Crimson Nightmares
Libraries, Blood and Broken Mirrors
Jenn stood at the top of a dark set of stairs clad only in her blue
pyjamas. She shivered as her bare feet stepped down upon cold hard wood
floors. There was no railing to be found, so she reached out to brace
herself with the wall, walls that were covered in old posters that were
so faded it was impossible to read them in the dim light that shone from
the entrance at the bottom of the stairway. A cool breeze could be felt
running down the stairs over Jenn's feet causing her to shiver even
more. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to warm herself
but no matter how hard she tried the chill seemed to seep deeper into
her body and touch her soul. Her heart began to pound furiously as she
reached the last set of steps, sliding a hand against the postered wall
she began to creep slowly forward. Her fingers were the first things to
exit the hall as they encircled the corner.
She blinked a few times as she poked her head out of the hall and looked
around. As her eyes began to focus she could see that shelves lined all
the walls and she was now inside a small bookstore or library, a bright
light streaming from a line of small windows over the shelves. Jenn
stepped into the room to get a better look around. Libraries always had
a warming feeling to the girl and the sight of all the books made her
smile. She glanced around at a couple small round tables that were low
to the ground and remembered when she was young how she would spend
hours sitting at those tables reading until they kicked her out.
Gingerly, she touched the tabletop almost afraid that the table would
crumble before her. She smiled as her fingers ran across the table's
polished surface.
She lifted her head and took another look around. There was an eerie
silence over the room, not like the usual silence that Jenn had become
accustomed to in a library. Something seemed very wrong with this
silence. Jenn spun around and noticed that there was not another person
anywhere in sight. She scanned around again and again in hopes that
someone would step out from one of the many halls of shelves, but not
even the sound of feet could be heard.
She then noticed something unusual about the shelves. There appeared to
be something splattered across the books. Jenn approached one of the
shelves to get a closer look. It was almost as if someone had splashed
red paint across the room. She reached out and ran a finger along the
spine of one of the books noticing that whatever it was it was still
fresh. She looked at her fingers and began to shake as a faint coppery
smell reached her nose; her fingertips were covered in blood. Her eyes
widened and she started to look around the room more only to see that
the blood was splattered across all the books.
She started to back away from the shelves when she distinguished one
thin book sticking out from the middle of all the others. It looked so
out of place from the rest that Jenn felt a need to find out what it was
doing there. She reached out her hand and grabbed the book, taking a
deep breath before pulling it off the shelf. The book was tall and very
wide and yet seemed to be only a few pages thick. Jenn did a quick flip
of the pages to see that it was a picture book of some sorts. She turned
back to the front to find that the cover was missing and a few of the
pages had been torn out. The first page she could see showed a dark
sketch of a burnt house. She turned the page to see yet another dark
sketch, however this time of a girl kneeling with slashed wrists and
what appeared to be a carpenters knife in her hand. Jenn looked closer
and blinked a few times at the picture. The girl in the book looked just
like her. Jenn turned the page to see a picture of the same girl lying
strapped down in a bed with an IV bag hanging on a pole next to her. The
next page still showed yet another picture of the girl this time curled
up in a small room with a single window that was covered in steel mesh
wiring.
The book tumbled from Jenn's hand and landed face down. There was a
picture on the back showing a set of small gravestones and the caption
"Dreams of Death." under the picture. Jenn stared down at the book,
clenching her hands tight and suddenly she realized that she was holding
something in her right hand. She glanced at her hand to see a grey
carpenter’s knife with the blade extended and coated in blood. She
grasped it firmly in her hand as drops of crimson fell to the carpet
floor. Stunned, Jenn raised her right hand until her sleeve fell back to
show a set of deep cuts running across her wrist, blood flowing steadily
down her arm, soaking her pyjamas. Shakily she turned her other hand
over to see that it too was covered in blood. She felt her knees grow
weak as she collapsed to the floor and leaned against the bookshelves,
the knife slipping from her hand as she felt her life begin to drain
away.
