For All Of Eternity (A Sally Creepypasta Fanfiction)

Chapter 34 - Distant Hopes

Maria's head throbbed as she sluggishly awoke.
Slowly, her eyes opened a bit, but her vision is a blur and it swirled from the massive pain in her head. She can see something dark standing in the corner of her vision, but then she closed her eyes again.
It was only a minute later when she opened her eyes once more. The headache had died away and that darkness that was there before is no longer there.
She sat up, her eyebrows furrowing and her face forming a frown. Her hand lifted to touch her temple, which pulsated irritably.
Maria looked around in a daze and blinked away the fuzziness in her vision. She's back in her house?
Was it a dream?
She heard a groan and looked to her right to see Liu laying on the floor also, just now awakening.
"Liu?" She asked, crawling over to him. Her arms are shaky and her body is weak and heavy, but she managed.
"Huh? Wha...?" Liu murmured, his eyes opening to reveal his blue orbs.
Maybe it wasn't a dream.
Maria looked around in confusion, then she pushed herself up onto her feet.
"Are you alright, Liu?" Maria asked, but her voice is raspy from its dryness.
He sat up, but then he winced and grabbed his arm, the one he had hurt when his chair fell back at that warehouse.
Liu stood and removed his jacket, showing his tattered, dark blue t-shirt. His arm is bruised deeply, bleeding a bit, and sore as hell.
Maria's eyes widened when she saw his arm. "Liu! Your arm!"
"Damn," he murmured as he looked at his arm, then he brushed his fingers gently against the large bruise, but then winced at its soreness.
"That's gonna hurt for a while," he said, then he stared at the ground as he remembered what happened at the warehouse.
"So...it looks like people are coming back from the dead," Liu acknowledged with a small chuckle, but no humor revealed in his eyes. "What the hell was that creature, though?"
Maria remembered the empty sockets staring into her gaze, those jagged teeth, the gruesome smell. She felt sick just thinking about it, and she shuddered.
"It...It was nothing like I've ever seen," Maria murmured as she tried to process what happened. So, could Johnny be a spirit, too? Like Sally?
But wait, if he's really a spirit, how was he capable of kidnapping both her and Liu? And Sally...the way she was able to stop that creature from having Maria and Liu for a meal...if she was a ghost, she wouldn't have been able to stop that thing, right?
"Ugh," Liu muttered, pressing his hands against his throbbing head. "What is going on?"
"I wish I knew," Maria whispered, but then she shook herself. She'll think about all of this later, when she has other things out of the way.
"Liu, you should rest here," Maria said softly, pressing her hand against his shoulder and he met her gaze. "I don't want what happened earlier to happen again."
"I don't either," Liu said, but then he looked down at the floor, abstracted.
He sighed in defeat a few moments later. "Alright, I guess I can sleep here, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind, I'm the one who offered." Maria said, managing to smile, and Liu soon had a smile on his lips, too.
"There are two rooms down that hall." Maria pointed towards the hallway. "Go ahead and pick one, it doesn't matter which. The beds aren't set up yet, so I'll just bring you some blankets and a pillow. Is that alright with you?"
Liu nodded. "Better than how I've had to sleep the past several years. I'm good with that."
Liu isn't one to ask others for help, nor is he one to take offers, but right now he's too exhausted to care, but he is grateful.
He was about to turn to walk down the hallway, but then he looked back.
"Thanks, Maria."
Maria gave him a warm smile.
"No problem, Liu."

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Samantha prepared dinner and they all gathered at the table.
Sally smelled the delicious food. Spaghetti is one of her favorite meals.
Then the thought hit her that she hasn't eaten anything ever since she died. It's obvious that she's lost the need for food, but what will happen if she eats now? Would she be able to digest it? How would her immortal, undead body react to food?
The thought had her biting her lip and she stared at her plate of spaghetti in silence.
What would happen?
They all started to eat, so Sally tentatively reached out for the fork and picked up a few noodles. She stared at it for a moment before bringing it to her mouth.
