Snippet #2392867

Aryana couldn’t help but feel that her body was suspended without a hint of gravitational pull. Colors, some shades she had never seen before, flashed before her eyes and she swore, for the briefest of moments, that she gazed upon the entire universe. Then, the sensation was over. A light, bright and dancing, shone before her and she reached out to touch it, all fear dispersing itself from her mind. Aryana stepped toward the light and landed on the other side of the mirror.

Unkempt buildings rose up around her, though none as tall as those in New York. The smell of rotting fish and low tide invaded her nose and she did her best to not gag from the scent. Her mind desperately searched for any reason behind what had happened and where she was. But nothing, not even the slightest hint of a memory, told her where she was. Panicked, she whipped around, her eyes wide and searching. ‘Where am I?’ she thought, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Evans!” she cried out as she ran down the alley way. “Eva-“ she was cut off by someone tossing slop out of their window above her. The filthy water nearly landed on top of her and she gagged at the smell.

“Now there…what’s all this hollering ‘bout?” a deep voice called softly from the back of the alley way. Aryana turned slowly and stared at the three men who were approaching her.

“I can be your Evans…heh heh heh…if you’d like,” another said as he liked his lips.

“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing way out here…” the first said with a grin on his dirty, ugly face. Teeth, hair, and even some fingers were missing from each man. Even combined, they hardly made up a whole man. Each had their faces streaked with dirt. Dried blood covered the second’s shirt and pants. There was even some dried blood beneath his finger nails. The third man, the one who hadn’t spoken yet, was the scariest of the three. He was large, larger than any man Aryana had ever seen before. He gave her an opened mouth smile, revealing the empty cavity of his mouth. All of his teeth were gone and his tongue had been removed. Aryana backed away from the three men as best as she could…but she was up against a dead end.

“Don’t come any closer!” Aryana said as she grabbed a small piece of wood by her foot. The men simply laughed and continued their approach. Aryana swung her wooden plank as hard as she could at the closest man and caught him square in the jaw. He staggered backward and cursed. She attempted to take another swing at the second man, the one already covered in blood, but he caught the wooden plank before it made contact.

“Just shut up,” he told her as him and the third man grabbed both of her arms and forced her on the ground. The first man, the one she had hit, walked over to her as he undid his pants.

“You’re dressed odd for a woman,” he said as he looked at the torn jeans she was wearing. “But that won’t matter…I’ll figure out a way.” All three of the men chuckled as the first man fussed with the buttons on her jeans. She kicked out angrily, nailing the man right in the stomach. He simply grunted and continued. “Alright boys, that’s enough, I think I got it from here,” he said as he grabbed hold of both her arms. The other two men backed away and watched the mouth of the alley.

The first man crouched on top of her and put his face close to her. She could smell the stink on his breath and saw his rotting teeth. Fear had taken hold of her and she tried her hardest to wiggle free from his embrace, but that just made it easier for him to hold her down. A sudden warmth spread through her limbs and she was filled with a sense of calm. Her body relaxed and the man smiled. “Now, that’s a girl.” He released one of her arms and went back to trying to unbutton her pants.

Aryana suddenly reached up and grabbed the man’s face. Before he could pull away, a current of electricity erupted from her finger tips, shooting themselves into the man’s flesh. His skull broke apart as well as the flesh that held it together. Brain, blood, and gore shot out from the stump on his neck, splattering Aryana and the walls around them. She got up quickly, just as the other two men were rushing toward her. The third man grabbed her by the neck and squeezed, but she simply placed her hand on his arm and shot it off as well. The second man dropped to the ground and began to pray, tears running from his eyes. The third man was laying in a heap on the ground, screaming in agony.

Without looking back, Aryana ran from the alley and out into the open street. The calm that had taken over her was now gone, replaced by panic and fear once again. She could smell the blood on her and could see the chunks of brain matted in her hair. Her hand was covered in blood as well as her clothes. ‘What happened…what’s going on?’ she thought as her vision began to fade in and out. She stumbled along the street, clutching her bloody arm as she tried to focus on what was around her…but her eyes would not focus.

A sudden sense of familiarity overwhelmed her, just as it had in the museum. Her eyes began to focus and she saw the figure of a young boy running toward her. Aryana stopped in her tracks and stared at him. The boy seemed to recognize her as well. She had meant to talk, meant to ask where she was and who he was…but all that came out was a scream.