My View From the Window ~ Chapter Eleven

I couldn’t breathe.

The intense sheath of impenetrable darkness had locked in around me as soon as I had pulled the

bookcase back against the wall, hiding the passageway once more, and it now had begun to smother my body,

choke the life out, and almost cause me to pass out. I stood motionlessly with my back against the wall behind me,

holding the cross protectively against my heaving bosom, gaping vacantly at the dense blackness before me,

obscuring the long staircase I was almost positive was there. “.....Oh....oh shit.....” I whispered hoarsely, forcing

myself to swallow. “....What....what the hell am I doing....?....I can’t do this......!”

The clamor of the soldiers tearing through the library behind me had become muffled by the bookcase

between us, but I could feel the wall shuddering behind me with every heavy footstep or capsized bookcase. The

crucifix in my hand burned frigidly against my chest, and I could see its jewel-studded form glittering faintly in the

darkness.

I took one quivering step forward, keeping one hand against the wall and descending slowly down the

hidden stairway. “.....You’ll....you’ll be ok, Allie....” I assured myself shakily, feeling for the next step with my

foot and gradually continuing my way down. “.....Vincent said you would.....And he said he would find

you...Yeah, that’s right....Everything’s gonna be just fine....You just gotta keep going....”

My foot struck cold brick ground beneath me, and I slowly rested my weight against it and inhaled a

trembling breath. I had finally reached the base of the stairwell, and all at once I could sense the nauseating

familiarity of the expansive room surrounding me. I remained in that position for probably close to a minute or

two, bracing myself against the sharp odor of decaying flesh that had prowled into the thick air, then clenched my

hands into fists, closed my eyes, and proceeded to the right.

The smell grew worse.

Each step I took into the darkness, the stabbing aroma of carrion gradually became stronger. I lifted a

hand to my mouth, choking pathetically on the grisly scent. “.....The name of the Lord is a strong tower...” I began

to mutter mechanically, my voice trembling softly. I clutched the cross tightly against my shaking chest. “...Into it

the righteous runs and is given protection....Amen....”

My quivering footsteps echoed deafeningly in the darkness about me.

My vision slowly climbed upwards towards the ceiling, where faintly I could hear some sort of damp

scraping noise. Numerous clusters of dirt fell dully to the floor around me, shattering weakly into countless

fragments of soil. I forced myself to swallow, shifting another couple of steps into the depths of the passageway.

“....Dirt...” I whispered raspingly, my throat dry with suppressed fear. “....The entire ceiling is made of dirt....I

must be dozens of feet underneath the road....”

I drew in a smothered gasp as a pale object plummeted clumsily down from the ceiling, striking heavily

against the brick floor with a dank splatter. I watched the pallid shape writhe fervently on the dark stone planking,

then took several progressive steps forward and squinted my eyes against the darkness. It was a large white

maggot, at least a foot or so in length, smeared with random smudges of dirt, twisting agonizingly at my feet,

leaving a sodden pool of mire polishing the brick around it. “....U...ughh...” I moaned in disgust, drawing

backwards several feet and lifting a shaking hand to my throat. “...There must be thousands of those things

crawling around above me......I...I think I’m going to be--”

I was silenced as numerous other maggots began to drop to the floor around me, splashing down with wet

splats and continuing to convulse frantically against the floor. I suddenly felt a damp, cold object land stiffly

against the back of my neck, dropping limply over my shoulders and slapping damply against my skin.

Immediately I emitted a terrified scream and clawed at my collar, finally seizing the squirming larva draped

around my throat and flung it away, then shielded my head with my arms and sprinted expeditiously deeper into

the cavern.

Eventually my panic and fright sucked away my strength, and after only a few short minutes of running I

was forced to collapse weakly against a dark wall behind me in order to catch my quivering breaths. I could feel

the icy tears streaking down my cheeks, and the back of my neck still had the subtle feeling of slime oozing about

my throat. “....Oh...oh God...!” I wailed throatily, covering my mouth with my shaking hand and choking on an

escaping sob. “...Oh God...!! Oh, Jesus, why is this happening to me...??!”

Loud creaking noises had begun to sound out around me, echoing ragingly in the damp air around me.

Slowly my vision lifted to scan the dark room surrounding me, and dimly against the wall opposite me I could

perceive the form of a skeleton slumped weakly against the brick. A quavering breath clogged my throat, and

slowly I shifted into an upright position. Another clamorous squeal tore angrily through the darkness, and

immediately I clutched the cross in my hand to my chest. “.......Don’t....don’t hate me....” I whispered raggedly,

keeping against the wall as my eyes remained locked on the motionless skeleton in the shadows across from me.