She can't taste it. The tomato sauce and the mixed spices, the hamburger and the cheese. She can't taste them. Sally can feel the noodles in her mouth, but without the taste, the moist texture almost sickened her.
Her taste buds are dead. It shouldn't surprise her.
The slimy noodles slid down Sally's throat as she swallowed, and then she stared at the rest that's on her plate. How can she eat this?
"Are you alright, hon?" Samantha asked, noticing that Sally isn't eating anymore.
"I...I feel sick," Sally said, placing her hand on her stomach. She isn't lying, her stomach feels strange with the food in there now. Her stomach lurched and there is a terrible bubbly feeling. It's almost painful. She feels like she is going to puke.
Samantha stood and went over to Sally, setting her hand on her back. "Sick?"
Sally nodded, still staring at her plate. "U-Um...where's the bathroom?"
"Down the hall, first door to your left." Samantha said, pointing towards the hallway. Sally jumped off her chair and hurried into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
She immediately went to the toilet, and on time, she felt something sickly rise from her stomach and up her throat, then spilled into the toilet she leaned over.
Sally coughed and gagged, holding her hair back a bit. Her eyes blurred with red tears, and one dripped into the toilet.
She swallowed and then gagged again, then took a few deep breaths. She looked at the contents that she had just regurgitated and noticed that there's some dark gunk mixed in with the vomit. It looks like old blood.
Sally heard a knock on the bathroom door and quickly wiped her eyes free of the blood.
"Are you alright?" Samantha's voice asked through the door.
"Y-Yeah." Sally's voice is shaky. She hurriedly flushed the toilet.
"Are you sure?" Samantha opened the bathroom door and walked in. Sally straightened up and didn't meet Samantha's gaze.
"This doesn't surprise me," Samantha set her hands on Sally's shoulders and making her face her. Sally shook off Samantha's hands, but the latter wasn't affected. "Do you have a fever?"
She pressed the back of her hand on Sally's cheek, but then Samantha flinched, taking her hand back.
"You're so cold," Samantha murmured with a concerned expression. "Your blood pressure must be really low. How much blood did you lose?"
Samantha grabbed Sally's wrist, then pressed her fingers against it, feeling for a pulse.
A pulse Sally doesn't have.
Sally gasped and pulled her hand away from Samantha's grasp. Samantha gave Sally a confused look.
"M-My hand hurts," Sally quickly made an excuse, holding her wrist with her other hand.
Samantha sighed. "Well, I have some orange juice in the fridge you could drink to help pump your blood, then I suggest you have a long nap."
Sally nodded, looking down to the floor. If she can't eat, then she most likely can't drink, either.
"Oh, and you still haven't told me your name." Samantha said. Sally kept quiet.
"Still won't tell me?" Samantha asked. Sally didn't respond.
Samantha sighed again, then set a hand on Sally's shoulder, who stepped away from the touch again. "Alright, do you want to finish dinner, or?"
Sally shook her head as her answer.
"Okay, hon. Just tell me if you need anything, okay?"
Sally nodded, and then she followed Samantha out of the bathroom and back into the kitchen. Samantha put Sally's plate into the fridge to save as Alexis and Malcolm were putting their empty plates into the sink.
"Are you okay?" Alexis asked Sally once she saw her and walked over.
"Not really." Sally murmured drearily.
"Aw," Alexis cooed pityingly with a small pout and she hugged Sally, and as usual, Sally tensed up. "You'll be okay! Everything will be okay soon!"
For some reason, those words brought tears to Sally's eyes. No, nothing will be okay, not anymore. Sally's immortal, she's supposed to be dead. She'd much rather be dead than live like this, but she doesn't have a choice, does she?
No, everything will not be okay. She will never be okay again.
Sally blinked her tears away before Alexis looked up at her with a big grin.
"Here, you should come see my room!" Alexis exclaimed and grabbed Sally's wrist, then took her up the stairs. Sally was hesitant, of course, but she let herself get dragged by the younger girl.
Alexis's room is what was expected of a little girl's room: walls are brightly colored, the floor is messy with stuffed animals and dolls, and the bed is pink and themed with Disney Princess.
