No Turning Back

Chapter Five: Samantha's Return

As I lay asleep, my mind began to echo with the laughter of a child. I suddenly awoke to be met with silence; which caused me to question what I had just perceived to be real. When I sat up and looked around - Primis was nowhere to be found. His blankets lay next to me in a dishevelled state which indicated that he arose suddenly like I did.

The projector room was empty but I quickly noticed that although the door to the room was closed, the bolts had not been fastened. As I peered out of the window which looked out onto the stage; I noticed it that was night time as the moonlight beamed down into the threatre through the ruptures in the ceiling. The familiar heaviness of the still air reminded me of my previous encounters with Samantha. Was this her doing?

I calmly got up and readied my pistol. After quickly putting on my shoes; I hastily made a beeline for the door. I was definitely getting used to Samantha's visits but what surprised me was the fact that she had even decided to pay me a visit again. Given our last encounter, she had made it relatively clear that she saw no use in continuing them.

I quietly opened the door to minimise the sound of the creaking hinges; slithering out the gap to begin climbing through the blockade of furniture. Once both feet were firmly on the ground at the bottom of the landing; I steeled myself and took a deep breath before unholstering my pistol.

The journey through the winding corridors and vacant offices was more unsettling than the last time. The air was wrought with tension as I waded through the dense atmosphere. I felt the hairs on my body begin to stand on end as the air felt electrified with a static charge.

The whole building seemed devoid of any life. The air was stale and musty as everything seemed aged and covered in a shroud of dust. It seemed like a substantial amount of time had passed as the building and its contents had fallen even further into disrepair.

I finally made my way down the stairs and on to the stage as I simply stood and looked out in all directions. There was no noise - no indication of where to go next. I usually relied on Samantha to at least guide me during her labyrinthine nightmares.

And then, as if she had read my thoughts, I heard a small noise come from the lobby. I instinctively gripped my pistol and headed to the source - my face setting into a look of deep determination. I practically ran up the stairs as I stopped in front of the main entrance.

The whole building was surrounded by a heavy mist which phosphoresced with the florescent moonlight. There was no one in the lobby - and it looked like no one had ever been there. I began to worry that my mind was playing tricks on me. Surely not? Was Samantha toying with me?

The ethereal look which had taken over and enveloped the threatre only strengthened my assertion that I was still dreaming. Yet, the feelings of abandonment and loneliness felt all too real. Primis would never leave me behind - that I was sure of - but a small voice of doubt began to gnaw away at me.

"He has not left you. It's Samantha. She's just messing with you!" I reaffirmed to myself aloud.

"Samantha, stop the stupid games! Just show me where to go!" I shouted out in frustration. My voice bellowed its way through the bowels of the building before coming to a dead silence. And then, I was left standing alone with no response. There was not even as much as a stir from the wind.

I definitely knew Samantha was playing games with me now - but it still made me angry nonetheless. I could feel the irritation welling up as the anger began to course through my body. I holstered my pistol and began to scour every inch of the theatre. I jogged from room to room hoping for any clue as to where I should go next.

But, every time, the trail remained cold. The dust on every surface remained undisturbed, there were no foot prints - there was absolutely no trace of life. Once I had checked everywhere, I finally made my way to the speed cola room. I sat at the bar table with the gatling gun and buried my head in my hands.

"To heck with this..." I whispered to myself in defeat.

"Awww, giving up so soon, Kiana? How PATHETIC!" Samantha mocked and jeered. Her voice had no direction to it; it felt like it was everywhere at once. It made me feel odd and unsettled before I quickly deduced that she must have been speaking directly in my mind.

"I thought we were done with the childish games, Samantha?" I called out in a rather stern, displeased tone. There was no response.

"Oh what do you want? Can't you just cut to the chase already?" I huffed with an irritated sigh.

"Und vhere is zhe fun in zhat?!" Samantha finally spat back. Her games were beyond frustrating and annoying and her response really irritated me. It felt like such an invasion of my being the way she could manipulate my dreams and mess with my mind. I quickly stood up - flinging my chair back with the force - as I slammed my fists on the table.

"WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT?!" I bellowed angrily.

"Why can't you just let me fix this myself? What does a kid like you know anyway?" I added - knowing fine well that she did not like being treated like a child. But she deserved to be when she acted like one. And I knew jabbing at her insecurity would inspire her to finally cut to the chase.

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared by the MP40 wall chalk. The shadow was more like a black fog which moved like a living organism. Each strand of the mist undulated like a beating pulse as it became more and more intense. Then, it stopped in midair as the strands began to form a human shape. The strands slithered around the silhouette like a mess of snakes before they eroded away to dust - and revealed Samantha.

"I have seen zhe mysteries of zhe Aether. I have become vone vith it. I know zhe very secrets of zhis universe und it's complexities... yet, jou have zhe AUDACITY to call me a CHILD?!" Samantha screamed as her voice alternated between her own and something more demonic.

"Oh yes, you know all about a fictional universe - which mine created", I said offhandishly - fully intending to rile her up further.

"HOW DARE JOU!" Samantha cried as she began to mutate into a demonic being. Her teeth elongated into sharp fangs and her eyes imbued with a fiery crimson glow. Her hands grew into long claws as the area of the room she stood in began to decay and wither away to ashes. The tiled floor began loosen and fall upwards as her rage slowly enveloped the room.

"Samantha! Please...", a familiar German accent called out - causing Samantha to suddenly halt her destructive outburst.

End of part five...