Out Of Nothing

It was so dark.

Cold metal coiled around Jackies neck, piercing rusty needles into it. She was chained to the wall behind her.

She was bleeding.

She couldn’t see anything in the dark, just feel the cold metal ground.

She tried calling for help but the words died in her dry throat. She was so thirsty.

It hurts.

Still, her body felt… better. As if she switched from too tight clothing to comfy pajamas. No stiff bones restricting her movement. If movement just wouldn’t hurt so much.

She tried pulling the chain out of the wall but it just let her cry in pain.

Then she just sat there. Waited. She didn’t know for how long.

The thirst became unbearable. She tried to catch the blood from her neck, but it wouldn’t do. She needed a bigger wound, she thought. Madness.

She dug her teeth into her forearm. They were oddly sharp and had no problems reaching the bone. Out of shock she yanked her arm away. A big shred of flesh stayed between her teeth. The pain was indescribable, but she didn’t want to waste one drop of blood. You’re insane. How long have you been here? A couple of days? And you already start eating yourself? She didn’t know how many days it has been. She layed down on the floor and nibbled on the piece of flesh. Has she ever slept? Were it only a few hours? She wanted to sleep but the pain kept her awake. After some time she ceased feeling it. She sat up again. The wound on her arm healed. Such big wounds can’t heal on their own, can they? Nobody answered the silent question.

So alone.

Was there a noise?

“Hello?”

Nobody answered.

Must have been my imagination, Jackie thought.

“Exactly”, someone said. The voice was smooth as the surface of a lake.

“Who’s there?” Jackie asked.

“You decide. After all, you made me up.”

“What?”

“You felt lonely, so you made up an imaginary friend. Here I am!”

If that’s true, Jackie really was insane.

“What’s your name?”

“Alice.”

Jackie didn’t know what to ask her imaginary friend, so she remained silent. So did Alice.

“You’re not human anymore”, Alice noticed after a while, “those teeth. And your arm healed pretty well.”

“What am I?”

“How should I know?”

Jackie carefully licked her teeth. They reminded her of daggers. Incredibly sharp ones. She should try to avoid biting her tongue. Then she got an idea. Maybe she could bite through the chain!

Slowly she tried to get the chain between her teeth without hurting herself. Her new, more flexible body helped with that. She could bite through the thick metal as if it was warm butter. She was free!

Triumphantly she spat the metal on the ground and tried to walk as far away from the wall as possible. Her legs forgot how to walk though after all this time and she fell on the floor pretty quickly. She was painfully reminded the metal piece around her neck was still there.

“Well done”, Alice said.

After slowly getting used to standing upright again, she inspected the room for a door. She found a desk at one side, a chair on another. She found the door at the last wall. Locked and made out of solid metal. She tried biting a hole in it, but couldn’t really get it between her teeth. She only left some scratches on it.

Morosely she sat down in front of the door. Alice sat next to her. A small ray of light shone through under the door. Jackie could see her pale skin and her black hair. Alice was just as pale, but had long ash blonde hair. She wore a black dress.

“I like the look you gave me” Alice smiled.

“Will we ever get out of here?”

“Time will tell.”

Something in Alice’s face gave Jackie new hope.

“You know, maybe it’s not just your teeth that changed.”

 “Everything else seems pretty normal.“

“Does it?”

There has been this tingly feeling in her arms. As if there’s something inside them that wants to come out. Jackie clenched her fist. Tried to concentrate her energy into it. Within a second her arm changed into a demonic claw with red scales.

“WHAT THE FUCK?”


The red scales went down to her elbow and stuck out like spikes. They had a purple glow to them as if they are covered in demonic energy. Jackie had no doubt they were. Her fingers transformed into long dark red claws, seemingly about as sharp as her new teeth. What the hell is she?

After staring at it for a while, Jackie decided to try her new arm out by slashing at the door. It didn’t give in, but she left significantly deeper scratches in it. If she just keeps doing that long enough, one day she’ll reach the other side.

Alice had a large dorky smile on her face. “You’re awesome” she proclaimed.

The door took more time than Jackie thought, but she knew it can’t hold her back forever. She had to pause a couple of times to eat and drink. It was still painful, but Jackie knew it would end soon. She learned how to change her arms back to normal, by just relaxing them. Alice wanted her to try to find more features of her new body, but Jackie didn’t want to waste any second she could use to rip that door to shreds.

“Jackie! Jackie could you stop for a minute?” Alice seemed concerned.

Jackie stepped away from the door and sat down in front of her friend.

“What’s the matter?”

“Before we get out of here… I just want to let you know that… I love you.”

“As a friend of course!” she quickly added.

“Aww, I love you too, Alice!” Jackie said as she embraced her friend.

“… you know I’m not real right?”

“What does it matter?”

They remained like this for some time.

“Well then, I need to get back to work.”

“Good luck.”

A ray of dim light shone through a new hole in the door. Still too small to fit through but it won’t stay that way for long. Jackie bit off the edges of the hole until it was large enough for her to fit through.

“WE DID IT!”

Jackie’s heart overflowed with joy. Alice just stared at the whole with a blank expression, but Jackie didn’t notice her friend’s lack of emotions.

On the other side was a long corridor. At the end were stairs reaching to a wooden door. Jackie grabbed her friend’s hand and ran towards the door. She could destroy it with a single slash. The sudden blinding light made her fall on the ground, rolling through the doorway. Sunlight! Finally, sunlight! After all this time, Jackie’s eyes could still adjust to the light. She saw a wasteland littered with the remains of destroyed buildings. It was the most beautiful view to her. Her prison was an underground basement of another destroyed house. She wondered what happened here.

Then she noticed the melancholic face of Alice.

“Why are you so sad?” Jackie asked concerned.

“It’s goodbye time.” Alice whispered, staring at the ground.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not real Jackie. I need to go.” Alice looked up. Her eyes determined.

“No you don’t! You can stay with me!”

“You’re free now, Jackie, you can find some real friends.”

“Alice, don’t do this.” Jackie tried to grab her friend but she avoided it.

“I am just in your imagination, I am nothing!” Alice shouted angrily.

“You’re everything to me!”

“Jackie you need to leave this madness behind.”

“But I can feel you… touch you… how are you not real?”

“You became pretty good in tricking your senses down there.”

Alice started fading.

“No, stop, Alice! We can talk about it, please give me a chance!”

“Promise me you find some friends just as awesome s you are.”

“I promise nothing if you don’t stay!”

“Goodbye Jackie, you were the best friend I could wish for.”

With that Alice was gone.

“No! Alice come back!” Jackie slashed at the air where her imaginary friend just stood.

Tears fell on the dry earth, followed by a crying monster girl. Jackie screamed in emotional agony.

Again she didn’t know how long she was lying there. When all tears were cried and her screams became a silent sobbing she tried to get up again. After staring in the sky long enough she whispered:

“I promise you, Alice.”