"Are you hurt?" Kimberly asked Jessica as she scanned the bruises and cuts on the girl's arms and legs. Jessica shook her head, "It only hurts a little." She replied bravely, however her eyes said otherwise. They were filled with a terror that Kim could hardly comprehend. Suddenly they heard loud thump against the door they had just escaped from. "We need to get out of here?" Kim stated urgently and started towards the stairs. Jessica merely nodded and slowly followed the redhead, her eyes unable to pull free of the door as it bulged with the force of each blow to its surface. "Come on!" Kim took the girl by the hand and started back down the hall towards the stairs. She stopped at the stairwell and glanced around, something was missing. She scanned the hall to see her stuffed raccoon lying in the middle of the hall, "Racky!" She exclaimed and rushed after the stuffed animal. Just as she reached for the toy a paw burst through the door. Kim could see a small set of claws protruding out of a stuffed paw as it ripped at the wooden door of the room which she had only recently left Sarah in. Swiftly she snatched up the raccoon off the floor and ran back to Jessica, "RUN!!" She commanded. Jessica did not wait to be told twice as she bounded down the stair two at a time with Kimberly right behind her. A dark silhouette stepped out at the bottom of the stairs, "KIM!!!" Jessica screamed as she tried to stop her decent. "Jessica!!" Kim grabbed the girl by the remains of her shirt and pulled her back. The two girls tumbled backward to be seated upon the stairs only steps away from the shadowy figure. Kim glanced up the stairs to see more shadows gathering at the top of the stairs. They were suddenly trapped with nowhere to run. "Kim?" A familiar voice called out from the bottom of the stairs. "Kima!?!" Kim called back, "Is that really you?" She inquired, for the first time glad to hear her twin's voice. Kima started up the stairs with a smiling upon her face, "Kim, I'm so glad to find you." She stated, truly relieve to find her other half, "I thought you were right behind me. What happened?" "I found Jessica!" Kim explained pointing down at the small child as she got to her feet. "Jessie?" Kima cocked her head at the child, "Now weren't you a cutie." She ruffled the girl's hair. "Tease her later." Kim commanded taking a peek over her shoulder to see several stuffed animals working their way down the stairs, "We need to get out of here." She helped Jessica to her feet and the three of them hurried down the stairs. "Penny?" Kim blinked at the girl who smiled weakly back at her. "Wait... Was she in the basement?" Kim inquired uneasily. "Yeah..." Kima replied, perplexed by her doubles question, "Why?" Kim glanced around, "Where are the other girls?" She asked peering into the living room. "What other girls?" Kima inquired curiously as she followed Kim into the living room, "What are you looking for?" "There were several girls living here." Kim explained as she searched the room, "Four of them I think." She scanned the room when she discovered a pile of girl's cloths in the corner of the room. The cloths were yellowing with age and were covered in dust, but looked as if they could have been worn by the children she has seen earlier, "They were wearing clothes like these." Kima approached the clothes when Jessica pulled on her arm, "What is it?" She glances down at the child. Jessica only shook her head. There was even more fearfulness in her eyes then before and she kept glimpsing down at the pile of clothes. "No..." She trembled, "... don't..." Kim stepped away from the clothes. Something about the look in Jessica's eyes told her she would be better off not seeing what was under those clothes. Then she notices something peeking out from beneath the pile. She lightly kicked at the mass and a small arm rolled out from under the clothes, blood upon its fingers, "I... I... I think we should get out of here." Kim stammered as she slowly backed out of the room. "Good idea." Kima agreed and spun around to see a group of long shadows moving down the hall, "I do not think those are stuffed animals." She states edgily. Jessica suddenly dashed passed the girls across the hall and opened a large pair of sliding doors to the dinning room and signalled for the other girls to follow. They quickly followed the girl and Kima hastily closed the door behind them and locked them. "Now what?" Kim asked in distress gesturing at all the windows, which had been nailed shut from the outside, "How are we supposed to get out of here?" She exclaimed as she spun around in search of another exit, and then spotted another door in the far corner of the room, "How about that way?" She inquired, starting towards the door when Jessica grabbed hold of her by the hem of her dress. "N... no..." Jessica stammered and tugged on Kim's clothes, pulling her away from the door. "What is it Jessica?" Kim gently inquired, allowing the girl to lead her across the room to one of the windows. Jessica stuck her tiny fingers between one of the boards of the window and pushed. The nailed screeched then released their grip to reveal a narrow hole only big enough for a small child to crawl through. She then turned to Kim and gave a half smile at her success. "Good going!" Kim exclaimed proudly and gave the girl a tight hug. "Great!" Kima rushed over to the window, "I think you can all fit through." She turned to Penny, who was still standing near the door and held out her hand to the girl, "Come on Penny." She offered. Penny nervously glanced around the room, "M... my belt..." She commented apprehensively and staggering away from the window. "Penny we have to go!" Jessica suddenly commanded, "Please..." She held out her hand as well, "Don't make me leave you." "Leave her?" Kima exclaimed bewildered by what Jessica was suggesting. She glanced between the two girls then back to Kim, "We are still part of their nightmare." She explained. "But Jessie." Penny finally spoke, her eyes darting from the door back to the girl, "They will find us. They always do." Abruptly there came a loud knocking at the door, "Jessie? Penny?" A kind sounding man's voice called out, "Time to come out." "Penny!?!" Jessica cried and reached out towards the girl, "Please!!! I promise they will not find us." Kim wildly scanned around the room then back to her twin, "What do we do?" She panicked. "Girls?" The voiced drifted through the door, "We know you are in there so COME OUT!!" The kindness quickly devolved from the voice and was replaced by irritation. Kima's mind raced as she tried to think of a way out, "I... I..." She bit her lip in worry. Jessica's eyes filled with terror, "P... please..." Her hand began to tremble with fear. Penny backed into a corner, "N... no..." She mumbled, "They will find us..." She sunk into the corner with tears streaming down her face, "They will find us..." Something heavy slammed against the door, "GIRLS!!!" The voice screamed, "You open this door this instant or you are in deep trouble Is That Understood?" The voice commanded. "I'm sorry..." Jessica suddenly ducked through the window and crawled out of the house. Kima quickly turned to Kim, "Go with her!" She pointed at the window. "But..." Kim stared at the door as it bulged with the increasing hammer, "What about you?" She asked frantically. "I'll be alright." Kima assured, "You need to get Jessie out of here and find Jenn." "But!" Kim hesitated unsure of what to do when a hammer broke through the door. "GO!!" Kima ordered and pushed her twins head towards the hole, "We'll find another way out." She stated before shoving the girl out the window. Kim tumbled out of the window and rolled across the grass. She rapidly got to her feet and turned to face the window, "KIMA!!!" She called out only to find the house was no longer there and she now stood waist high in a river of fog, "Kima..." She sunk into the fog as despair gripped her heart. ***** To be Continued . . .
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