The Basement

                                      The Basement

“Have you ever stopped to think that maybe, it’s some sort of phobia, you have in your head, Tara?” My therapist asked me.

“Phobia? I don’t have a phobia…I just-“

“You just hate basements, for no reason for whatsoever. Or if there is a reason you haven’t told me and we’ve been doing sessions for more than a year now. So I doubt that anything major has happened to make you fear basements. So therefore it has to be somewhat of a phobia.”
I crawled into a ball into my seat, looking down at the ground,” Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do have some sort of weird phobia.”

     My therapist sat up in his seat, putting his notepad down on the table beside of him.

“Here’s what I want you to do Tara; I want you to go home and get some rest, but this time go home and open your basement door.”

“ You want me to sleep with my basement door open? Are you serious? You must be insane!”
“No, I’m trying to help you. When you wake up from your nap, I want you to step foot into the basement. But I don’t want you to go too far down. I want you to just stand on top of the basement stairs and look down. When you come back next session I want you tell me how it went.”
  

  I grabbed my coat and stomped out of the room, making my way up to the front counter.

“Mrs. Lambert, do you want to schedule your next appointment?” The secretary asked me.

“Yeah, just put me down for the next available one, I guess.”  I shrugged, paying for my session and quickly leaving the office and made my way back home.
 

   When I arrived at my house it was dinner time. I walked into my house and was about to hang my coat up in the kitchen, in front of the door where the basement was. I looked at the bright, brown door, leading down to my basement. Why am I so terrified of you? I thought to myself. You’re nothing more than a cold, musty, old basement.
  

    I placed my hand on the basement door letting it rest there for a few moments. I closed my eyes, trying to picture my basement. The only time I was really down there was when I first bought the house. I imagined being down there, with the sunshine through the basement window, birds outside chirping. I tried to imagine all this, but was quickly plunged into darkness. I quickly opened my eyes and jumped back from the door. I  hanged my coat up on the coat rack beside of the door and backed away.

“My psychiatrist wants me to leave the door open. Is he nuts?” I sighed, making my way through the kitchen and upstairs to my bedroom. I quickly jumped out of my clothes and into my pajamas. Once my head hit the pillow I was out.
 

    I was quickly plunged into darkness, I couldn’t see anything, I was just floating in what seemed like space.
 

“You need me Tara.” I deep, graveling voice, said, echoing.

“What? Who the hell are you?” I called out
 

“You know who I am. I’m the very thing that lurks inside you, we’re waiting for you. Come join us down in the basement.”

“What? Are you nuts I’m not going down there.”
 

“Ha! Keep telling yourself that, but you’ve already passed your first test, you’re one of us. Just look at your hands.”  I looked down at my hands…It almost looked like I had stuck them in a puddle of blood. I fell to my knees letting out a scream.

      I quickly woke up in a pool of sweat looking at my alarm clock.

“Seven in the morning.” I mumbled to myself, crawling out of bed, letting out a big stretch. As my fists tighten together a sharp pain ran through the palms of my hands.

“Damn it.” I cried out, quickly dropping my hands, bringing them down to my sight. I was shocked to see that on both hands, my fingertips were covered in blood. Almost like I was scratching, or digging at something.

“What the hell.” I quickly rushed to the bathroom and washed the blood off my fingertips. I noticed that my nails were split down the middle. Now I was sure I was scratching away at something in my sleep. But what?

      I made my way downstairs and started brewing a pot of coffee. While the coffee was brewing, I noticed the basement door was opened.

“That can’t be right? I never opened the door to the basement last night.” I mumbled, shutting it, trying to push the thought of it being opened to the back of my head.  

       Deciding to not let it bug me, I went on throughout my day, doing my normal everyday routine. After a long day I found myself face to face with the basement door again. I was trying to build up the courage to leave it opened.
It’s just a basement, it’s just a basement. I said over and over in my head again. I closed my eyes, put my hand on the door handle, and twisted. My palms were sweaty and I had a lump in my throat as I opened the door. The door made an old creaking sound. I opened my eyes and was met with the darkness from the basement. A smell of must hit me in the face.
“Okay, that’s not so bad. Now all I need to do is sleep with it opened…I might be able to do that.”

          I slipped into my pajamas and quickly jumped into bed, turning off my lights. I shut my eyes, but the thought of the basement door still bothered me. Every time I tried to shut my eyes they quickly came back open…for some reason the door being opened bugged me so much, that I wasn’t able to sleep. I rolled over looking at my clock…One in the morning. How could that be? How could it be one in the morning already? I just laid down in my bed…Did I manage to somehow fall into sleep? I thought to myself, rolling back over, shutting my eyes once again. It seemed like forever before I was able to get into my deep slumber.
 
“Tara!”

I was quickly jolted out of my sleep and was confronted with darkness.

“Who’s there? Where am I?” My voice echoed like I was in some sort of dungeon. In the distance I could hear some sort of dripping. A musty smell hit me in the face and the ground I was laying on was freezing cold.

“Is someone there?” I shivered as the cold from the darkness embraced itself around me. It was very clear that I was alone. But where the hell was I? How did I get here? Who called out to me earlier to wake me up? Or did I just dream that? I stood up grabbing onto the closest thing I could find. I’m pretty sure it was a wall that I grabbed. The cold stones on the bottom of my hands, pretty much told me it was a brick wall.

