Prologue
Bea walked through the alleys of their town.
Dressed in her battle ridden armour, covered in blood for reasons she didn’t remember, yet didn’t question.
She was on the hunt.
Lining the walls either side of her were doors, clean cut wooden doors taken from their original homes and stuck on the empty alleyway. Each door had a number. She looked at each door as she passed them by. None of them are what she was seeking.
Soon she came along the dead end wall. A single door in front of her, unlike the other clean ones, this one was dirty and rotten from the years of wear and tear. With a heavy breath, she ventured forward. She placed a hesitated flat palm of the wood. This was the door she was looking for, that much was true, but what laid beyond made her hesitated.
‘Bea’ Ava’s voice whispered from behind the door.
“Ava!” Bea replied.
Bea pushed the door opened. Giving way to pitch darkness and the creaking of hinges. Bea reached her other hand for her knife, resting her palm on the blunt handle. She made her way inside.
Beyond the dead end door lead to nothing but darkness and an unnatural stillness in the air.
Bea felt eyes on her body, but she couldn’t locate the source. It felt like they were surrounding her.
She reached in her pocket and pulled out her lighter. Sparking a light illuminated the room and the hundreds of corpses facing her wide eyed. She let out a short terrified scream at their appearance. She quickly shut her mouth and starred at the faces. They were unrecognisable, but she felt a sense of responsibility for their death.
She shook her head. Shutting down those thoughts. She pushed through a doorway, turned to the right for the staircase and followed up. Up the twisting the case, ignoring the rotten faces watching her.
Halfway along the staircase she heard the faint of Ava whispering her name. 'bea, bea'
At the top of the staircase, the whispers came louder. She turned to the left, following the hallway down and closer to the whispers.
At the end of the hallway, at the last door on the left door. She pushed the door open.
Suddenly a hand came out of the darkness and pulled the door closed. She looked up and found a man with dead expression towering over her.
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you” he warned. “There’s nothing for you here”
“Where is Ava?”
“Not here”
“Then move” she pushed his arm away and advanced for the door.
He grabbed her and threw her back, then stormed forward. He reached a hand for her throat.
Bea grabbed his hand, snapped it back to him and forced it to jab into his own throat. He stumbled back gasping. She stepped forward, kicked his knee to the left, forcing him to fall on one leg. Now eye-level, he tried to reach out again. She ripped out her knife and forced it across his throat. She tossed the body aside then advanced for the door he was guarding. Kicking the door open.
Inside the stench was worse then outside. She stumbled back and screamed at the sight before her.
Her beloved Ava was strung up in ropes tied from both sides of the room. Hanging mid air with limbs spread out. Her chest burst open to reveal the Halo was missing. Her body dried of blood and decomposing. Greyish white eyes starring at her and a mouth twisted in permanent scream.
Bea fell to her knees crying, she gripped the floorboards, curling in on herself. “NO NO NO NO” she cried.
Suddenly she ripped her head backwards and howled her painful scream.
“Beatrice!” Mary’s voice commanded.
Bea woke with a fright. She looked to her friend above her, Mary’s hands gripping her shoulders, then darted her eyes around the room. Her room she found. She breathed a sigh of relief. The nightmare was over, she was awake and home. The relief faded to dread, as she remembered the reality this place she called home was one person empty.
“It’s okay Bea it was just a dream” Mary reassured.
Bea nodded, she pulled herself upright, then twisted around to the edge of the bed. She turned to her right, finding Mary taking a seat beside her, perched on the edge of the mattress. “Did Lilith find anything?”
“Well-“
Something heavy fell down the hallway, cutting Mary off. The two girls peered in the direction to the door, then back to each other.
Mary sighed, shaking her head “Nothing yet, Camila sent word to Serita. Her girl is going to continue searching while we come up with a new strategy”
“I should be out there” Bea sighed, pushing herself to her feet.
“Tomorrow!” Mary insisted, grabbing hold of her friend. “Tomorrow we will track her down again and this time we will find her”
“You said that every day” Bea groaned.
“And I will keep saying that until we find your jackass girlfriend”
Bea sighed, turning to the ground.
“hey” Mary coaxed, earning Beatrice’s attention. “This isn’t like before, we will find her”
Bea nodded. She wanted to have faith in her friend, but right now, with the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Her hope is hanging on the edge of a rope. “I’ll get dressed” Bea croaked.
“I’ll be outside”
Once Mary was gone through that door. Beatrice took a deep breath then turned to Ava’s side of their bed. She sighed, then turned back to her closet. Praying to God that Mary was right.