Anne had finally woken up... but this time she was in a weird landscape, around her was a dark forest, with endless trees covering the land and no living being in sight, the moon blood red hanging in the night sky, it dangled back and forth like a clock counting to her death, it felt like it was about to fall on her and crush her to dust, howls tore through the calm, echoing through the air. The scenery felt so familiar yet so far fetched—nothing seemed real.
Then she saw IT, at least in it's true form, what she saw was something intangible yet she was sure it was there, like an invisible force, crushing her heart, so small yet so strong, the pressure tore through her mind and shattered it like glass.
She panicked yet she couldn't move, her mind raced yet her body unresponsive—betraying her in the moment. Her heart lurching in her chest, her eyes trickled tears of blood. she couldn't stop IT's ascend towards her.
IT screeched, a primal sound, yet she could hear it's every word. "Ah, first time meeting yes? That explains why you're so scared." IT's voice dripping with malice—yet trying to comfort her mind. "This, is my domain, it shall be your home with all the others."
'Others? There are others in here? Am I not alone?'
Her mind had comforted itself in hope of getting back rationality, even before IT did. Now the real question, how to get out? But survival instincts had whispered before she could even decide, yet without restrictions this time: If you're already in its domain, there's nothing you can do but wait for death, don't resist, it might make your death worse.
Anne calmed herself in an instant, she collected the broken pieces of her mind, and then she concentrated on reality, knowing this is but an illusion, she broke through—reality tore through itself, bringing her to a revelation.
Anne finally woke up, this time in a hospital bed, yet strangely, even more calm this time—she never remembered anything, as nothing was real in that place.
"Hey, are you ok?" A voice drifted towards her, from the corner of the room. It was Michael, but seeing him, Anne panicked once again, what if he asks her about what happened? She doesn't have anything to answer him with...
"You were out for a day... If you're uncomfortable, I can leave... But make sure to take care of yourself" His voice softened, comforting. Anne relaxed a bit—yet she was still on-edge.
After all the talk in the hospital, she went to work. And finally, it was Anne's first real day clocking in to work, it was quite pleasant, as nothing happened today, no sudden pains—that made her question, 'Why so quite today?'
And yet like magic, IT instantly responded with a burst of pain "Heh, you're a masochist eh? Like pain? Well, don't you question me. Everything is in my control."
Anne's heart pounded, realizing she wasn't all free—not yet...