For All Of Eternity (A Sally Creepypasta Fanfiction)

Chapter 41 - Lucidity

Sally abruptly sat up, gasping.
What was that?
She blinked at the sudden brightness of the room she's in, but then she really woke up.
Sally looked around, then she gasped again and jumped off of the bed.
She recognized the room as her own room. Her old room, the way it was before she died.
A twin-sized bed with a Power Puff Girls blanket and Mickey Mouse pillows, pink walls, her butterfly lamp sitting on her white dresser, and a small box of toys sitting in the corner of the room. Everything is the way it was before.
Sally's breathing sped up. Did her mother do this?
But wait, when did she get here? Wasn't she just at the playground?
And yet, sunshine shone into her room through purple and blue curtains. She was sure it was storming only minutes ago.
Maybe it cleared up as she was sleeping.
Sally took a deep breath to calm herself. Maybe Maria made this room hoping Sally would feel at home again. Maria should know that Sally can't stay forever.
Sally walked over towards her bedroom door, but then she felt strange.
It isn't a bad kind of strange, it's more of a relief than anything. She feels lighter somehow, but Sally doesn't know what exactly it is.
She didn't think much of it as she walked out of her room, smelling something delicious.
At the smell, she felt a slight pain in her stomach, but then it growled. Wait, growled?
Sally stopped walking and looked down at her stomach. What was that?
Then she saw that she's once again wearing her pink nightgown, and not the dress Malcolm had given her. But the nightgown is no longer tattered, dirty, and bloody. It's as if nothing ever happened to it.
Sally's eyes widened. Wait, maybe Maria gave her a new nightgown?
Maybe Maria found her at the park and brought her home?
Yes, that has to be it.
But she wants the dress back. It's important to her. It's all she has left of Malcolm.
Sally bit her lip, a little too hard, but then she gasped when she realized she could actually feel it. Her jaw trembled, but then she decided to bite down harder, and she actually felt pain.
Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, but then she noticed that her hand is warm.
Sally looked at it, but instead of seeing bloody, dirty, and pale skin, it's flushed with color and her skin is clean.
Her breath caught in her throat and she stood very still.
After a silent moment, she heard it. A beating heart.
It throbbed within her ears and she can feel it pulsating throughout her body.
Sally's heart is beating.
Her lungs ached for air and she released her breath, but her breathing only sped up.
What is this? What's going on!? This shouldn't be happening! It's not possible!
Sally turned and ran towards the bathroom, but as she did, she realized her legs no longer hurt. She's able to move without any problem at all.
Sally slammed the bathroom door open and leaned over the sink to see her reflection.
What she saw made her eyes wider than they already are.
Her cheeks are flushed with color and her eyes had light, the green that revealed life. There's no blood running down her face, in fact, there isn't even a fatal gash in her head.
Her legs has no blood trails and dirt, but instead, there are clean, peach-colored legs. Her feet are no longer dirty.
Sally swallowed hard and stared at her reflection for a long time until the realization hit her.
She's alive.
No. She can't be alive. She died! She died, woke up, became a murderer, became a monster.
But here she is, as if none of that has ever happened.
Was that all just a dream. Or is this a dream?
Her panic dropped at that thought.
Yes, this is just a dream...it has to be.
Sally forced her gaze to look away from her reflection, and then she walked out of the bathroom.
She walked through the living room, which is all back to the way it was before, and then looked into the kitchen to see Maria cooking.
Her mother saw her and gave her a warm smile. "Morning, sweetheart."
"Mommy," Sally whispered, remembering the last time she saw her. How her mother had looked at her, and Sally knew immediately that Maria had thought that Sally was the one who hurt Liu.
At that second, Sally realized that Maria is opening her eyes to what her daughter had become.
And yet, here she is, looking at her daughter with the same love, warmth, and acceptance as she always had.
Maria walked over to her and kissed Sally's forehead. "And happy birthday."
Sally closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of her mother. It's a mixture of sweet cinnamon, soft perfume, and home.
Before Maria turned to continue cooking, Sally spoke up.
"Mommy, is Liu okay?" She asked.
Maria looked at Sally with confusion. "Liu? Who's that?"
Sally was temporarily speechless when Maria said that.
"The-The man...the homeless man you let in," Sally tried to explain. How could Maria forget Liu? "Jeff's brother."
"What? Sweetie, I don't know what you're talking about," Maria knelt down in front of Sally. Sally looked into her mother's eyes only to see confusion and worry. Maria isn't playing around.
"What's going on here?"
Sally's eyes widened when she heard that voice. She froze for a moment, then she looked up in panic to see Frank walking up to them.
Her father smiled when he saw her daughter and he walked over to her, opening his arms out to her. "There's my birthday girl!"
Sally gasped as her father was about to hug her and she staggered away, staring up at him with an indescribable expression as she tried to make sense of all of this.
