A Shadowlander’s Dream: Book Three - Rules of the Flesh
Written by Kathryn K Williams
Chapter Fifteen
Kimberly stood in the shower, warm water pelting off her pale skin, with its many cuts in different stages of healing. She closed her eyes as she allowed the water to run over the back of her head, causing her long hair to cling to the sides of her face and shoulders, being sure to hold the far wall of the stall to keep her balance. She could feel the water washing the blood down her legs and she clenched her eyes shut tight against the image. She recalled a similar sight of blood running down her leg before, but didn’t want to remember where it was from. No matter how hard she tried to force the image out of her head she still caught a glimpse of much smaller legs standing in a tub with the shower on and streams of crimson circling down the drain. The image frightened her and she felt herself begin to tremble.
“Have you truly forgotten?” A voice whispered from somewhere over her shoulder.
Kim spun around to find the stall door was still closed and she was completely alone. Cautiously she approached the door and tested the lock, making sure that no one could enter when she was in such a vulnerable state, and stood on her tip topes to look over the door to find no one outside of the stall.
“How could you forget?” The voice whispered again from behind her.
Quickly Kim turned to find herself alone again, “W… who’s there?” She stammered in but a whisper, almost afraid that the other girl’s in the shower area would hear her talking to herself.
“You promised.” The voice came from below this time and Kim glanced down to find the drain was plugged and blood swirled with the water at her feet and began to move up the far wall. Bubbles formed at the drain as the voice spoke again, angrily this time, “YOU PPROMISED!!” It screamed causing Kim to staggered back from the drain until her back pressed against the stall door.
“W… who are you?” She stammered fearfully.
The water suddenly turned black around her feet and began to pump out of the drain like a thick tar causing Kim to squirm away from the substance. The tar like liquid did not approach the girl; instead it seeped up the wall to the ceiling, turning the entire wall black. The surface of the liquid reflected Kim’s image back at her and she swallowed hard at the sight of her own nudity and the many cuts upon her flesh. A face began to form in the liquid as something pushed its way out from the depths of the darkness. Kim stared as she found herself paralysed in fear. The face of a pale teenaged girl with short straight white hair began to emerge from the substance and slowly shoulders and arms began to follow. Abruptly the girl’s eyes opened and she glared at Kim with black eyes and her mouth opened to reveal a set of long sharp fang.
“You promised me!!” The girl scream and raised her arm to reveal that her fingers were still coated in the blackness and formed into long claws, “You Promised.” The girl suddenly broke free of the tar and lunged at Kim, her claws digging deep into Kim’s shoulder, biting through her flesh and causing her to scream out in pain.
The two girls crashed through the shower stall and stumbled over the bench in the middle of the aisle outside of the line of stalls. Kim felt her legs collide with the bench and tumble over it, her head connected in the brick wall as she fell to the ground. She rolled about upon the floor, screaming for her assailant to leave her alone. When she opened her eyes she found herself laying the floor of the shower stall, water pelting against her skin. She got to her feet and spun around in search of the strange white haired girl to find she was nowhere in sight. Relieved it was only her imagination she shut off the shower and stepped out of the stall and picked up a towel she left upon the bench, wrapping it around her shoulders, holding it tightly around her body, and moving out of the shower area to the sinks of the washroom and the line of mirrors.
The moment her eyes set upon the mirror before her she started and stumbled backwards. There appeared to be a cut on her forehead and the skin was hanging loosely over her right eye. Instead of blood oozing from the cut she could see that same black tar writhing under the surface of her skin. Frantically she tried to remove the tar from her face only to tear off a chuck of her own skin, removing the right eyelid and part of the bridge of her nose, Her eyeball itself fell to the sink like a contact lens of some sort, revealing a shiny black mask beneath, a mask with a blue-white glowing eye staring out of a slanted eye hole, burning through her very thoughts and a voice echoed inside of her head, “You promised you would never forget.” It whispered and Kim let out a terrified scream and turned to flee the room when she ran into Jenn, who wrapped her arms protectively around the girl.
“Kim!!” Jenn called out as the girl struggled against her grip, “Kim, its me, Jennifer.”
Kim slowly stopped resisting the girl’s hold and allowed herself to be hugged.
Jenn lowered the girl to the ground and sat next to her, “What happened?” she inquired glancing up at the mirrors and remembering the first appearance of the girl’s twin and the number of broken mirrors. Recalling this her eyes quickly moved from the mirrors to the girl’s limbs, making sure that the girl was not cut anywhere, “Are you alright?” She asked, searching the girl’s arms for any new cuts only to find the number of partially healed ones.
Kim gingerly touched her face with trembling hands, “M… my face…” She stared at the girl with intense fear in her eyes, “What happened to my face?”
Jenn searched the girl’s features to find nothing wrong, “Nothing, you look fine.”
Kim laughed hysterically, “I saw my face peel off.” She said between giggles, “There was nothing but blackness underneath, just black tar and a glowing eye, it was staring at me, accusing me.” She wailed and dropped her head into the girl’s lap.
Jenn lightly stroked the girl’s wet hair, “It is alright. It was just a nightmare.”
Kim laughed again, this time in a more controlled manner, “During the day? What is wrong with me? I saw a girl in the stall too, a girl with white hair and black claws and sharp teeth.” She explained frantically as she clung to Jenn’s arm, scrambling away from the shower stalls at the memory.
Jenn started slightly, “You saw Lauren?”
Kim gazed up at the girl in confusion, “Whose Lauren?”
Jenn shook her head in disbelief. She remembered Lauren from back when she first met Kim and the stories that Kim had told her about their relationship. Was it possible that Kim had completely forgot about her former life? That prospect frightened her and she wished she knew how to help the girl. Unsure what to say she shifted in her place and opened the plastic bag that she carried, “I got you some clothes from my room and Natalie’s, because I wasn’t sure what would like to wear.” She remarked as she pulled out a black t-shirt from the bag and held it up, “I also got some of my tampons and pain killers for you, I won’t need them all... I hope.” She offered with a nervous smile, “But I can always get more.”
Kim was not paying attention as she stared down at the three long cuts that covered her shoulder and part of her chest, gingerly touching them, “What is happening to me?” She asked in a scared, tiny, voice.
Jenn took the girl’s hand and pushed them back to her side, “Don’t worry about that right now.” She assured Kim, “It will come back to you.” She rolled her eyes, “And boy will it ever.” She set the bag upon the floor and fished out the box of tampons, “I’m guessing you don’t know how to use these, Hmm?” She glanced at Kimberly to receive a discomforted look, “Don’t worry I didn’t until today either.” She stated with a small smile. She took out one of the plastic applicators out of its wrapper as she explained how to use the device.
*****
To be Continued . . .
*****
Note: The world of the Shadowlands, Its stories, Characters and ideas are a copyright of Kathryn K Williams.
This story is based upon my manga of the same name. If you wish to view art from this series please visit my deviant arts site at: http://shinigami-shimai.deviantart.com/
For more of my stories visit my deviant hearts site at: http://www.devianthearts.com/viewuser.php?uid=159
Also if you spot any typos or other errors please contact me at katwilliams @ rogers.com
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