Do you believe in ghosts, Kara?

"No."

Do you believe in fate, Kara?

"No."

Do you believe in a supreme force?

"No!"

Then what do you believe in, Kara, if you deny the gods?

Kara could not think of an answer. The Voice waited patiently, expectantly. The world around her held its breath; had been holding its breath for twenty minutes. Ever since the sly Voice had crept into her mind, the world has ceased its movements, and laid its eyes on her. The merciless Voice went on when it was apparent that Kara held no answer.

What do you believe in, if you deny the gods?

The Voice repeated its question, but did not pause this time. The sly, silky Voice did speak logic, and Kara new it. The horrible part was, the Voice knew she knew it. So it went on.

Belief is life Kara. Without belief, you wouldn't be alive. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IN?

Kara cringed. It was the first time the Voice had discarded all pretence of calm, and exposed its dangerous nature. This time the Voice waited, but not patiently. Kara could feel its impatience as a physical force, bearing down on her as she pondered. Finally, the Voice broke the silence itself, when it was once again evident that Kara held no answer.

Kara, do you believe you are alive?

Kara blinked with surprise, and answered quickly, mainly so she wouldn't dwell too long on the Voice's words. Dwelling lead to places that Kara had no intentions of going.

"Yes!"

There was a small noise, perhaps one of smug pleasure, before the Voice continued it's sneering interrogation - for Kara now envisioned a ghastly sneer on the Voice's wicked lips; wherever it's lips were.

Kara thought she could detect sarcasm in the Voice's manner, but it soon dropped it, and she was no longer sure it had even been there.

You know there is no such thing as Love, don't you Kara? You know it- and you hate Love. You hate it with the very same passion you once gave to a man, don't you Kara? Don't you?

Kara was not surprised. She had long ago discovered that the Voice was in her mind, that the Voice was exploring her mind freely, and it left her feeling violated. Even though she knew the Voice was inside of her, it still stung when it - Kara could not bring herself to think of it as a he – stirred up painful memories she had been trying to bury.

"Maybe."

She said meekly. She was growing weary, and the Voice's logic demanded acknowledgement. In fact, the Voice's statements seemed so reasonable, that Kara found herself accepting them, despite her feeble resistance.

Kara was beginning to see that the Voice's questions were simply well disguised statements. She remained quiet, and the Voice persisted:

When Life lets you down, what are you left with? You are left with nothing Kara.

Then it was quiet. The Voice was still there, yes, but it was listening to her, reading her subconscious. Kara wondered what it found. After a long silence, the longest span of time it had let pass without interruption, the Voice spoke again. It spoke with an ominous undertone, and what it said was like a warning.

"No…"

She spoke with less conviction than she had earlier, and it was almost a question for the Voice; very much like a child whose reply isn't entirely true, but which he thinks a parent would be pleased to hear.

Then you better start believing.

Then it left. The shock of its departure almost made her collapse. It was a forceful tearing away- and she felt as if it took something with it when it left. A souvenir, perhaps. It was impossible to tell. Kara felt violated, used. She suddenly realized that her muscles were bunched up, and let them relax. Her forehead was slick with sweat, and her hands were cold. An unseen finger stroked her spine, and her flesh broke out in goose bumps.

Kara peered around. She was shocked to discover that she was in an alley of some sort, when she had no memory of walking. On each side were sheer brick walls, grimy from soot and trash. The ground was soggy, and it sucked at her feet. She gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim surroundings, and then regarded the alley with more attention to detail.

A few dustbins squatted against the walls, apparently long forgotten. It was then that Kara noticed the silence. There was no traffic to be heard, no other voices. Suddenly her heartbeat was ridiculously loud. –Thumpthump-thumpthump-thumpthump- it pounded against her ribcage, fighting to break out of its bone prison.

Clutching at her chest, Kara leaned against one sooty wall. After a few moments, she had gotten accustomed to the perpetual silence. Her heartbeat still seemed ridiculously loud, and there was a faint ringing in her ears, but it was bearable now. Kara turned her attention back to the alleyway.

Printed through the muck and grime that was the alley's floor were her own footprints, in addition to the few tracks of feral dogs and city-dwelling rodents. Kara couldn't avoid a short sigh of relief – it proved that she hadn't just been thrown into an unfamiliar place. It proved that she had come here under her own power – even if she didn't remember a minute of it.

Suddenly glad that she had some sort of evidence proving she was still in a rational world, she felt much better. Her mind still buzzed with confusion and minor hysteria, but it was now pushed away into a sort of "white noise". Kara, operating under a type of self-hypnosis, convinced herself that she had simply blacked out, and would find herself on a street quite close to her home.

It was not so. When Kara emerged from the alley, she was dismayed to discover that she did not recognize this part of town. She even speculated if it was indeed her beloved city, for this area was rundown, dreary, and unlike any part of the city she had ever seen. And still the silence reined.

