Allison

I have no idea how much longer I’ll be able to do this. If I can no longer continue my aimless escape from simply running out of money, I could at least count my blessings. It’s too difficult for me to say in confidence why the visions I’ve been having are persistent. Either they’re a way for her to “salt the meat” per se, or a way for her to persuade me to keep my distance. However, they’ve become increasingly more vivid, so the best hypothesis is probably that she’s been toying with me. Calling for help doesn’t necessarily appear to be the smartest choice. Why? I don’t know if there are others like her, and such a claim is too farfetched for the police to believe.

I really should’ve just kept to myself. If only… Yeah, it wouldn’t have ended up like this. Why was I so stupid? It’s probably just that one person though. Otherwise, I may have seen more of them in the visions by now.

My first encounter with her was just earlier in Autumn this year. Of all times, it was during my first semester at Dourmsburg University. Where I first met this person, if that’s even an accurate term, was a place most people like myself would go because of the necessity. Like every other freshman in college, it was mandatory that I’d attend English 100 at some point to obtain a degree. Walking inside the classroom for the first time, it was already filled with people my age who I never met in my life. She was no exception.

Just as I sat down in this room full of strangers, the professor, with an extra dash of enthusiasm in his voice, introduced himself as “Professor Robinson.” Probably as an exercise for the students to begin getting to know one another, we would stand up one by one, tell the class our names, and one thing about ourselves. The teacher grinned, raised one eyebrow at me, and said that since I was late, I’d go first.

Standing up, the small sea of faces turned to me. With a tiny quiver in my jaw, I told the crowd, “Um, hi. My name is Billy Wisenor, and I don’t know anyone here.” Sitting down, my eyes caught several other students smirking and nodding. Other members of the class stood up as well, giving their names, and telling us things like their majors, hobbies, and more irrelevant facts about themselves.

The last of them, just one row in front and two seats to the left of where I sat, was more hesitant to stand than the rest. Where some of them took maybe a second to rise before the class, this ebony-haired student took a few seconds longer. Looking around the room as though she was scanning the room, she told us, “Hello.” She turned her head around the room once more, looking at us all individually. “I guess, um, I’m Allison Baker.” I’ve been noted in the past for my keen sense of hearing, so it’s not certain to me if others caught her murmuring, “I, I think… Allison.”

Usually, the lack of eloquence would’ve made me feel no such thing towards her. However, from the second when she first stood before us, I felt a strange fixation on this person. It was nothing remotely romantic, or even sexual. There was absolutely no desire on my part to even touch. It was her very lack of eloquence that repelled me from the thought. The attraction was more “magnetic,” so to speak. Somehow, she implanted something into my brain. It was unnatural because I’ve never felt this form of magnetism before. There were no urges to do, but only to follow.

At the second, stuttered mention of her name, her face began to redden. Initially, it seemed to be simple shyness. Her behavior sprouted confusion in me, and probably the other students there at what followed. We watched as she clenched her temples, and began to hyperventilate. With her extremely heavy breaths came tears going down her cheeks. Covering her face, she ran out of the room. Giving expressions of awe and confusion, the rest of us turned to one another, as if someone would have an answer to the obvious question.

We briefly debated among ourselves whether or not it was best for someone to check on this person. It was almost involuntarily that I shot up, insisting to go. Typically, someone like me would be slow to interacting with others. Thus, it struck me as especially odd since I had no arguing with myself about it. Somehow, it was like the instinct to search for food to quell hunger. If anything, this kind of response felt even more necessary.

At telling them that I’d go, that’s when my mind let in only a little bit of second thought. I knew not of her personality, so there was no way that could’ve compelled me. Hell, it wasn’t even the stranger’s appearance, as shallow as it would’ve been. If anything, this person appeared pretty plain, dressing in the current fashion of my still-teen age group. The only uncommon features of such were the locks of ebony, and a somewhat pale tone of flesh.

Still, I found myself leaving the classroom despite my waned sense of logic struggling to persuade me not to. Its efforts to persuade me that doing so would only end badly was quickly hushed. Only a moment of roaming through the hallways, and that hungry magnetism took over.