******
Jenn abruptly opened her eyes, her breathing coming out in quivered
masses and she could feel her body shaking with fear. She tried to move
only to find she was pinned by something. Raising her head she could see
a head of red hair resting upon her chest. It took her a moment to
realize that it was Kim curled up next to her with her head and arm
resting upon Jenn’s body. Relieved she let her head drop back down onto
the pillow and stroked the girl's hair as she tried hard to slow her
heart down. Kim let out a soft moan and rubbed her face deeper into
Jenn's chest. The feeling comforted Jenn's nerves and she wrapped her
other arm around the girl, pulling her closer. Jenn needed the feeling
of a body resting on hers.
"Mmmmmm..." Kim mumbled in her sleep while squeezing Jenn tightly in her
arms, wrapping one arm under the girl to get a better grip.
"Shhhh..." Jenn softly kissed the top of Kimberly's head, "It's just
me."
A smile played across Kim's lips as she squeezed Jenn even tighter while
rubbing her cheek on Jenn's breast. Jenn felt a rush of pleasure from
Kim's movement and Kim seemed to notice this because she pressed harder
against Jenn. Jenn clenched her eyes shut and tried hard not to make a
sound, however it became increasingly harder the more Kim rubbed up
against her. Jenn then felt Kim's bare leg begin to move up her thigh
between her own legs. Jenn rolled her head and let out a soft moan. Part
of her knew that she should put a stop to this, yet another part of her
didn't want to let Kim go.
Her eyes flung open when she felt Kim's fingers slide up under her
Pyjama top and gently ran along her tummy. Jenn could not help herself,
she moved her hand along Kim's back, running a finger long the girl's
spine. Her heart began to race as she watched Kim to see if the girl
would pull away, however Kim only snuggled even closer, rubbing her leg
up against Jenn's. Jenn shakily placed a free hand upon Kim's bare leg
and traced it along her thigh, pushing the girl's nightgown further up,
listening closely to the pleasant sounds that softly arose from the
redhead.
Jenn swallowed hard. She didn't know why, but she had this deep urge to
touch the girl more. She struggled with her emotions, trying to sort out
what she was doing when her thumb ran along Kim's inner thigh and she
felt the girl's panties. Jenn could not resist running her hand along
Kim's soft cotton underwear and mouth started to quiver. Her nose filled
with a sweet smell and she licked her lips. She wanted more and became
terrified of this feeling that welled up inside of her.
"Ummm.. Kim..." Jenn spoke softly, not wanting to startle the girl. She
felt Kim's hand begin to run under her pyjama bottom and along her panty
line and gently stroke her crotch. A tear filled Jenn's eye and she
suddenly sat up and began to crawl backwards in the bed, "Kim, wait.
Don't." Jenn's voice was shaky and she felt weird all of a sudden.
The redhead sat up while rubbing her eyes, "Lauren, what is wron-" She
groggily started to say when her eyes fell on the scared look on Jenn's
face, "Jenn?!?" She glanced around the room, trying to remember what had
happened, then she noticed where she was, "I..." She began to speak as
she realized what she had just been doing, "I thought..." She stammered.
Jenn shook her head, "You were dreaming." She found it hard to look Kim
in the eyes, "It is alright. I..."
"I'm sorry..." Kimberly could feel her body begin to tremble. She felt
dirty and wrapped her arms closely around her body, "I didn't mean to...
I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you." Kim fell onto her side and
curled up in a tight ball, "I'm sorry... I'm... dirty..." She sniffled.
Jenn stared down at Kim, who had now buried her face into her arms and
was crying. Jenn moved closer to the girl and knelt beside her, setting
a hand gently on Kim's shoulder, "Shhhh... It is alright." She
whispered.
Kim shook her head in her arms violently, "NO, it isn't..." She mumbled
into her arms, "I... I..." Another sob could be heard from deep inside
of Kim's chest.
Jenn put an arm around the girl and pulled Kim into her lap. Kim
protested and tried to fight Jenn, but was to weak and finally gave in
and wrapped her arms around Jenn's waist as Jenn gently stroked the
girl's soft long hair, "Shhhh... it is alright."
"But I.. I..." Kim spoke into Jenn's tummy, clinging to the girl, "I
made you dirty."
