[A Dream inside a Dream]
Re-worked. There were woods surrounding the big mansion in which my friends, classmates and family were going to stay for the weekend. The House, or should I say Castle, was enormously big. However, that was one of its charms. It was located deep in a wooded area, where almost no one could virtually interfere in their business. And believe me, there were a lot of people that didn’t want to be disturbed, some I couldn’t see, but judging by the size of the big building, I couldn’t possible think there would only be the workers living there. There were a lot of rooms for all the people, and I mean all of them, since there were a lot of people I knew, including me. I found myself standing beside my family and waiting at the main hall at floor #1. We were waiting patiently for someone to escort us to our rooms and such, but there wasn’t anyone there. Just us, standing there, waiting. Then, out of thin air, a man showed up. It must’ve been the manager. His face…was pale, very pale. The hair dark suit reflected on his same matching hair. Eyes were wide open, his mouth was making a huge grin while greeting us with a “Welcome to the Dreamful Mansion” - He said, - “Make yourselves at home”. Then just like he, a blonde young girl appeared out of thin air, wearing a maid outfit from the times that had already passed a long time ago. She took my bag and made me to follow her to my room. Not knowing what was going to happen with the rest of the people I knew, I followed her reluctantly. There was something really interesting about the girl. She moved almost like a robot. Nevertheless, was it ok if only one person takes care of the bags and luggage? When the maid finally stopped at a wooden door on the fourth floor of the six-story building, she took out a key, and unlocked it letting me in. -Thank you. – I tried to small talk but I didn’t work. She didn’t say anything at all. All I saw was that her name was Jade, it was written on the nametag. -You Are Jade right? – I tried conversing yet again. The girl just stood there and nodded her head, almost to the point where it was calculated and not at all coordinated. -Oh, I’m sorry, are you able to speak? – I figured asking thinking she might be mute. Her eyes were green and pretty but everything else was just fascinating. However, Jade didn’t say anything, slowly turning her head at one direction and quietly whispering: -Sleep well tonight… She turned around and walked away. She wasn’t mute; that I could tell…Still it was kind of creepy, but not that much. In that brief moment when I thought I was alone, I heard footsteps behind me. Turning I saw the manager or the Mansion, just standing there by the door grinning. Wasn’t he escorting the other guests, why was he here? -Hello? – I greeted him as politely as possible. -Why hello, young Ned! – He chirped in a high, yet at the same time, deep voice. “How the hell did he knew my name?” - I was wondered though didn’t ask. -Um, this room is quite nice… - I waved my arm at the bed and window and not much besides that. -Oh yea, it is, it used to be a room of a serial killer…But he later hanged himself…pity, don’t let that stop you from having a fun time though, you never know how interesting a day could get! – He said in the same energized tone as before. -Oh…is that so… - I mustered not capable thinking what to say. God Job now I completely won’t be able to go to sleep tonight. Moreover, it was getting dark. -Did my family get in the rooms? – I remembered to ask; somewhat concerned I wasn’t informed about their whereabouts. -Yes, yes, your cousin is right next to your room, of course, you may visit her, if you like. As for the others, we’ve filled them in on the other floors, making you feel comfortable. – He said and gestured to the room behind him. -I will surely do, thank you. – replying I awaited for him to walk away. As he was about to turn away, he looked at me with a smile on the face, because his normal face was a smile, and told me something. -There are two rules here… - he said, suddenly lowering his voice. “1st. You don’t get out of the bed after 1’o clock.” He then continued to walk in the corridor. “What was the second rule?” - I started wondering, but it was too late, he was gone. That was intentional if I could tell. Later on, after I brought my baggage to the room and took out a few items and some clothes for when I go to sleep I went to visit my cousin that is eight years older than me. When I walked in the room I saw a close resemblance to my room, but it was different it its own way. Not that it matter, her bed was on the opposite side of mine. Facing the window, not the wall. -Hey Ned, what’s up? – She asked, laying on the bed. -Oh, nothing, just coming to see you, that’s all. -Ain’t this Mansion, just the best? I mean look at this room, look at the sight from the window! – She extended her hands around and laughed. Maybe she was right, but…maybe she wasn’t. For some reason I thought that, the people I knew were no longer the same before they entered the building. I was starting to wonder if it was just me that kind of felt something was wrong in this Mansion, but then I brushed that though in my head, sat down on the bed, and had a nice talk with her. After some time, we heard a knock on the door. Awaiting someone to enter, we stopped mid-sentence and looked at the wooden surface. Whoever it was, just said this, in a very creepy way, as if there there was something inside its mouth: -It’s time to go to beeeeeeed. We both looked at each other and made the exact same reaction. -What the Hell was that!? Then I remembered the first rule and I assumed I had to go, so I wished my cousin a goodnight sleep and went to my room, where everything seemed rather dark than before. After I went to sleep I saw something moving outside the window, but I didn’t pay much attention for I saw a few cats hanging around the premises. I could feel that sensation of someone deeply watching me sleeping. It wasn’t that uncomfortable but it seemed really quiet…just too quiet. The following morning. When we woke up the next day, everything was just perfect. It was just like a story in the fairy tale books. The breakfast was delicious, and then we had some time in the TV room, where we watched some movies. Then after some hours, it was time for a pre-evening walk outside the Mansion. When most of the people were out, I saw the manager waving to me. I went there to see what was so important. He welcomed me with his creepy smile and said the following thing: -The second rule is that, if you don’t return in the Mansion until 20:00 o’clock, then something sinister will happen. – He said calmly, as if it was a joke. I honestly didn’t know what to make of this, but soon after I kind of forgot about it and went to have fun with the others. My family and me went inside a doghouse and played with the dogs. They were quite friendly, waving their tails around and just playing to their hearts content. I didn’t see how something could ruin this moment. However, suddenly after some time the dogs started getting a bit shady. Kind of like losing the color to them. Like there wasn’t anything there, but there was. The dog I was petting suddenly bit me on the fingers, but it did not hurt that much. The thing that scared me however, was the look in his eyes…It was like he wasn’t really there, like it was transforming into a…creature that no one knew. Out of the blue, we heard the sound of a large bell ringing in the distance. -What’s that? – Someone I knew asked. Then I remembered…. -Oh, Shit… - I managed to mumble, when it started happening. The second rule…it was starting to take effect. I had to leave the doghouse too see how one part of the Mansion was becoming old, rusty and damaged. Then the fields beside it turned into dirt. I saw a fell things coming out of the dirt… it was like a person…but just not human like…more like a demon. Then…I saw him… The manager was standing right in front of me, holding a small bell, which still resounded as if it was a whole belfry. He looked different though, standing right when the fields used to be. There was some distance away from us, but I could still see…his transformation. It was like his face was starting to melt…that grin, it was turning upside down…it was showing some sort of an evil face… his eyes turned red…then his hair whitened. I didn’t know what was happening… but we had to leave immediately. My dad, uncle and the others came out of the doghouse…but they were different too…their eyes were white, and they seemed…possessed. -…I need to leave…Fuck this… - I yelled feeling trapped in a maze of terror. I started running and just as I did, the army behind the manager started chasing after me. I was afraid, but I knew where to go. If I took the path in the forest, it would lead me to the bridge we used to get here in the first place. I had to run as fast as I could so that I survive…My family and friends…some of which who were still sane, took to a different path…but I was sure I would not see them again. The trees were a lot, so it was a bother for me to dodge them as I was sprinting down the road. Running in the deep and thick forest, I saw the little cabin that we passed on the way here; it served as a registration point. I remember seeing older people staying there, the ones that made us sigh a document, but now there were just skeletons. Decayed, almost black in color. The smell was wicked ad made me rethink how long were we here for? -Oh god…. WHERE THE HELL AM I? – I could ask as I sprinted even faster. My first priority was to run as fast I could, because I knew they were chasing me. Though I made the foolish mistake to turn around and see where the horde of monsters were, just too see Jade…at least the thing she was. Now it was as if I was seeing a spider…or something like a creature with four legs, just like a dog…walking as a spider chasing me, among the demons of creatures…That somehow boosted me and made me run even faster. ”I HAVE TO GET TO THE BRIDGE” – I screamed in my head, pushing myself to run. Then I saw it…the bridge…it was burning down… -OH…NO…. – my voice trembled out of breath, destroyed by the sight of my only way out of here. I had to think of something fast; as I was still running…Then I remember that there was water below the bridge as mostly all bridges have. I just had to swim to the other side and I would be safe. I stopped right near the bridge and looked down to see if it as too deep, but it was almost perfect. I turned around and I saw how Jade made a painful growl that made my ears deaf for a moment… -Now…or never. – I murmured standing by the edge of the burning structure and descended. Jumping from the bridge and clashing into the water, I instantaneously felt safe. Now I had to swim. Waving with my hands I