Ambrosia

The darkness was nothing abnormal to the environment, but the chill of the air made every waking moment seem like an eternity. The fear in Allison’s eyes, only shown by a single candlelight that lit the entire room was overshadowed by her hair. Her long, chopped, black, tangled hair was covering her face, and her hands were occupied by a pair of rusty, chilled shackles on each side of her, making it difficult to wave it out of her face. She didn’t know where she was, but she knew that it was underground. She could feel the grimy soil at her feet that was damp and hardened. The humidity in the air was causing her skin to chill, as it moistened against her warm body. Her breath was visible slightly.

There was no sound in the tunnel she was rested in, except for the sound of her heavy breathing. She looked around for any signs of movements, but it was only hers. How long had she been in here? She wasn’t sure. She felt like it had been an eternity. She knew it had to be at least three days. She could feel it in her stomach… no food… and the baby. The baby needed food, too. That’s when her eyes widened to excruciating pain. She opened her mouth loudly, screaming at the top of her lungs, shaking her head. Was she going insane? Nothing was wrong with her, and she was in good condition… except for the cut on her throat. In the surroundings she was resided in, she wasn’t surprised if it got infected. Her throat felt inflamed. Her breaths were short. Her hands were growing numb and the heat that flashed through her cheeks was weakening. Was she dying?

She felt her knees give in, but she didn’t fall down, the force of the chains around her wrists that held her up began to tighten, making her lose more circulation. She didn’t care anymore, she felt helpless. She closed her eyes for a moment… but tried to stay awake. She couldn’t let herself miss a beat of anything. If Jason were to come down… she wouldn’t see it coming. Closing her eyes only for a second to focus…

Allison...

Her eyes opened. She looked up and around herself, but saw no one and heard no interruption. She blinked in confusion. She looked back down and began to revision.

Please… rest…

Again, her eyes opened. They were voices. Voices that resided in her head. She closed her eyes tightly to awaken herself, and then bit her lip. She wasn’t ready for this. Not again. She couldn’t handle the voices. They were mesmerizing in a frightening way.

Sleep…? Sleep… the voice mused repeatedly.

The voices were almost soothing to her. She felt her eyes grow heavy, as if she may just doze off. She couldn’t let herself do that though… if something were to happen… but her eyes closed. And then everything vanished.

”The terror inflicted scrapes in your bones, Allison… let him hold you close. The evil beating in his heart… his disease… you’re the only thing that can decline his rage. The only thing that keeps him appeased is you.”

Allison’s eyes woke to see darkness surrounding her. The sound of a child crying was heard in the distance… and she saw the light of a silhouette. Walking toward it slowly, Allison’s head tilted with curiosity. As she grew closer, she could see a child… or rather an infant laying on its side with closed eyes. It was still, and its skin was pale. It wore nothing but a cloak that covered him like a blanket. Allison grew nervous, wondering if the child was alright, slowly reaching her hand forward to touch it…

The baby’s eyes suddenly opened, instantly, and unnaturally, as it looked up at her and began to stand. As it stood, it looked up at her with a glare of hatred, his eyes dilated. He showed his teeth, which were sharpened. Allison flinched, taking a step back as she gasped.

“You did this… you did this, Allison, it’s your fault. You made me like this… you did this to me!” the baby screamed in a high pitched curdle, “Allison! Allison!”

Allison shook awake to the sound of her name. Looking around, the darkness still clouding her vision, she breathed heavily.

“Easy, easy! We’re here! Be calm!” a familiar voice spoke. She wasn’t sure who it was though…

“Calm it down, you gave her a fright… if my mum were to wake me like that I’d punch her in the nose,” another familiar voice spoke.

“Oh, and what was your plan to wake her up? Smooch her?”

“I prefer the word snog, thank you, and no, she isn’t my type. Just get her down already,” the voice walked away.

Allison looked down, shaking her head, “W-who are…”

“Allison are you seriously asking who we are?” the voice laughed, “It’s Tom over there… and it’s me, Claire!”

Allison’s heart skipped a beat. Claire and Tom were down here? How did they manage to get here? Were they captured? Did they sneak down?

“We’ll explain everything once we get out of here,” Claire loosened one of the shackles around Allison’s wrists, “Besides… we need to feed that baby of yours.”

…She knows… it was Jamie probably… Allison pursed her lips.