"Shhhh... You didn't do anything wrong." Jenn continued to talk in soft
whispers, "I..." She thought about how good it felt to have Kim so close
to her, "I like being close to you... I just..." Images of what she
wanted to happen entered her mind and she closed her eyes against them.
The thought of touching Kim like that made her feel no less than the
girl's father. Kim rolled over in Jenn's lap so she could look up at the
girl. Jenn let out a breath and gazed down at Kim, softly stroking the
girl's cheek, she felt Kim shiver at her touch and Jenn started to lean
over wanting nothing more then to taste the girl's lips when at that
moment the door opened and Natalie entered the room.
"Kim, are you alright?" She strolled over and dropped down on the bed
next to the girls.
Kim glanced up in embarrassment, "I… I'm alright, Nat." She found it
hard to look the girl in the eyes.
Natalie gave the two girls a curious look, "What were you two up to
about just now?" She asked giving Jenn an interrogating glare.
"Nothing," Kim replied giving Jenn a quick glance.
"That's right... Nothing." Jenn said with a smile. She then turned to
Natalie, blinking, "Hey what are you doing here? Why didn't you knock?"
"I came by to tell you that breakfast is ready, when I got a feeling
that Kim was in trouble." Natalie glanced between the girls, "I guess I
was wrong. Sorry to disturb you." She stood up, "Everyone is already in
the Cafeteria so if you want to have a shower in peace now would be the
time." She suggested.
"Thanks." Kim said, smiling at her friend, "I think I will take one."
She started to stand.
"I'll see you down stairs." Natalie gave Jenn one final disapproving
glare before leaving the two girls alone.
"She is quiet protective, isn't she?" Jenn asked, still watching at the
door as she sat up.
"That is Nat for you." Kim said with a sigh, "She is harmless... or used
to be..." She said a little concerned about her friend.
"It is nice to know someone is watching over you." Jenn stated, "I just
hope she doesn't see me as the enemy." She nervously laughed.
"Why would she think that?" Kim asked, digging through the closet for
some clothes.
"I don't know..." Jenn flopped back in her bed and watched Kim's back.
She wanted to wrap her arms around the girl and pull her back into the
bed, however shook the thought out of her mind. For some reason she felt
that if she approached the girl, Natalie would barge back in there
again. Kim returned to Jenn then gave Jenn a quick hug, "What was that
for?" Jenn asked, looking up at the redhead.
"Nothing," Kim forced herself to smile, "I'm going to have a shower."
She began to leave the room, then stopped at the door, "Thank you..."
She said without turning around. Before Jenn could respond, Kim
disappeared out the door, leaving the girl to her own thoughts.
*****
Kim walked down the hall until she came across the bathroom. She
approached the threshold of the room and looked within.
The room was large, with a long counter of sinks running along one wall
with a set of small mirrors were hung above each sink and toilet stalls
along the other side of the room. Kim set her things on the counter and
took a better look around. She found an opening in the wall at the end
of the toilet stalls. She peeked through the opening to see and
adjoining room with a line of shower stalls running along both walls. As
Natalie said, there was not another soul in sight.
Kim stepped into the shower room, opened one of the stalls and turned on
the water. Kim smiled as warm water pelted her hand and stepped out of
the stall as she proceeded to take off her clothes when she noticed her
panties felt wet. She put her hand in them and pulled them out to see a
clear substance over her fingers, "No..." She mumbled as she sunk down
the wall next to the shower, wrapping her arms around herself. Tears
began to fill her eyes as she thought about Jenn's touch. She wanted to
feel the girl's lips against hers, yet she tried to convince herself it
wasn't like that, but she knew it had to be true, that she really did
love girls.
"I told you so." An echoing voice suddenly said.
"Who's there?" Kim nervously asked and glanced around, holding her dress
close to her body.
"And here you kept insisting that it was just because Lauren looked like
boy." The voice again spoke, "What a laugh."
Kimberly suddenly stood up her eyes scanned the room, searching the
other room until her eyes fell on the mirror and her own refection.
"Nice to see you are enjoying yourself." Her refection said with a
smile.
"No..." Kimberly stumbled backwards, "Get away from me..." Her voice now
distant and scared.