Her mother and father furrowed their eyebrows at Sally.
"Hon, what's the matter?" Maria asked softly, reaching out to her daughter.
Sally shook her head, still staring at Frank. "N-No, you can't be here!"
He tilted his head. "Sally, what are you-"
"You died! I saw you! You were-" Sally's sentence was cut off as she sobbed and her eyes filled with tears, but instead of blood clouding her vision, it's just clear liquid. Natural, salty tears slid down her cheeks.
"Baby, did you have a bad dream?" Maria pressed her hand to Sally's cheek, wiping away her tear.
Sally swallowed hard and she hiccuped. Her father hesitantly reached out for Sally, as if seeing if she would run away from him again, but she stood her ground. He rubbed her back assuringly, but it didn't assure Sally very much.
What's going on? What happened? How is her father here? How is she here? And where is Liu? This doesn't make sense!
How is any of this possible?
"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie." Frank said softly, now pulling Sally into a hug.
Sally gave in and she shut her eyes and hugged her father tightly. His embrace is so warm. There's no way this is real, and yet, it's so real. If this is a dream, she prays no one will wake her up. She's missed her father so much.
Frank stroked her hair a bit, then pulled back to give Sally a grin. "Well, don't want to ruin your birthday with a nightmare. Let's have some pancakes to cheer you up, alright?"
Sally nodded and wiped away her tears, then tried to smile back, but she still feels very unsure about this. She should keep her guard up, because this could be some sort of trap.
"Oh, the pancakes!" Maria jumped up and ran into the kitchen where they can smell the burning pancakes.
Frank chuckled and straightened up, then followed Maria to help her out. "Don't go burning the house down."
"Hush, Frank." Maria responded with a grin as she set the burnt pancake in the trash and poured more batter into the frying pan.
Sally watched as her parents cook breakfast and communicate just as they had always did. Her head spun, rampaging in circles as she thought about all of this. Questions poured into her mind.
What about the others? Jeff? Jack? Ben? Hoodie? Masky?
Uncle Johnny?
Sally's breathing picked up its pace. What if all of that was a dream?
But then what if it actually happens? Could it all have been a dream to warn her about what would happen?
She swallowed hard and her hands gripped at the sides of her nightgown, but then Maria began setting plates on the table, signaling that breakfast is ready.
Sally's stomach growled again and the smell of the food made her mouth water.
"Sally, do you want syrup on your pancakes?" Maria asked as she set two pancakes on a plate and sat it on the end of the table, the place where Sally usually sits.
"Uh-huh," Sally whispered, but Maria heard her. Sally looked over at her father again, as if she's making sure that he's still there. She remembered how he looked the last time she saw him. He was hanging by his neck on a rope, his head falling at an unnatural angle, his body dangling lifelessly. But now he's walking around, teasing Maria and laughing, his eyes full of life.
Sally forced her shaky legs to move, and with a second of timidity, she sat on the chair, staring at her plate of pancakes. Maria poured some syrup on them and Sally watched as the amber colored syrup dripped down the sides. She can distinguish the smell of blueberries from the pancakes and it made her mouth water even more.
Maria poured a glass of milk and set it next to Sally's plate. Once everything was ready, Frank and Maria sat down also and began to eat.
Sally managed to pull her gaze away from Frank as she stared down at her food. What would happen if she eats it now? Would she be able to taste it? Would she just puke it all up?
She grabbed her fork, then began to pick at her pancakes until a few pieces broke off. She poked them and lifted them to her mouth. Sally hesitated, then opened her mouth and set the piece in.
Her mouth exploded in flavor and Sally couldn't help but to moan at the sweetness. It's as if she hadn't ever tasted anything so sweet in her life.
Maria gave Sally a smile. "So, honey, what do you want to do today?"
Sally chewed and swallowed, and she expected to feel that sick feeling, but she didn't. Instead, her stomach craved for more.
"Um, I don't know," Sally said uncertainly, putting another forkful of pancake into her mouth.
It's like she hasn't eaten in forever. Eating food with real flavor is just wonderful.
She started to wonder if this really is a dream. She mentally prayed that it isn't because she doesn't want to return to that place, that nightmare she had called reality. Sally still questions what is real and what isn't, but she just tried to enjoy this moment.
"Well, it is your birthday," Frank said after sipping his coffee. When Sally still couldn't answer, Maria spoke up.
"At least tell me what you would like for dinner," she said.
"Um..." Sally murmured. She's still not sure of what to say, so she just spoke what first came to her mind. "Can we go out for dinner? Like, at a restaurant?"
"We can do that," Frank nodded. "Is there a certain place you want to go?"
Sally shook her head and put another forkful of pancake into her mouth as an excuse not to talk.