"Here, play with me!" Alexis chimed as she ran over to her dolls. Sally jumped a bit at those words.
A familiar flame stirred within Sally, and her hand twitched. The same hand that usually would hold her knife, which she no longer has.
But Sally doesn't need the knife to kill. A knife is just a simple tool, but it's not the object itself that kills.
No, it's the will. The will to kill is what brings the end of another's life.
The weapon gives the option, but the will is what causes the death.
And Sally has that will.
As Alexis bent down to pick up her dolls, Sally's vision spun and her body trembled with that will that grew stronger and stronger, and it lured Sally to take a staggering step towards the little girl.
Then there was a soft knock on the bedroom door. Sally's shoulders jerked and her hands clenched into fists.
Sally squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to force the Monster away, but once she opened them, she saw Malcolm standing the doorway and peeking in.
"Wanna play with us?" Alexis asked Malcolm and he shook his head, his blue eyes now looking at Sally.
He seemed to be asking a question with his gaze, but Sally doesn't know what he's asking.
"I think he wants you to play with him," Alexis said with a pout, then she looked at Malcolm. "I asked her to play first!"
"Alexis, it's your bedtime!" They heard Samantha call from downstairs and Alexis groaned.
"But I wanted to play with her!" Alexis whined.
"You know the bedtime rules, honey." Samantha's voice seemed to be closer, so she must be coming to the room. "You can play with her tomorrow."
As expected, Samantha walked in and passed by Malcolm to get to Sally and Alexis.
"How old are you, hon?" Samantha asked Sally as Alexis dug through her drawers to get her pajamas.
Sally had to think for a moment, but then she met Samantha's gaze with a realization. "I'm going to be 8 in a few days."
"A few days?" Samantha asked.
Sally nodded. "July the 14th."
"Well, you're close to Malcolm's age, he's 9." Samantha said. "So you can go to bed when it's his bedtime."
"Aww..." Alexis sighed, but then she perked up and looked up at her mother with her bright, curious blue eyes. "Can she sleep in here, Mommy?"
"I suppose so, since there isn't an extra bed." Samantha looked at Sally. "Are you okay with sleeping in here tonight?"
Sally nodded, now looking down at the floor.
She wondered about her arriving birthday. Would she really turn 8, or would she stay 7? Can she even age? She remembered what Toby said about not being able to age.
"Alright, let's go so Alexis can sleep." Samantha said, kissing Alexis's forehead. "Goodnight, Lexi. Love you."
"Night!" Alexis called as they walked out and she closed her bedroom door.
"You two can play for a bit, then it'll be your bedtime." Samantha told Sally and Malcolm, then she walked towards the living room.
Sally and Malcolm met glances, but then they all heard the sound of the phone ringing.
It's the phone hanging on the wall in the hallway they're in. Malcolm, being he's the oldest one nearest to the phone, went to it and picked it up, now pressing it to his ear.
"Hey, is Malcolm there?" Asked someone who sounds like another boy.
Malcolm, of course, didn't say anything.
"I'm guessing I'm talking to him right now. So, hey kid, you're pretty stupid to leave your progress report at school where everyone would see your phone number and locker combination."
Malcolm still didn't say anything, and he showed no emotion on his face.
"Everyone already thinks you're a stupid queer, but I guess you're more stupid than I thought! I hope you don't mind if I borrow some things from your locker," the boy snickered, and Malcolm still didn't speak.
"Why are you so silent all the time? Talk, you little pussy! Are you gonna cry to your Mommy again? I wanna hear that stupid little voice of yours whine and cry agai-"
Malcolm quickly hung up and placed the phone back on its case and Sally saw his eyes flash with frustration and sadness, but then he looked down. Sally furrowed her eyebrows. What just happened?
"Who called?" They heard Samantha call, and she peeked into the hallway.
Malcolm shrugged, but kept his gaze on the floor. Then he quickly turned and walked towards the playroom, closing the door behind him.