got to the surface of the water and saw how the demons were just looking down on me…I was… -WHAT THE… - I screamed. I felt something grabbing my leg…Looking down I saw a skeleton pulling me towards the bottom. -NOOOO! – I tried yelling but water got inside my mouth and choked me. I started to move every part in my body so that I could do something, but there were just too many creatures in the water. They were dragging me down, I could feel the air getting out of my lungs, and I could feel the end was here. No oxygen… I couldn’t breathe…was I dying? The door opened and I woke up... My breathing was returning to normal…then…I recognized the room…I was back in the Mansion…I saw the sunny weather from the window and I rather cheered up. There was some light coming from them, but I was too lazy to get up and move the curtains for it was blinding me. Just lying on the good comfy bed I watched through them, as much as I could and observed the woods outside. There were no creatures…no demons, no dogs chasing me…no fires… no possessed people, no skeletons…and certainly no creepy people. -…Good morning Ned – a painfully familiar chirpy voice brought me back. I turned to face the manager looking directly at me…with his wide-open eyes and huge grin on his face…His pale skin was shining from the light that was coming from the windows. -Good morning…. – I mustered to say. I felt a little bit shaken, but I was good. That changed for about a second however. The pleasure was switched with terror again, as I saw the mirror, right near the window. It was reflecting him…the manager, but not this form…the form he was in, inside my dream. With the red eyes and the white hair, the grin upside down, stretching up to his ears in a painful grimace of pain and comfort. -Hey, did you think this was all a dream? Did you enjoy that…NIGHTMARE!? – He asked and laughed, laughed almost as if it was hurting. “Heh…HEH…HEHE…HEHEHE! HAHAHAHEHEHE!” [Phenomenon’s] Re-worked. Ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, specters, ghouls, phenoms, fiends…mainly phenomena… I like all kind of stories that feature paranormal type of beings. Every night for my amusement, I go to a scary web site in which they post stories and read them until I feel that feeling of someone watching you from the dark. You see, I have never seen something in which the paranormal explanation is valid. I always wanted to visit a place which I certainly knew is haunted, but I couldn’t because my town in which I lived wasn’t any interesting when it came to that sort of stories. Until that day when I felt strange. Our town is small, so naturally I knew almost all the kids in our street. Every day we would walk together; almost every time varying from three to five kids- to school and then returned home. Our path wasn’t that long. We had to cross the river, then walk by the church and finally, walk inside this tunnel, which lasted about ten minutes. After that, we would just walk straight forward and the school would show up from behind the many trees in the forest like area. One day though, I found out that three of my friends were sick from a nasty illness so I had to go alone, leaving the other two boys because they were just walking with us, nothing more. Therefore, I packed my stuff and left the house. I followed our usual path to school and I didn’t feel scared of walking alone in the woods, because there’s many nature rangers, which live in the woods and help lost people, animals and just work there. I crossed the river and then passed the church. As I was walking to the tunnel, I started thinking about it. You see; many years ago, there was this town legend that in this tunnel lived a creature, which searched for kids. When a child; like me- walked inside of it, he would immediately attack it and kill it because it was a bad child for walking alone in the woods. And allegedly, five kids disappeared when they walked inside the tunnel alone. Interesting enough however, I never knew if there was a known haunting inside the long lasting tunnel. There weren’t any reports, for most of the children walked in pairs, or with their parents who escorted them. Maybe it was to be proven if there really was something going on inside this road. “What is this non-sense I’m thinking of right now…?” – I thought shaking my head, figuring that all those stuff, were just to make your heart race for the unknown. I just continued forward without hesitating, trying to brush away those thoughts. But then I stopped right in the front of the entrance. I felt something…like a breeze coming from it. Was I imagining things? I stupidly looked behind me to see if there was someone coming, but there was no one. “Strange...” – I could hear my mind speak on its own. That didn’t stop me from walking in though, plus, I had to go to school and this was the quickest way. And in addition to the addition, I didn’t want to get scared like a chump every time I experienced something scary. I felt proud by walking in, and just for a moment, I was happy, until I felt this…uneasy feeling. It was dark in it…it was a tunnel; of course it was dark in it. However, that wasn’t it. I felt that breeze even more…My body got shivers all of a sudden. I’ve read that when you feel this you have to remain calm and focus onto one point in view. But how could I remain calm when I was starting to imagine footsteps behind me? I knew there was no one behind me because when I looked behind me the last time, there was absolutely no one coming from the church and there was no one crossing the bridge. The footsteps got a little bit faster…Okay, now I felt the fear I was talking about to keep inside you. But…how could I not…I was a mere child. “Don’t turn around, don’t turn around, focus look forward….” – I commanded my whole being. Then, I heard this awfully low and eerie voice. Like there was someone crying for help. I had to turn around… There was no one there…Nobody was following me… Then I turned forward again…only to feel my heart skip a beat when I saw this shadowy figure waving at me from a distance not so far from me. “Oh god…please let me pass this tunnel…” – I pleaded and felt my hands sweat up. I was starting to pray because I once again started thinking about the disappeared kids. I once again felt this uneasy feeling. Then the shadow figure started screaming all of a sudden. My body just started running, as if I was running for a marathon. I didn’t know what was happening, but I forced my body to stop there, where the figure was. Sweat started coming down on my eyes. My stomach was starting to turn upside down. This dreadful and strange feel started sinking in my bones. All of a sudden I heard this voice…saying something…saying it in a way like from a broken telephone. -I... -hea—rd... you like….gh…osts…? My legs almost went limp. I didn’t know what to think of this. Before me something large appeared. It was like a…creature…with colorful red eyes, staring deep in your soul. It had…big sharp teeth…but everything else was just dark and disfigured. -My na---me…is…Dread……one of the many… - it said and coughed. This time I felt his voice perfectly fine, although it was still coming from beyond the grave. -You dared to walk alone...even though you know that, you would die? – It asked…rhetorically. I was just too afraid to speak. -You are afraid…Heheheh…Let me ask you this…Are you ready to…walk by this tunnel? There was only one way for me to say “yes” so I nodded my head really slowly. -Gooooooood…now then, if you answer this question right…I will let you pass every time you walk through this tunnel…But it you fail to answer my question…Then you will be taken away… by her…in the darkness – It spoke, clearer than ever before…yet the things he said weren’t making any sense. Sense or not, the ghost or apparition or whatever this thing was, was giving me a chance to save myself…now I had to answer a question, and my safety would be guaranteed. -I’m...r-ea-dy… - I managed to mumble. -Nooooooow then…What will happen if today…you live? – It asked, and awaited, piercingly staring at me. What kind of question was that? I dint know what to answer…but then I started thinking logically. What would people say to this; maybe start telling the ghost what will they do from now on? Everything about today that will happen? All of those kind of answers started filling my head until I heard it speak again… -Whaaaaat…is your answer? – It tempted. Most people would tense up, forget about their logic, and just answer straight on…but, that was his whole idea…to trick you. For once, I loved myself for watching and reading enough scary stories and reading about unexplainable things. The answer came to me by itself and I blurred it out. -I…i--…won’t die…? – Hesitant I looked at the shadowy being and awaited a response. The thing nodded…It clearly nodded, and just like that, it let me pass by pointing in the right direction with its shadow-floating aura. Now that I looked ahead of me, I saw three ways…but it was pointing at the left one. -Yooooou are correct…you may pass…but know this…if you pass this tunnel again with people…those people will be placed under the same conditions as you…The thing I want from you…is to be alone when you walk through here…alone…so I can see it’s you, and not more prey! – It said, with a strange lust in his tone. -Why? – I asked, really not wanting to know, but wanting to know as well. -Froooom all the people I asked this question…you were the only one to get it right. Noooow you granted yourself a pass through here, for eternity. Nevertheless, DO NOT…walk in here…with others… - It said, and the shadow dispersed, for the last thing I saw of him was the red eyes that extinguished like a campfire in the night. It was gone…vanished…and everything around me got brighter. For some reason, because of the shadows, it was way too dark in here, but not anymore. The way was just one again, awaiting my passing. I checked the time and I nearly fell from surprise. The time had stopped…and I felt like I was talking with him for minutes, hours, and days, while it actually, probably, maybe…never even happened? I had to hurry for school… Two Years Later… Since the day I met “Dread”, I always started getting up five minutes earlier than my friends and crossed the bridge, walked by the church and then through the tunnel alone, without no one stopping me. However, one day…there was a boy that wanted to walk with me…I wasn’t sure about it, but I agreed for I was sleepy and needed company on the way there. When we were about to go in the tunnel though, I asked him to continue walking because my shoelaces weren’t tied. He agreed and proceeded on walking. Truthfully I lied…I wanted to see what would happen if he got the question wrong, I wanted to see, how “Dread” would greet him, and how will his