There was no way for me to know her whereabouts with my eyes, even though the whole campus was brightly lit with fluorescence. However, something else kicked in. It was a sense I never knew of before. It’s safe to say that it really wasn’t quite human. This was similar to tracking by smell, where there was somewhat of a given path before me. This track was really more of the feeling of the air. Everything else around that given path was left to be as is. The invisible road before me was that of a low, metallic sound that gave a scratching, electric pulse to the center of my brain. The consistent scraping against my pituitary gland was wearing out any ability to think cognitively. That magnetism was the only, and the closest thing to thought I was experiencing. Where this electric pathway felt colorful in nature, everything else was greying. It was a slow, crawling decay spreading from inside out. All sound was muffled nearly to the point of perfect silence as well, with the exception of a faint ringing.

As I continued to follow this trance-inducing road to the main lobby, my ears picked something up. Over the continuous ringing sound, there was a series of breathing that became louder while I walked. They were deep and sickly, as those of an old man with a terminal illness on his deathbed. The volume of this strange noise stopped increasing once it dominated the ringing. It wasn’t the only, or probably the strangest thing I’ve heard then.

Jesus Christ, I can’t tell if that was her peering from just out the window. If this is the last part of my story I’m able to tell you, please search for my remains at the Motel 6 in Stantron, Ohio. The Motel is on Oak Street, seven miles Northeast from the university. Even if I’ve completely disappeared, and I’m not able to complete this, you might at least find strands of DNA. I don’t see anything out my window now, but I think that was a silhouette looking at me from the distance. It’s too dark out to make anything out, but the shape looked distinctly like her. God, those eyes… Those glowing eyes shining at me… The tiny specs of lime green I saw through my window for just a moment, they were watching me! I’ve only started praying for my life. I don’t know what else I can do, but maybe continue my futile escape. I just hope someone heard me praying. I don’t see that alien figure now, even if it was pitch black outside. I’ll have to check out early, and run in the rain so hopefully, this “journal” of sorts isn’t lost.

At the moment, I’m continuing this from the lonely table of the mostly empty Denny’s I drove to. Other than the night staff, a couple other people eating and keeping to themselves, and me sitting at my booth, it’s pretty much dead in here. The only other sounds consist of clanging and sizzling from the kitchen, and the television broadcast being changed from the news to pure static. The broadcast itself died out from the very instant I sat down, and a pudgy, frizzy-haired waitress seems rather dumbfounded by it. With a frustrated look on her face, she keeps insisting that by changing the channel, the static will stop. Given that I know nothing about weather, I can’t make any educated guesses. However, given that there’s only a stream of heavy rain, it seemed uncanny to me. Where I’ll go after eating to help calm my nerves, I haven’t planned. Although I’m a bit soaked from running to and from my car in the heavy rain, my laptop is at least safe.

I continued down the hallway of the university. Along with the stream of breaths, my ears picked up bits of her voice. It was much like turning a dial to tune in to a radio station, but with no static. There were light, indistinguishable groans of hers going in and out, and then words.

The groans drifted into her saying, “Bake-ker… Servant of the… Its cry calls us.”

About to turn the corner to the next hallway to my left, I saw a shadow lurking against the wall of that hallway. Given how the lights in the school smothered every surface, how this occurred still makes me wonder. My pupils couldn’t catch a decent glimpse at its form though, seeing its dashing speed further down the hall just beyond me.

The strange, electric sensation to the core of my brain came to a sudden cease. A rather small, warm breeze that etched through the first layer of my skin approached me just as she did. How she appeared before me was beyond my expectations though. Even though she left the classroom red in the face with water going down her cheeks, she didn’t look as such in the halls. Her face was as pale as it was when class started. Her face was perfectly expressionless. It was as if she was never upset at all. As she came closer to me, I instinctively asked what happened. There was no reply from her, or even a passing glance.

She was walking at a far quicker pace than I could follow without going into a sort of light trot. I followed her back to class, and while she gained more distance from me, I heard another of those whisperings. Although she was several feet in front of me, it sounded as though she was centimeters from my ears. “Humankind does-sint know...surroundings. I see...all...time.” In between the words I could make out were more unintelligible murmurs, too vague to repeat. “Awaken, my… Awaken, and...demise.”

