Chapter 77: Ring 2

One went for her heart and Corrine doubled over to vomit a handful of dark blood.

She was in one of the isolated hallways of the building she worked at, suffering the pain of death.

She slid against the wall slowly and became one with the ground when the pain became unbearable. It felt as though parts of her body were being torn apart like two pieces of fabric pulled in opposite directions.

There was a sharp, long cut on the side of her face.

Corrine gasped as she struggled non stop on the ground and turned to lay flat on the ground.

She couldn’t see anything.

Tiny glass the size and length of a match stick clouded her vision, causing her pain she didn’t think she could have survived.

She waited, lying down there in defeat waiting to die again.

Then the world around her did a nauseating spin. Corrine trembled, letting out a sharp breath of fear when she was once again on the railing she once took the fall. Her breathing was irregular as the cold wind of an incoming storm brushed against her, her long hair dancing freely in it.

Corrine broke down into a sob when she saw how high up she was. She tried to step back but some parts of her couldn’t move an inch.

And without warning, she was pushed and fell with a loud, blood curdling scream. Her hands reached to grab onto anything as she flailed restlessly against gravity.

She braced herself for what was to come next. Her skull smashing hard against the car beneath and the pain of her bones breaking to pierce her internally was something she hoped she wouldn’t have to go through again.

And like being strapped to a bed spinning through three violent somersaults, the world spun and the next thing she felt was an uneasy calm before a storm.

The gentle sound of rain beating against her body, Corrine slowly opened her eyes again with another sharp intake of breath.

The sky rumbled above her head. She stared down at her hands again and saw nothing.

There was no blood.

There were no tiny shards of glass cutting through her body.

And definitely, there was no pain.

She sniffed, shivering while turning around to observe the next hell.

It was the parking lot outside of her workplace.

There was not a single car in sight and an ominous cloud of grey slowly reached for her from her right hand side, surrounding the entire building.

She turned the other way, standing in the middle of the storey building and the strange wall of cloud, drenched from head to toe in the rain that poured.

Another sound of thunder cut through the sky like the sound the stomach of a giant will make when hungry.

Corrine’s eyes glistened with tears again when she saw herself lying down dead beside a ruined car.

She wasn’t brave enough to take a step close to the body for a while. She was afraid the sight of it will ruin her more than how she looked while lifeless and cold.

But that strange ringing that brought her here in the first place echoed around where she laid. And she took, slow brave steps towards herself.

The sky rumbling in protest while trying to halt her steps.

Close enough to witness how she laid dead still and cold in the puddle of rain water mixed with her blood without anyone close enough to help. There was no amount of rain that could wash away this sin, this terrible sight.

The phone ringing slept in-between her torn flesh, piercing the organ that beats.

After a while, it stopped ringing and a voice spoke from the other side.

’’This is what happens to ungrateful children.’’

Corrine stared at herself, looking devastated and torn in disbelief.

’’Undeserving ones.’’

The sky agreed loudly this time, condemning her with a flash of purple lightning.

’’I told you long ago that a fight with me is always meaningless...’’

’’I’d always win.’’

Corrine wrapped her hands around her body in shame as a broken sob tore through her lips.

’’There is no place for you out there now, is there?’’

Her hands moved to her hair, shaking uncontrollably when it was too much already.

She didn’t expect her father to be her tormentor even after death.

Why was he still torturing and poking at the flesh of her still body?

Was dying and leaving everything behind not enough to get rid of him?

What else must she do to be truly free?

She bent on her knees, and rocked slowly, helplessly and in tears.

’’Come home.’’

She paused, her glossy eyes staring all around her on the way home.

But everywhere was just cloudy, grey and flooded with rain.

Corrine stiffened when a hard hand rested heavily on her shoulder, pinning her down to the ground as she felt him move just enough to whisper the rest of her nightmare close to her ears.

’’And I will make everything normal again for you.’’

And like she had been preparing for this exact moment to claim her freedom, her eyes searched desperately for an exit...

A door!

Finally, a way out of this nightmare.

As if someone from the other side knew she needed a way out, to return from the mess she had put herself in and made a way for her.

Tears washed down her face when the dark clouds cleared enough to reveal the door.

But the force holding her down was not willing to let her out so easily it hurt. His hand pressed harder against her shoulder and the way it gripped her tightly enough to moan softly in pain.

Corrine struggled to break free, her hands reaching out for the golden door calling to her, giving her a rare chance to escape it all and survive.

’’You belong here with me eternally, Anaise. There is no place for you out there except with me.’’

She cried out as her struggling even caused her more pain. Her eyes closing tight as she endured his oppressive hold on her.

Behind her, he was a monster. A giant reptile with sharp red eyes that burned on her like the devil. Horns that curled like the demons that torture souls in the dark.

He was insidious and ready to keep her here forever.

’’Give up,’’ the monster said.

And that was more than enough motivation for her to rise with enough force to catch the demon off guard and run with all her might far and farther away from him. Her entire shoulder ripped as blood traveled down the length of her palm.

Yes, I really want to give up and die.

But not when he says so.

After everything that monster did to me.

’’Anais.’’

He called again but this voice was different.

It guided her back safely to life and gave her enough hope to return and fight again.