Emily Lockwood - A Night at the Cottage 5 of 7

Emily stirred, but it was too late. He was upon her. All of his casual, reflective, savoring, and syrupy time delayed movements were replaced with viper fast reaction. Emily moaned as she stirred from her dream. She was experiencing a particularly perilous moment as she faced off against Tommy Hart... or was it Diana? Something worse? A turbulent whirlwind adventure that took her to the dizzying island of Japan!?

A pressure weighed down upon her. What was going on? Why did this story feel so real? She had stopped Tommy, she had beaten Diana's mind games, she had returned from far away, she had, she had... she... had... what? what!? WHAT!?

Emily's green eyes snapped open and she saw the face, that face, that horrifying visage of a black metallic mask staring dead eyed down upon her. Her natural and immediate reaction was to scream. Of course it was. Any girl would. Any. Girl. Would.

"Mmmmmmffffffphhhhh!!!" was all that could get out. Something was pressed firmly against the lower half of her face. A damp cloth abrasively suffocated her glossed lips as they made a frantic "O" This didn't make sense. This didn't. What was happening? What was---this wasn't the dream---this was a nightmare--- this--- this---I don't understand---I---I---I!!!!

Emily reached to pull the cloth away from her face, but it was held in place by an unrelenting black gloved hand. She negoted with the hand, and failed. Tried again, but failed. Tried again. FAILED! Panicked... panicked... PANICKED!!! Her hand grabbed, fingers getting frantic. She pulled, grabbed, changed grasp, reached, changed grasp, working her way up the forearm of the dark jacket. Why is this---why can't I!?!?

No matter how much effort she exerted, she could not pry the hand from her face. Negotiation, panic, urgency, force, nothing worked to free herself. Wait, my other arm! She thought. No! Nooo!!! Her other arm was pinned to the bed by a gloved hand. She felt the heavy weight of a body on top of her, pressing down against her bucking hips. Emily's stocking clad feet slid with futility against the fire warmed surface of the bed's comforter. Never more had her pantyhose felt more useless than the animalistic slipping and sliding of her feet to no avail. The hysteria of her movements forced the already short hem of her blue dress to slip even further up her thighs until it pooled against her hips scandalously revealing the support tops of her stockings.

Sniff. Sniff... Sniff??? Wha-wha-what---IS---that??? An acrid scent assaulted her nostrils. No, please! NO!!! Not---not---NOOO!!! A chemical that she remembered, never fondly, never clearly, never coherently, filled her nostrils, the memories, and experience flooding her head in a heady haze of horrific helplessness. The more she didn't want to breathe in the fumes that sickly soaked the stained cloth, the more she deeply gulped with panicked breath.

Emily's green eyes locked with the dead eyes hiding behind the black metallic mask looking down upon her horrified expression. I'm not an insect! I'm a human girl! Her mind reeled trying to convey that message. A flare was fired into the sky searching for empathy, but that burning light seemed to be lost in the darkness before it dropped unseen into the inky black sea.

Don't breathe, Emily. Don't... breathe... it... in... she scolded herself... fought for discipline... but how can you be disciplined... under such pressure... so much danger... I can't... I... just... can't... Emily floundered against such impossible assault.

I don't understand this. I don't understand...