R.E.M.: The Hidden World (17 page)

27. Face The Fear

Emily continued onward, pulled by the will of the men and Lucy.  It was now she more apparently felt the remaining effects of the alcohol.  Her steps, influenced by the liquid substance and also weakened by defeat, were sloppy, to say the least.  It felt as though half the time, the men were dragging her more than anything else.  They approached the tent where Emily first met her destiny and the dreaded Lucy.  The horrendous woman leading them was several yards ahead, pushing them swiftly onward.  Ethan took advantage of this opportunity and leaned in close to Emily’s ear.  “You know it really is a shame.  I wanted your innocence for myself so badly….”  He breathed in deeply after this, smelling the tips of her hair.  Emily turned her head away from him.  “It really is unfortunate you had to ruin it by being such a bitch….now I will thoroughly enjoy watching you die!”  He ended the final word with a hissing sound, followed by laughter.

              “What is going on back there?  Stop joking around, you worthless pigs!”  This was the voice of Lucy, who was apparently quite agitated with their slowed pace.  They all rushed forward, dragging Emily along, and caught up to their leader within seconds. 
I don’t get it….why do they put up with her….what power does she possess to control them like this….just one creature can’t possibly be all that’s stopping them from rebelling…
Emily kept the thought to herself, certain any attempt against the manipulative Lucy would be futile.

             
The group passed the tents hastily and continued moving forward for some time.  Finally, they came to an opening in the forest and stopped.  This area provided far more of a spectacle than Emily could have ever imagined.  As she scanned the scene from her left to right, she observed an almost perfect line of warriors of every variety.  There were men wearing old fashioned metal plated armor with long swords attached at their hips.  Others wore their name brand jeans and shirts.  Many of these also had bulletproof jackets as an over layer.  The overwhelming majority of them were armed with guns of every variety and size.  Further down, a small select group was dressed entirely in black from head to toe, their faces hidden behind masks.  Emily barely caught sight of ninja throwing stars on one of their hips. 

             
Further along the line to her left, she saw the horrendous creature from the mall.  The thing was pacing from side to side, as though eagerly awaiting something.  In front of them all rested a hillside that was completely blank, excluding the sun’s rays shining over it.  Oddly enough, the top of the hill captured the attention of most of the warriors.  The fighters who were not blatantly staring at it, frequently glanced that direction.  Looking back down the line, Emily caught a quick glimpse of a familiar face. 
Was that?....no it couldn’t be…
She continued to stare in the same direction, waiting for the face to be revealed once again.

             
“Ethan, gather two boards from the storage tent and bring them here…”  Lucy chirped out the order with ease.

             
“But why…”

             
“Quickly!”  Lucy cut him off short.  Ethan grumbled something as he walked off.  Their conversation momentarily distracted Emily from her observations but she looked back down the line just in time.  She caught a clear view of the man’s face now and with the image, her own expression sunk even further. 
Kyle….no…it can’t be….how did he end up in this horrible place too…
Her own predicament instantaneously seemed less relevant.  She could not wrap her mind around how the love of her life ended up in this dreadful land.  Tears rushed toward the surface in her eyes and began falling, seemingly at their own will.

             
“Oh dear, are you crying? You poor thing…”  Lucy was clearly taunting her.  “You know, I can make this all stop, you can be free to fight alongside us….all you have to do is bow before me and pledge your allegiance.  It’s simple really.”  Lucy smiled, hoping Emily would bow out of weakness.

             
“Never!”  Emily spat on the ground in the direction of Lucy, disgusted by even her presence.

             
“Very well then, have it your way…”  Lucy smirked, still clearly joyful in her victory, one way or another.  “I must say, your timing is truly impeccable though….you decide to rebel against us just as things are getting interesting….you will make quite a battle symbol alongside the others.  I shall truly enjoy admiring your death.”  Lucy smiled viciously, her eyes were now glowing a vibrant red.  In the background, Emily could barely make out the sounds of Ethan’s clumsy steps approaching them once again.  “Emily, this is your last chance….I will not give you another.  Think carefully before you answer.  Will you change your ways and bow before me?”  Lucy stood up straight.  She seemed certain Emily’s mind would transform soon enough. 

             
Ethan approached them now and was laying the two boards down in front of Emily, forming a cross shape with them.  He started binding the boards together with a thick rope and Emily’s heart sank further. 
They’re going to hang me on that….dear God….no…no...
Panic filled her and she desperately squirmed for freedom.  She attempted to claw the hands of the men holding her and managed a minor scratch.

             
“Ow! You little bitch!”  The man slapped her across the face with his free hand.

             
“Now that will not be necessary, Baldwin.  Ethan, come here.”  Lucy’s words were like an auto pilot command.  Ethan immediately rose from his current project and approached her hideous side.  It was just now Emily noticed something else had changed about Lucy.  Though her seemingly perfect figure remained, black lines like veins started to cover her entire body, even stretching across her face.  As the brute approached her side, Lucy reached into the bowels of her bosom and manifested a small bottle.  She pulled out the cork and whispered something into Ethan’s ear while staring Emily directly in the eyes.  Emily immediately knew the contents were intended for her.  As the assumed instructions were whispered to him, Ethan smiled brightly.

             
Emily continued to squirm, desperate to do anything to get out of this situation.  She knew whatever was in that bottle was certainly not anything good.  Ethan approached her quickly and immediately grabbed her jaw, forcefully tilting her head back.  Before Emily could react, she could feel a slimy liquid pouring down her throat.  She tried to fight it, attempting to hold the substance within the corridors of her mouth, to later be released.  Unfortunately, this was far more difficult than the movies made it appear.  The dreadful slime slipped down her throat effortlessly.  Emily coughed violently as Ethan released her.  Composing herself, her face lifted ferociously toward Lucy.  “What have you done to me, you evil witch?”

