it would be a happy reunion.

     Straightening and tightening her back, Cara turned the knob on her sister's door, half expecting to find Bree sound asleep in her bed, unaware of what had just happened to Cara. If that was the case, she promised she would turn around and head out, knowing she would face the lizard again if it meant she didn't have to come to her sister for her problems ever again. They were no longer hers to have.

     Before she could peek her head around the now-open door to see her sister, the breath whooshed out of her as she was shoved to the side and against the wall from behind, her face smooshing painfully against the wall, nose aching from the impact.

     It seemed it was not the night for Cara to be opening doors.

     "This is all your fault!" A voice screeched behind her.

     It sounded stripped and raw, as if whoever it belonged to had done a lot of screaming not too long ago.

     "What the-" Cara's shocked exclamation was cut off by a painful grip on her shoulder as she was turned around and shoved against the wall again, this time her back to the wall near her sister's door.

     The soreness of her head wound increased, throbbing painfully at her haphazard movements. Cara's eyes remained closed as she leaned tiredly against the wall, a wave of vertigo hitting her, demanding all of her attention. She was almost sure she had a concussion, one that could not be dealt with right now.

     She opened her eyes slowly when she felt hands grip her shoulders, fingernails digging in. While she had been half expecting it, the sight of the person she least wanted to see in the moment hit her like a ton of bricks, a sharp pain resounding in her chest. Her breath hitched, and then sped up.

     Michelle.

     Her mother.