life turn out. Watching from the dark…just like “Dread” watched me walk in, a few years prior, I saw his disfigured shadow body, red eyes, and sharp teeth come out of the walls and stop the boy. It asked him the same question…But then I noticed something...behind the boy. It was something like a figure…again a shadow figure…but there was no head…It was wearing a dress, so I decided it was a girl. Then I remembered “Dread’s” words from back then. “But it you fail to answer my question…Then you will be taken away… by her…in the darkness.” I watched as the boy failed to answer. But…”Dread” still let him pass by…though he was pointing at the right side of the ways plastered, imaginary, ahead of him. He didn’t vanish…the dark didn’t disappear…the boy walked…and then the body with no head…started running towards him…but he couldn’t see her. He only turned when the sound of the steps got closer. The immediate scream tore the place down, filled it with fright of the unknown. She grabbed him and started pulling him to the walls. The screaming never stopped, it was filling the whole area of terrified yelps of…horror and pain. He was furiously struggling to escape…but he was captured by the dark, still screaming…alive, consumed by it, as if he was a fly that landed in a flytrap plant. I wasn’t afraid while watching. Nor was I disgusted. The curiosity got the better of this situation. Maybe it was the desire of knowing and understanding the unknown that got me interested in watching. I couldn’t admit I felt somewhat intrigued, not even guilty. More to it, I was pleasured to watch…I wanted to see more of it… More of the Phenomena of the Dark! [The Clinic] Re-worked. When I opened my eyes, at first it was really bright. I couldn’t see anything, but after some time my eyes got used to the light. Why was I here? I was laying on a bed in a hospital room. I don’t know why, but there I was. The thoughts started gathering over the memory of my last deed, but for some reason the only thing I could remember is feeling joy, the same happiness you get when you win something, and then sick…Sick after I had just eaten. Now, for some reason….i was here, in this bed, in a hospital of some sorts. I attempted to sit on the bed, but I felt some tightness around my arms and torso. I started looking around to see what was happening; only to see that my hands and torso were tied to the bed with some belts. I quickly started moving around, and they unbuckled easily, as if it was made loosely on purpose. “Everything was really suspicious” - I thought to myself while sitting up. Looking around I noticed that the door was wide open. Why would the personnel leave my door open for all to see? Getting of the bed, I headed towards the corridor to see if there was someone, but it was pitch black, with no sign of life. I looked for a light key, but I didn’t see one. That was odd. Everything was. “Why was my room the only one to be on?” – Again, I started thinking. I noticed a small candlestick placed on the shelf as I entered the room again, placed next to the bed, along with a letter. I was curious at first, so I first grabbed the letter. Reading carefully as if it was a business invitation, I moved from line to line, Good morning. It seems you’ve woken up, otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this message. You probably wonder, why you are still here, but that’s not important right now. What’s important right now is for you to find your way out of this clinic. However, you need to be quick. Because you see, the candle on the candlestick is starting to melt. You only need to follow the signs on the walls. YOU CAN’T MISS THEM. When I finished reading it, I really noticed how the candle was starting to melt faster. I quickly grabbed it and went out to the corridor. Now that there was light shining I could see, where to go. On the left side was the terrace, but on the right side was a long corridor leading to an exit. I started walking but then noticed that everything was empty. Nobody was in the rooms I was passing by. The walls were covered in blood, on which was written: “GO OR DIE!” “The sign?” – I asked myself feeling my hairs rise underneath the hospital wear. I started getting rather uncomfortable walking in the darkness, but I had to. I didn’t know why, but my legs just walked and walked, because there was something that needed to be done…and I was the victim of this strange dream. -Hey… - I heard a whisper, almost to the point as a nano-sound, from somewhere around the big space. Shivers went down my spine when I heard somebody whispering in the shadows. -Yea…you, with the light. Come here…closer – The dismembered voice guided me towards somewhere I really didn’t want to go. The voice itself sounded grave like. I pointed the candlestick towards the voice or to where I thought it was coming from judging by the source; only to see a door, which was a tiny bit opened. -If you want…you can come inside and be with me. It’s gonna be a really nice time. Just enter the room…and you will see for yourself – Tempted the voice, sounding strangely seductive for no reason. I just couldn’t trust this voice. I just felt this uneasy feeling, because the voice was so unnatural. It was as if something was forcing them to say it, or more like growl it. Then I don’t know how, but as I turned the light shined on the lower half of the door, and that’s when I really felt scared. The door was somehow dripping with blood. Frightened to the core I shook my head and swiftly went on. I had to continue walking. I shouldn’t even stop. “What if there were more like those…things behind the doors?” – I thought and got even more paranoid looking at the doors I passed. Starting to run I could feel the candle melting faster and faster. As I did, I began hearing voices coming from many rooms. There was no chance, i just didn’t dare to stop and hear what they wanted to say to me. The priority right now was to get the hell out of here. And the fucked up thing is, I didn’t even know, where I was, or how I got there. Nevertheless, running from this place seemed like the best plan. While running in the darkness illuminated by a small almost finished candle, I tripped on something on the floor and fell down. The candlestick broke and the candle itself went out. No more light in the darkness…Now; everything I was surrounded by was the sound of the creatures behind the doors and their voices, echoing in the black corridor. I tried getting up, and I could swear the floor was wet. I didn’t know why, but I smelled this rather heavy smell of metal. It was as if I was covered in blood. When I finally got up, I couldn’t see anything, yet only heard the voices. Then, the rooms opened. A large resounding thud of a hundred doors opening shivered my spine, as I wasn’t exactly ready for the following. The darkness was so thick that I couldn’t even see anything moving. Footsteps echoed in the corridor, and then I heard them. People or creatures, were walking towards me, now that I didn’t have the light to guide me, they weren’t scared anymore. The sound of inescapable doom reaching me, made me panic. -Oh no…. I quickly started running again, but this time I couldn’t see anything, so I kept an easy step all the while I kept looking behind me, only to see darkness, but hear the chilling sounds of my chasers. I could hear the voices yelling me to stop and come with them, but that wasn’t even a plan for me. Getting out was the plan, but the darkness was stopping me, since I couldn’t see anything. While running, I felt something grab my shoulder. Even If I looked what was behind me, I couldn’t see it. However, I still turned around, only to see these deep red eyes staring directly into the core of my poor soul. Just like that, many other hands grabbed every part of my body and started pulling back. The force with which they did was almost destructive. -No! STOP! DON’T PULL ME BACK! – I screamed, not knowing what was going to happen next. I couldn’t do anything to stop them as they pulled me away from the point I was running at. Was there even an end to this darn corridor? I didn’t know, for I was stopped from reaching it. There was no point in trying to out-fight so many beings. I felt so weak, that I nearly lost unconsciousness. Just then, a sudden ray of light shined through the corridor. My eyes didn’t hurt for some reason, I wasn’t blinded, and I could see someone holding down the door for the exit, just a few feet ahead. They were waving at me to continue running and leave this place. The things that were holding me, now visible and only describable as naked deteriorated people, screeched and started growling like wild dogs, releasing me from their iron grip and quickly retreating in the darkness. I was free! Not even looking back, I stood up and started sprinting towards the open door, shining with light. The person that was helping me smiled, but I could not see his face only the horns pultruding from his forehead; right before I entered the room. When I opened my eyes at first it was really bright. I couldn’t see anything, but after some time my eyes got used to the light. I was laying on a bed in a hospital room. I don’t know why, but there I was. Looking around trying to fizzle out of the blur, I saw my father laying on one of the sofas in the room. My grandma then entered the room on cue and started laughing out of joy. I remembered how I got in a car accident, or so she told me as she saw me awake. Now everything came in place…or I think it did. Where was the pain in the stomach coming from though? Moving that aside I thought about the dream. The realm that I was in was the afterlife, which was a fact. I didn’t go to the shadows, which helped me, for I came back alive. I came back to life with this. However, I felt sick. Like, my head was hurting and everything else was bad. Moving away again, I turned towards my relative, and forced a smile. She didn’t smile though. My grandma was staring into my eyes. I felt rather uneasy by that look. A dead stare, as if I had done something to her. It was as if she wanted me to die or something. Then she smiled. I attempted to smile again, but everything was in pain, so I just winked at her. In the blink on the eye, her face was once again different from before, turned into a grin. She started walking towards me. In her hands, something shined. It was a knife. I widened my eyes in shock. I couldn’t do anything, feeling my body tense by the look of this loveable old lady, smiling evilly at me. Looking at my dad, I saw him looking directly at me, smiling, as he knew what was going to happen. The sound of steel entering flesh crawled into my ears. I felt this unimaginable pain in my lungs, and then the knife twisted and started messing up everything inside my torso. My dad got up from the sofa and