She runs as fast as she possibly can, turning corners, dodging obstacles,
trying to insert as much distance as possible. She throws open a door, only
to find a long, dark corridor with many more doors. She sprints down it,
opening one at random and peering inside, judging. She enters cautiously.
Her heart races, perspiration pouring down her back. She is fighting for
breath now, most of her energy exerted from the past hour’s events.
It is a large bedroom, obviously unused. All furniture, very ornate, is
covered in a thick layer of dust. Inhaling fully, the stench of old camphor
mothballs and something else unknown enters sharply into her nostrils. Her
eyes zip across the room as she desperately searches for a place of refuge
and concealment. They stop on a large wardrobe, tucked away in a corner
of the outsized room. She jogs to it, and yanks on the handle. It doesn’t
budge. Blood pounding in her ears and a small moan escaping from her
lips, she starts pulling on the handle with all her might, grunting from the
effort. Unexpectedly, the wardrobe doors burst open and she is thrown
back, falling in the middle of the floor.
Suddenly a beam of light reaches out from the depths of the wardrobe,
pulsing. Another ray is added. Another. And another. Her blood turns cold
as she stares deep inside, and she crawls, hurries to back up against the
far wall. A low hum is added now, reverberating around the room. Shafts of
light arc across the room, growing ever brighter and brighter. A small orb of
blue light is now pulsing at the core, so close yet so distant. Her breath is
rapid now, in short small bursts. Her heart is pounding, fighting its way out
of her chest. She starts to sob uncontrollably, something awakening deep
within her. The light is now beyond blinding. It fills her to the brim, now part
of her, electricity flowing through her veins, a low pulsing throughout the
room. A metallic taste hits her palate and a liquid fills her mouth as her
jaws tense against the pressure…