The inexplicably alluring girl closed the door behind her, allowing it to shut with a startling bang. Going back inside, my body rested back into where it sat before my search. I found myself staring at her more closely that time around, unsure if perhaps others felt that alien magnetism as well. Considering all the other students were seated, I couldn’t tell.

A few other students who were sitting near her asked how she was doing. With an oddly whimsical smirk, she assured them that she was fine. If anything, there seemed to be a hint of confusion in her voice as to why they were asking to begin with.

After so many confirmations, the professor continued with whatever lesson he had planned. I was still unusually fixated by this stranger’s presence. As intense as it was, I still couldn’t figure out why. Somehow, she beckoned me to come closer. It was perhaps a similar attraction a raccoon has to grabbing a shiny object before realizing its hand’s been caught in some painful trap.

Maybe I wasn’t the only one though. Near me, another guy in the class (whose name I’ll refuse to mention for respect of his family) was murmuring back and forth with her. Also trying to hear what the professor was saying was more than likely what hindered me from really picking up what they were saying. To my futile attempts, I could only try to give some of my attention to the lesson. The best I could do was eye contact, and hearing a quarter of the things he was saying. I’m not sure what it was, but I believe it was something regarding a persuasive paper.

The majority of my focus was hearing a proposal by the young man, roughly the same age as me, about dinner after school. She agreed. Be mindful that I never felt an ounce of jealousy. It only struck me as odd because to my recollection, the majority of young women were typically very selective. This one though, was definitely not typical. It also seemed odd that he’d have interest in someone so unstable, but then again, reason doesn’t always stop hormones.

After class was dismissed at roughly noon, everyone rose, Allison being the last. Something about her smile towards the young man she agreed to go with looked artificial. It was only a slight curl, but it wasn’t the way one would really smile. One side of her mouth was curling upward, but the very edge of that side pointed directly down. It even twitched here and there like some sudden spasm. It didn’t strike me until after certain events of their “date” that her agreeing could’ve been for some strange, other motive that no witness would be able to explain well afterwards.

At the entire class leaving the room, the odd magnetism began again. Following her seemingly frail being through the front door of the building, going to other classes I had that day didn’t matter. Attending them didn’t even go through my mind. The only instinct was to simply follow. The similar electric path before me was what lead me to my car. The entire time though, I watched as Allison got into hers without company, in another parking space just a few away from me.

Beginning to follow where she drove, the greyness of the infinite space around me greyed more than before. It darkened and dimmed by the yard. With that, a cease to my stream of thoughts took over, guiding my hands through each turn and such. It became apparent that whatever force did this didn’t quite have the capacity to signal, or even stop if she didn’t do so first.

The whispers from earlier came back, seeping through the radio in my car which I never had playing in the first place. They always spoke to me in riddles. Unlike moments in the past though, they were clearer. They were finally starting to be in complete sentences, only sometimes interrupted by indistinguishable mumbles. “Oh, little, unknowing Wise-seh-nor boy. You find yourself so fascinated. I can tell.”

This odd encounter while I was driving was different in another way as well. With the fading into a lifeless grey, my conscious mind felt as if it was shutting down. It was just like falling asleep, but immediately dreaming. Although I found myself in that sort of paralyzed state, my hands and feet still moved to drive along with her car. I saw something else in front of me. Just a few inches away from me, a translucent image of her face gathered from billions of tiny particles from above my head until they took a complete form. With the vague translucence of her appearance were some details of the highway I was swerving on to. As she resumed speaking, that faint ringing returned. It was a sound that accompanied her voice during this particular kind of encounter from that time forward.

Nearly sideswiping another car while changing to the lane just at my left, my skin tingled at her breath as she told me, “It wasn’t my intent-shin, but it happens almost at least once with eh-ver-y new place I go to. Perhaps it comes with what was given to me by…” The remainder of what she was saying went off into more mumbles, although I could see her lips moving in just the same fashion.