softly said, as he started caressing my cheek: -You should have stayed in the shadows…They tried to warn you! Tears rolled down my cheeks as the pain swiftly overtook the last thing I had going on for me. The hope I was safe. The certainty I left the afterlife, only to go back inside there…and fall victim to the voices who fought to defend me…who fought to spare me from the gruesome fate of being murdered by your own family; everything was broken. The voices…that tried to keep me from being rooted away from my soul…forever, were now my new family. The new relatives in this hospital for souls. [Sleeping Girl] Re-worked. David Troy Francis was a really nice painter and artist. Renowned with greatness, filled with passion, lustful for art in all forms and sizes. David was mostly known for painting portraits of women, and landscapes he dreams of. He would often take the requests of women that wanted to strip and pose for him, drawing them the exact same way, almost life- like, but only on a white canvas, which he would sell for high prices and make a living out of. He was regularly wealthy, with new commissions coming and knocking on his door every day. However, true to a real artista, he didn't like doing the same thing over and over again. He just couldn't take the painful repetitive process, which was why, one day David, decided to make a painting outside his mansion. To escape his home for a day and paint the most captivating thing he could find. He went to the big streets of France and started asking people to come and pose so he could paint them. Some would pose, some watch, but in the end, he would always be paid and be happy about his job. Still though, it was no way near remotely close to what he versioned and wanted a more refined work. It got dark outside so he decided to leave and go back home. On his way though, he noticed a girl sitting on a bench, quietly sleeping. The way this picture stood out in the open gave this man an idea. That was an opportunity he couldn't just miss out, because the girl was pretty by her looks. He got one white canvas out of his bag and started using his brushes to paint the beauty while she was asleep. Her blond hair was peacefully falling on her sides, so natural and curly. Her cheeks were pale, almost ghastly, but that didn't intrigue the artist. He liked the overall idea of a person not knowing he was being painted through the history of paintings. Not even the barely breathing woman couldn't pull David away from his dream of capturing those blue cold lips on the sheet. He just wished for greatness and that was what he got from the disturbingly thin and white sleeping maiden. The angle of the painting was so well done that when he came back home he managed to redo some parts and make it even better than the original. Some weeks later on his exhibition, he had many paintings... Twenty-two to be exact. Many rich personas bought some of them, but the main attraction was the painting of the "Sleeping Girl"- as he named it that way. Some offered two thousand dollars, some one million francs. The variety of prices were a lot, but of course, he sold it to be highest bidder. However, as the months passed by, David started getting more and more uncreative. It was as if his motivation was dead and he had nothing to work with. No more imaginative creations stranded his work field. David was just on a block. Feeling bitter, he was reading the newspaper, sitting on his balcony and drinking some of the finest coffee, when he read that they discovered the dead body of Jason Grant Travis, also known as the person who bought the "Sleeping Girl" painting. David was shocked to read that his house burned down to shreds, although...the painting wasn't harmed. He decided that it would be best if he brings it back to himself again. And he did. David got it back and cared for it. Having it by his side made his work be productive once again. His imagination was working on full power again, his paintings got better, he received more money, and along the way, he married to a beautiful woman. It was nice, his life and all, but things changed for the worst rather quickly afterwards. His wife fell ill. She had a rare disease and no doctor could cure her. David didn't know what was causing that until he noticed something odd one day. As he was sitting down on his favorite couch near the fireplace, he looked at the "Sleeping Girl" painting. He was shocked. His hair rose and his face turned pale. The painting was looking at him too. The image on it. The girl. Her eyes were opened exposing green cores he did not remember painting. She was supposed to be sleeping, but the rage in them pointed otherwise. He understood what had happened immediately, or so he thought. He was just too drunk and he was imagining this strange oddity. Eventually his wife passed away, and he didn't paint anything anymore until his death. The "Sleeping Girl “painting was moved to the Louvre where it remained for some years until a rich business man bought it. He drowned in his shower so the painting was given to another person who passed away of an unknown heart disease. It moved hands quickly. The owner never did survive for very long time. It was named the "Haunted Painting “so the authorities decided to throw it away. Therefore,... The Painting was never seen again. However...what the late David did not know was that when he painted the painting the girl wasn't sleeping. She had been raped and strangled to death. When he painted, her last minutes taking in some air were ceased by him, as he began painting her, without even checking if she was alive or just sleeping. That was when her ghost bestowed upon it, the painting, and the image of herself dying. It would kill everyone who wasn't David. The painting would come alive every night to see him. At start, she would feel anger about the way she was murdered, but then understanding, for the sorrow of the man who only wished to make people happy with his art. She would feel his pain and understand his feelings, for her soul was retrieved by a selfish, yet giving person, altogether a strange mixture of love and death. The "Sleeping Girl" was nothing more than the "Dead Wife“ of the person who... saved her soul from being alone. [New Home] Re-worked. Since me and my wife wanted to have a new house, we decided to buy a new one, which was the only reason i was waiting outside one of the scouted houses; waiting for the counselor agent to come. My wife, Jenn, wanted to have a moderate looking house so that she can look after the baby. Yes, she was expecting a baby boy, and I was really excited about it. Buying a house in which my wife and son would live for a long time was one of my dreams of fulfilling, and now I was so close to doing it. The agent i had hired to show me the best house finally came and was now opening the front door to our new home. Once I entered it, I felt like this was the home we were going to get. The living room was wide, and it gave this nice vibe. I imagined seeing my baby son playing on the floor with his action figures and toys, while I was watching TV and Jenn doing something with her phone. The kitchen was nice, since I do not really know what a kitchen was supposed to look like. According to my wife, it needed to have a lot of stuff, because she was a cook and she wanted to have a really large variety of things there, which wasn’t a problem for me. I was looking at the things she told me to look for, and seeing the kitchen have everything she needed gave me hope that this house was already in our bag. The agent then showed me the bedrooms, which too were cozy. Although upon entering the bedroom in which Jenn and me were going to sleep I felt a cold breeze coming from it, and right now, it was summer, so it was hot outside. I felt an eerie feeling, but I shook it off and continued to look around. Once I laid on the bed, I felt the cold blankets underneath me, they were just cold, freezing cold, but I still decided to lay on it, since i was trying it out. I closed my eyes for a bit, trying to feel the mattes and it's softness; but once I opened them I noticed something that kinda creeped me out. There was a metal ring nailed-up to the ceiling. It was just there…in the middle of it…I asked the agent and I could swear to god, I saw him start to sweat for a second. But then he smiled but with that, “I’m trying not to get caught face’’, type of smile and replied quietly that there was a guy with his family living here, but one day he just went nuts and killed his daughter, strangled his wife and then hanged himself. Once he finished his sentence, I started starring at him as if a professional boxer had just punched me with all his force, because I couldn’t believe my ears. I looked up again, but the ring was still there. -Um, I’m not really sure… -Don’t worry - stopped me, the Agent -, People get nervous all the time when they hear that someone murdered someone in the house they are in - said the agent in one breath -, You just need to understand that some people just can’t get over the fact that they are crazy. You know, if you really like the house and everything, I’m willing to give it to you with a discount. How about we say 20% off? – Finally finished, the Agent. I looked at him surprised, but I smiled when I heard 20% off. That was like giving away the house and saving some money for furniture and all kind of stuff for it "This guy is really trying to sell this nice building!" - I thought and couldn't help but think about it. I mean, who cared who was shot, killed, stabbed, strangled, hanged and etc. in the house, their stories had already been written and now it was our time to get to write. Of course, I agreed to it and we shook hands. He made me sign a contract, and when I did, he was in his car in a moment, sped up and I didn’t see him again in my life. Two weeks later. Some weeks had passed and the renewing of the house had just now begun. There was a lot of stuff that I didn’t want there, but I kept some as well. I made the garden have rye grass and build something like a soccer field in the backyard, which was large as well. We had to hire some people to help up repaint the roof, because the tiles were getting really pale, and I just wanted to make it look like a new home for us. We painted the front of the house blue and the backside white. I don’t know why, but I wanted to paint the rooftop tiles black, as i did. Everything inside and outside was pretty much ready. All the rooms were to the liking of Jenn and me. All was perfectly arranged the way we wanted. One week later. After some more days, we moved in the house and were having a welcoming party. We invited some of our new neighbors too. We had a great time basically. My wife had given birth to a baby child the week before that and our son was