Holy War: Two Worlds and an In- Between

Chapter 4: Tell All Dreams

Her words stuck with me. I couldn't forget the second mention of the in-between. It couldn't be a coincidence that Jack and I both had dreams about it.

That night, I had another dream. I sat up and waited for the door to open. The room was still and chilled, but the moon was no longer full. It was a crescent hidden in the shadow of a passing cloud.

Soon, the strange occurrence of the past nights happened again. The wardrobe began to open, but this time, a grey light peered through. The wardrobe sustained its prior white and gold color as it seemed to be covered in shards of glass but this time, the glass was black.

I sat in bed, never letting my eyes betray me by straying away from its target. I waited patiently for it to open. Little by little the space got wider and wider. The light shone brightly as the door opened more and more.

A blinding grey light cast over my eyes as it opened more widely than ever. The heat from the light alone was warm and cozy but still cold and chilling. The bipolar temperature was a bit off putting, but I never stopped staring.

Though a heavy gust of wind forced through my windows sending all of my papers into the air, and there was a bright light violently illuminated from the wardrobe, I wasn't afraid. Though an unfamiliar light wrapped itself tightly around my body, I wasn't concerned for my safety. Though the lamp on my bedside table flickered on and off and my phone did the same, my attention never strayed from the wardrobe.

The cozy light warmed my body in a homey feeling as it began to take over my room. Almost as though I was homesick for a place that I was yet to know. I yearned to find my way back home. I needed to get there.

I freed one of my hands from under the covers and reached for the feeling. I reached into the light to find a way back home. I pushed my arm through the light though, it tried to blind me. Tears brimmed my eyes as nothing met my touch. I extended my arm as far as possible and searched with a stream of tears falling down my cheeks.

I sobbed hopelessly as there was nothing in my grasp. It felt as though I returned back to my parent's home only to find they've already abandoned it leaving only a car as of a home. It was suddenly so empty and cold. So dark and meaningless. Why was I still reaching?

All at once, my sobbing ceased, the winds stopped, lights shone brightly, my hand was held, my heart stopped. The smooth hot feeling of a hand on mine sent chills through my spine. Nothing could have prepared me for something actually reaching for me.

There was no mistaking it. This was real. It was so familiar. It was unmistakable.

"Follow me," the voice whispered. It was so low and smooth I almost didn't realize that it was talking to me.

Without a second thought, I got out of bed and walked over to the wardrobe. My body trembled as I neared, but the hand in mine calmed my soul. I was ready to see what was behind those doors. I was ready to find the voice.

As I stood in front of the wardrobe. I was ready to go inside.

I didn't need to take another step. A tall figure emerged from the light. It was so bright that I couldn't look right at it and so hot that I couldn't bear to have my skin so close to it.

I stumbled back to the floor but no matter how far I got from the light, I couldn't escape the scorching heat. It felt so harmful and toxic that a second more beneath it was torture.

The figure got closer to me, so close that I could feel my insides boil mercilessly. My eyes scorched when I could no longer manage to avert my gaze from the light.

I screamed as the world fell away around me. My floorboards sunk into a dark black hole and everything followed suit, including me. Even the walls peeled like an orange into empty darkness.

My body became as light as a feather as I too began a long descent into nothing but, still, I was not afraid.

I looked up and saw a small girl holding a candle. She wore a long white nightgown and sat with her arms wrapped tightly around her legs and for some reason I just knew that she held a key in her hands. She seemingly sat on nothing but air and seemed afraid of the darkness.

I tried to scream to her. I wanted her to help me. She was sobbing softly, but her cries echoed off of nothing. Though I opened my mouth let out the most tear-provoking, throat scratching scream, my voice was desolate and empty. There wasn't a sound that could escape me but still, I was not afraid.

The girl rose from her spot but never looked at me. I was floating further and further away from her but I could inexplicably still feel her. I knew she was still there. It was almost as though we were taking the same breaths.

Suddenly and all at once, the girl stomped her foot against the darkness and twisted it from left to right, then connected her right palm to her left fist and I began to rapidly fall.

Before that, I was just floating. My body was just lightly plummeting downwards, but this time, I was falling.

Unfortunately, this time I was scared. I wasn't scared that my skin scorched as heavy wind practically blew it off of me. I wasn't scared of what would be at the bottom of the darkness or even if there was a bottom. I was scared that I couldn't see that little girl anymore and that my connection to her was getting weaker and weaker.

"Ow!" I exclaimed as I woke up with a pounding headache, "I guess I know what's at the bottom."

I smiled to myself a bit as I felt a small shape in my hand. I felt a key.