All I was seeing immediately disappeared. It was in a flash of time, but felt like far longer. My field of vision was engulfed by an odd face I couldn’t dare to call human. To my assumption, I didn’t see the entirety of the face. Perhaps I should be thankful I didn’t witness more of its form. It was pale as white paper. Staring directly at me were a pair of scowling, veiny, pure ebony eyes. They glared into my essence, planning something. Just below them was a nose-like appendage, though in shape, it looked to be more a beak. I didn’t see any kind of nostrils, or opening along it anywhere. It still hung down, shaped much like a sort of hook. It glared at me with such disdain, but needing at the same time.

At first, I couldn’t tell if what I’d hear was coming from the ghastly image I was seeing in my pseudo-unconscious state, or somewhere else entirely. To give the terrible image company though, for the first time, I heard a soul-shaking, horrified river of a single man screaming. It sounded like this person was driven completely out of their mind in terror that one could only imagine. I couldn’t pinpoint where it came from at first, but to my shock and misfortune, it would be a sound I’d recognize in the very near future.

Someone in the kitchen’s shouting. It’s a man’s raspy voice. Probably the cook. A loud burst from the kitchen with some kind of enormous splatter. Shit, I can’t see what it is. The waitress, the one with the frizzy hair… She ran back to the kitchen. Oh God, her screams… They’re so frantic. Mortified. Wait, no. What the Hell’s going on? They’ve gone silent, followed by the same sound. That burst with a huge splatter. Still can’t see. I hear her humming. Don’t forget where I’ve been.

Jesus, I don’t know which township I’m in. I know I’m being followed. There’s no way to reasonably deny it anymore. I hauled ass out of there. I’m sitting in some other motel I managed to find. I think it was about an hour’s worth of speeding, but I’m not sure. I think I spotted a couple roaches crawling across the floor, but it’ll have to do. It’s not like I’ll be sleeping here, like I’d be given enough time. I’m probably further from Stantron, Ohio, and a bit closer to Bumblefuck Nowhere. Judging by the significant lack of buildings compared to say Dourmsburg, yeah. Bumblefuck Nowhere sounds right. Would’ve been smarter to ask, but someone in this shit hole’s bound to remember me checking in as long as she only comes for me.

The vision of that hideous, unknown, pale face though… It couldn’t have been one of a man. Thank God though, I at least didn’t have to see it for very long. It vanished into nothing. The only things before me were black. Perfect black, and her piercing eyes staring into me.

Her cryptic murmurs kept moving into my ears like an unwanted guest. “...by The Raven.” She breathed heavily, and shouted at me. It sounded like Allison was clenching her teeth. “You don’t know the consequences of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time, do you?” Speaking to me in a far more pleasant tone, the girl gave me an innocent giggle. “Then again, maybe I kinda wanted you to follow me. I like it when people have an interest.”

The abnormalities of my field of vision flashed into nonexistence. The feeling was that of sleeping in a position that would end up hurting your neck after a full seven hours. It was essentially that, but the sensation smothered my body. There was a bit of difficulty moving about in general from the beating soreness, and a small pool of sweat along my chest. Looking around, I didn’t find myself on the highway, or any road at all. At first, there was a lot of shock merely at realizing my car wasn’t even in motion. However, I found myself in the sun-dressed parking lot of some nearby park, surrounded by lively, green grass.

Layered in my own body odor, it amazed me that I was even alive. Along with changing lanes without scrutiny of my surroundings, my last conscious memory before arriving was seeing my vehicle’s velocity edging on eighty miles per hour. No matter how much time passes though, I can’t seem to recall more of the drive. Even though logically, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, there lingers in a corner of my mind a foolish ounce of hope that I would.

Until then, it didn’t occur to me just how unnatural those sensations really were. One may argue I may have fallen asleep at the wheel, or experienced an episode of some mental illness. Either would suffice as explanations at first. Here’s what such a doubting party should consider though: mental illness has no tendency in my bloodlines, nor do I have any such experience with it, and only after awakening from this peculiar spell did I feel fatigue. Unlike coming out of any sleep, there was hardly any energy left in me to stand up, let alone get out of the car.