sleeping upstairs, since the house was a two-story building. During the party, we had many pictures taken, and we wanted to make something like an album filled with photos, so that we can always remember how we moved in the new house. When it was over, we had over a dozen shots of people. That night, when the party was already over and everyone was asleep I felt that coldness again, slowly creeping through my back, the very same coldness that I felt upon entering the house. I opened my eyes, waking up from the sudden chill and I saw my wife next to me. I then turned on my back, seeing that everything was fine and stared at the ceiling. That night I didn’t really sleep well…I was feeling like someone was watching me…I was feeling stalked, while knowing there was no one there…just my wife, the cold and me. Four years later. Some years passed and our family was even closer than before. Our son was four years old and was loving the house, since it was so big, and had really nice things to explore. Jenn enjoyed it a lot too. Everyone was having a great time, but I felt like I was the only one experiencing some things. The cold to begin with. Yet that wasn't all. For example, when I was in the shower one time I felt like I was being stalked, and I knew my wife was right next to the shower room, and I could hear her ironing the clothes, but I still felt eerie. Then as I was about to wash my hair I felt this sudden cold touch on my shoulder, which gave me the chills, not because it was cold, it kinda scared me because I was used to shower with really hot water, and that sudden cold touch out of nowhere was just really spooky. I was struck by the cold again. I didn’t really think much of it, but as I opened my eyes, after finishing with washing the hair, I saw a human like figure on the curtains, since we had curtains on the top of the ceiling in the shower room, just standing right behind them and staring at me. I quickly moved them, but there was no one there. So many forces stopped me from screaming, yet my heart almost stopped. I don’t know if it was my eyes playing tricks on me, or I was just getting too much stress. Whatever it was...i felt reluctant taking showers after that. However, that wasn’t the only thing that made me think if there were others who were in the house. When I woke up in the middle of the night one time, I saw a small figure just run pass our bed and giggle. At the morning, I asked Jenn if she heard it, but she didn’t. Might have been our son...though I never heard him giggle as if there was something mischievous happening. Then one time I saw Hector, my son, standing in the backyard and talking to himself. He was getting really excited about something and when I asked him to who he was talking he replied with: “the little girl”, which made me shiver, but I figured it was just my imagination playing tricks on me. Of course, there was always a chance of him having an imaginary friend, but...it was getting a little too much for me. Deciding that there wasn’t anything to worry about was the decision I had to make, for the sake of my family. For my own, because I was the only one. I came back from work today and I didn’t feel like doing anything, so I sat down on the sofa and grabbed an album out of the many we had and started turning the pages and looking at old photos. I came to one that really stuck out to me. There was a group photo of our neighbors, family and friends posing for the camera. Jenn and I were at the middle, and I noticed something strange about it. There was something like a shadow figure standing at one corner and just staring at us. I had never seen that picture up close and now that I had seen it, I felt uncomfortable in my own house. Placing the picture back in the album I stood up and went to make myself a hot chocolate, since it was starting to get colder and colder each day outside. I quickly forgot about the thing I saw in the picture, or I made myself forget. That same night we all went to bed in our rooms and everything was fine. Except in reality it wasn't. 00:53 I woke up. Suddenly I was awakened by something. I didn’t feel sleepy, but my body was heavy. I didn’t understand this at all. I tried reverting on sides and switching poses, but nothing helped me fall asleep again. I heard our clock making a sound. I set it up to sign a really short symphony every time a new hour came. I looked up to see it was 01:00 in the morning. Right next to it there was a small calendar that showed you the date as well, although we already had a really nice calendar hanging on the wall, but I wanted to try to see if I could read the small letters on the top of the clock. -…N…. ovember…4th, 2010. Feeling proud I closed my eyes, but then my whole body went numb. I couldn’t feel anything in it. My body just didn’t want me to move at all. All the muscles were doing what they wanted; they were just not listening to me. I tried moving my hands, but nothing happened. It was as if I was paralyzed. Then my whole upper body stood up and my arms pointed towards. I didn’t know what was happening, but I could feel that someone was moving them. I slowly turned towards my wife and placed my hand on her neck. My eyes filled with fear and tears, as I already knew what was going to happen. The hands tightened the grip around the neck and started squishing as much as possible. I was crying not able to do anything to stop, but the hands were holding and squishing, until I heard the neck snap. Jenn’s eyes were popped out of their sockets and her body was laying on the bed lifeless, with her hands scattered on the bed; previously fighting for her life. The hands then released the neck and then the lower body started moving. My feet uncovered themselves from the blankets and stood up from the bed. Then they started moving. I was filed with agony, sorrow and dread. I hated myself. Everything was so cold. I stopped at my son’s room and I entered slowly, without any unnecessary sound. Grabbing a pencil out of Hectors desk, I approached him, and without even hesitating my arms viciously started stabbing the boy in the torso. The sound that came out of my throat was so wicked; it tore my heart to bits. My screams covered his, as his blood was pouring on the bed sheets. I felt so horrible, so sick and twisted…my wife, son…they were gone. Killed by the cold that was in me. I just couldn’t live with myself, knowing I murdered them. However, was it I that did it? Of course, it was my hands that strangled Jenn; it was my hands that stabbed Hector. However, I wasn’t the one controlling them. The coldness in my heart was. I wasn’t the one who did all of this! I knew for a fact that I couldn’t live with myself anymore, not after this. My legs were moving on my commands now. I went back inside our bedroom, and seeing the body of Jenn almost made me throw up, but I just couldn’t let myself get away with it. I stepped on the bed and got on top of it. I already knew what was happening. The past was becoming the present. Removing the chandelier, I exposed the metal ring that was there when I first entered the house…and it was then I remembered…the story the Agent told me. The person that killed his wife and son, and then hanged himself. My hands were shaking as I was tying up the blankets in a really tight knot. Then I placed one part of the blanket in there and made it into a noose. I pushed my neck in the noose and I saw the same shadow figure from the picture standing in the middle of the room. He firstly pointed at the clock, and then at the metal ring. I looked at the clock, which was showing exactly 01:10, and then I looked at the metal ring at which was engraved November 4th, 1999, 01:10. I understood what he wanted to show me. He did the same to his family at that day, so he engraved it to remind everyone who did the same. The figure then kicked me and I fell out of bed making the noose tighten around my neck and eventually snapping it. I wasn’t that tall…so my body was hanging nicely as the life in my soul was leaving me. I guess I shouldn’t have bought this home…because if I didn’t, I would still live another day to see my family. I guess if I actually made efforts to save our family by trying to bless our home, take away all the coldness, all the evil it had brought. I would have lived to see my boy grow up. But now, the Agent would have another family come here and suffer the faith of the Haunted New Home…or as it got famous for after my story was published: “The Murder-Suicidal House”. However, the house remained there...i and the coldness, with the ghosts of every other person to ever die there stayed. We roamed it until it was demolished. We suffered in the cold. [Cemetery Omens] Re-worked. Annie was dead. Her small figure looked rather ridiculous in the huge casket. Her pure white skin was the only thing not in black on her. The dress on her was black with a black rose pinned on the neckline, while the gloves were made of a really soft and pure to the touch material. It was as if she was going to a funeral…although it was the opposite, she was getting buried, while other people were gathered in a small group around the grave and were either crying or telling prayers. One man amongst them, Ron, her husband, was on the nerve of getting insane, but was it really that important for him? Some of the people often looked back at him, since he was standing three feet away from the grave and was staring in the gravestone, which was well made from a professional sculptor. Each of the letters of her name were covered in small shiny stones and the stone itself had small wings on the two sides. Everything was very well managed by him, because not only he wanted to tell farewell to his wife properly, but also he wanted everything to be beautiful like her, although, there was something wrong, as there always was A woman with a really nice plain black dress approached him. She had a curvy hat on her, with a small veil attached on it so her face wasn't that exposed. Ron looked at her, and saw that her face was as much as tormented as his. He quickly got himself a handkerchief and loudly blew his nose. -Are you okay dear? - asked the woman, now right in front him. He didn’t bother to look her directly in the eyes and replied: -Yeah, I’m good, just a bit sick, that’s all- said Ron while now staring at the ground. He felt how her hand grabbed his shoulder. -Hey now, don’t get emotional, you out of all here need to be strong, for Annie’s sake- said the woman. He only nodded and placed his hand on top of hers. -Alright dear, I’m going to see your father and tell him the bad news. -Okay mom, goodbye- said Ron, while looking how the undertaker was throwing big chunks of soil on the casket, placed 6 feet under. The woman then left him alone, while the other guests also left. Ron stared into