Chapter 1

Alex is introduced to her new wold.

1

 

 

 

 

“What the….”  A young woman sat up on the moist lawn, rubbing the back of her neck, strands of grass and dry leaves falling from her sandy blond hair.  Her body ached all over and her head felt like she was recovering from an all night binge.   Looking around she couldn’t help but wonder how she had come to be in the park or better yet, why she was still there.  Standing up, she quickly reached for a nearby tree as a wave of nausea overtook her. Once the sensation subsided she began the arduous task of walking home.  Thankfully, she lived just a few blocks outside Central Park, making the walk somewhat bearable.

 

On the slow commute home, Alex attempted to put the pieces of the evening together, hoping to make some sense out of the current circumstances.  She remembered going to the Barcade to meet a couple of friends.  All was going well, a few drinks, lots of dancing, and even more flirting; but what went wrong?   She mentally took inventory of the beverages had at the club but nothing suspicious came to mind.   In all her time of partying, she had never ended up like this.   It was dark outside, the sky just beginning to turn a lighter shade of black indicating that sunrise would soon be approaching.  With this tale tell sign she calculated that she had been lying in the park for nearly three hours, it was a wonder the girl was still in one piece and with her belongings no less.

 

Soon the familiar sight of the red brick apartment building loomed in front of her, soft light showing through the window pane of the entrance.  Reaching into her pants pocket, she removed a small set of keys, unlocking the security door and stepping into the narrow foyer.  Quietly, so as not to disturb the other tenants, Alex tiptoed up the stairwell to the third floor; the familiar scent of chili and onions greeting her.  Stopping at the last door on the right, she slipped her key into the brown painted door and unlocked it. Crossing the threshold into her humble abode, she tossed the keys with a clatter onto a little table to the right of the door that also held a phone and answering machine as well as a small stack of unopened mail.   Without turning on the lights, she shut and locked the door, sliding the chain lock into place while simultaneously kicking off her shoes, nudging them off to the side until they were needed again.

 

Slumping down into the brown and gold upholstered sofa, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes in the hopes of easing the nausea that still seemed to be wrecking havoc on her senses. Mentally the girl continued to rehash the events of the evening but nothing new or revealing came up and in her current condition she didn’t try too hard.   Muffled conversation coming from the alley below disturbed her thoughts and grudgingly she got up, crossing the small expanse of the cluttered room in order to peer out through the blinds that covered her window.  Below stood two men engaged in an animated discussion, their hands jabbing angrily into the air.  She furrowed her brow as one of them pointed in her direction, causing Alex to shrink back, the blind snapping into place once more.  Turning her back on the inevitable brawl she walked away in favor of a bath, certain that it would help her to relax enough that she could get some much needed sleep.

 

Walking into the bathroom that was located within her bedroom, she started the water running for a hot soak in the tub, dropping in a few bath salts and lighting the candles that were kept on a shelf to the right of the sink for just such occasions.  As gray wisps of smoke spiraled up towards the ceiling Alex slipped out of her clothes. While turning to toss the dirty garments into the hamper a cold chill shot up her spine for looking back at her from the mirror above the sink was nothing.   Shaking it off as a trick of the mind, she finished depositing the clothes before turning her attention back to the mirror.  The girl stood transfixed by the orange-yellow light of the candles that danced across the smooth surface. The outline of the door was clearly visible on the square object, as was the yellow tiled wall behind her, but what she did not see were her own emerald green eyes looking back at her framed within a face of rosy complexion.  Thoroughly convinced that her imagination was getting the best of her, Alex flipped the light switch on, blinking at the sudden brightness of the room that burned her eyes. With a trembling hand she stretched forth her fingers brushing them across the smooth surface of the mirror.  “What the hell is this?”  She asked aloud, slightly annoyed by this phenomenon.  Pursing her lips in provoked frustration she decided to push the weird aside and get into the now full tub of water that smelled of lilacs, thus ridding herself of these strange occurrences confident that she would feel better after the bath.  Without breaking her gaze with the mirror, she reached over and turned off the light the room once again washed in the soft glow of candlelight. 