"Now now." Her refection stepped up to the mirror, "We know that IS
impossible." It's grin broadened, "You know we're stuck with each other.
Just you, me, and guess who else is here?"
From the left side of the mirror stepped May, "Hello again. I see you
are having fun with my friend." She reached out her hand, blood dripping
from her slashed wrists, touching the mirror and leaving a bloody
handprint, "Be sure that I will return for her... and you."
"Leave me alone." Kim cried, "It isn't my fault!"
"First you said it was because Lauren was boyish." Her reflection
sneered, "Now you are blaming someone else."
"You are the one who asked to sleep with her." May snarled, "You wanted
to be with her."
"No!" Kim protested, "Not like that... I just..."
"More excuses?" Her reflection taunted the girl, "Next you are going to
say it is because Jenn has short hair."
"Leave me alone." Kim covered her ears, "I didn't mean to, honestly."
Tears flowing steadily down her cheeks.
"That is not how it seemed to us." May continued, "You seemed to be
quite enjoying yourself. I bet you wanted her to continue. Wanted to
feel her inside of you."
"Shut up!!!!" The ghost girls voice filled Kim's ears and she struggled
against the sound, "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!" She screamed.
*****
"Do you always wear that jacket?" Kris taking account of Natalie’s
leathers as she picked up her tray of food and follow the girl across
the cafeteria.
"Why not?" Natalie asked coldly, "It was a gift fro-" Natalie abruptly
stopped in her tracks, causing Kris to lightly bump into her.
"Natalie, is there something wrong?" Kris asked, concerned as her new
friend unexpectedly abruptness.
Natalie was trembling and held her food tray so tightly that her
knuckles became white, "Kim..." She whispered her tray tumbled to the
ground followed closely by Natalie herself.
"Natalie!?!" Kris dropped to the side of the girl, when Natalie
carefully got to her feet again.
"Kim’s in trouble." Natalie swayed slightly, before starting towards the
exit while holding her arm.
Kris began to follow when she set her hand in something wet. She lifted
her hand to see it was covered in blood, then she noticed a trail of
blood dripping from Natalie's right arm, "Natalie, wait!" Kris called
out after the girl.
At that moment Jessica stepped into the Cafeteria and was about to give
her usually moring greeting when she noticed the pained expression on
Natalie’s face and all playfulness died upon her lips, "Natalie, what is
wrong?" Jessica grabbed hold of the girl as she nearly fell yet again.
She saw the trail of blood, "Someone get me the first aid kit!" She
commanded, “Quickly!!” Just as one of the girls got up the dorm filled
with the sounds of screams.
******
Jenn was pulling on a tank top and a jean shirt when she heard a loud
crash from down the hall. She ran out into the hall to see a couple
other girls standing around, confused by the sound. Then came the
screams, they were piercing and filled with such terror that Jenn could
feel in her heart. Jenn quickly followed the sound and arrive at the
bathroom. The moment her hand touched the door the screams cut off and
the halls filled with an eerie silence. Swallowing hard Jenn pushed
through the door to find each and every mirror was broken and shards of
glass scattered across the tile floor, mixed with drops of blood. She
could hear the shower was still running mixed with the sounds of sobs.
Double-quick she tiptoed through the field of glass and entered the
shower room to find one stall open. Inside Kimberly was curled up on the
ground shaking violently and mumbling incoherently to herself. A trail
of blood could be seen running from the girl, spiralling down the drain.
"Kim!!" Jenn stepped into the shower, ignoring the fact that she was
still dressed and turned off the water.
"Is everyone alrig-!" Kris's voiced yelled out as she came running
around the corner with Jessica close by. Kris stopped when she saw the
mess, then trail of blood, "What happened?" She said, concerned more
about the girls then the mess.
"Get some bandages!" Jenn called out without looking at whom she was
giving the order to. She pulled Kim's arm away from her body, the girl
was to terrified to resist, and looked upon a large gash that ran along
Kim's right forearm from wrist to elbow.
Jessica knelt down with a first aid kit already in hand, "Move over."