the sky and everything else, only to avoid looking at the grave, which was almost ready. He sat down a bench near the grave and started rethinking what had happened. Annie had some sort of incurable disease, which was inside of her organism almost all her life. She began to vomit blood soon after she turned 23, and started getting thinner with each day that passed. They loved each other, but that didn't resolve the issue, nor did the doctors at that hand. She was just slowly fading, and there was no stopping it. Ron found her lifeless on their bed one day, with the sheets all covered in blood. Her lungs were torn into small bits of chunks, which she had vomited and soon after that, died. They tried many things to help her, getting her to all kinds of doctors, and giving her all kinds of medicine, but she would not cure. She would not be able to love anyone back again. The undertaker finished burying her and asked Ron for his payment, but he was too much inside his thoughts, so he did not hear him. -Hey! Mister Golfrunk, may I get my money? – asked the undertaker raising his voice a little. Ron quickly snapped out of his mind and quickly got up as he saw the undertaker covered in all black and dirt, who was finished and now was leaning on the large shovel. -Oh, im sorry, I got carried away, I’m going to get the money right now- said Ron as he headed back to his car to get his wallet. When he returned he handed the undertaker fifty dollars and gave him a small plastic bag filled with fruits and sweets. The old looking man nodded, as his eyes remained as lifeless as the body he had buried a moment ago and took both the money and the bag. His black leather hat slowly flapped from the wind. Then he turned around, and started walking to somewhere as his coat was flapping around like his hat. Ron looked at the direction the taker headed to and realized that he has to head back. He kissed the gravestone and left the cemetery. …. Ron was experiencing some hardships while trying to sleep. Once his entire body was hot, then he was freezing and later he just wasn’t comfortable. Waking up he instantly looked at the right side of the bed, where Annie used to lay, but he got really upset seeing it empty. Then he got up and poured himself some water from the jug near the kitchen table. Drinking it he felt better, and decided to give it another try, so again, he laid on the bed, covered himself with the blankets and fell asleep instantly. In his dreams, everything was foggy. Everything looked so peacefully and cheerful. There was just nothing that could bother the man, but then he heard an indescribable scream coming from somewhere afar. It sounded like someone was getting out of breathe while screaming. Ron got afraid but his curiosity got the better of him and he headed towards the direction of the screaming. While running he suddenly stepped inside the cemetery. The large fence was showing him the entrance to it. He entered and right in front of him was Annie, with the same dress as she was buried with appeared out of nowhere. Ron also screamed out of shock, but his was more muted than the ones he was hearing. -Dear Ron, help me. I can’t take it anymore; I feel so violated. I can’t pass on when there’s such things happening- said Annie, while crying. -What?! What are you saying? What is happening there, I don’t understand? – Still shocked asked Ron. -You don’t need to know, just come and see me there; I need you to come, please come! PLEASE COME AND SEE ME, COME AND SEE ME, PLEASE! Ron woke up all in sweat with the words of Annie still resounding in his head. The clock showed 7:35 in the morning. He got up and headed there without thinking much. …. When he entered from the fence, with a huge iron sign which wrote: "Cemetery", he saw the owner of the cemetery and quickly got towards him. -Excuse me, I'm Ron Golfrunk, my wife was buried here 2 weeks ago, I came to see her, the grave is here right? – asked Ron looking at him nervous. -O-of course, it’s here mister Golfrunk; did you expect it to run somewhere? – said the owner with a mocking note. – You need to trust her grave more- now smiled the man. Ron could only look away and pinch himself without the other man looking, for the stupid question he asked. Without saying anything else, he went there, and saw the grave, which was now shrunken to a normal size. He looked around, but everything was alright. Annie’s grave wasn’t disturbed. Neither was the gravestone. He had some candles with him so he lighted them and placed them in the small white candlehouse for the dead, in which they are supposed to go. He didn’t know why, but he felt better. Seeing the small flame of the candles reminded him of the saying, that when a candle is lit and placed on the grave, the ghost of the dead will stay with you until the candle burns out. Ron stayed there for some time and left the cemetery. The following night Ron had the same dream with the cemetery and Annie. She again asked him to go there and pleaded until he woke up. He didn’t know if it was alright to go, but why not? The next day he went there, although this time the weather was rather unpleasant. It was cloudy with a dew. When he got there, he felt the wind, which was almost chilling. The undertaker was standing right near the fence and greeted him with a grin. -Welcome, you off to see your wife? – asked the taker. -Um, yea that’s why im here- replied Ron with a seeable awkwardness. -Aren’t you visiting too often? – Again asked the undertaker. -Well…I feel better coming- said Ron, and started walking towards the grave. Of course he was here to see his wife, did he think the poor man was taking a stroll in the cemetery of all places? Ignoring those thoughts, he continued further. It wasn’t really that far, but it took him some time. The grave itself was no different from last time, and everything seemed normal. He saw a bottle of water placed near the gravestone, so he took it and spilled some on the soil. It was a tradition, so it would be better if he did it. The last candle had melted already, so he searched for a new one, but he had none left. "I should get some…" - said Ron to himself and returned back to the entrance where the owner had a small shop. There was all kind of icons of the saints, medallions with crosses and crucifixes attached to nails, all for more money than in the normal stores. There were some candles placed on the shopping table so Ron took some and looked for the owner to pay him. There was no sign of him. Ron decided to place some coins on the table and head to the grave again. While walking he heard some noises coming from the house near the shop. The owner and undertaker lived inside it, so he thought that maybe there was something going on. However, the noise was somewhat strange. Like…someone was doing something not really fit for a cemetery. Ron stopped near a window with no curtains and took a peak. What he saw made his blood turn over. The owner was having love with a body…but the body was pale and lifeless. He was having intercourse with a dead body. Moving in and out as his manhood entered the deceased. What made the whole picture even more wicked than it already was was the fact that the corpse looked awfully alike to Annie. -No, no, no, no…-whispered Ron while being filled with rage. His anger made him lose his mind. Ron ran to the front door of the house, entered it and looked around. He saw the door of the room the owner was and went inside. The owner was still moving lustfully which Ron found so disgusting that he almost puked out of anger. There were some clothes left on the floor, probably his, and a large crucifix near them, probably a thing for the shop, as it was still packed. Ron took it, without any thoughts in the broken mind, pointed the edge of the crucifix at him, and stabbed his back with a swift motion. The wooden symbol of Christ pierced him as the crucifix broke mid impact. -AHHHGHGHGHGHGHGH! - screamed the owner. –What the FUCK! AGHHHHH! IT HURTS! -You! Filthy bastard! How dare you disturb the dead like that! You disgusting son of a bitch! Ron then started punching the man, without looking where he aimed. The owner was pleading for mercy and was getting beaten up by Ron, who wasn’t even hearing his screams. Annie was the only thing on his mind. -Please! Please, I don’t do this, please! It’s…a hobby! – Screamingly said the owner, but with no result. -A hobby- finally heard Ron, - a Hobby! YOU PERVERTED MANIAC! With a massive force, Ron punched him right in the nose and the man lost balance, falling on his back, with the crucifix still stuck inside him. The pointy edge reached the front of his body and pierced through bones and ribs. The blood started getting out of both ends. His eyes were so widely opened that a little more and they would pop out. He was dead, while Ron was breathing heavily. He then looked at the body and with pleasure saw that it wasn’t Annie. -Thank GOD...- he whispered to himself. Ron then left the house and headed to the grave of his wife, although he thought of getting a shovel from the cabinet of the undertaker, who was nowhere to be found. Ron took a shovel and continued walking ahead. He was planning of digging out the grave. When he reached the grave, he immediately started digging out the soil, so that he can prove to himself that Annie is there. It took him some time, but he did not give up. The weather wasn’t helping him either. Large rainy drops started falling down on the ground, which kind of made it worse. The soil turned to dirt pretty fast but Ron finally reached something hard, which was probably the casket. He cleaned as much as he could and opened it with a little bit force. There was no one there. Annie wasn’t there. The dirt fell inside the casket, while the rain was hitting Ron with its full force. He stood there and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. -You know, I’m gonna fuck the hell out your bitch, when I’m done with you- said someone behind Ron. He quickly turned around only to see the undertaker. His figure was so dark, that he could barely see. -W-what did you say? – asked Ron confused. Although, the taker didn’t answer. He swung the shovel and landed in right on Ron’s head. Ron fell on the casket, which was his exact size. -That guy you killed back there was my brother you know. I can’t leave you knowing what you did to him! - said the undertaker. – So, if you are ready I will start with the process. The undertaker started shoving soil, at Ron who was unconscious laying on the casket. Dirt filled his mouth as it fell down on his body. Slowly and slowly, he regained consciousness, but it was already too late. The soil was already placed, and the heavy mass was unmovable. Ron’s breath was getting lesser and lesser. He was going to die buried alive. It was going to