But I'm Carry

"Girls, we have chosen a rushee this year." Linda, the head of the sorority said walking into the room with two of the members.

"If she can make it through our little 'interview' that is." Kelsey said.

"You all know that we never use the same rituals. Therefore we have a new one."

The rushee was Carry Hazelgrove -- a freshman at the campus looking forward to having a great time. She received a letter from the Delta Sigma asking her to meet them the next day at the sorority house. She, having heard much about the sorority, was very excited.

Delta Sigma was the most secretive sorority consisting of only fifteen girls. It would be anyone's honor to be called in for an 'interview'. No one knew of their rituals or what they had to do in order to get into the sorority but they did know that getting in there will earn them the ultimate power on the campus. Most girls were willing to do anything to get into the Delta Sigma.

"Carry, we've, the girls and I, agreed to let you in our sorority." Linda said to her half an hour after meeting her. "But, the process for the induction won't be easy."

"I'll do anything to get in." Carry said eagerly. The sorority each gave off a little smirk before turning their attention back to the rushee.

"Okay, then. Meet us tomorrow night at ten sharp right here. If you're a minute late, you lose your chance to get it." Kelsey said.

*NEXT NIGHT*

It was a damn cold night with snow and ice covering the vast grounds of the campus. Carry had this feeling that she could not explain all day long. Maybe it was from excitement or maybe it was from scare. She looked up at the gloomy sky revealing no stars and only a partial moon covered by thick, gray clouds. Carry saw her breath form a white cloud in front of her as she knocked on the door to the Delta Sigma.

It was midnight when she had gone through the ritual. She had to drink three bottles of beer, stip down and hang the Delta Sigma flag up on the balcony outside the second floor, and walk on the table lined with the sorority members on both sides while they wrote and drew on her all sorts of things. She was disoriented, dizzy, and nauseous having come from a family that was horrible at holding their alcohol.

"One more thing and you're done."

"What are you doing?" Kelsey asked Linda when she spoke those words. "I thought we were done."

"Never hurts to add in one more." Linda whispered back.

Carry got dressed again and followed a few of the girls outside. They had walked for ten minutes when they reached the dumpster area. She was now on the verge of vomiting with the pungent smell floating in the air.

Linda opened the lid to one of the huge trash cans and told Carry to get in there. She hesitantly made herself over to the trash can and peered inside. It was too dark to see anything, though, but she could imagine what was in there with a horrible smell creeping up her nose.

"Get in." Linda said with no patience.

Carry somehow managed to get herself in there and sat down. She could feel the disgusting food left overs squished under her as she adjusted herself away from the box. She held herself back from vomiting as Linda shut the lid on the trash can and then heard a clicking noise soon after.

"One of us will come and get you after two hours. If you can't stay in there for that long, you're out." Linda said outside.

Carry squeezed shut her eyes and tried to breath calmly. Then, suddenly, she felt the trash can moving. Faster and faster down the hill until she heard a loud crash...then everything in her body shut down.

*TEN YEARS LATER*

"Guys, it smells awful here. Let's do something else." Ally said. She stood at the same spot where Carry had stood ten years before. She didn't know about the incident that took place here ten years ago but she could sense a feeling of melancholy around her. Her friends, as usual, had persuaded her to do something stupid such as climbing into the trash can at night.

"Same day, same time, same spot." Julie said with a little bit of trembling in her voice.

The other girls gave off a small laugh from nervousness. A shiver ran through each girls' body from the story rather than the harsh cold winds. Ally gave off a confused look at the girls. She wanted to know what Julie was talking about.

"Am I missing something here?"

"Yeah, the myth that took place ten years ago."

"Myth?"

"Mhmm."

"Tell me."

"Carry Hazelgrove wanted to be in a sorority. In order to get in, she had to do one final thing." Julie began.

"She was standing right where you were standing at this exact date and time." Jasmine interrupted. "Before she climbed into a trash can just like that. Then the trash can, out of some freak accident, began to roll down while she was trapped inside."

"Then she died!" Julie grabbed Ally's shoulders and squeezed them hard.

Ally jumped in her spot from this unexpected myth and action. 'It's only a myth. It's not true, Ally. It's not true.' She told herself quietly. She took off her coat and gloves before making her way towards the trash can.

"This smells so bad." Ally said opening the lid and letting it close with a loud slam.

"Come on, get it." Jasmine urged. "Or are you too scared?" she said with a challenging voice.

Ally was not the one to loose a challenge or dismiss it. She was in the trash can a few seconds later. The sound of rotting food being squished underneath her made her want to puke along with the pungent smell. She covered her nose and mouth and reluctantly sat down.

"They say that if you count to ten slowly with your eyes closed, you can see Carry when you open them again." Julie said leaning over the edge and looking at Ally. Julie stepped back down and joined the other girls a few feet away from the trash can.

Ally slowly closed her eyes and began to count.

"One, two, thr--" She heard a loud slam above her head. "You guys, this isn't funny." she said. She heard nothing. "Guys?" she opened her eyes and saw a pair of red glaring eyes staring back at her.

She let out an ear piercing scream. It seemed like everything had stopped moving. She couldn't hear anyone but the sounds of her rushing to get to the other end of the trash can away from this damned creature approaching her. Her throat was getting sore from all the screaming and no longer let out any sound. This creature with skin decaying and eyes bulging out from the skeleton frame was right on top of her now.

"Ally?" Julie said when all screaming ceased. She could hear loud noises continue on from inside, still. "Ally!" she tried to pry open the lid but it wasn't budging.

"Ally, open this right now!" Jasmine yelled helping. The panic stricken girls were trying to push open the lid without much success.

"This isn't funny!" as soon as these words were spoken, everything went quiet. The two girls stepped back a little, afraid of what was going on.

The campus cop had arrived a minute later with his flashlight shining on each girls' face. "What's going on here, ladies?"

A few girls held up their shaking hands to the trash can with eyes wide open from fear.

The cop let out a sigh and walked over. He opened the lid and instantly frowned from the horrible smell. "What the hell died in here?" he leaned in and shined his light at Ally. He was startled to see a face scarred and bloody. She grabbed his arms in a tight grip making the cop let out a little whimper.

"Help me." she whispered violently trembling.

*WEEK LATER*

The bright florescent light flickered above Ally's head. She sat in a corner with her knees drawn to her chest and her disheveled hair covering her pale face.

'Everything's so white...' she thought looking at the white walls, white chair, white door, white table, and white hospital gowns and coats. 'White, white, white...'

The lady that was sitting behind the table stood up and walked out the door. She stood with three other people behind the two way mirror and studied Ally as if she was a virus: careful but thorough.

"The cop said she was bruised all over and bleeding everywhere." McKay said.

"What the hell happened to this girl?"

"The other girls insist they don't know. They said one minute it was quiet then the next Ally was screaming her head off."

McKay re-entered the room and set down her clipboard on the table. She walked over to Ally and crouched down to her level.

"Honey, tell me what happened." she said gently in her sweet voice.

Ally shot up a glance at the lady and back down at her arms.

"We need to know what happened, Ally."

She slowly lifted her head up. "Why is everyone calling me Ally?" she muttered.

"Honey, that's your name." she carefully touched her hair.

"I'm not Ally...I'm Carry..."