Siren Awakened - C.R. Jane Page 0,42

just a piece of trash, I chanted because if I allowed myself to think for one second that there was something alive in this tunnel with me, I would lose my mind for real. My arms slipped, and I barely caught myself before I landed face first in the toxic mess surrounding me. As it was, I splashed some of the sludge on my face and once again found myself retching from the hideous smell. If I ever got out of this tunnel, I might end up dying just because of the toxic fumes this stuff was giving off.

One inch at a time I went, something continued to brush against my body as I moved forward. I’d just settled into a rhythm and reached the end of the song…when it happened.

Whatever was in my body chose that moment to make its appearance. Dr. Maynard had said that the ghost made its appearance at night when I was sleeping because that was when my mind was most open for a takeover. But I thought that because I was so tired, so scared, so out of control, my mind became weak enough to let whatever it was in me take control at that moment.

My arms and legs began to move much faster than I’d been able to move before. I screeched, trying to gain control of my limbs as I flew through the tunnel like some kind of deranged spider monkey. I could barely move my fingers, and I certainly didn’t have enough control to stop myself. It didn’t help that there wasn’t anything that I could have grabbed on to, even if it was possible.

“Help me!” I began to scream, knowing that no one would help me but needing to try anyway.

An evil laugh leaped out of my throat just then, and tears came hard and fast. It was confirmed, not that it had really been in dispute prior to this, but whatever was inside of me, it was not something good.

I scrambled around a corner, and the tears became tears of relief because there was a light literally peeking out from the end of the tunnel. I screamed again, thinking that maybe someone could hear me now.

As I scrambled closer to the end of the tunnel, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest, the roar of rushing water drowned out my whimpers and heavy breathing.

The thing inside of me continued to have a stranglehold on my body, and all I could do was let out another scream as it took me right out of the tunnel and down, down, down into what looked like a pond of sewage. I landed in the sludge with a splash, doing everything I could to keep my eyes and mouth closed against the poison that I’d been dunked in.

I began to struggle even more against what had taken hold of me. I finally briefly took back control, and I used the opportunity to break through to the surface, taking a heaving breath of the foul air above the vat of poison.

“Help!” I was able to scream once more, when my body was taken back over and I was dunked once again.

It was trying to drown me, that much was obvious, and the reality sent a shiver racing down my spine.

I continued to battle as hard as I could, breaking the surface intermittently.

But I had no energy left. As I began to sink beneath the surface again, I knew it was over.

Is this when I really died and the spirit got my body?

I was about to have to breathe in the sewage, when suddenly, a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around me and I was pulled up to the surface.

I gasped out a desperate breath and clutched onto the arms as much as I could.

“Stay with me, pet,” Alaric whispered in my ear, and I let out a whimper of relief. The ghost was completely dormant now that I was in Alaric’s arms, and Alaric was able to swim me over to a ladder. He gently moved me farther up his shoulder and then began to climb up the ladder as I held onto him tightly.

There was a landing above the ladder, and we both collapsed onto it, inhaling deep breaths of exhaustion. Alaric kept me wrapped in his arms like I could be yanked away at any minute. Which actually wasn’t as far-fetched of a fear as I would have once thought. I was exhausted, but I pulled on his sopping