Deadly by Chant'e Francis (different e readers txt) 📖

**~** PART 1 **~**

*~* CHAPTER 1 *~*


Aerandria stood there, watching a little girl descend dirt stairs into darkness. She couldn't help but wonder why what looked to be a three year old would willingly enter this. Most three year olds she knew were so scared of the dark they ran from their own shadows.
She tried to speak to the child, tried to tell her that when people said, "Come into the darkness... we have cookies!" they were just kidding. She wanted desperately to tell her to run back to her mother, but no sound would escape her lips. She tried waving, she didn't care that she looked like a psycho; she wanted the girl’s attention. The three year old never noticed her, all Aerandria could do was watch the strange little girl continue on.
She didn't want to be left alone, so she followed her. Taking notice of her surroundings as she proceeded. She couldn't see the wall opposite the one she clung to for dear life, for it was invisible in the gloom. The darkness was endless.
The stairs dramatically began sloping, and she got the sense that it was a long way down. The ceiling above her rose, and she found that she had to hold on to the wall just to keep moving.
Paying attention to her surroundings awakened Aerandria to a sound. It was faint and she seemed to be heading towards it. It got louder and louder the further she went. The sound was probably dripping water; the wall was damp, and the air humid enough. She got closer and closer, listening to the water.
Hearing something else, she stopped. A honey sweet voice was softly beckoning her towards it. It called her forth with so much affection she could hardly disobey. Such a beautiful voice. She looked ahead to see if the little girl had heard it too, but she wasn’t there. The three year old had disappeared. Aerandria was all alone, it scared her a bit, but then she realized the little girl probably went ahead with out her so she continued on.
After what felt like hours, Aerandria descended her last step. A basic layout of the land could be seen through an eerie luminescent glow. The ground opened out, and was mostly flat, piles of what looked like dirt could be seen, but other than that there was nothing. Nothing visible anyway.
Aerandria walked forward, toward what looked like a pool. There were dry patches, stepping stones, leading towards the mouth of a sealed cave. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, and thinking the little girl was somehow inside the cave, she made her way across. Symbols were etched into the dirt wall sealing the cave shut.
She reached out and ran her hand across the symbols, making them glow brighter. She barely observed it as she noticed her hand, it was tiny. Minutes passed by as Aerandria realized the little girl hadn't disappeared, she'd become her. The panic started setting in, as her focus once again shifted; the seal had begun to pulsate. The wall grew brighter, lighting up the area.
Aerandria turned in a slow circle, re-inspecting the area. She saw that there weren’t any piles of rock and dirt, they were all dead bodies. Everywhere. They surrounded the pond in heaps. Sprinkled here and there. The one distinct thing about them was that they were all turned away from her. They seemed to be trying to escape this cave, and what ever powers it held. Something inside her suddenly screamed run, it told her to get out.
The ground shook, and she fell to her knees. She was now face to face with her reflection in the pond.
She could see the pond better with this new found light. It looked to be a large red pool instead of a clear one, and it didn't quite have the texture of water. Curiosity taking control, she dipped her finger in and tasted it. Not five seconds after licking her finger did she spit the vile liquid out. It was blood. A huge pool of blood. She had just licked blood.
She let go of an ear splitting shriek and backed up as fast as she could on all fours. Anything to get away from it.
A drop of something wet fell on her head and she backed up even more, until her foot submerged. Blood dripped down from somewhere above her like rain. There was no where she could go to escape it. She crouched there as the liquid continued to drip down her scalp. It spilled onto her face and continued on its journey.
She finally looked up and saw the bodies of many men hanging from the ceiling. Their life's blood draining from them.
She went in to shock; she couldn't find her voice to scream. Blood continued to flow onto her.
Aerandria stood and stared up, both feet in the pool, unable to look away.
Something or someone grabbed her, breaking her out of her trance. She turned, hoping it was a miner who had survived and was going to help her out, or someone from above come to take her home. It wasn't. In fact, the only thing that could be seen, other than the unnaturally long pale arms, was the cave. The cave that was no longer sealed. The cave that still pulsed and beckoned.
Growls, hissing, buzzing, and barks emanated from deep within it, she found herself surrounded, enveloped in it. There wasn't much she could do, so with an unexpected calm she took note of the things she could see and hear.
The caves outer shell gleamed, yet the interior remained pitch black, it's inhabitants hidden from view.
Another set of hands swiftly stretched out and clutched her. She lost her calm, and fear took over her as the hands began pulling her into the cave. Aerandria couldn't fight back, she was powerless.
Closer and closer, slowly pulling her in. She couldn't take it anymore, she drew strength from somewhere deep inside herself, and fought. She dug her feet deep in the ground, and pushed against the hands. She began slowly and steadily walking forward. She was determined. Making her way to the stairs, she felt overjoyed at the strength she held, happy that she was almost free.
She lifted her foot to initiate the climb, when the ground was stolen from under her. She fell forward and hit her head hard.
A third set of hands had grabbed her.
They were stronger than the others, stronger than she, and had more determination. Sliding down her legs to her ankles, it dragged her.
More hands shot out and wrapped around her. They secured her arms to her sides. She was moving so fast, she couldn't hold onto anything. Then suddenly, the ground once again disappeared. She had entered the cave, the opening of it rose as she fell. Her drop never ending, taking her further and further from her sanctuary.