I could still look, and see what else my surroundings contained. Before I could take notice to anything really significant, more of her words reached out to me, a bit more faint that time around. “...wasn’t always like this. Un-know-ing Wisenor boy...Raven made...this way. Just...was desperate...came to me after...dying from...” It’s not entirely certain to me, but it sounded like I heard a sniffle before hearing her voice, “It’s so nice...have someone to open up to.” She gave me a dry chuckle. “Can’t...you for too long.”

After that, the voice faded into the gentle winds around my car. More whispers moaned against my car. Although words were even less possible to determine among these than within the previous mumblings, the chance of her being right there compelled me beyond denial. Jerking my eyes in that direction, I saw nothing. Although one may call it the wind, I wondered if it was her trying to send another message through her telepathy?

In that moment, as I began to try to piece together what she meant to tell me, there it was. Her car, and only one more were just a few spaces from mine. Spotting Allison and her unfortunate chaser on the bench a few yards away from me, my curiosity once again got the best of me. When I should’ve driven away, I found myself rolling down my window to listen in. In retrospect, attempting to drive away might not have done any good. If she managed to psychically take me here against my will, I only imagine she wouldn’t have let me go very far.

Remaining silent, and looking away from them, I heard her poor chaser ask, “Why did you want to go here instead?”

She replied, “I just thought somewhere more quiet, and…” She said nothing for a second. “Well, private, I guess.”

“Hmm, well, okay It just seemed a little weird that you texted me right before we left, saying you’d rather come to the park.”

“I guess I just wanted to talk. You know, get to know each other a little better. You’re nice. I can tell.”

“Really?” He sounded pleased, but not without doubt in the girl’s voice. “How?”

“Call it a hunch, or maybe you just have one of those faces.”

I looked over at them for a moment. He was reaching over to kiss her, but it didn’t phase me. I just had too strong of a sense of confidence that there was something she intended on me finding out.

She backed away. Allison told the classmate of ours, “I’m sorry. I’m just not comfortable with that.”

A bit of frustration was mixed into his voice. I couldn’t see the expression on his face very clearly, but I could hear it without any trouble. “Then what did you drag me out here for? You said you wanted privacy, right?”

Another sniffle came from her as she said, “I’m sorry.” Her words became completely devoid of emotion as she asked, “Let me ask you something.”

That was when I gave those two on the park bench my absolute attention. It didn’t matter if they noticed me. That tone, or lack thereof, had me intimidated, but far more fascinated.

Questions raced through my mind, creating a black cesspool of imaginative terror as to what she would do. The telepathic messages that woman projected to me were enough to drive anyone into a horrid panic attack. That growing cesspool from the bottom pit of my imagination could only inquire as to what else she was capable of. Not only that, but the distinct lack of anger in her voice struck me just as much. Perhaps she simply cut off from whatever quality of mercy she had left, and what she did to him would be a true illustration of such.

She asked with that flavorless voice, “Have you ever thought about what it’d be like if Earth lost its gravitational pull on an object?”

Hearing that felt like a legion of tiny, many-legged creatures from beneath the soil crawled through my car, and swarmed along me.

He let her know, “Um, I don’t get what you mean.”

Allison said nothing to him. Getting up from the bench, she went to the parking lot, giving me no passing glance. I still couldn’t help the strange premonition that she was completely aware of my presence, despite our perfect lack of interaction.

I assume her chaser was watching with me as she bend down just in front of his car. Gripping part of the bottom, she tugged against it. My jaw hung instantly. Even though the girl didn’t have much of any visible muscle mass on her, the shining, scarlet sports car was lifted into the air. What was far more ungodly was when she let go of it. Allison walked away from it, and the vehicle was slowly rotating on an axis, rising away from the ground by the inch. Completely unable to look away, I heard him shouting in between gasps. However, I was a bit too perplexed by the car to pay much attention to what he was saying until he quit stammering, and he was yelling louder.