She couldn't help but to keep staring at her father as she ate. Sally's watching him as if she was expecting him to disappear all of a sudden, and then she'd wake up, but it didn't happen.
The horror she felt the day he died still lingers, and the despair it brought her is still incredibly strong.
But here he is, alive as ever.
She is still very cautious about what is going on and what may or may not happen.
This feels way too real to be a dream, but there's no way it can be reality, right?
Then she thought about Johnny.
"Um, what about Uncle Johnny?" Sally stuttered when she spoke, but she continued as her parents looked at her. "I-Is he going to visit today?"
They were both silent for a few seconds and they stared at her with odd looks.
"Uncle Who?" Frank asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
Sally swallowed, feeling confused. "Your brother."
Maria gave her a confused look. "Honey, you don't have an Uncle Johnny. Your Daddy doesn't have a brother."
Sally's eyes widened and she stared at them incredulously, feeling utterly shocked.
No way.
"Sally, are you sure you're okay?" Frank asked his daughter, obviously worried.
She nodded quickly, but didn't meet his gaze. "Uh-huh."
"Does it have to do with your nightmare?" Maria asked.
Sally hesitated, then nodded again.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She isn't so sure about that. Does she want to talk about it?
Sally bit her lip and stared down at her plate. Might as well try to get it off of her chest.
"It was scary," she whispered. "There...there was a man. A man who was Daddy's brother...in my dream."
She spoke the word 'dream' carefully, because she can't be sure yet.
"He...He hurt me. He...kept touching me, and made me touch him." She swallowed, not daring to look into her parents' eyes. "And...there were monsters."
She paused, and in that pause, Frank spoke up.
"Monsters?" He asked. His voice is filled with obvious worry. "Did they try to get you?"
She shook her head, then finally met her father's brown eyes. "No. They didn't get me."
"They didn't?" Maria asked.
Sally nodded, now meeting her mother's gaze. "Because I was a monster, too."
That seemed to silence them. They met gazes, then looked back at Sally.
"The man...he killed me. And then I became a monster. I hurt people, and...I-I killed people," Sally finished.
There was no more conversation after that, so Sally decided to keep eating, although she feels sick. Not as if she's going to puke, but it is indeed an odd feeling.
Sally finished her plate and sipped her milk, feeling full and her hunger is satisfied.
She feels strangely awkward standing up and taking her dishes to the sink.
She glanced at her parents to see they're still eating in silence. They didn't stop her when she decided to leave the kitchen.
Once she was out of their sight, she took a deep breath.
It all still feels so raw to her. There is no Uncle Johnny. Her father is alive. She's alive.
Everything is just too real. It's like a dream come true, and Sally doesn't trust it one bit.
She expects herself to wake up, or something extremely bad to happen. But when?
She can hear her parents whispering from the kitchen.
"I'm worried about her," Maria's voice sounded concerned.
"I'm sure she'll be alright. It's natural to have nightmares every now and then."
"Not like that. And not from Sally. Frank, I think there's something wrong."
"What, a man touching her? Monsters? Sally hurting people? Maria, I don't think any of that could happen."
"But then why is she dreaming it? She looked distressed when she was talking about it, Frank."
"Then we can talk to her about it, but not right now. I mean, c'mon, it's the girl's birthday! We can't just-"
Sally doesn't want to hear them talk about her anymore. She walked away and into her bedroom where she'll feel a bit safer. Alone, quiet, and she wished it's darker, but she can deal.
"What's happening to me?" Sally whispered to herself.
She doesn't know what's happening anymore. What should she do? What can she do?
She'd like to take a walk. Walking always helps when she needs to think.
She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a drawer, then dug through it to pull out some clothes.
Sally picked out a purple, black, and white plaid skirt with a purple t-shirt, all in which she dressed into.
She pulled on a pair of socks and her tennis shoes, then brushed her hair until it fell in smooth waves around her shoulders.
Sally took a deep breath, then stepped out of her room.
She saw that Frank is sitting in the living room on the couch and watching television.
"Um, Daddy?" She asked, hesitating. It's a bit strange saying it after already accepting that he was dead.
"Hm?" He looked at her.
"Can we go on a walk?"
He stared at her for a silent moment, then shrugged. "Sure thing."
Sally looked down as he stood up and pulled his shoes on.
"Maria, Sally and I are gonna go on a walk. Wanna come with us?" Frank called.
"Sure, one moment," Maria called back.
As they waited for her, Frank looked down at Sally.
"So, uh..." Frank hesitated and Sally looked up at him. "About that dream you told us about...do you want to talk more about it?"
Sally bit her lip, then she shook her head. No need to make her parents more worried than they already are.
He set his hand on her shoulder. "Well, if you want to talk about anything, anything at all, we'll always be here for you."
She nodded, not meeting his gaze.
Soon enough, Maria walked into the living room to meet up with her husband and daughter.