“How do you
know where you're going?” I ask her as she swiftly pulls me through
the darkness.
“Experience.
The owners are too cheap to light up the hallways at night.” She
tells me. Suddenly, she stops. I bump into her.
“Sorry.” I
quickly apologize. I hear a key enter a socket and turn. The lock
slides out of the door frame. A doorknob turns and the unseen door
swings open. Emily tugs on my hand and I follow her through what I
assume to be the door frame. A switch flips and the room lights up.
For a moment, all I can see is white. The door slams behind me as my
eyes adjust to the lighting.
“I know. It's
a little bright.” Emily says with a light laugh. My chest warms up
mysteriously. The white walls become distinguishable from the pale
red furniture. The floor is fake hardwood. It looks like plastic. The
apartment seems to be one large room with two side rooms. Ahead of
me, living room furniture and kitchen tools seem to mix and match in
front of a small television. On the far wall, there's a window with
blinds drawn over it.
“You got that
right. Doesn't help with all of the light colors.” I comment in a
friendly way. She takes off her shoes and casually walks towards her
pale red couch. Her eyes look at me from over her shoulder and wait
for me to join her. I follow the unsaid instructions and sit down
with Emily.
“I like light
colors. They keep it nice and bright in here. Unlike your room.”
She says playfully. Suddenly she becomes serious again. “Now back
to the Joker. Do you know what he is?”
“A spirit?”
I say vaguely. She sighs in response and nods her head slowly.
“Yes, Oliver.
He's a spirit. But he's not just any spirit.” She pauses and looks
about the room with her dark green eyes. She seems to find what she
is looking for and jumps up. She grabs a book and plops herself back
down beside me. Emily's fingers flip through the pages. “Here it
is!” She exclaims and then shows the book to me. Strange runes and
symbols litter the page. An image of a tall slim man dressed like a
medieval joker dominates the right page.
“What's so
special about this? Is it supposed to be a picture of him? He doesn't
seem so bad.” I say to her unknowingly.
“Look at his
smile, Oliver!” She tells me and points at the man's smile. I
follow her finger, not expecting anything bad. Suddenly my heart
begins to race with fear as the man's twisted smile comes into view.
A large crescent moon lies across his face, engulfed in blood and
made from two rows of sharp demonic teeth.
“Is that the
Joker?” I ask her, diverting my eyes from the image. She looks at
me, nods, and then returns her attention to the book.
“It reads here
that 'the Joker spirit is known to be one of the most evil and most
destructive of all spirits. He plays with people's minds and has them
destroy themselves both willingly and knowingly.'” She reads to me.
Fear spreads across her face. Emily's eyes find themselves looking
into mine. “What ever you do, don't listen to him. Stay strong.”
“Will I be
able to? He enters my thoughts without me letting him. He only left
when you showed up. Something about you pushes him away.” I ask
her, questioning my own strength. For a moment she seems to suffer
from doubt, but she shakes it away.
“You can. I'll
be around to help. Now, come on, time to get some sleep. It's late.
You can sleep here.” She replies as she gets up, cradling the book
in her arms. “There are some blankets and pillows on the ground
beside the couch. Sleep well.” She says sweetly and then enters one
of the side rooms and closes the door.
“You too.”
-Zero
No comments:
Post a Comment