11. In the Clear

Previously on: 'My Uncle's Cabin'

"Ven, I really don't like this"

"You don't like anything that has to do with fun Tora"

*

"Monster! There's a monster here!"

" maybe you were hallucinating?"

*

'Run Tora!! Run and don't look back'

*

No! This isn't happening. That's it! This isn't real. This is just a dream. A nightmare I'll wake up from.

*

She jiggled the lock and tentatively pushed the door, sighing in relief when it opened.

She hoist Janette back into their previous position and as quickly as they could, hurriedly made their way for the front door.

Feeling a weight lift of their chest when they saw the front door in sight.

That was until they heard a growl.

*

Back to the story

Both girl's froze. Their eye's widening theoretically and their breaths halted mid intake. Their hearts hammered inside their ribcage and fear rolled of them like heat in the summer. Janette began to shake and it took everything in Tora to not drop her and run.

Both girls looked at each other with wide eyes and fear thrumming through their veins.

They had just escaped Tora's mother--the creature--from the basement, there's no way she-it- could've made it to the livingroom.

They slowly, carefully and silently creeped forward. They peaked into the livingroom, being mindful to stay hidden. What they saw made their hearts dropped in despair.

In the livingroom was what they were running from. That terrifying creature that chased them from their safe haven, to a house that ruined their sense of the normal world.

It was the monster from Janette's house. Janette's eyes watered and a quiet whimper of despair, terror and hopelessness left her lips. She was bleeding out. The flesh ripped from her legs like paper. She couldn't walk properly and she was weak and tired. How could she have hope of escaping here alive when Tora wasn't strong enough to carry them both?

She turned her eyes towards Tora, with resolve. She opened her mouth to speak when Tora shook her head. She raised her blood soaked wrenchless hand to her lips on a shushing motion. Janette nodded her head in understanding.

Tora lowered Janette to the ground, crouching, then herself. She crawled forward, keeping her eyes on the monster and motioned Janette to follow.

They slowly crawled to the front door. The monster was too busy tearing up the couch and growling viciously to notice two girls creeping along the floor.

Once they made it to the front door, Tora hoisted Janette back up, then slowly and quietly, with shaking hand, gently turned the door knob and opened the door. A gentle breeze softly brushed their faces, but they had no time or frame of mind to enjoy it.

Tora slowly, on tip toes, squeezed through the big enough crack she created. Not wanting to open the door too wide and let the light from the street lamps flow in and alert the beast. Janette weakly followed Tora and once outside, Tora slowly and quietly shut back the door. And both girls began to hobble down the steps, increasing their speed once they reached the concrete pavement of the sidewalk.

They hobbled for what felt like hours. Passing houses after houses with suspiciously not a soul in sight. Their senses on high alert and high dose of anxiety causing them to look over their shoulders every few steps.

The wind blew once more. Causing trees and bushes to rustle. Creating odd shapes and rising both girls paranoia.

Tora felt like a wire stretched to the maxium thinness. Like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. She couldn't tell if it was her anxiety, instincts, or just paranoia, but she felt as if they weren't in the clear. Of course she knew they weren't completely in the clear. They left a monstrous beast in the living room of her once humble abode, and blood was flowing faster from Janette's shredded foot than they could walk.

Tora stopped a moment, and thinking better of it, have Janette sat on the side walk. She looked terribly pale and was getting paler by the minute. Her eyes look tired and seemed to droop every so minute.

"W-what...ha ha...are y-you doin' T-tora? ha ha...Why did w-we sstopp? ", ha ha, she asked breathless. She felt extremely tired and sleepy and she really wanted to ask Tora if she could just lay here and sleep for a little while. Not for long good heavens no. She didn't want Tora screaming at her. But just for a minute or two. Just to rest her eyes.

"Hold on just give me a sec"

Tora, completely focused on ripping the part of her thin pajamas that covered her torso, was oblivious to Janette's weakening state of mind.

She tore off the fabric from all the way around, leaving her stomach completely exposed to the cold frigid air, and kneeled down, wrapping the thin cloth around Janette's still bleeding foot and tying it tightly.

"That will do for now", she told Janette and seeing her confused expression, she explained further. "Your foot is bleeding less and I'm guessing its thanks to the cold? Not sure, but this should help in slowing it down. Atleast until we get you to a hospital".

Janette nodded and Tora bend down to hoist her back up. They continued their hurriedly clumsy pacing down the street, still being overly cautious.

"Ho-how do you k-know that?", Janette asked shivering, Tora suspected it wasn't only because of the cold. Her lips were trembling and Tora could see them turning blue. She needed a hospital and she needed one fast.

"Watched alot of House and The Good Doctor", she responded chuckling. Janette giggled slightly, and the sound was so familiar to Tora that she paused mid-step and stared at the other girl, bewildered.