*~* CHAPTER 2 *~*

Aerandria awoke with a start, in her bed.
She could still feel the cold hands grabbing at her, the arms wrapping around her. She could feel the damp darkness clinging to her, the pulsing wall under her palm. She felt the blood seeping through her pajamas.
She tried to shake herself of the dream, but the sensations still clawed at her. There was no way she was getting anymore sleep tonight.
She wrapped herself in her blanket and curled into a ball. Laying on her side facing her bedroom door, she shivered uncontrollably, though not from the cold. That dream had disturbed her to her core, not even closing her eyes and going to her happy place could save her now.
Eyes still closed her bedroom door opened, and she knew exactly who it was.
Zander, her elder brother.
He sauntered in the room with a metal studded belt wrapped around his hand and looked over his sister.
With a grunt and sounding slightly unhinged, "You look like hell."
Aerandria stared at the belt as she answered, "Yes, I had a nightmare."
"Were you being chased? did he have a chainsaw? a mask? maybe a knife?"
Aerandria simply shook her head. "At first I was watching a three year old walk down some really creepy stairs made of dirt. Then I was following her, and then! I was her!" she took a deep breath before continuing, "Hands... there were hands, and darkness, and this voice. This extremely beautiful voice, but it was only there for a moment. There were dead bodies too. and blood... so much blood" she trailed off shaking her head and looking at the floor. It was all just so hard to explain, hard to understand.
Zander crossed her room in no time at all. He stood over her, bent down and pulled her up carefully by her chin. When she was upright and looking him in the eyes, he spoke, "Sounds pretty bad... but it's not real. Why dwell on things that don't exist when things in the real world aren't much better?"
"What are you talking about Z?" As far as she knew life was great. Her little brother was finally making friends, she had finally gotten a boyfriend, and Zander was out of a relationship with a loose woman. Well, almost out of a relationship with her. Life was amazing, it would be better if her father was still alive, but you can't change the past no matter how much you may want to.
"I'm talking about you ruining my life Aeri!" he shouted, his face twisting with anger.
She had never seen her brother like this. He was usually calm, the voice of reason in this hellish house. The one they all turned to when they're lives were going down the drain.
"What?! How did I do that?!? What's wrong?" now Aerandria was seriously confused, How did she ruin his life? Why was he so mad? What did she do? and Why did he have that randomly sharp belt? Did he bring it to make sure no one was attacking her in her sleep? He was very protective of she and Cyruson.
He glared at her ferociously and answered, "Veronica. You drove my Veronica away! Everything is wrong, Why couldn’t you just leave things alone?"
"No I didn’t, I mean you guys are still getting married in April right?" She was extremely puzzled.
"Don't play dumb. I know you never liked her, and that’s why you got her to dump me! You thought she was stealing me away. You were jealous of our happiness!"
Recognition hit her hard, "Z, I didn’t make her dump you, I simply spoke to her about your relationship. Besides, she was cheating on you! She's slept with at least 3 other guys multiple times! AND you don't even like her! You love her, but you don’t like her. You like and love Emma. She’s a better choice."
"I never asked for your input. You had no right to get involved!" he squeezed his left hand into a fist and tightened his grip on the belt with his right.
"You deserve better Zander! I think that’s why you unconsciously started flirting with Emma. You already do anything for her, anything she asks for. She's a really nice girl and she’s completely head over heels for you!" Aerandria tried reasoning with him.
"I love Veronica" He said.
"If you really cared about Veronica you wouldn't have slept with Emma." Out of