“Where am I?” I mumbled, holding my arms together to try and get some warmth. I stood in one place trying to gather my thoughts for a moment. What if I had been kidnapped? That has to be it. I was snatched from my bed. But who would want to kidnap me? I worked at a grocery store…Granted it did pay a little better than other grocery store jobs, and it was a union job, but other than that I’m a normal Jane Doe. At least I’d like to think I am…

      Time went on…I’m not sure how many hours it’s been. I’ve been crying for the pasted twenty or so minutes. Screaming, begging for someone to let me out of this…Place, or hell I was in. So far I haven’t gotten any response, just darkness.

     I stood up once again, holding my arms out in front of me, and walking forward, I managed to get three steps in and fell to the floor. Luckily, my arms were out in front of me, so I didn’t crack my head off the concrete floor. I did scrape my chin off of something though. I managed to hit my head so hard that I was bleeding. I reached out in front of me, feeling a wooden like step…

“Stairs!?” I yelled, picking myself back up, taking a step up on the first wooden step. I placed my left foot out in front of me, to feel to make sure the other step was there. Once I was sure I stepped up.

“Steps!” I started crying tears of joy, slowly running up the stairs. When I was sure, I was at the top I stopped. I placed one hand out in front of me to feel a wooden door. I pushed on it with all of my force, but it was no use, the door didn’t budge.

“Please!” I cried, digging my nails into the door, scratching on it like I was a cat wanting out.

“Let me out!” I begged more, sliding down the door into a fetal position. I scratched at the door so much that my nails were bleeding. I’m pretty sure I managed to somehow find myself in a basement…

          I’ve been sitting by the door at the top of the stairs for hours, but no one has come and gotten me. Every now and then I press my ear against the door. I’m hoping I can hear movement, or the sound of anything. But with there being no sound whatsoever that was the scariest part to me….

       I managed to fall asleep…I’m not sure what time it is, or how long I was out. It’s still dark in this basement, wherever I am. I’m hoping I can wait it out for a few more hours…I’m guessing that if I wait it out long enough, some light through windows is going to have shine through. At least I hope so. That’s really the only hope I have left. If I continue on in this basement I’m going to go nuts. Just the feeling of being down here is driving me nuts.

       Many hours have passed now…I’m sure of it. I don’t know how long I’ve been down here...I still don’t even know where I am. I’m still thinking that someone has kidnapped me and put me down here. I feel like I’ve been down here for days…But I don’t see how that can be…I still haven’t seen any light shine through the windows. I stood back and slowly made my way down the stairs, walking farther into the darkness.
“It’s funny,” I started to chuckle, running my hands through my hair, “It’s fucking hilarious!” I started laughing manically.
“I hope this is what you wanted!” I started hitting the wall with my fist frantically,” I hope you’re happy!” I started crying while laughing constantly.

       From up above I heard footsteps…It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m sure whoever is doing this to me is going to eventually kill me. I crawled into a corner, sitting on my hands and knees like a dog.
“Tara are you in here? This is the police. We’ve been notified to check up on you. You’ve missed three days of work without calling, and we have your psychiatrist here with us. He tells us you’ve been missing some sessions. If you’re in here please let us know.”  I ignored the bargain the man offered me. I’m pretty sure they’re trying to trick me.

       From the stairwell I heard the door snap opened.
“I think I may have found something! Down here!” A voice that sounded like my psychiatrist called out.

“Move out of the way.” Another man called out, shining a flashlight down the stairwell,” Tara? Are you down here?” He asked, slowly creeping down the stairs.

     The cop was frantically looking around with his flashlight for me. I popped out of nowhere in front of his light.

“Stay back!” I stretched out my smile so wide it hurt my lips.

“Tara…Oh my God what happened to you?” My psychiatrist asked.

“I’m one with the darkness now…I’m one with the basement.” I laughed, lunging at the cop, knocking him on the ground; mauling at his face with my bloody finger nails.

“Oh my God! Get off of him!” The shrink yelled. When he yelled I heard more footsteps from above come quickly rushing down stairs where we were.

“Freeze Police!”

      I wasn’t able to do anything; I was quickly tackled off the other officer, forced to the ground, and handcuffed.

“What the hell happened down here?” One officer asked the doctor.

“We found her like this…I’m…I’m not really sure.”

“Did someone put her down here?”

“I’m not sure what happen, but we were trying this new therapy session to help her get over her fears. I told her to sleep with the basement door opened. She must’ve somehow slept walked into the basement and locked herself in here…It must’ve made her crazy.”

“Buddy, I think she’s a little bit more than crazy. She just badly mauled my partners face off.”

“Don’t hurt her please. She just needs help.”

“Well, then you can try to continue to help her in brig. Let’s get her out of here. I got to call this in and

get the medics down here for my partner.”

    The doctor visit’s me often in my own ward. I no longer have to worry about the darkness in my basement…I don’t have to worry about the voices anymore, either. I…I know what I am now. I’m one with them. I’m part of the darkness now too…I want to go back to where I belong…I want to go back to my house…I want to go back to my family…I want to go back…My basement is calling me.