 

The warm water instantly enveloped her body as she stretched within the confines of the metal tub, her shoulders and knees just barely peeking out above the scented liquid while steam curled up around her causing her sandy blond hair to cling to her forehead and neck. With a content sigh, she closed her eyes, draping a pink washcloth strategically across them in the hopes of diminishing the headache.  Within minutes her body and mind began to relax, leaving behind the events of the night.

 

Alex remained in the bathtub until the water became cold and the skin on her fingers and toes shriveled and wrinkled like raisins.  Pulling the washcloth from her tired eyes, she leaned forward and pulled the plug before standing up, droplets of water sliding down the length of her lean body, glistening with the reflection of the candlelight as she reached over to taker her towel.  Stepping out of the tub she set to drying off, wrapping the towel securely around her torso when she had finished.  Ignoring the previously offensive mirror, she began to detangle the wet locks of hair that hung about her shoulders, clinging to her skin as if it were a matter of life and death.  It wasn’t until she was returning the comb to the counter top that she actually looked into the mirror, her body freezing in mid-motion as she once again found herself void of a reflection.  Irritated, she turned the light on, running her petite hands over the smooth surface of the looking glass, sure that somebody was playing a trick on her; nothing was out of place.  Turning the light back off and blowing out the candles one by one, the room was soon cast into smoke scented darkness.  To contain the bizarre within the confines of that room, she quickly exited the bathroom, securely shutting the door in her wake.

 

The bedroom felt cool in comparison to the steamed bathroom, the thinly carpeted floor barely capable of keeping one’s feet warm.  Alex dressed quickly to keep from getting too chilled, throwing on an oversized gray t-shirt and a pair of black sweat pants before traipsing back into  the living room and taking a seat on the couch.  She refused to think any longer on the strange events.  However, this seemed to be an impossible task for as she folded her hands neatly over her chest, closing her eyes against the nausea that still haunted her, she realized something �" she had no heart beat.

 

Frantically she moved her fingers from one pulse point to another, anxiety welling up within her with each passing second until she felt the urge to vomit.  Cupping a hand over her mouth, she sprinted to the bathroom, shoving open the door with her free hand, bolting to the toilet where she was finally allowed to be sick.  Though the need was there no substance came, just dry heaving until her sides hurt.  Slamming the lid down, she leaned back against the cabinet exhausted.

 

Minutes ticked off the approaching of day.  Tired, hungry, and scared Alex stood on trembling legs, shuffling to the kitchen with the hopes that a little toast and Chamomile tea would calm her nerves enough to allow her some sleep.  Without much thought given to her actions, she placed a slice of bread into the toaster to begin cooking while she set a kettle of water on the stove.  By the time the girl had gathered a small plate, tea cup, butter and knife the toast had popped up and the water was starting to boil.  Not bothering to sit at the table, she eagerly took a bite of the freshly buttered toast. 

 

Within seconds of taking the first bite the girl knew something was wrong.  The toast tasted like chalk in her mouth sucking all moisture from it.  Afraid that she would choke, she hastily filled a glass with tap water, guzzling the liquid down but instead of helping it only added to the problem.  The muscles in her throat protested against the substance to the point of causing pain.  Gulping more water, she finally managed to force the bread down but the thought of eating more seemed too daunting a task, she casually tossed the rest of the toast into the waste basket beneath the sink.

 

As the shrill whistle of the kettle sounded, her intestines began to rebel against the food and water, causing intense pain that left her gasping for breath and clutching the countertop for support.  Fighting the ever growing nausea and pain, she managed to turn off the stove, leaving the kettle to continue whistling for a minute or two longer until the water cooled, all the while the pain and sickness grew in intensity until she was convulsing on the kitchen floor, writhing in agony.  It wasn’t long before the young girl was on all fours, violently vomiting until there was nothing left in her slender body; the pain easing with each outpouring of rancid smelling fluid.

 

Sitting on the floor in the corner of the kitchen Alex sat clutching her knees to her chest, stunned and bemused, too weak to clean up the mess, and too shocked to move.  “What’s happening to me?”  She whispered in a plaintive cry that no one would ever hear. Though she felt like crying, felt the hands of fear clutching at her very soul, not a tear touched her pale face.   Alone and confused she curled up into a fetal position and fell asleep from sheer exhaustion on the cold linoleum floor.

Author's Note

any feedback is welcomed.