It feels as though I am passing through a ghost as I walk through the wall. Looking around, I scan the area, attempting to make sense of what is going on. I see the doctor-like room that is cold and smells like mildew, and a shiver runs up my spine. The room is oddly warm; however, I can’t stop myself from shaking. More of the mysterious aliens walk down a maze of halls. The red-eyed alien leads me down twists and turns, with his long red and gold cape swiftly falling behind him, hissing at anyone who even glances my way. At the end of a corridor, there is ominous green smoke blowing out of the vents. 

A green alien comes running towards us shaking and panting. He says, “Master, the Great Divine wishes for your presence.” Suddenly the Master turns pastel, grips a fistful of his cape made of gold, and looks as though someone had just told him a ghost story. Completely forgetting about me, he vanishes with a snap of a finger. The green-eyed alien gives me a stern look and walks away briskly. I am shocked. As soon as he is gone a rush of adrenaline pulses through my veins and anxiety fills my thoughts.

 My thoughts run wild: Why was the Master so scared about this “Great Divine” and what do I do next? Sneaking along the walls, I overhear faint voices in the distance. One distinct word is said: “Eric.” My breathing stops. That’s my name; why are they saying my name? I creep through the hallway attempting to listen to the rest of the conversation.

“Well, maybe that’s why the Master sent us to get the mother earlier.”

“I’ve never heard screams so piercing. My ears were dripping with blood by the time the necklace stopped her voice after it wrapped its claws around her neck.”

I am shaking with rage. I cannot believe this, the red-eyed man is torturing her. I just need to find out where she is and save her from the mess that I created.

“When does that necklace wear off? Doc said it was a prototype.”

“Hopefully no time soon because I don’t have my earplugs with me.”

“We should probably get her to the holding cell before the Master notices we are taking too long.”

“Good idea, I’m surprised you had it in you.”

My thick tears drop to the floor. I inch towards the voices as they slowly get softer. I start to walk faster attempting to follow them. I get to the end of the corridor and peek around the corner to see the horrific sight before my eyes. My mother is in shackles with a large necklace around her neck, and crawling around her lips, sealing them shut. Blood is dripping out of her mouth and onto her shirt as the two men push her through yet another invisible doorway. 

Continuing their conversation they turn around and walk down the hall towards me, I push myself through the wall behind me and the sound of their footsteps vanish. I wait a few minutes before I jump out of the room and see if there is anyone around. I see one of the aliens walking away while looking at a glowing device with lots of buttons, and my breathing suddenly comes to a halt. As soon as the coast is clear, I run through the wall that the two aliens pushed my mom through. My mom’s eyes widen as she sees me, and I start seeing all of the small details in the necklace. The metal looks cold but is warm to the touch, and it has red accents. It is spun almost like a branch that I could find on a pine tree. Slowly I try to find a button or some type of release to remove it. I try to slide it off, and her eyes roll to the back of her head. I attempt to just pull the necklace off and she winces.

“Mom, I don’t know how to get this off of you, but we have to get out of here.” She nods, accepting what I am saying. I grab her hand and lead her back the way I came. With every step, it feels as though I’m about to get lost—this dimension is a jungle. Running through, I suddenly hear voices, shaking with fear. We hide behind a pillar. I can feel my mom’s fear as she suddenly grabs my hand. We must stop at least half a dozen times to hide from the footsteps walking our way. I find the room that I was always transferred to when I visited. Smoke fills the room and then vanishes. The red-eyed man had found us.