Chapter 4
As the door closed behind her, the darkness became absolute. There were padded wall-like sections guiding her forward toward the lights and screams. Haunting music blared from overhead, mixed with mechanical mocking laughter and eerie voices. It tried too hard to be scary, so it wasn’t.
Erin leaned against one of the walls, but when the wall started to give way, she jumped forward. Holding her hands out, she felt her way back to the door and the solid wall on one side of it, slid to the floor and leaned back.
Sitting right by the door probably wasn't the best of ideas, but maybe anyone who entered would walk right past her without noticing her and she could have a few moments alone. Erin pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest, resting her head on them. Short hours left to live and she wanted time alone. Time to run through familiar halls and flirt with cute guys. Time to live, period. How selfish did she really have to be?
Her mom and dad were probably looking for her now, getting frantic the longer they couldn't find her. They didn't deserve that. Not after the past several months as their worst fears were confirmed when each treatment they tried failed. And yet, knowing they searched for her changed nothing. Going to them was impossible. She wasn’t ready to accept her death, that in days or minutes her life would be over.
But there with them, in that room with pictures, stuffed animals and cards, there was nothing else to think about but saying goodbye.
For a moment, Erin closed her eyes and pretended she was back in college just before getting sick. Staying up late, eating junk food, cramming with her study group. She'd only had one thing to worry about, really. Getting her degree. Moving forward. Then she'd returned home for vacation, come in for one of her regular check-ups with the doctors and had tumbled back into the good ol' life and death struggle she'd thought she'd finally escaped.
No one had ever claimed saying goodbye would be easy, but the sheer multitude of things to say goodbye to were overwhelming. Goodbye degree. Goodbye future goals and aspirations. Goodbye family and friends. Goodbye cute boys to flirt with.
Fingers touched her head, smoothing over her skull and tangling in her hair. Davis. She couldn't see him, but it didn't seem to matter. There was this slight electrical surge whenever they touched. It was a cheesy thought, but it was true. The only question was how had she not noticed when the door opened?
Davis settled at her side, his hand caressing down her hair and over her shoulders. "They try so hard to make this a soothing, sometimes fun, healing place, but even so, they can't hide its purpose."
Erin swiped a hand over her eyes. "At least there're no rusty showers and metal tables."
"And they don't have to operate with corroded tools and leather straps." A grin showed in his tone.
Erin smiled. "You've seen too many scary movies. This place is terrifying enough without seeing ghoulish ghosts wandering the corridors and leading patients astray."
"Well," he stiffened, "not ghoulish ones, anyway."
This time she laughed out loud, until a chill wafted under the door and she shivered. "Where on earth is that draft coming from?"
Davis sighed and took her hand. "Let's go finish this maze, shall we?"
"I really do need to get back." Using his help, she rose to her feet and dusted off the back of her pants.
"You will, don't worry. But I have to see what's in here first or I'll never sleep. Of course, if there is a clown around the corner, I'll probably never sleep anyway."
Erin giggled. "Seriously?"
"Hey, don't laugh. That's just mean."
Davis pulled her forward to the end of the first section of the maze where a life-size skeleton glowed green in the darkness. Just after that, the ghosts of past, present and future played Rockband. A cardboard plaque hung from a chain around each of their necks identifying them as Marley's Tripod.
"The detail is amazing."
"No kidding. Playing guitar while wrapped in chains is a trick unto itself."
Erin snorted, thankful for his ability to distract and amuse her. She pulled him to the next scene, but when she stopped, she almost fell to the floor with her laughter. A yellow lamp shone down on a green sheet littered with grass and leaves. Cardboard trees surrounded two people. A shirtless man with fake vampire teeth knelt before a gorgeous woman with wavy brown hair. His skin sparkled bright with glittery body-paint while he begged the woman to marry him.
"Come on, cruel lady." Davis tugged her past the screen. "It's probably going to be hard enough to wash that paint away from every nook and cranny without hearing your cackle in his head while he does it."
"Ack!" Erin knocked into a small table and the bowl on it moved, or at least, the disembodied hand on top of the bowl moved to protect the candy inside. A scary moan from within its depths tried to warn the scavengers away. "Okay, now it's getting dangerous in here."
Davis snickered, shaking his head and leading her around the table to the next scene. A very warty looking witch stirred a smoking cauldron. She stopped and cackled at the group surrounding her and ladled them each a cup of "brew". Some kids drank the lime-green liquid, others shuddered.
One boy leaned close to his companion and said, "Isn't that what they give us to help us throw up?"
The second kid laughed. "No, dude. I think it's just Gatorade."
The line of kids began to move forward while Erin and Davis following behind them. When a few of the smaller children started crying, parents and older kids gathered around, trying to soothe them. Looking for the disturbance, Erin saw the wraith guy again.
He stood blocking the door, his cloak blowing in wavy tendrils around him. The chill she'd felt earlier enveloped her again, along with a return of the hopeless desperation she'd cried over earlier. But there was something new this time: the muted sounds of moans and screams that weren't in the least mechanical-sounding. They were muffled, as if coming from within his robes, and the sounds sent chills down her spine.
"Back this way." Davis tugged her hand. "Quick."
"But-"
"Please."
The genuine worry in his eyes and tone convinced her to go and they hurried back through the maze toward the first door.
Death Is Becoming Page 4