be something he could not believe. The air in his lungs was completely gone. He closed his eyes, knowing that when he opens them again, he is going to see his wife living again. All the bad omens that happened in the cemetery were going to keep on happening, but his soul was going to be clean, as he at least tried to stop it, although failed, and lost his life. [Wind Song] Re-worked. The winds aren’t a force to be reckoned with. They are a nature, which just happens to be there. The winds of time, never to end, never to stop, always coming and always singing their song. Those winds may end up singing so loud, that a person could not hear anything for five or more minutes. The sounds of echo in the ears would just ding in the ear bells, until you…don’t hear anything. The strange thing is that I have never witness them. The winds. However, sometimes, just in very dark moments, I want to see them, watch them sing, and swing around me. Just sometimes. When I don’t feel like existing anymore. Yet I could never gather the courage to actually face the winds. Which was why they took matters into natures hands…and faced me instead. I was buying myself some bread in the bakery when I heard two women talking about something that I found most curious. “…and when they found the man, there was only his clothes there”- said the rounded in the sides woman. “Oh my…but what could have happened there? – asked her friend? That’s what I want to know too. I needed to see them, the winds. I don’t know, what was making me think that way, but I desired to see them, even for a bit, a moment, and a second. I wanted to hear the songs of the wind. You would ask yourself why would I want to see that? Don’t I have anything rather more intriguing to do? Well…I could say I have, but that would be a lie. You see. My name is Kai. I’m a 26-year-old boy, too young to be called a man but too old to be called a kid. I was diagnosed with cancer in the throat around three years ago. Believe me when I say, that we tried to fight with the illness for so long, but it didn’t go away. After surgeries and all kind of expensive procedures, we didn’t succeed in defeat the awful thing called reality that is life. I didn’t have any more money to cure myself, so creating myself a bucket list was…just logical? No? I mean…what does it mean for me to live? Are there any chances for my survival if I did the most expensive surgery? That wouldn’t change anything, since…how could I completely recover, if they only give me 40%. No, so…I wanted to have something I would gaze upon every day until I breathe for the last time. And that was the winds. Those winds were like nothing else in this world. They were somewhat special. Moreover, on that day…I found them. Leaving the bakery, I fallowed the two ladies and listened. “So you say that the shepherd passed away huh? But if they only found his clothes, how can we be so sure?” – asked the skinny one. “Well, we can’t really be so sure about it…but it is rather clear if you ask me. I just don’t know what was the cause of the problem” - replied the rounded one. “Oh, I think I read in the newspaper that, the police felt this rather difficult wind in the area where they found the clothes- excitedly said the skinny woman. “And where exactly was the area?” “I think it was Night Hills, if im not mistaken.” As they talked and talked, I figured out a lot about the case of the old man. He had disappeared in the Night Hills, which is a place for shepherds to go and rest their animals. In addition, many young couples and people who want to be alone go there. Now it was my time to go…and see them, the winds. Two hours after I got home, I left again taking the car with me. It wasn’t old, but it was dads special Ford, so I had to be careful with it. I started the engine and I accelerated it. Leaving the front lawn, I turned left and headed towards the freeway. The day was quite sunny, but now it was cloudy and a bit cold. That wasn’t really something really scary, since I wasn’t interested in knowing the weather. The winds were always there. I’ve seen them from afar. I have listened to its song, while it was whispering it gently, while it was raining. The winds were always there, no matter the weather. I turned left again, and left the freeway, then headed towards the hills, which was 1 km from here. Not so far. I was really inpatient so I had to force the car a little bit more. I got there even faster, since the vehicle was moving in 70 kmh. It was 20 above the limit. When I finally reached the spot, I parked the car in the parking lot and had to walk a bit to get to the right place. It was really quiet and chill, walking around. No one was here, only me and the winds, who were gently asking me to go forward. There was a spot in the hills where there was something that looked like a hole in the ground, but it was some sort of a fold. I was walking towards that place. And I was close, since the winds were moving rather exited. It felt like they were even more enthusiastic than I was. And…well, maybe that was the problem. Now that I was closer, I felt something rather strange around that fold. Something like a mixture of electricity and shockwaves. When I stepped in the fold, my whole body was electrified. Not knowing what to do I laughed. All of all things I laughed. Nevertheless,…what was going on with the winds? They were going berserk. Moving in super speed, they were sounding like a screeching board, or more like a swinging sword. That’s when I noticed the figure standing above me, not in the fold. It was covered in a cloak and his face wasn’t visible, but its eyes were, and they were white. It had this sort of wheat hat. His hands were holding something that looked like a flute, which he gently moved in a way, which got closer to his lips. Then this symphony…this…beautiful music like sound emerged from the winds, and it stared showering me with it. The sound was piercing in my ears but I didn’t care. It was blasting and the eardrums were protesting, but who cared about that. The winds were moving in a circle, and the coldness in the air quickly vanished. It was just amazing, looking at them. Those wickedly satisfying movements were playing with my senses. It was feeling soo good. But then…that piercing like sting in my head. It felt so bad that I had to fall on my knees. -What is going on! – I shouted. The person above me was looking at me, directly at my soul as he started playing a sound that was painful. Full of bad emotions. Cruel like melodies, which entered my ears and attacked my brain, which was already weak. Then it entered my eyes, mouth, heart and other organs, which started pounding from pain. -Please, stop…- I whispered in the wind. Then the winds flew towards me, along with the twisted melody, and crashed in my body, which exploded…, from the shockwave. I couldn’t feel anything anymore. I couldn’t breathe. My heart was stopping. No air in the lungs. No sight in the eyes. No sound in the ears. But even through that…I could hear the Wind Song, while the flute was laughing evilly. I could feel the winds moving around; while my life was leaving me…I could feel the song, for I was one with it, fused together like a sheet and pen. The wind took my spirit away, as it sang its sad song. [The Never-Stopping Ride] Re-worked. The driver of the taxi was calmly smoking his cigarette, when from a far distance he noticed a granny waving at him. She wanted a ride. The man quickly threw the cigar and started the engine. When the car stopped by the old lady, she didn’t open the door to get inside. -What is the matter ma’am? – asked the driver. She pointed at the door. Maybe the granny wanted him to get up and open it for her. She didn’t exactly say it, and the driver thought that maybe she was mute, but even so. That was his job, right? Disobeying the passengers wouldn’t give him the payment at the end. Without further ado, he got up, and circled the car. He then opened the door and let the granny in. With a hoarse voice, she said “Thank you”. So, she wasn’t mute, which was good. It wouldn’t make it hard for the man to get the address she wanted to go to now. Now that everything was done, he got back in the driver’s seat and turned the volume on the radio up. The lady didn’t like it, so he lowered it back down. -W-well…where to ma’am? – asked the man with his most pleasing voice. -Just drive…- she replied, still with a hoarse voice. The driver nodded and accelerated the car. From this point on, they passed many things in the city…basically, they just left it. Making a few looks at her, the driver continued driving to…well…somewhere. It wasn’t long enough when they passed a small village. The city they originally started from was miles away now. The lady told him to stop by a house right at the middle of the small area. He obeyed. Then again proceeded the gesture with the door, she wanted to be treated like a proper queen, even if the driver didn’t like that. He got up, opened it, she left the car, and entered the house. It was almost wrecked, but it wasn’t his job to ask why was the house in such shape. Maybe she was going to get some money, which was unlikely. Now that he looked closely at her, he could see a small veil on her face. It’s was somewhat transparent…but it was preventing people from seeing her face as well. Her clothes were are all in black, and she wearing this stupid looking hat, like a pointy hat the witches wore in movies; also black, with some blackish looking butterflies on top. That was her thing though. Maybe she was mourning someone. The driver couldn’t judge, he was just a transporter. She returned back, but this time she was wearing a black scarf, which completely covered up her mouth as well. It was somewhat strange but the only thing important for the driver right now…was, well, the cash. Again the procedure with the door. The lady was bringing some sort of a handbag. Maybe the cash was in there? -Take me to the nearest graveyard- she said slowly and out of nowhere. -O-okay ma’am. – He replied a bit spooked from her sudden speech. Then the car again started and they rode again. The village where she lived was small, if she even lived here, so they didn’t get really troubled finding the graveyard. The driver again stopped the car, and went to open the door for her, this time without wasting any time. The granny left the vehicle without muttering a word and entered the graveyard, while carefully stepping between the rocky sides of the graves. All of the graves had this rocky frame, which surrounded the soil. In addition, large tombstones and a wooden crest, which is stuck in the soil. The granny went in the graveyard…really deeply in it…where no one could see what she was doing. She was clearly looking for something. “Grave 4562…date of death-25.02.87. No…that won’t