The Memory Machine 2

Chapter 23 - Faces of Stone

She watched the young girl wander, searching for them. It reminded her of how she had wandered in search of him. But she felt nothing for him anymore. That had disappeared long ago. Now he was nothing but a husk with a face of stone.

Ingrid had no idea how long she walked for. Eternity, it seemed, but there was no way to tell. Of course, she had a phone, but she doubted that it would work here. And so her only option was to continue walking. The stars in her vision had now vanished completely, and the pain on the back of her head was beginning to numb with the cold. She was fully awake and aware now; she would surely be able to find her friends. After all, there was nothing here to distract her from her goal. Except her own fears and doubts. And she could control them if she was determined enough.

Every now and then she tried to call out, but still her voice failed her. Eventually she decided that it was a lost cause: wherever she was, sound was something that didn't exist. When she thought about it, this place was similar to space. It was the only comparison she had, so she held onto it. Perhaps it would help her to understand it better, and that would make it easier to navigate? All these ideas in her head, but none of them able to act upon.

Whether it was from the cold or the amount of walking she had done, Ingrid's legs began to ache. She pushed on though, adamant not to give up. But it wasn't long before she started to struggle against it. The only thing that kept her going was the desperate hope that she would find someone. At this point, she didn't really care who anymore.

Just when she thought that her strength would fail her, a small speck of something appeared in the distance. Ingrid gasped, and was surprised to find that a sound finally escaped her mouth. Filled with glee, she called out, hoping that whatever she was seeing was a person, and not just her imagination.

"Hello? Connor, is that you?"

There was no reply, so perhaps she was too far away to be heard. Ignoring the searing pain in her joints, Ingrid began to sprint towards them. As she got closer she noticed it's human-like appearance and was once again filled with hope. A wide grin split onto her face, and for a moment she was oblivious to what she was walking into. That is, until they turned around...

Her feet slipped as she ground to a sudden halt, and no more than a second later did the back of her head crash against the hard concrete floor. Darkness swirled in her vision, but it didn't stop her from seeing the figure approach her. It walked slowly, with a noticeable pause between each step. It was a mechanical and unnatural movement, like something dead pretending to be alive. And all Ingrid could do was watch as that horrifying face drew closer. A few steps away from her, it stopped. For a while it just stood there in silence. Just when Ingrid's vision began to clear and she tried to get up it made a sudden movement. It squatted down to her level and tilted its head slightly. Just that motion was enough to zap the energy from Ingrid's limbs, as it conveyed the same false life. However, it was the face itself that froze her in place.

It had no eyes: just empty sockets. Its mouth was open in what looked like a silent scream, revealing a dark gaping hole with no end, and its forehead was wrinkled in pain. Yet, as she stared, she saw no movement whatsoever in its face. It was completely still, not even breathing.

Suddenly it toppled forward, landing on all fours now. Ingrid held her breath; its gaunt face was now only inches from hers. But it wasn't the eyes or the mouth that caused her paralyzed fear now. It was the skin. Close up she could see that it was a dull grey colour, cracked all over and, as she watched, crumbling slightly. With a terrified curiosity Ingrid lifted her hand, bringing it to the side of its face. Her quivering hand hovered over it for a moment before it finally made contact. There was no mistaking what she felt. Stone.