Chapter Text
Thunder clouds rolled across the sky as rain pounded down in heavy sheets. Gusts of wind banged against the aged house and let out an eerie whistle as it was forced between the cracks of the door. Everything was dark. The power had shut off some time ago and the room held a piercing cold that was only amplified by the fact that she was all alone.
Throughout her life she had never really been one to mind the feeling of emptiness, but now, with the immense storm surrounding her, it felt overwhelming. Like a weight was sitting on her chest and no matter how much oxygen she consumed she couldn’t breathe. So, just like a little kid, she hid. Hid from the lies she had told. Hid from the people who had hurt her. Hid from the world.
She had chosen to drown herself beneath a mountain of blankets. She let herself forget, for even the briefest of moments, that the outside world even existed at all.
Crackles of lightning illuminated the bare room, bringing her out of the spiral that her mind had caved into. With a soft sigh she slowly untwisted herself from the cocoon of blankets, a shiver crawling down her spine as the icy floor shocked her feet. She wrapped a blanket around herself and shuffled her way over to the fridge.
Swinging the door open she squinted to spot what was in the fridge. “Hardly anything! What a shocker.” She mumbled sarcastically as she grabbed some, hopefully not expired, yogurt. Alice gave a quick sniff and figured that it was probably fine if the odor was a little sour.
The worst that could happen is that I get sick. Not that I have the budget to go to the doctors anyways but I’ll pull through. I’m not about to let some cup of yogurt be the death of me. Not after everything I’ve been through.
Using the tin foil top, she made a little spoon and scarfed down the food. She would need to go out to find something more filling soon, but due to the unexpected storm, stores wouldn’t be open for a few days. The outer bands of rain were only now starting to hit and time was ticking down until the roughest part would be here. Concern at how bad the storm would get was constantly nagging in her mind. If she was already struggling with the weakest part, then how was she supposed to handle 100 mile per hour winds. She should have just evacuated like everyone else. Even if she decided to leave now she doubted that she would get very far with how congested all the roads were.
Sure she had known that deadly storms were a high risk in this area, it had been one of the main reasons that it was so cheap. But nothing was supposed to be this sudden. Nothing that was this destructive.
Instead of the blizzards of ice that she had gotten up North, the coast had roaring winds and monstrous floods. In a way, it was almost musical. The clashing of thunder, the way these powerful forces of nature rumbled throughout the sky and sent vibrations throughout the land. Though with the state of her home, she was more than a little worried about it suddenly being struck down.
There was a reason the house had been so cheap, and it wasn’t just because of how frail it was. The pair that had owned the home were desperate to get rid of it and wouldn’t give a clear reason why. When she purchased the home, the owners had failed to tell her that there was a very, very high chance that the house would flood in excessive rainfall, whatever that was supposed to mean, and in her rush to escape her family she just had to move into a place right before a record breaking storm hit.
Alice cursed herself for being so stupid, but even with the knowledge that she has now, she still wouldn’t have thought twice about moving into the place. She found a job a short walking distance away and it kept her from having to worry over buying a car. Her cousin had been kind enough to drive her to the opposite side of the country, and Alice wasn’t going to ask for any more favors. A small part of her hoped that she would never have to see her cousin again, no matter how nice he was. She wanted to cut off all ties from her family, and hoped that over time, everyone would just forget that she ever existed. She hoped that she would just fade away from the world.
The lies we tell ourselves to keep on moving. To keep surviving even if it’s only for a day more. Every little thing had eaten away at Alice until she forgot who her true self was. Until her passion had shriveled into nothingness. She was like an empty shell walking amongst the living. Her soul had been swept away, just like debris in a storm.
Some days, as she watched the people passing through the streets she wondered what the point of living was. We would all be corpses in the end anyways. Why even try to be someone different.
“What great thoughts to sleep to.” Alice murmured under her breath as she crawled back under the thick blankets and was finally able to shut off her mind from the world.
The feeling of water lapping against her leg dragged her out of an uneasy sleep. Her eyes snapped open as the realization of what was happening set in. She shot up, tangling herself in the sheets and falling to the ground with a splash. Alice stifled a groan. The few possessions that she did have were destroyed and water only continued to pour in from small holes in the wall.
Grabbing her phone, she hurriedly stuffed it in her pocket and ran to the front door.
It took a moment for her shaky hands to unlock it but once she did the water slammed the door back, straight towards her outstretched arm. Alice cried out as it rammed into her, but was too panicked to check if the door had done any real damage.
Looking around, she hardly recognized the land that lay before her. The trees tilted dangerously, fighting against the wind that ripped off its limbs. The streat was completely submerged in water and she could barely make out the shapes of dark objects flowing past the house. She cautiously slid her foot out the front door and felt it desperately try to rip her limb off as the current only increased.
Should she even try to escape this, or should she let it wash everything away. It would be easier that way. To just drift off amidst a storm. To let the dark depths of the water consume her. So, so easy.
But she couldn't allow herself to do that. Not yet at least. She had just escaped from one hell and she wasn’t ready to go to another one.
She could feel her panic rising. Her heart beat in an unsteady rhythm and she struggled to take in big enough breaths.
She frantically made her way around the house searching for any safe exits. The few windows that the place did have were so old that they had sealed themselves shut and no matter how hard she pried, Alice couldn’t get them open.
She looked over every inch of the house and paused when her eyes came to rest on a piece of artwork that stood out amid the chaos.
It was the only piece that she had kept from her old life. It was done in charcoal and it depicted a small girl huddled down under the gazes of tall shadows that loomed over her body. It was one of Alice’s most prized possessions. The only one that she just couldn’t live with letting her parents keep.
She briefly hesitated before ripping it from her dresser and rolling it in her hoodie’s pocket.
A creak sounded from above her and she turned to see a slightly stuck out panel in the ceiling. Jumping up, she barely reached the ledge and used her entire body to pull it down. Relief flooded her as it slowly started to open. An inhuman screech rang out as the ladder unfolded itself and clouds of dust flew towards Alice.
It took a moment to clear the dust from her lungs but once she did she crawled her way into the attic. A snap sounded behind her and she felt her heart plumet. With dread Alice turned to see that the attic door had just shut behind her. She slammed her fists against it, trying to kick it back out, though that only seemed to make the dust worse. The air was so thick that it became increasingly difficult for her to breathe. In exhaustion, she slumped against the floor. Gazing about the room that she was about to die in, she spotted something in the far corner that was large and draped in a white sheet.
It almost felt like it was calling her over to it. Beckoning her to find out what lay beyond its veil. In an almost zombie like state she walked over to the object and ripped off the sheet.
Before her stood a beautiful mirror with intricate designs covering its frame. It was beautiful. A work of art.
Alice stared in awe at the object before her, not noticing that the storm around her had suddenly stopped. That everything was calm. Instead she was captivated by the face looking back at her. She looked so…frail, so weak. Years of malnourishment was evident in the way that her skin clung to her bones. Her wet clothes were suctioned to her, enhancing her already pale complexion.
Alice reached out a hand to touch her reflection and just as she was about to graze the glass she felt a force push her forward sending her through the mirror and into the unknown.