“...Don’t be angry with me.....Please...I’m sorry....I’m sorry I came here......I..I want to leave....I just want to

leave....I can sense you all here.....I can sense you circling me....I’ve got Christ with me......Get away..!!”

Another howl severed the stillness engulfing my body, and immediately I let out a frightened scream and

covered my head with my arms. I could hear my cry echoing loudly off the brick walls surrounding me, and the

cross I held in a trembling fist before my face seared my palm with a metallic, passionless rage. Tumultuous

thumping sounds rebounded furiously off the confines, and now I thought I could hear voices, a shrieking choir of

death that wailed dimly from further down the hallway. I gradually lifted the cross to my lips and kissed it lightly.

“...The name of the Lord is a strong tower...” I repeated involuntarily, my voice quivering with my unpronounced

sobs. “.......Into it the righteous runs and is given protection....Amen.....”

My head snapped upwards as a boisterous clattering noise erupted from before me, and I watched in shock

as a skull gradually rolled into my small field of vision and came to a halt at my feet, staring depravedly up at my

face through its empty eye sockets. I stared down at it for several seconds in silence, then slowly directed my

vision up towards the passageway before me. “...........H.....hello....?” I called shakily, shifting a foot or two

forward and attempting to see through the dense blackness. “...Hello...?? Is....is someone there....?”

The tormented wails swept back towards me, echoing indistinctly off the stone walls. No further sound

came from the dark hallway stretched out in front of me.

I could feel the crucifix in my hands vibrating as it rested against my pounding heart, and I gradually

drew in a silent breath and straightened myself upright. My eyes languidly slid across the walls on either side of

me, and now my vision had adjusted just enough to the darkness that I could presently make out the silhouettes of

thousands of skulls lining both edges of the room, and the overwhelming pungency of rotting flesh and wet bone

tore viciously into my sinuses. “....The catacombs....” I whispered shakily to myself, surveying the vast expanse of

skulls embroidering my path deeper into the tomb. “....I....I can feel something surrounding me....It...it feels

angry...”

As I proceeded further into the depths of the grotto, I could hear the howling chorus from before me

gradually become closer and louder, screaming from some sort of assistance, lamenting from some sort of agony.

Faint squeaking noises were now emanating from the walls, and as I continued forward I cast a glance sideways

and caught a glimpse of hundreds of rats scampering across the bones, slipping in and out through blank eye

sockets, peering out through open jawbones. I felt a powerful jolt, clutching the cross against my chest.

“.........P....Protection.....The...the name of the Lord is a strong tower....Amen......”

A tumultuous squealing noise erupted from above me, and I emitted a terrified scream as numerous skulls

on the walls about me rattled unsteadily and finally plummeted from the confines, shattering into thousands of

shards of ivory across the floor. Innumerable rats uttered terrified chirps and fled from the smashed bone, and in

the darkness I could feel damp fur brushing up against my ankles and small claws burying their way up my right

leg. I let out a second timorous shriek and retreated deeper into the cavern, then hid my face behind the cross.

“I’m sorry!!” I cried apprehensively. “I’m sorry I’m here!! Please, just let me go!! I’ll leave, just leave me alone!!”

The choir screeched again, significantly louder, as if now in the same room as me. Immediately I froze in

place, my face still concealed behind the cross in my hands, but I could feel how ragged my breaths had grown and

how my eyes refused to tear away from the dark brick underneath my feet. I gradually forced myself to swallow

down my parched throat, then sluggishly lifted my vision to the surrounding chamber. The room before forked out

into three directions: west, north, and east. Each continued forward into darkness where the passage disintegrated

into shadows.

The choir emitted another torturous screech from behind my back, and then I caught the edge of a furious

windstorm reeling up above my head. I my eyes fell to the cross in my hands, where I captured a glance of an

indistinct mass of howling faces weaving up over my shoulder reflected back towards me from the large ruby jewel

positioned in the center.

Immediately a tumultuous scream tore free of my lips, and I found my head involuntarily snapping around

behind me. A panicked moment elapsed as my eyes refused to focus, and as my surroundings gradually settled into

view I could see nothing but the dank shadows that had submerged my body the entire time. My terrified shriek

could still be heard echoing deafeningly off the walls about me, blurred together with some sort of indistinct noise

slithering predatorily through the darkness. My throbbing pulse rang out painfully within my skull, and, holding

the frigid cross against my chest, inhaled a sharp gasp and dashed into the passageway leading off to my left.

“.............Oh shit......” A quivering curse escaped my lips as in the darkness I could make out the eerie

silhouette of a tall iron gate stretched up to the ceiling above me. I had only ventured for maybe ten or so minutes

into the shadowy passage, and suddenly I had come to an ominous, rusted barrier obstructing my path. I slowly

lifted my hands to the icy metal and gave it a rough shake, but it only emitted a corroded squeal and refused to

move any further. “....Oh shit..............oh shit.....”