Samantha sighed and leaned against the wall as Sally stared at the closed door. Is Malcolm okay?
"You know, he wasn't always quiet," Samantha spoke softly, now staring off into the distance, and Sally looked at her.
"He was kind of like Alexis, not as enthusiastic, but when it came to talking, he was just like her. But then we had to move because...something happened...and so they transferred schools." Samantha continued, now looking a bit sad. "That's when the teasing started."
Sally stared at Samantha, waiting to hear more.
"Malcolm was picked on a lot, ever since 1st grade, when he transferred here. Some days he'd come home with a new bruise, some days he would come home crying, but one day he came home saying nothing at all. He wouldn't talk, and he hasn't talked since. I talked to his teacher, and he said that Malcolm may have silenced himself because of the other kids."
Samantha looked at Sally. "I thought it was only temporary. I thought they only teased him because he was the new kid, but they didn't stop. They would make fun of him, and whenever he said something, they'd laugh and mimic him, even if he wasn't trying to be funny. Being laughed at for everything you say, and then to be ignored like you're not there...I think it must've been so lonely. You'd feel like there's so meaning to your words. As if no matter what you say, they'll only laugh at you, or ignore you. I think...I think that if you go through something like that, you build a wall around your heart, and your words die."
Samantha looked down. "I know Malcolm can speak if he tried, but now kids make fun of him for being silent. I want to know what he thinks, or what he wants, but he doesn't show his emotions, at least not in front of me."
She bit her quivering lip. "I wish he'd talk to me, but it's been so long, I wonder if he's forgotten how to speak altogether."
Sally looked down now, letting this story run through her mind like a movie. Malcolm was teased so badly that he just stopped speaking. Poor boy.
Sally looked towards the playroom, then she walked to the door and softly opened it, and stepped in.
Malcolm is sitting on the couch, but he stared blankly at the space in front of him, as if he's deep in thought.
Sally walked closer, and when he noticed, he looked up and saw her.
"You...You were bullied?" Sally asked him.
He stared at her for a moment, then he looked down and nodded.
"Are you still being bullied?"
He nodded again.
She then felt some sort of urge tugging at her, but, shockingly, it isn't a brutal urge. It's more of a protective feeling. She wanted to hurt those who hurt him. She feels the need to kill those kids, but how come she doesn't feel the need to kill Malcolm?
Sally walked over to him, then sat next to him on the couch. Hesitantly, she reached out and set her hand on his arm. He jumped a bit, but he didn't pull away as he met her gaze again.
"Everything will be okay," Sally whispered, repeating the words Alexis had told her earlier.
They stared at each other for what seemed like a long time, then he nodded. Sally isn't sure if he believes her or not, though.
Sally forced herself to give him a small grin and Malcolm looked away, his eyes now shifting to the game controllers, which are still on the floor from their last game.
Sally saw the controllers also and hopped off the couch, then picked them up and handed one to him.
He stared at it for a moment, then he hesitantly reached out and grabbed it.
"Want to play another game?" She asked, hoping that he feels a bit better if they did.
He seemed to think for a moment, then he nodded.
Malcolm opened a game case and took out a disk, one named Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
Sally blinked in surprise and saw Malcolm put the disk in the game console.
The game started up and Malcolm began to play as Sally watched.
Then she thought of Ben. She bit her lip as forebodings swirled in her mind and anxiety bubbled in her stomach.
What if-
The screen began flickering with static.
Sally gasped a bit, but Malcolm didn't seem very bothered by it.
However, throughout the short time he played it, Malcolm started noticing when the character, Link, kept dying for no reason. Characters will stare directly at the screen, and the music is odd. It keeps shifting and changing, and so do the textures. There seems to be glitches around every corner,
Malcolm's eyebrows furrowed and Sally became worried. Is Ben doing this? It has to be, he's the only one who could manipulate this game. There's no way that the game is doing this by itself.
Malcolm made the main character walk through the town he is in, soon finding another character.
Malcolm tried to interact with the person, but to Sally's dreadful surprise, the only thing the person said was:

"You've met a terrible fate, haven't you?"