Welcome to Helleville - 'Are You Really Ready To Go Home Dorothy'.

Her ankles froze as the water began to rise from beneath her, she was ready to go home, to finally get out of this town. She'd been running for so long trying to get here, she lost Hector a while ago and he stopped communicating through her mind.

She gasped as the water reached her stomach and it started to rise faster, filling up quicker than she'd imagined, looking up to the wells open she only saw a small circle where the sky sat. It was quite high up so as the water hit her chin she estimated just how long she'd be holding her breathe for.

This was it, she was going home, she'd won, she'd finally be free. Her last breathe was taken and held as the water rose up passed her face, she closed her eyes and felt herself go under and she began to think, think about the life she would be going home to, think about the people who would be waiting for her, she smiled and opened her eyes to look up and see how far away the water was from filling when there he was, nose to nose they were. She was supposed to be going home.

"Wakey, Wakey Jennifer, rise and shine,"

Jennifer woke sweating, her forehead dripped from the heat radiating from her, her heart broke as she realised that it was only a dream, her body ached, her soul torn a part as the idea of staying here forever hurt her, she had to escape for herself and for everyone else here that wasn't supposed to be.

Sitting straight up in a flash something clicked, it was everyone else, all the others who came here not dead yet. They would help her, she stood reaching for her boots when she noticed a crowd outside the house she was in, she crashed on the floor ducking at first thinking it may have been the same party that welcomed her. She then noticed Officer Valentine standing at the front, hastily she grabbed her boots and joined them downstairs.

"Oh Jennifer, thank god you're here, we're here to help you,"

"But what about you guys, you don't belong here either,"

"It's too late for all of us now, we've passed on but we figured together we are strong enough to block him."

Her head pounded suddenly bringing her to her knees, his voice ringing through, 'I'm everywhere,' 'You can't leave me,' but this time it was different, it was like it was on repeat, playing over and over again.

She pushed him out, she pushed it and pushed it until the pounding mellowed then disappeared. She was led by Officer Valentine and the group for some time until they got to the forbidden land, where she could see the well at the edge of the town.

"Remember what I told you Jennifer, go now."

She nodded and began to run, this was finally happening, she didn't want to think how easy this all was until her body crashed to the ground. She could hear her name being called over from the group but nothing clearly above the pain in her head. It was him, he was there maybe not physically but he was there, in her mind just like he told her he would be.

Through the pain she used all her strength to keep moving, moving forward, closer and closer she pulled herself to the well, through all the pain that ripped through her, she sighed relieved to fill the cold stone that was the well. Pulling herself up she looked down not able to see the bottom of the well she stood at.

Using all her might she pulled herself up to sit on the edge of the stone wall. She breathed in seeing Hector in the background among the people who helped her here, he looked scared, for the first time he was filled with fear. He knew this was it, she'd won.

And she jumped, beginning her way down falling and falling but no bottom came, no sudden impact was made, she just kept falling, falling until her eyes closed letting the darkness around her consume her.

                                                                         ~~~~~~~~~

"Good morning Jennifer, we have been waiting for this along time,"

Her eyes flickered open to white, white walls, white tubes, a white sheet covered her body. She had to be home, her head pounded and she panicked as a reassuring voice calmed her.

"Jennifer, you're ok now. You're home with us, it's mum,"

Tears filled her eyes and fell as she was relieved to be home, she'd made it back. A part of her thought it was all a dream one she was never going to forget. 

Two Weeks Later

Jennifer's rehabilitation back to reality went well, pleasing the doctors as her recovery was smooth. She moved back into her parents house and she was finally happy, she would wake and enjoy breakfast with her parents then get ready and go for her walk in the park with Valentine, her trusty Labrador.

Todays walk was different though, Valentine ran off towards another dogs bark which he'd never done before, when he came in view to her she saw him with another man and his Labrador.

"I'm so sorry sir, he never does this, he is friendly though,"

"That's ok my dear, he is quite alright,"

She froze in fear as the voice sounded a little to close to home, rising from putting the lead onto Valentines collar, she met the face that had been haunting her dreams for weeks.

"Hector."