             
“A witch?”  Lucy chuckled before continuing.  “Oh, you wish I was merely a witch….that would be far better for you.  Regarding your symptoms though, first your body will start to feel extremely weak….”  As Lucy spoke the words, Emily experienced the symptom.  Suddenly her arms felt like limp noodles, her mind became fuzzy.  Everything around her started to become a blur.  “Well, there’s really no point in me explaining it all, since you shall be experiencing every symptom within a few moments.  Now it is time for you to answer my question: for the last time, will you bow to me?”  Lucy smiled as black lines circulated around her lips. 

             
Emily felt like she was in a daze.  Nothing seemed clear to her now, well, almost nothing…
She is evil.  If that is all you know….you know that….fight this Em….come on…
“No…”  Emily managed the word, but it was a half whisper.

             
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly.  What did you say?”  Lucy was leaning down now, where Emily’s head currently rested in a forward position toward the ground.

             
At the woman’s question, Emily gathered her strength and lifted her head.  The world spun even more.  She forced herself to look the dreadful woman directly in the eyes.  “I said NO!”  She screamed the final word.  Several of the warriors alongside them spun to face her direction.

             
“Very well, then you shall die!”  A look of sheer rage crossed Lucy’s face as she waved a signal to the men surrounding them.  They followed her direction accordingly and immediately laid Emily on top of the wooden boards, each one holding out one of her arms.  Ethan followed behind them, tying Emily’s arms at the wrists, to the wooden cross structure.  Finally, he tied her feet to the bottom.  It was in this moment Emily’s body started to convulse. 

             
“ETHAN!”  Lucy was clearly the one pissed now.  “What else did you give her?”  As Lucy questioned her brute, she grabbed his face in her hands, allowing her nails to scratch along his cheeks.  Blood spilled down the man’s once perfect face.

             
“Ow….nothing….we only had a few drinks earlier….”  Ethan squirmed slightly but did not defend himself by fighting the woman. 

             
Finally, she released her grip.  “You fool!  Why did you not inform me?  Now we will have to wait till she….” 

***

              Emily no longer heard the voice of Lucy.   Everything went black for a moment.  Suddenly she was back in Kyle’s room, lying on his bed.  Strangely enough though, she felt like a prisoner here. 

             
Wait…..is this his bed?....what’s happening to me…
Emily’s brain was definitely not functioning normally.  What was off, she did not know, but everything seemed strange.  The scene moments before vanished from her mind entirely.  Her focus shifted now to an unexplained fear.
 
An indescribable, intangible presence surrounded her like fog, applying pressure to every part of her.  This was not her boyfriend’s bed or even his room at all.  It seemed unlike any other ordinary room or bed, yet something was amiss. 

             
Before she could thoroughly investigate her surroundings, she realized someone or something was beside her.  Fear rose from the depths of her being, coursing through her body, mind, and soul.  Something was very, very wrong.  She lay there frozen as a wasteland for a split second that stretched into hours, immobilized by the horrific feeling around her. 

             
Oh God, help me…what’s wrong with me…
The thought itself seemed to trigger a reaction and the person or creature shifted beside her, ever so calm in its movements.  Mustering all her courage, she slowly rolled toward the unknown being.  A slight rush of relief flowed through her as she identified the back of the silhouette as Kyle. 
Wait, wasn’t he just…
Emily tried to regain lost thoughts.  She was failing miserably.  Nothing about this felt normal, nothing about her felt normal….
but why?

             
Then an all too familiar terror surfaced, knocking at the door of her mind, promising torturous play was about to ensue.  The figure, now clearly aware she awoke, crept her way.  It did not turn in any ordinary sense, yet was somehow instantly facing her.  For a moment, the face of her love was revealed.  Emily felt a small wave of relief wash over her.  It did not last long.

             
As Kyle’s eyelids slid away from one another, eerily reptile-like in their movements, they opened to unveil sunken black eyes.  The horror returned in full force and Emily felt as though she was scrambling as fast as she could.  Her feet and legs squirmed for release; yet she remained immobile.  The fear captured her and, in a demented way, grasped her curiosity. 
What is wrong with me…

             
Emily, come back…..come back Em…
These last few thoughts seemed more implanted in her mind than anything.  They were, somehow, quite foreign to her.  The creature had her attention now though.  It was as if the thing could see through her distress, horror, and inquisitiveness and it was thoroughly enjoying them, soaking up her fear the most.  In response, the lips of the figure slowly curled upward.  Once again, split seconds seemed to last hours and Emily could no longer shake the terror or her mind’s urgent instructions… 
RUN!!

             
Beneath the once recognizable mask of her boyfriend’s face, the creature’s lips lifted far beyond that of any human, stretching across the entire horizon of its jaw.  Hundreds of long, slender, razor sharp teeth were revealed in a demented smile that dripped drool and blood. 
Oh God!
The sheer horror of the unknown could never compare to the crippling fear Emily now felt. 

             
She sprinted to her feet off the bed and, in a second, was through the only door of the room, slamming it shut with a definitive roar.  Standing against it, with the doorknob still restricted under the grasp of her ever-pale hands, Emily felt her heart racing within her chest, her legs still trembling with a remaining mix of terror and adrenaline.  Once again, before she could react, another figure stood in front of her. 

             
“Do I know you?”  In an instant, Emily’s fear subsided and she had no doubt the woman standing in front of her was on her side.  She knew her, but could not identify from where.  Something about her emerald eyes was ever so familiar to her.  Immediately, Emily wrapped her arms around her.  Embracing her, she felt all the prior fear flow away from her body as quickly as it had arisen  and somehow, despite it all, she knew everything was going to be okay.