80

Too close.

T he screeching sound of fabric shredding echoed in the grand entrance of the Manor. The lengthy curtains fell to the floor in heavy strands and the light that filtered through the windows was gray and cold. A chorus of latching and slamming reverberated as the toxic possessiveness dispersed through the Manor, the walls closed in tightly and locked the windows and doors in place, blocking every exit.

They raged against the door, banging and clawing with hands and fists, wrenching at the handle with no success. A corrupt sense of victory coated the Manor and surged into her. She shrieked, overcome with rage and despair as it swelled in her. She grabbed at a decorative vase filled with flowers and hurled it towards the window by the door, just shy of hitting him, and it exploded, the vase shattering to pieces. The window held strong. Her hands flew to her hair, tugging at the roots, and she crumpled to the floor. Wailing against the onslaught of whispers drilling at her already crumbling sanity.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine .

“Florence?!” He cried out to her, using her name, and dropped to the floor beside her. He gathered her, collapsed and limp, into his arms. As if it would make any difference.

“ KOEN? FLORENCE?” The other two all but tumbled down the stairs that stretched and trembled to shake their confident steps. The banisters writhed like snakes and the paper peeled back from the walls. The iron detailing along the windows pulled loudly away from the panes, a high, ear-splitting squeal resonating around them. “Watch out!” The dark one pointed as a bar dislodged from the window and flew through the air, embedding itself directly between him and the other.

“ Fucking Christ! It’s throwing spears now??” He had narrowly escaped.

“ What happened?” The dark one was standing over them now, pulling her from the lap she was gripped to.

“It’s locked! The door locked and the Manor started to act out and she–she–”

She continued to wail, whatever had been left of her already depleted reserves to fight off the assault of whispers and poison, was too weak. She could not hear the men around her, only the Manor shrieking within her. It’s betrayal and rage shackling her inside her own thoughts as a cacophony of its voices howled.

Plaster rained down in chunks from the ceiling, hitting the floor and bursting out clouds of dust and debris around them. A large fragment connected with the one who had been holding her, knocking him back.

“Koen! Are you ok? For fuck’s sake let’s get out of here!” The last of them had finally made it off the stairs and hauled the other up.

“We can’t! The door’s locked! ”

A groan, loud and unnerving, sounded above them. The walls shuddered, visibly pulsing, and all the frames on the walls continued to crash to the floor. Amongst the uproar a bright tinkling noise had started to break through, as the crystal spires in the chandelier swayed violently. She noticed, despite it all, she noticed. Fine details about the Manor had always stuck out to her and, even in this state, above her own fearful screaming, she watched as the chain securing the chandelier strained, and snapped.

With inconceivable strength she surged out of the arms that held her in its direction, knocking the three men back just as it was set to land on them all.

NO!

INSOLENT! FOOLISH!

It crashed, colliding with her already beaten and bruised body, and crushed her beneath it.

NO!

The Manor howled, and the walls hemorrhaged black. It oozed from the ceiling and coated the walls. The men screamed, incoherent, pain beyond understanding feeding the incredible monster that caged them, throwing themselves at the massive destruction she lay beneath. Crystal shards stained red impaled her neck, arms and torso. Thin lines of blood trickled from each and pooled beneath her.

They quickly removed the heaviest of the crushing mass from her small frame. The darkness reached for her, creeping tendrils out from the walls towards her. Her breathing was stunted and her chest shuddered weakly. “Hurry, get her up—carefully! Don’t push them in any farther,” the tall one shouted as the other two cleared a way to her .

“I don’t like the look of that mist! Whatever it is, I don't want it touching her!”

Panic spread like wildfire.

“Blossom? Hey—hey look here, it's ok, you’re going to be ok.”

The haze gained momentum, licking at their feet and blanketing around her. They lifted her carefully, each one supporting an arm, and the one speaking to her carrying her feet.

“Clay, what’s happening? Clay?!”

The darkness clung to her, covering her like a cloak, settling in. Her eyes shut.