Although I was still facing it, my eyes went back to the two youths. The strange girl’s companion was shouting, “What did you do to my fucking car!?” I watched as he slowly backed away from her with a ghostly white face. He was trying to create more sentences, but failed to do so in his own terror.

She continued speaking in that dead monotone, “Wait. Please.”

“N-No. I…” He stopped. His legs were shaking. The young man seemed as if he couldn’t move back any further. “I’m gonna go…”

Allison stood up, staring at him.

“I’m gonna go call th-th…”

Allison Baker stepped closer to him, still silent.

“I’m gonna call the…”

“Police? I’m sorry. I guess maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe I just thought you were cute.” She shrugged.

I can’t say if what happened to him was more bizarre than what occurred with the car floating continuously upward, but if his family gets a hold of this document, it may answer their questions. Hopefully, they’ll consider what I’m frantically recording.

As she stared at him more, his shape turned completely still. He said nothing, even though there was a look of unimaginable fear across his face. It sounds peculiar, but it honestly looked like he was frozen in time. I say “in time” only because he proved to be alive, but I haven’t doubt that he wished that wasn’t so. His motionless being gradually became a sky blue tint, generating a slight, but continuous buzzing noise. In maybe half a minute, the neon silhouette that was my classmate vanished into God-only-knows-where, sparking a powerful gust of wind. It sent Allison back a couple inches, and went far enough to strike my cheek.

Having absolutely no idea of what to make of such a thing, I attempted to start my car again. In my utter shock, I lost all ability to move my limbs about. They were rendered completely useless, husks of flesh without any nerves.

My expectations told me that not only did she know about my being there, but she intended on me being the next in line. I didn’t need to have evidence to more strongly believe that. Even though she was still facing in the same direction, it felt like she was watching me through the other side of her face. She was in fact doing so, as I found out.

While my tongue grew purely dry, I heard another whisper of hers through the radio. There was even the sensation of her palm stroking my cheek as the whisper of hers told me, “No, Billy. Not yet.”

That touch alone was so alien, and that was the only time she ever called me by my first name. If only it was the last time she’d call my name in general, I’d have a shot at having a piece of mind. It’d be extremely slim, but still some kind of chance.

I regret continuing to watch. Although what came back to the spot I’d been watching was clearly my classmate, it wasn’t remotely close to being the same person. Wind blew in the opposing directions, being intensely attracted to that spot from which he disappeared. Leaves and tiny bits of grass where sucked from every direction, flying towards that point. The silhouette of the same blue tint manifested from the air. The form was indeed still of the young man, but in a much different position. He was kneeling down, his spine arched back, and his hands on his face. Perhaps I could’ve started my car then. It didn’t occur to me to try once more then, but the fainted chance at driving away would’ve left me in far less awe.

The blue shape regained its distinct colors to make every correct detail of my classmate. When he was completely returned though, it didn’t seem like he was aware of it at all. In his own suddenly decayed mind, he was still wherever indescribable dimension she placed him in. He fell to the ground, curling up into the fetal position. The entire time, he was screaming at the top of his lungs. To my own fears, I recognized the sound. It was the very same as the one accompanying my vision of that ghastly, pale face with the veint, ebony eyes. He rolled from side to side, yelling incoherently. Clawing at his own eyes as though wishing to no longer see, he formed no words. There were only non-verbal expressions of mortal horror. As he still screamed, the classmate of mine began to foam at the mouth. I saw him doing so as he stayed on one side, and the bits of white foam dribbled from his mouth to the grass beneath him.

Like it was doing so on its own, my arm instantly shoved the key into the ignition. Effortlessly, I took off from the parking lot, and back on to the highway. At the time, the plan was to simply get away, and then contact the police. Then, it occurred to me. Exactly what would I tell them? How could I possibly describe what happened in a manner that they’d actually believe? The dreadful truth came lurking around the corner - there was no way. Although I saw all of these horrid things take place, this was the kind of tale you’d hear from a man who hadn’t bathed, or maybe even eaten in days from having his only choice of residence being the streets.

Regardless, I was making an aimless escape down a fifty-five miles per hour speed limit, but carelessly going seventy-eight. In a frenzy, I swerved around cars, and heard that horrible murmuring again. It said to me, as if giving an urgent command, “A seek-cret is sacred, unknowing Wisenor.”