The street she was now standing on seemed to be frozen in time. The world was no longer watching her; it was asleep. Not a single breeze disturbed the layers of soot and dust that had settled over the road. Not even her passage stirred the dust; instead her footprints were imprinted into the grime, as were those of other creatures. It was as still as it was silent.

Kara shivered involuntarily. She began to entertain thoughts of time portals, and alien kidnappings. It was hard not to, gazing down the barren street. It was a place forgotten by time.

Deciding the wisest choice would be to keep following her own footprints, Kara turned right, and wandered down the street for a length of time. Nothing changed. It felt like she had been walking for hours, but whenever she glanced back it had only been a couple of steps. There was no such thing as time in this nightmarish place.

After Kara had passed three blocks, there was finally a noise on the air. It was faint, and irregular, but it was there. Kara couldn't tell how far off it was. Maybe sound travelled well in this place, or maybe it was smothered by the inches of dust that covered everything. Still, Kara couldn't place it. The noise itself was a source of bewilderment; not just it's location. She knew it was familiar, but already she was forgetting the noises and surroundings of her world.

So she padded on; lost in thoughts of fear, panic and confusion. The strange noise gradually grew nearer, but Kara was unconcerned by it. Her footprints lead down one street and then another, and the scenery never changed. She had grown rather uninterested by the source of the noise, until it came into view. Then she was plenty interested.

It was a rusty, beat up shopping cart, full of what appeared to be cans; but Kara dared not look to closely - she wanted to keep her sanity. The cart was not what concerned her, though. It was its owner. He was as ragged, dirty, and twisted as any man can get. He muttered to himself as he drew nearer to her, and he glared at her with ferocious eyes. Kara was unable to move –frozen with fear-, and the cart-pusher drew even with her.

"You ain't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy."

Was all he said, and then he was past her, cackling menacingly.

Kara was quivering violently, and her mind re-played the Voice's final words over again.

Do you believe in Ghosts, Kara? You better start believing. And remember you aren't in Kansas anymore, Kara. Here the witches are real, and they'll kill you. They'll kill you, and your little dog too.

Her mind ran in a frightening direction, and Kara ran with it. Her feet pounded against the pavement, everything muffled by the soot and grime underneath. In the distance, the squeaking of the cart grew fainter, then was gone altogether. She ran round the maze of buildings; a haunted house of immense size. Kara dashed through empty streets, across deserted courtyards, through abandoned parking lots, all the time trying to escape her increasingly terrible and hysteric thoughts.

Then the prints she had been following stopped. They ceased altogether, but there was a reasonable explanation. In front of her was a door, as grimy and worn down as anything in this place, but somehow standing out. Kara pushed one hand against it, and it swung open without a sound. Kara stepped in.

A huge force drove into her chest, and she tumbled to the floor. There, among the ashes and soot, in an old worn building, the Voice came back.

You found me again, Kara. Peek-a-boo, I see you too. Didn't you enjoy my town? My little piece of Earth? No?

Kara shuddered on the floor. The Voice had an evil sense of humour. The vicious sneer bloomed in her mind's eye again. Kara whimpered:

"Take me back. I want to go back."

The Voice's manner changed instantly. It sounded offended and hurt, an emotion that surprised Kara; but it was only a show. Its disappointment had a sarcastic edge that made her think of grease and slime.

You didn't enjoy my city Kara? I made it especially for you. It hurts me when you say things like that. But, -here the voice sighed – I suppose you can go back, if that's what you really want.

Kara almost cried out with joy. She began to lift herself up off the filthy floor, but the Voice forced her against the dirt again.

Before you depart, I must take something away from you. It is something that all have, but none should want. I'm going to free your mind. I already took part of the shadow away, Kara. Now I'll take the rest.

Kara screamed in pain, and writhed on the floor as something was ripped violently from her subconscious. It was from the same place as before, and it left her with the same empty feeling. Something was missing – something that had been with her at birth. Kara didn't know what it was, but she had the dreadful feeling that it was going to change her forever.

- - -

Slowly the familiar noises of the city filtered through her ears. The smells and wind came with it. Breathing raggedly, Kara squinted at the sun. With a pounding heart, and a painful lurch, Kara pulled herself into a sitting position. There, she was back. It must have been a blackout after all, she told herself. Yes, that was it. She probably fainted from exhaustion. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately.

Then she noticed the graffiti. Most of it was the common city stuff. Various swears, random words that Kara supposed were band names. A few things like "Satan" and "evil". Then there were the others.

DON'T FORGET

DO YOU BELIEVE?

LIFE WILL ALWAYS LET YOUR DOWN

HERE THE WHITCHES ARE REAL

and, the most unnerving, over and over, sprayed with neat precision:

KARA

She heard a cackling beside her, and it was the cart-pusher from that place.

"Ain't in Kansas no more."

He recited gravely, before vanishing through the wall.