Beneath me I could feel that the ground had turned noticeably more damp, and faintly I could pick up the

sound of dripping water emanating from beyond the gate and the caliginous shadow of a trail of water snaking out

across the floor beneath it.

My eyes sluggishly slid across the hindrance before me, attempting to find some way around the obstacle,

but I was hopelessly trapped where I was. I slammed a discouraged fist against the gate, which let off another

decaying groan, then leaned weakly back against it. “...........Dammit....” I whispered shakily to myself, lifting a

hand to my forehead. “...There’s.....there’s no freakin’ way out.....except.........except to head back the way I

came.......”

My footsteps rebounded conspicuously off the constricting walls about me, and I could gradually hear the

eerie wails and pounding emerging from the larger chamber as I slowly drew nearer once again. I emitted a

frightened cry as I could hear the sound of approaching footfalls coming from before me, and I involuntarily

withdrew several steps backwards into the passageway before I remembered the encumbering gate at the end. I

pressed myself protectively up against the wall, holding the cross against my chest, and then listened in shock as I

could sense the footsteps drawing up alongside me, reeling backwards, and continuing indifferently passed me, out

towards the gate. I stood frozen in shock, staring after the noise as it continued away from me. No visible being

had passed by me, only the echoing sounds of footsteps and an inaudible snap of disgust at the sight of my cross.

I took that moment to flee back into the main chamber.

As soon as I found myself standing in the center of the dark, echoing room, I immediately turned on my

heel and trudged straight into the center tunnel. Immediately after stepping into the chamber I had felt invisible

whisps of anger streaming about me and clawing furiously at my hands holding the crucifix, and I had waited no

longer to see any further reaction. The middle passage I had entered was significantly more narrow than the first,

and it loomed about me in an arched cupola instead of a dark corridor. Before me I could see the tunnel gradually

bleeding out into a spacious room, and I drew in a startled gasp as I noticed the murky outline of a staircase on the

wall across from me.

“...........Oh yes....! Oh please God, don’t let me be delirious!!...” I raced forward, into the sunlight that

could now be seen filtering through the gaps in the brick above my head. “....I....I made it...!! I’m gonna get

out...!!! I’ll be ok now, oh thank you God!!!” The staircase seemed to lead up to the concrete ceiling above me,

but faintly in the sunlight I could see rusted hinges bolted to the left side of several stones.

Immediately I raced up the stairs and slapped both numb hands up against the icy brick only centimeters

now above my head, and with a strained groan I pushed upwards with all my might. The hinges emitted a

nauseating squeal.

The bolts were rusted shut. They wouldn’t move.

“....Uughh...” I hesitated for a brief moment as this realization gradually seeped through my skull, then

exerted full pressure back onto the trap door over my head. “.....Dammit!!” I screamed nastily, the deafening

screech of the decaying hinges tearing mercilessly though my ears. “I’m....I’m not gonna die here!! There’s no

way in hell that this is where I’m gonna spend the rest of my life!! Let.....me....out........!!!”

Those sounds.....the same howling noises that had prowling about me the entire time.....Had they always

been so ominously loud? And the way they seemed to be bounding down the corridor towards me....Was that

simply my imagination as well...? The cross.....so cold against my stomach as it hung, latched against one of the

belt loops on my jeans, swinging lifelessly against my skin....How it seemed to be mocking me, jeering at the fact

that it provided no protection for my vulnerable soul and scornfully appearing to be motioning towards the

impending clamor down the corridor.........And how the hinges screeched so much louder now....

“.....................No!!!” I shrieked, slamming all my energy into the ceiling above my head. “I’m getting

out of this.....goddam hell!!!!!”

I heard an earsplitting screech erupt from above my head, and all at once the pressure placed upon my

shoulders and arms was torn away, sending me staggering several clumsy steps back down the staircase. Glaring

sunlight flooded forcefully into the darkened cavern, splashing ruthlessly into the murky walls and sweeping down

the corridor. A thick cloud of dust and grime was ripped free of the stone about me, bursting mercilessly into the

air and latching onto my face in a suffocating, fiery mask. Behind me I thought I picked up the sound of voices

shrieking in agony and fleeing back down the hallway, clawing angrily at the walls and retreating furiously back

into the shadows.

Immediately I caught my balance and grabbed hold of the edge of the ajar trapdoor, yanking myself

forward and dragging myself wearily out onto the grass beyond the opening. I could no longer move -- not

anymore. I remained immobile on the soil, sprawled out weakly on my hip and sobbing disjointedly into the dirt.

