Out of the Darkness

166

Except hers. So, it wasn't technically her body. What was I thinking? Of course, it wasn't her body. Anna was a ghost. She didn't have a body. I felt a sharp pain go through my chest at that thought. "I'm Anna. Or I can be. I can actually be anyone that you want me to be. See?" I watched in disbelief, as the figure in front of me shifted and changed. The blonde girl that I went on a couple of dates with, stood in front of me. Zoe...Chloe maybe? I couldn't remember. "Don't like this one?" she asked. "I can fix it." The figure morphed again, and Katrina stood in front of me. I closed my eyes. There was no way in hell that I was going to think about my best friend's fucking girlfriend in that way. "Stop," I said, my voice hard. "Just stop it." "If you don't like this one, then how about this one?" I didn't want to open my eyes. I really didn't. "Look at me, Colby." That voice. I knew that voice. It couldn't be! That sultry voice was one that I would recognize anywhere. I couldn't stop myself. I had to see if what I suspected was correct. I had to know. I eased my eyes open and my mouth fell open in shock. Female musical artist, Gwen Stefani stood in front of me. Not Gwen now. No, this was a younger Gwen. Gwen from her No Doubt days. Her bright blonde hair was done in two braids, one over each shoulder. She was wearing a red top that stopped just below her breasts, with low slung white and black checkered baggy jeans. Her red platform shoes put her at almost eye level with me. I was in shock. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. Hell, I could barely breath. This was definitely a dream come true...but it was also a nightmare. Something, or someone,  was interfering with my dream. If I let my hormones take over and stayed here, would I be stuck? Would my body die, or would I just be asleep forever? Like, in a coma or something? These were the things that ran through my head, as I stared at the fake Gwen. She giggled, and stepped closer. I was afraid of what would happen, if I let her get too close to me. I had pulled myself back earlier, with the fake Anna, but a man was only so strong. I backed up quickly, until my back hit something. I had backed into the coffin. I glanced down at it, then back up to the fake Gwen. She was right in front of me now. I had to do something. This was a dream, so I could control it. Or at least some of it. That's what Ash had said. I crouched down, then vaulted myself over the coffin. When my feet hit the ground, I barely felt the impact. I didn't give myself time to think about what I was doing. I sprinted towards the staircase, and climbed the steps 2 at a time, pushing my legs harder than ever before. When I reached the top, there was nothing but a concrete wall. No door, no secret passage. I could hear whatever the fuck that was down there calling my name. "Shit," I grumbled, glancing behind me. She, or it, was getting closer. Maybe I could imagine the door to appear. It was worth a shot. I squeezed my eyes closed and pictured a golden outline forming on the wall, in the shape of a door. I even imagined myself grabbing the knob and turning it, letting me into the hallway. "Please," I pleaded quietly. I slowly cracked my eyes open, and almost jumped for joy. There was a door. Exactly the same as I had pictured it. Wood grained, with a silver knob. "Colbyyy, come back to me. I can make you happy. I know you want me. You've always wanted me." I heard a giggle sound out after her proclamation. I grabbed the knob and pushed the door open, bolting through it. I didn't take more than a second to turn and slam it shut behind me. I noticed a deadbolt on the door, so I shoved it into place too. My vision was starting to go black, and I realized that I was breathing much too fast. I was hyperventilating. I hadn't experienced anxiety like this in a really long time. I braced my hand against the wall, and concentrated on whispering the things that I could see in front of me. I had to ground myself, to calm down. This technique didn't always work for me and it honestly wasn't doing too well in this moment either. I tried another tactic. I squeezed my eyes shut and started going over the lyrics to one of my favorite songs inside my head. Eventually, my breathing slowed enough to where I could mutter out the words. Once the song was finished, I was okay again. My heart was still hammering inside my chest, but not as badly as before. "I need to wake up," I whispered, looking around my surroundings. I was back in the hallway, staring towards the living room area. It wasn't something that I wanted to explore anymore. The events that had terrifingly unfolded in the dreaded basement had depleted that from me. I just wanted to wake up. I wanted to go home. I squeezed my eyes shut and did everything I could think of to get myself to wake up. I prayed, I clicked my heels together 3 times, while whispering "there's no place like home," I imagined myself waking up in my own bed. I heard movements around me, and footsteps click clacking against the floor headed my way. I still didn't open my eyes. I had no idea why I knew that I had to force myself awake, but I did. It seemed like bits of information would just pop into my head, letting me know that I had to do these things to survive. If I continued to play this game with Lilith or whatever it was, then I would never go home again. I would be stuck and I didn't even know what that would entail. I didn't want to find out. A hard thud against the wall that I had just exited, had me jumping to the other side of the hall. I watched the outline for  moment, praying with everything that I had that it wouldn't open. Another thud had the entire hallway shaking. "Coooolbbyyyy, don't be like this. I need you here withe me. Please don't leave me," Anna's voice came through, filled with emotion, almost weeping.