That was what distracted me, and caused a bit of a plight. It distracted me from changing lanes on to the exit I needed to take at the time. So, rather than safely turn down the bend towards Dourmsburg, I lost control, finding myself waking up sitting in my halted car. I probably would’ve continued to speed recklessly, I admit, if it weren’t for the fact that my car was stuck in a ditch, and smoking from the engine itself. From then on, that little Chrysler of mine wasn’t useable anymore.

Having found out that walking for me became incredibly difficult, I hobbled out the driver’s side. Ignoring the wreckage and the immense soreness in my back, I took my feeble body down the highway, and managed to get a ride from some stranger passing by who had to be vaguely in her fifties. As one may expect, she asked if I knew anything about the Chrysler only yards from where I was limping. Keeping my self-respect, the answer given was a no.

The stranger agreed to take me home at first, but then insisted on driving me to the Dourmsburg General Hospital. I tried to protest, but the greying woman would hear nothing of the sort. Being taken in, I heard loud cries from a nearby wing of the hospital. Only thinking about how long I’d have to stay in a hospital gown and how long the crippling pain would last, I thought nothing of them.

Periodically though, I’d hear the agonized cries now and again, and it certainly didn’t ease the pains along my spine. They echoed through the dark hallways of that part of the hospital, haunting me like a vengeful banshee as I tried desperately to sleep. They at least did so until two to three nurses and a doctor rushed down that very hall.

Usually, I didn’t hear what they said in their worried tone of voice, but once, I managed to catch something during one of these incidents. It was one of the practitioners saying, “Jesus, another sedative?”

Beginning to recognize whose screaming that probably was, I lost all muscular contraction. Except for my breathing and blinking, everything outside of the brain seemed completely dead, lying still on the hospital bed. Everything around me greyed. It became just as lifeless in color just as the rest of the world around me did when I instinctively searched for Allison on my first encounter.

A faint, playful giggle came down the hall, and towards the room I stayed in. My eyes pivoted to the open door. There she was, leaning against the frame with an even more playful smirk across her face. She was the only remotely colorful thing in sight. It made me think that it was just how badly she may have wanted the attention strictly to herself.

“Come on, Wisenor.” She took a couple steps closer to me. I had no real way of determining if this was a true, physical manifestation, or simply another telepathic vision. “You know it was…” Allison put the tip of her pointer finger against her chin. “Necessary. He was gonna expose me, or try to, anyway. I don’t need people thinking I’m some kind of freak.” She walked over, sitting on the edge of my bed. “Right? You understand.” She gave me a much bigger smile, bigger than I’ve ever imagined seeing her give to anyone. “Of course you do, and that’s why I can trust you not to tell anyone, right?” She gripped the top of my head, and stared into my eyes.

Having no idea what would happen, I found myself speechless. All I was able to do was give a stupid look.

Outside of what wide variety of horrifying things I pictured her doing to me, she simply nodded my head for me. Along with this, she gave a badly-done impression of me. “‘Of course, Allison. I won’t tell anyone, even if they’d believe me anyway. That’s ‘cause you’re my beeeeest friend!’” She chuckled, and smiled even wider. “Aww, that’s so sweet of you! So good to know I picked someone I could trust.”

She let go, turned her back to me, and walked to the exit of the room. Looking back at me, she winked, and left. That wasn’t the end of it though.

Minutes after her being gone, I still layed there, paralyzed only in terror at the thought of her coming back. The only thing that seemed completely safe to do until the color of my surroundings returned was to face away from the door, and be as still as possible. I was too terrified to respond to other people, including the nurse who came in shortly afterwards to check on me. She greeted me, but didn’t take very long to leave me be, assuming my damaged body as asleep. There was a little bit of remorse in me for not even giving her the chance at a hello. From then on, I wondered from time to time what she looked like?

