Riley lifted his head. The room was as dark as the night sky. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus. He was still groggy from sleep and the remnants of an unsettling dream still clung to him, like cobwebs clung to a wall, chilling him to the bone. In the dream, he was wandering the corridors of Reaney Hall, searching for...something. He wasn't quite sure what it was that he was searching for but he knew that it was very important and dear to him and he desperately needed it. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, the beating of his heart echoed in his ears, drowning out all other sounds around him.
He stopped at each door he found and tried it but they were locked. They were always locked. Growing more desperate, he began to pound on the doors, demanding they open but they never did. The hall stretched out before him, growing longer, darker, and more obscured by the shadows cloaking the hall. It seemed to go on forever with no end in sight. Frustrated and feeling helpless, Riley fell to his knees and began to cry. He was trapped, lost in a never ending maze of twists and turns with no way out, and whatever it was that he was searching for was lost in that maze as well, hidden in the darkness. It seemed so hopeless but Riley could not give up. It was imperative that he keep searching. He knew that if he gave up, something terrible would happen.
Riley got to his feet again, forcing himself to go on. He could feel the danger looming over him, the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stood up, panic seized him. His legs felt heavy, his body trembled in fear but he mustered every bit of strength he had left and ran. Riley ran faster than he had ever run in his life. Endless rows of closed doors dashed by as he sprinted down the hall that seemed to never end. It stretched out before him like a snake. His legs burned as did his lungs but still he ran. The hall seemed to grow darker, the doors, walls, floor and ceiling no longer visible. He was running through a pitch black void.
Behind him he could hear the raspy, out of breath, pants of the thing chasing him. He felt cold, bony fingers brush the skin of his neck and he shivered. The fingers twisted through his hair, he felt a hard jerk as his head was violently pulled backward. He stumbled and just as he felt those icy claws wrapping around his throat, he woke up.
He was no longer in the endless corridor being swallowed by the black void. There was no monster choking him. He was in bed, with Noah sleeping soundly beside him, unaware of the horror that Riley had just faced in the nightmare.
The nightmare had ended yet something didn't feel quite right. It didn't feel as though they were alone in the room. Riley scanned the darkness, looking for the intruder, and that's when he heard it, a ghastly scream in the night. Startled but curious, Riley slipped quietly out of bed and threw on a pair of pants. Heart racing, Riley slowly crept out and into the hall where the scream had come from. Standing silently in the empty hallway, Riley listened. The scream he had heard was replaced by the sound of raised voices. A man and woman arguing, the woman's voice thick with tears. He looked around, trying to find the owners of the voices but he was alone.
"Please, don't do this." The female voice pleaded. "He's all I have."
"I have no other choice." The man's voice answered with a cold and unrelenting baritone. The voice of a man not accustomed to being disobeyed. "You've brought this on yourself. If only you had done as you were told."
"No!" The woman screamed again, this time her wails seemed more out of fear than desperation. "No, please! I'll do anything you want."
"It's too late for that." The male voice said. "You've dug your own grave here."
Riley couldn't bear to hear anymore. His heart broke for the tortured soul of the woman who he could only assume was El. "Stop!" He yelled at the disembodied voices. His own voice echoing eerily in the dimly lit corridor. "Don't hurt her!"
Noah, awakened by Riley's shout, jumped out of bed and raced to the hallway where he found Riley, standing in the middle of the corridor alone, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. "Riley, what's going on?" Noah asked, his voice thick with concern.
"I heard them." Riley said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "A man and a woman arguing. The woman was crying. I think it was El."
Noah sighed, shaking his head, his brow furrowed with worry. "You had a nightmare, love."
"No," Riley insisted, his voice trembling. "It was real. I heard them. I really heard them."
"It may have seemed real but it was just a nightmare, that's all. Why don't you come back to bed now."
Reluctantly, Riley nodded and allowed Noah to lead him back into the bedroom and to their bed. Riley slipped his pants off and climbed under the comforter with Noah. He snuggled up close to Noah, with his arm wrapped securely around him, Riley laid his head against Noah's chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat a soothing lullaby. But, Riley's mind was far from at ease. He was certain what he'd heard was real, and a deep sense of foreboding settled over him. Slowly, Riley fell into a restless sleep, only to be haunted by another vision.
***
Riley opened his eyes and saw El, hovering near the foot of his bed, her ethereal form floating above the ground. She was dressed in a long, white, and flowing gown. Her golden hair cascaded around her like a halo, and her eyes were filled with an imploring sadness that pierced Riley's heart.
"El?" He whispered, sitting up in the bed and looking at the apparition with concern. "What are you doing here, what do you want?"
Without saying a word, El turned slowly and began to move towards the door, her form barely disturbing the air as she floated through the room, the skirts of her gown billowing out around her like clouds. Riley slid out of the bed, quickly dressed, and then followed the ghost out of the room and into the hall. His heart beat fiercely within and he suddenly found himself in the grip of fear and determination. El led Riley down the hallway, past the Rose room, and to the foot of the stairs leading to the third floor. She stopped, then turned and looked at Riley.
Slowly, the arm that hung at her side began to rise. Her outstretched finger pointing upward, a silent command to Riley. She wanted him to follow her to the third floor. Most likely to the nursery or her own private room though why she wanted him to return to the third floor, Riley could not say.