"W-what?", Janette asked confused. She had no idea why they stopped and she wanted to start moving again. The farther they got from that house, the safer she felt.

"Huh?", Tora asked flustered. Janette stared at her with eyes laced in confusion. Tora shook her head, seeming to come back from whatever lost land she disappeared to. "Sorry about that. Just never heard you giggle like that before so it surprised me. You know, considering our little situation".

"Oh. Okay", was Janette's only response, and again Tora looked at her bewildered, but did not stop walking.

They walked along in silence, the houses seeming to mesh together and become the same. Tora started to wonder why they haven't spotted any other human besides themselves, and was about to let her thoughts be known, when they heard a spine-chilling screech that caused them both to freeze. They went as stiff as a board; their blood turning cold like ice in the arctic. Janette began to tremble vigourously, her eyes wide with understandable fear. Tears flowed from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. A look of resignation seeming to take over her entire face.

Tora looked at her with eyes wide with terror and tightened her grip on the other girls waist. She began to walk faster. The seeming danger tickling the hairs on the back of her neck.

The screech sounded again. Seeming to get louder and closer, but yet sounding distant.

Tora broke out in a run. She began to run down the streets in a painc, practically dragging Janette behind her.

Something glistened in the night and in her paniced state, Tora felt a ray of hope. The screech became louder, clearer and more high pitched. Tora glanced behind her, and her eyes widened in terror, goosebumps flooding her skin and the hairs all over her hands, legs and neck raising in dread.

Behind her was the beast they left in the livingroom of her house.

The same beast that had chased them to said house.

The same beast they had hoped to escape from unnoticed.

Tora became pale. Whiter than she has ever been before im her life. The monster was chasing them down on all fours. Its long yellow claws scraping the pavement and the thud-thud-thudding letting them know the end was near.

Tora sped up. Vearing left where she had seen the glistening light. She prayed to any deity and God out their to please let it be a persons house with lights on. Or better the police station. Because surely guns would be able to kill that monster.

But as she continue to run towards the light that seemed to beckon them like moths to a flame, her heart dropped to her stomach and terror began to fill her entire body. Crawling into the cracks in her bones.

It was neither of the above. But an old and decrepit abandoned trailer.

Not having the time or able to switch directions, Tora headed for the old trailer, looking back to see how far the beast was behind her.

It was a ways away, but still chasing them. Its eyes locked on its target without thought of stopping.

Tora was in a panicked frenzy. She had no idea what to do. The trailer was there yes but how do they get in? It was old and breaking apart so how were they going to keep safe from the monster? Many thoughts flew in her head but she couldn't focus on them. She had to focus on the here and now and to atleast survive until morning. Maybe someone heard them along the way? Maybe the police had been called and they would be their soon? There was no way noone heard the terrifying screeching of that huge beast and not thing something was wrong.

Both girls reached the door of the trailer and not thinking twice, Tora yanked on the door handle with all the strenght she could muster, only to be almost flung back by her own force when the door swung open with no issues. She didn't second guess it and practically threw Janette inside, going inside and locking the door in time.

The beasts claws clanged with the metal of the old trailer door. Scraping it and causing such a horrible sound both girls had to cover their ears.

The beast jumped on the top of the trailer, scratching it with its claws as a mad attempt to pry it open, as both girls huddle in a corner shivering and whimpering in fear.

The beast circled the trailer.

Slashing and clawing at it at every chance. Causing the girls to jump in fright. Their heartbeats were loud and erratic and their breathings heavy.

"I-I don't understand. Ha-ha How d-did i-it f-find us?", Janette asked weakly. She was going paler by the second and Tora was panicked. She had to think of something fast.

"He must've followed the trail of blood", she responded slightly distracted. The beast wasn't making it any easier and she was urgent in needing to do something.

The monster jumped at the roof once more, slashing and clawing. It made a guttural and angry sound, roaring at its failed attempt and attacking more ferociously.

"We need to find a weapon. Something to defend ourselves with", Tora whispered. Afraid that if she spoke too loudly, the beast might get in.

Janette weakly turned her head. Smiling tiredly, defeated and feeling utterly defenseless. She hardly had the strength to turn, much less to respond to her best friend and help in finding a weapon.

Tora looked at her friend in dismay, and gulped down the uselessness and fear she felt. She had to be strong. For Venice she had to be. She paused in confusion.

'Venice? Whose Venice?'

The sound of metal breaking brought her back to the present and her eyes widened at what she saw. A stream of light from the moon was streaming into the trailer and that could only mean one thing.

The beast was breaking through.

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Nuttyweird says: Everything isn't always what it seems; the quietest nights', hides the greatest battles.