Welcome to Gaia! ::

Matilda jumped at the sound of a phone ringing in the distance. Calm down. it's just a phone, she said to herself. It took her a moment for her own thoughts to hit her.

It was a phone. In an abandoned, electrically deprived hospital. How in the world was that even possible?

Well, it wasn't too far-fetched when she considered her current circumstances. She had been running from infected and undying, and had gambled for her life to escape from a casino full of cannibals. Something like a phone ringing in a facility that had no electricity was fairly tame in comparison. Actually, this might be a sign that things are looking up. It could be a call from someone looking to help!

Racing down the corridor, Matilda followed the sound of ringing, all the while praying it wouldn't stop. Reaching what looks to be a receptionist's desk, a small, red light blinking on the counter catches her eye. The phone! Snatching up the receiver, Matilda shouted into the phone, "Hello, can you hear me?"

Muffled breathing and gasping could be heard on the other end, and Matilda paled at the pitch... a woman's gasping. "H-help...me...Matilda... please..." Her heart sunk when her fears were confirmed.

"Mom? Mom, what happened?! Where are you?!" She gritted her teeth as the line went dead. Had something happened? Was her mother alright?! Looking hastily for the redial button, the blonde was halted in her frantic search by the sound of another phone ringing. Was that her mom calling back? Why from a different phone? Throwing down the other phone, Matilda sprinted down the corridor and down the stairs as quickly as her thin legs could take her, uncaring of the lack of logic. Reaching for the ringing phone on the wall, Matilda held it up to her ear while attempting to get her heart under control.

"Don't leave me here, Matildaaaaa," moaned out the whiny voice of her brother. Matilda's eyebrows flew up past her blonde bangs, having expected her mother's voice. In fact, this was the last voice she had ever expected to hear over a phone. "Thomas? What are you doing on the phone, you hate talking on the phone. Plus, I didn't even get the chance to say anything... how did you know it was me?"

Once more, the phone went dead leaving her question unanswered. Something was off. Was it just a prank? It seemed too surreal to be just that. Even her mother's plea was strange once Matilda stopped to think. Her mother had been a proud woman who would sooner cut off her hand than beg for help, while her brother suffered from telephobia and could never touch a phone. Even if his life depended on it. Neither of them were the type of people to cry out for help, especially not to someone who hated whining or complaining like Matilda.

As the phone rang once more, Matilda picked it up and growled, "Who is this and where are you?" Predictably, the line went dead.

"If this is someone's sick idea of a joke, I don't find it funny," she huffed.