1 Exodus

There was at first, darkness.

"What are you doing here, meagre?"

Then a friend appears. It wasn't much of a friend for it did nothing when she was being bullied, nor helped when she was eaten, her flesh gorged out by her nightly visitors. It only watched, its formless eyes staring at her; but still, it was the lesser of the evils.

And now this... friend was speaking to her again, its shapeless figure hovering before her like a thick fog.

"What are you doing here?" It asked again. "You shouldn't be here at this time." The hint of anxiety leaking from its voice caused fear and apprehension.

"You must leave now. Leave before he-". A voice interjected.

"Eeellaaaa~". It was a cold whisper like a breeze of winter, sweeping across the void and she felt it like a caress, chilling her to the bones.

"Come to visit me? Miss me already?" She could hear the laughter in his voice and his words hung upon her like weight that she could not move and fear held captive her voice. The making of her nightmares had stolen into her daydream and drew closer to her.

It passed through her friend and came to stand before her. "I miss you too my little meal", feather like touches caressed her face. Endless shivers raked her body and he slipped a finger into her mouth, tugging playfully at her lower lip.

"Ravish you". All very quickly the caressing stopped; claws joined to a hand shaped from the darkness dug into the socket of her eye, gripped an eye ball and pulled.

The searing pain shot through her head and busted. Her throat tore open and her screams ricocheted her away and back to reality. While she sat sweating and shaking in fear, a low disjointed chuckle lingered by her ear.

White noise filled her mind until a woman's voice broke through the haze.

"Ella! Ella Carrillo!!" She tore her eyes open to see the teacher by the board and all her classmates staring at her.

"Are you alright?" The teacher asked.

"She was sleeping like a f****** cow" a boy interjected, eliciting a chorus of laughter.

"Not. Another. Word from you Thomas or you and your gaggle of friends would be having a lot of fun. In detention".

"And Ella, no more sleeping in my class or you'd be outside the next it happens". Ella took a shivering breath and nodded.

"Yes miss. Jeff".

Tentatively, Ella skirted her finger up to her left eye that was throbbing all too real.