The cross dug cruelly into the pit of my stomach, where my weight had been placed atop it, and I could feel the

sensitivity gradually seeping back up into my hands. The tears continued flowing in a constant stream down my

cheeks and splattering to the ground beneath me, but I slowly shifted myself up onto my elbows.

“......Uughhhhh...” I hauled my stagnant body forward, away from the open trapdoor, then pulled myself up into a

fatigued kneeling position. “....All....all right now.....I’m ok now....No more....”

I was silenced by a loud scream as the trapdoor beside me was suddenly torn from the ground on its

hinges, instantaneously slamming closed back into its original square gorge in the dirt. Another misting of dust

slithered into the space before me, gradually fading away into the icy air. I stared down at it vacantly for several

moments, then climbed to my feet, turned on my heel, and trudged silently away in the opposite direction.

The cross beat continuously against my right hip.

“...........Where.....where am I....?” I whispered hoarsely, slowly directing my vision about me as I

continued forward. I was stationed amongst a graveyard of some sort, significantly larger than the one beside

Vincent’s apartment, with lofty, looming monuments and mausoleums. Rigid sculptures of gargoyles and eroded

angels stared woodenly down at me through expressionless, chiseled eyes, and the only noise that I could hear was

the light sound of a doleful breeze sweeping through the silent graves.

From somewhere behind me a church bell sounded, ringing out deplorably through the stillness.

“.....I....I must have made it all the way across town...” I whispered softly, lifting my hands to my chest

and pausing. I removed my fingers from my bosom and gazed down at them. My palms continued to quiver

involuntarily before my eyes. “..............Oh.....oh Christ..........” I removed my gaze from them and lifted it to the

graveyard around me once again. “...I think I just made it out of there in time.....before I passed out....”

The church bell tolled a second time, in rhythmic succession with the first. It was growing continuously

more distant as I ventured deeper into the midst of the cemetery, and after one final chime it gradually evaporated

into the crunching of snow beneath my feet.

The graveyard took me at least fifteen minutes to transverse completely and was surrounded by a tall iron

fence encircling the entire length of the perimeter. The main gate was large and elaborate, constructed entirely of

a rusting ebony metal gnarled into lavish designs and patterns.

It swung open with a tormenting squeal.

The silence was momentarily severed, casting a violent shiver down my back, and I took several steps

forward out into the surrounding world, clinging to the icy gate with my left hand. The cemetery ran parallel to an

abandoned dirt road, obviously unused judging by the smooth sheet of snow spread out across its surface. Straight

across from me loomed a dark building, deserted as well, eroded significantly by conflicting weather and age, and I

could not place what it had at one time been used for due to the severe eating away of the edifice’s structure.

Situated only a few yards before me was a deteriorating concrete staircase of only five or so steps, leading up to the

large hatchway on which a wooden door hung weakly on one hinge. The interior of the building, that which I

could see through the small doorway, that is, was entirely dark and masked with a dense blanket of impenetrable

blackness.

I stared vacantly at the building before me, then took several steps forward and leaned back against the

cold gate in my hand, snapping it shut back on its latches. An icy gale swept past me, ruffling my hair and tearing

up the snow into pale clouds of fine powder.

That building.........Some sort of icy feeling swept silently through my veins, causing a elusive shiver to

creep down my back and my extremities to turn unusually numb. It...it has an air of familiarity about it.....I’m

being drawn.........

I could feel my insensate feet beneath me unwittingly moving forward, leaving a progressive trail of

footprints in the frost behind me. It....it feels as if I’ve been here before...... I thought hazily, stepping up onto the

first crumbling stair. The emotions boiling up within me.....I can’t tell what they’re saying....“Hoax.....?”.....

“Fraud...?”.......“....Illusion...?” I don’t understand......My head’s spinning.....I can’t think....

My feet landed airily against the top stair, positioning me only a foot or two away from the murky

doorway. Even at my impending location I couldn’t see through the opaque wall of blackness that stretched out

through the open entrance before me, and the air was dank with the heavy aroma of dust and vermin.

I took one step forward. Another.

The darkness slowly closed it around me, swallowing my body whole into its vast stomach of blackness,

and as everything gradually faded away into the intense gloom I could sense the familiarity of furious, unsettled

anger streaming rabidly through the air.

~ End of Chapter Eleven ~

*Author's Note : Ok, tell me honestly -- did this even come close to what I had in mind??! I wanted it to be dramatic and creepy, but I think it just ended up being cheesy. O well, not like the rest of my story's any better!! Hopefully next chapter will be a little more successfully written out than this one, but.....um, there's a new character introduction, does that count??*

Back to Main Page

Back to My View From the Window Fanfiction