Waiting even more, the ghastly sound of her whispers came to me again. The noises were a stalking lioness. They murmured in a purely calm tone, “San-nih-ty, unknowing Wisenor? What is that, really?” Her voice seemed to be hovering just behind and above me, though I never heard any more footsteps except for my nurse. “I suppose...once like that. It was before I was visited, see.” That was when I at least dared to do something. Even though it wasn’t much, my shaking hands smothered my ears, only failing to block out the sound. She chuckled, devoid of any enthusiasm. “I’m afraid… Yes, afraid it’s time to face… Time to face reality.”

I anticipated more from her, but there was nothing. Despite the color of my atmosphere fading back in, I had very little comfort throughout the night. It wasn’t nearly enough to sleep. By morning, my eyes were hanging to the point where I had no choice. When I finally woke up, I had a different nurse that night, and at least she was kind enough to humor me, and keep my door locked. Well, she at least said she did.

For the next few nights, I waited for another visit from Allison. At that point, it only seemed inevitable. Maybe my paranoia was only growing though. Every night, I’d question as to whether or not the world around me was dimming into that same grey to let me know of her presence. It only became darker with the night, as nature intended.

It later came to my realization that for those past few nights, the crying that echoed down the halls were no more. During a visit from the nurse for that particular night, I asked who it was that cried so much during the previous nights. Confident in the person’s identity, I needed the confirmation. At first, she only said it was one of the patients admitted earlier, and to the psychiatric ward. I used the name of the classmate of mine who formerly pursued Allison. A look of astonishment came to her visage, and she asked how I knew. Although such information is usually confidential (or I assume that it is), perhaps it was the astonishment itself that compelled her to break that rule.

Explaining that I recognized the voice since it was that of my former classmate, it was my inquiry as to whether he was okay. She sighed, telling me he’s as okay as he’ll ever be. She also insisted I promise to keep what she was going to tell me a secret. With my agreeing, she told me that from some unknown cause, he went into a hysterical period of screaming, and was anonymously given an ambulance. He was given more and more sedatives throughout the day, and examined intensely for whatever caused his condition. The cause, unfortunately, was not specified at all. Although she doesn’t have much involvement with the patient herself anymore because of the transfer to the psychiatric ward, she told me that his condition has rendered him to a vegetative state. The nurse gave me her condolences for the classmate she inferred I had an acquaintanceship with.

The remainder of my stay in Dourmsburg General Hospital was that of gradual peace. Although I still had trouble getting to sleep, the periods of time in which I did sleep increased from one to three hours a night. They believed that the sleepless stress was caused by the crash itself, and thus, prescribed me sleeping pills with my muscle relaxants and pain killers. It was only a stay of a week total in that hospital, but the hospital itself wasn’t actually located in the city. Although the name did indeed include “Dourmsburg,” the location of the building itself was really in one of the suburbs just outside of the city. Specifically, it was Jovial Springs, Pennsylvania, and thus, no longer had bus lines.

You see, now is where the car I’ve been driving originates. I had a decent sum of money, but only enough for so much food and gas, not close enough for any kind of vehicle. Released from the hospital at just after one in the afternoon, I decided to spend the remainder of the day around local eateries. After so much eating and window shopping, the beautiful Moon at last made its return. With the nightly dark covering everything, it seemed like the perfect time to take the chance. In my high school years, I suppose my uncle thought that there’d be a time where I just might need such knowledge. It was knowledge I applied in a quiet parking lot to hot wire one of the empty cars.

I’m not certain if the police are anywhere close to catching me for stealing a small, orange Ford, the model of which I’ve no knowledge. There was no manual for it to be found. It got me this far away from danger though, and frankly, that’s all I care about at the moment. It’s a pipe dream, but it may even be possible to start anew at Stantron University.

I don’t know what that sound is. I didn’t hear any other cars pull up here tonight. It’s just been me typing. The staff? No, can’t be. There’s only a couple staff, and they’d only come around this way if I call. Still, there are footsteps just outside my door. Although it’s dark, the glowing screen in front of me is growing dim. It must be her. It has to be Allison. I can hear her playful giggle just outside my bedroom door. The footsteps stopped. Her shadow is still. Oh, God, I can’t… Wait, unless...the window!