If Hell were any Closer

Nikki's POV:

The fog was beginning to clear.

Everything felt... different. The room was oddly lit, yet also impossibly dark in the far away corners. The air in the room was thick, too dense for my lungs to handle, slowly suffocating me, wrapping me tight in a blanket of blackness.

I was alone.

Not a soul lingered within my walls; no insects buzzed, nor did the birds sing. it was incredibly silent, too silent. And then far too loud.

I pressed my palms flat against my ears, attempting to block out the hollow, empty sound that seemed to echo throughout the foundation. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing for myself to pass out, be removed from this ear-splitting noise that pierced my sense so strongly that I feared they would break. That I would break.

Then it stopped.

And the eerie silence returned.

I slowly removed my hands and cracked an eye open, sitting up in my rumpled bed sheets. The darkness swallowed the light, locking me in and keeping me like a caged animal. Where was I?

Hesitantly, i stood on shaky legs. Finding my balance, I crept slowly towards one of the tightly sealed, turning the rusted doorknob with a slight 'creak'. It opened easily, revealing my bathroom at home, and I relaxed - I was home.

I splashed m face with water. needing to clear this fog from my mind. When I came up, drying my face with a fluffy towel, my eyes wandered lazily over my reflection in the mirror, and I froze, the towel slipping from my fingers.

There was blood everywhere.

But I wasn't bleeding.

Instead, the perfectly red, syrupy-like substance spelled words, littering them across my cheekbones, forehead and jawline. Words such as 'freak', 'nobody', 'ugly' and 'slut'.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Who would do such a thing? Write hurtful words on my skin as I slept? If I had never gone to that party last night, none of this would've happened, that I know.

I forced my eyes away from the horrid sight, dropping my gaze to the immaculately white towel, stained with blood. I felt nausea creep into my empty stomach, but i willed it down. I will be strong.

I stumbled backwards, rushing out of the bathroom and practically throwing my weight against the locked door out of my darkened bedroom. I no longer felt safe and secure while i was alone.

The door's hinges gave away, and I came toppling out, quickly righting myself, scrambling down the hall, away from the bloody towel and the mirror that showed the truth. I passed by several doors, all locked, with a strange, unnatural glow oozing out from the cracks. Curiosity got the better of me and i stopped at the end of the hall, reaching tentatively for the handle.

Inside, was a perfect, exact replica of my own bedroom, just a few doors down. The lights were dim, and on the messy bed, was me. And Andy.

Both of us were sparsely clothed, our clothing scattered around the messy room. We wee locked together in a rather intimate position, his lips grazing my own. And then, as if sensing my presence, he lifted a messy head, smirking his signature smirk, before he winked at me, only to go promptly back to kissing my other self.

I stumbled backwards, confused as ever, and ran from the room, tumbling into another replica. Inside, was a similar scenario, only it was Oli and me. We kissed and touched, but overall, it looked wrong. Like it didn't belong to us, like we were merely actors in a scripted play. There was no passion or love behind our actions, only drive.

I rushed from the room, coming face-to-face with yet another closed door. I hesitated longer before turning the knob again, and I screamed with what i saw. Or I tried to scream, but my body wouldn't permit such a sound.

Blood coated the walls, so artistically that it looked almost as if it had been intended. But I knew better. Or I hoped I did. And then there was me, wrists pooling blood, empty bottle of some unknown pills, littering the floor. i was dead. I would die. This was crazy.

I bolted from the room, running as fast as i could, down the stairs and into the empty living room. Except it wasn't empty.

Andy reclined on one of the couches, shirtless. I gaped at him, half expecting for something terrible to happen, but nothing came. He stood, and calmly walked towards me, ignoring my flinch when he placed a gentle hand on my shuddering shoulder. In one fluent motion, he pulled me to his chest, rubbing my back soothingly.

I collapsed against him, letting the tears tumble down my cheeks as i cried into his chest. Andy was here, and he was safe, he was reassurance.

"Shh, Nikki, everything's okay." He murmured, and I whimpered in response. "I love you Nikki, everything's okay, shhh."

He pressed his lips to my forehead, "I won't let anything hurt you. I love you."

And then something incredible happened.

Then, I woke up.

Notes

I am in love with this story so far, because I love all of these chapters so far! I feel like they all have a purpose, and so far, none of them are really what i define a 'filler', which alone makes me happy!

Thank you so much for reading this guys, and for those of you who take the time the comment and vote, I love you! And for those of you who don't comment or vote, I see you ;)

On a happy note, hope you have a good sunday!