She commanded, taking Kim's arm from Jenn. Jenn stopped for a moment and
blinked at the girl, then moved out of the way. Jessica glanced at the
wound, "Someone get Amy!," Jessica called out at the small crowd of
girls that began to gather, "HURRY!" She added more urgency to her
command
"I will!" One of the girls replied and dashed out of the room.
"What happened here?" Jessica asked calmly as she opened the first aid
kit and grabbed some gauze.
"I... I don't know" Jenn stammered, "She seemed fine when she left our
room."
"What is going on here?" Natalie weakly pushed her way through the
crowd, clenching her own arm to her waist, "Kim, are you alright?"
"Natalie!" Jenn called out to the girl, "Something happened to her."
Natalie grabbed a bathrobe from a shelf, while stepping around Jenn,
"Kim! Kimmy? Are you alright?!?" Worry could be heard in Natalie's voice
as she joined Jessica in the stall and wrapped the robe around Kim's
shoulders.
"Nat?" Kimberly seemed to be pulling herself together again. She blinked
a few times and glanced around at all the girls watching her with
concern in their eyes. Her eyes then fell on Jenn, "May..." was the only
word that escaped her lips.
Jenn glanced at Kim, "May? What about her?" She asked confused.
Kim shakily lifted her other arm and pointed at the remains of the
mirror, "In the mirror. Blood... so much blood." She whispered.
Jenn turned around to see what Kimberly was pointing at with a puzzled
look across her face, "Mirror? How could she be in the mirror?" She
turned to Natalie, "What is she talking about?"
"She must have remembered something frightening." Jessica said, with as
much calm as she could muster, but was having troubles with the amount
of blood that continuously seeped through the bandages as quickly as she
applied them.
"Where is May anyway?" Jenn turned to ask Kris. "Is she here?"
"No..." Kris lowered her head, avoiding Jenn's eyes.
"Where is she? Is she in the Eastern Dorms?" Jenn rose to her feet, "If
she hurt Kim in any way I'll..."
"Isn't she the girl that committed suicide last year?" Came from one of
the girls from the crowd. A few girls murmured, then noticed the pale
look on Jenn's face and everyone fell silent.
"Killed herself?" Jenn scanned the crowd, "What do you mean?" All the
girls were now looking at the ground and Jenn turned to Kris, "What do
they mean 'suicide'?" She glanced down at Kim who was still curled up in
the stall next to Natalie, "How could she... I mean I just saw her the
other day... When?" She glanced down at her own bandages. "How? WHY?!?"
"I'm sorry." Kris said, approaching the girl's side.
"Why didn't you tell me?!?" Jenn yelled, looking up at her friend with
tears in her eyes.
"What did you want me to say?" Kris countered and turned to face the
ground, "I was hoping you would remember on your own time."
"So I've been living in a dream all this time?" Jenn was losing her grip
on her emotions. Part of her knew what they were saying was true, but
another part didn't want to believe it, "This can't be happening. You're
lying!!!" She pushed her way through the crowd and ran out of the
washroom cutting her foot on a piece of mirror but not really noticing.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran down the hall to her room and
slammed the door shut.
Kim stumbled to her feet, "Jenn, wait!" She called out after the girl.
Natalie grabbed the girl by the hand, "Let her be." Natalie said.
"No!" Kim cried out, "She is my friend and she needs me." Kim broke free
of her friend's grasp and chased after Jenn, the last of the roll of
bandage fluttering after her. She opened the door to find the girl
curled up in the corner of the room sobbing, "Jenn?"
"Leave me alone!" Jenn wept.
Kim closed the door and crossed the room till she stood before the girl,
"Would you leave me?" She asked calmly.
Jenn looked up at the girl in her bloody stained house coat, "No...
no..." She stammered, "but... How... how could she... she was my best
friend... Why... didn't she come to me...?" She sobbed.
Kim sat down next to the girl, "Maybe..." Kim tried to put things into
words, "Maybe she didn't want to bother you with her problems." Kim said
sheepishly.
Jenn turned her hands over and stared at her wrists and the bandages
that covered them, "I..." Tears rolled down her cheeks and Kim wrapped
her arms around the girl, pulling Jenn into her lap, letting the girl
sob into her chest.
*****
To be Continued...
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