do.” – She thought to herself as she looked. Then a new one… “Grave 4569…date of death-28.02.13. This one could…but it needs to be fresh.” Therefore, she searched for a certain grave until she found it. It looked freshly made. The soil was still piled up really highly. That was a sign. “Grave 4836…date of death-08.03, 21. There it is. This one is perfect. The corpse was buried here just yesterday!” – She muttered excitedly. She opened up the handbag and got a small shovel from inside of it. Then with energetic movements, such, that no one could ever think she was capable of doing, she started digging a hole. It took some time, until she reached the coffin under the soil. Maybe thirty to fifty minutes had passed already. The driver didn’t care to go outside and see if everything was alright. It was too cold, and if the granny wanted to be alone, he would let her be. Just wanted the money, nothing much. He only cared about the huge bill she was getting right now. The more she took her time, the more he was going to be paid. The woman opened the small half of the coffin. The exposed body of an old gentleman was laying there in peace... It was pale…but he had some more left inside of him. The lady leaned towards him more and more until she reached his neck. Then, with a swift move, she bit and…and…started sucking out the fresh substance. The blood that was left from the dead man. It started flowing out swiftly, and she barely even sucked. It was touching her tongue. The metallic taste was making her fill dizzy. She loved it. Then…all of a sudden…it stopped. The blood left from the man was drained from his body. She licked her lips and covered her face with the scarf. That was a good meal. However, she wanted more. More blood…fresher…blood that was still pulsating in the human’s veins and arteries. When she came back to the car, the man was already waiting for her outside. He opened her the door, but as she was entering she slipped, and for a split second, her scarf moved away, revealing her bloody lips and mouth. She lightning-ly fast covered it back, and enters the car, leaving the man a bit stunned. “Was that…blood? No…its…lipstick…yea that’s the reason”. – He reasoned himself. He still had some question he wanted to ask her…but didn’t. He got inside the car and started it. -Now…where ma’am? – He asked thinking that was the final stop. -Drive…just drive. – She replied a bit agitated that she tripped. The man kind of got annoyed, but accelerated. His curiosity was getting the better of him, so he just asked her out right. He at least had the right to know that. -…Why is your face covered in that scarf ma’am? - He asked hesitantly. No reply. -Did you hear me? – He asked again, looking at the rear window. She looked at him, from the mirror, which was above him, and saw how he was staring at her. -Do you really want to know? – She asked with a voice, which was somehow cleaner and more energetic than earlier. However, the driver didn’t seem to notice it. -Well…if it’s okay ma’am? She nodded. -Pull off here, please. - She instructed and pointed at the nearest stop. With the most excited movement, he stopped the car, near a bus stop. Nobody was around this place, so it was okay. He then turned to look at her curiously. -I need you to close your eyes, will you? – Her voice got even younger as she asked. -Of course ma’am. – He was already hooked on the idea of her hiding something embracing. The driver did what she asked him. Then, she took off the hat, leaving her blackish hair to hang freely. Then she took of the veil and finally the scarf. Her face looked…younger. Was it…healed? Or restored? She wasn’t …she wasn’t old anymore. Her skin was so smooth and pale. No wrinkles. No dark circles under the eyes. Then she turned to the driver. -You can open them up. – She ordered softly. He did it, and was instantly shocked. He was looking at a younger woman, not the granny he picked up hours ago. He didn’t know how to react…but he didn’t even get a chance to. The second he opened them, she launched herself at him, and struck her massive teeth in his neck. The blood started gushing out like water from a sink. There wasn’t any defense. He just gave himself to her. Eventually, his blood went dry. He was dead. Now the young lady, was satisfied. Tonight’s preys were good. She didn’t need him anymore, so she left the car and continued back to the village. The taxi was left there…in the middle of nowhere. With the driver’s body…just lifelessly laying inside. Moreover, with the cash register…making the biggest bill he has ever done…in this never-stopping ride…which is still going on to this day… [Crossing the Room] Re-worked. I believe I was in class before it happened. Sitting on the desk, I was drawing some sort of sketch that wasn’t going the way I wanted it to be. The teacher’s monotonic voice was resonating around the whole room, which made his speech about something that nobody was interested in, more annoying, which rather contributed to my sudden wish to sleep. History was one of the few classes I really didn’t like. Now, like always, I would end up, just falling asleep, but just before doing it, the bell rang and all of the students had to get up and leave the room for the next group of students. -Well guys, for next time I want you to cover pg. 100 through pg.120- said the teacher and smiled devilishly, while closing the textbook he was reading from. The whole group replied with a tired voice – “Okay”. It was time for launch break, which for us was twenty minutes, not much. I didn’t know why i was soo sleepy at the time, but thinking back on that day, I remember heading to a different hallway than the one, you have to take to get to the main stall where you would usually buy some junk food. I took the right turn, instead of the left and continued to walk through the empty hallway. I did think that it was way too quiet, but I still walked further into the corridor. I got to a stairway, which was leading down straight to the first floor, mind you that I was at the third at the moment. I proceeded to walk down, and randomly looked left to see a wooden door. I hadn’t seen that door before, and trust me, I would have seen it, since most of the doors in the school are made of P.V.C, and a wooden door would make a wonderful change to the whiteness that was the whole school. That door looked old and dusty. Like it was always there, but no one dared to clean it, mind you, enter it. Now my sleepiness was away and gone and new curiosity had stepped in its place. “Should I open it? It’s probably locked anyway…” – I said to myself, and approached the metal handle that swiftly, without a sound of rust, twisted and opened the door. It was dark, but I could see some spots on the floor that were illuminated by the sun. Stepping forth, I closed the door and continued forward to what looked like a room that was constructed, and then left to dust, never to be finished. The floor was wooden, not concrete, the walls too. It smelled like old wood and moisture. What was stranger was the corridor ahead of me. This room was just another corridor of our school that nobody had ever noticed before. Walking ahead, i started to look around, since the corridors had some rooms, that weren’t fully build, just made, and not finished. Strange…I thought to myself as I reached the end of the corridor. There was only one room that looked like the ones we usually use in the finished part of the school. I again approached the door and twisted the handle, to a surprise. It was unlocked. The whole portion of the next thing I saw is a bit blurry. There was some sort of chains coming from the ceiling, as hanged bodies of dead students hanged, some even fresh. -What the actual…. -I wanted to say…but the horror kicked in…and I immediately felt my stomach turn, as I saw one of the guys that used to bully me. His body was torn to pieces, intestines were hanging from his torso, but what was even more frightening was his head that looked like it was nearly chopped up, but it ended up just being ripped to the point you can call it decapitated. His eyes were missing, and his tongue had been cut off, as a part was sticking out. It was that unrecognizable. The other bodies looked like they had been tortured equally to the one I just described. One was burned so badly, that it was turned into charcoal, as it was falling apart slowly, as the time was passing by. I couldn’t just watch this anymore. I wanted to run, but the shock doubled as I heard somebody to the left of me. I didn’t made a “sigh” or a scream, but I did breathe quite hard, because the sleeping giant just beside me was turning towards me, with his sleepy eyes. Moreover, when I say giant…it really was. It looked like a troll, but the ones that are huge and smell badly…but this one had this sort of horrifying, twisted face. His eyes were white, as I could barely see, his face was paler than a ghost…and his teeth were sharpened so much, they resembled spikes. Not to mention his black hair, that was almost as long as himself or itself... I don’t remember much, but I think I started to run as fast as I could. The thing woke up and started to run after me, but I was smaller and way faster, but I wouldn’t want to lie about the sickening sight of a giant running straight at you with such a force. Passing the wooden corridor, I saw a few planks that were all of a sudden gone, which made my escape even harder. The troll was picking up at me, which only gave me the motivation to jump above the empty hole and get to the safe side. The troll stopped right before the hole and looked at me with those piercing eyes…and then made a growl like nothing I have ever heard, probably a thing I would never forget either. The whole ground shook and I remembered thinking how was this not found out years ago? How was this a secret from the others? Was the whole building soundproof to his cries of anger? Without waiting to find out those answers, I left the room and quickly closed the door. Some time had passed, as I stood with my back against the door. My heavily breathing lungs were about to pop out…when I heard his loud footsteps walking back in that horror room. My mind was going blank, and I could sense that my tears were falling down without me noticing. I looked at my wristwatch and saw that the time was…stopped. Either it was in a different dimension…or my watch was out of batteries, because it showed me 16:30. My launch break is at 12:05…how the heck did soo much time pass…it felt like I was inside of the room for like 15 minutes max., but that wasn’t the case…there was something more to it, that I really don’t want to know…or see. I never talked with anybody about this…but I felt rather scared to even rethink the memory of the “accident” as I like to refer to the room. Now that the week I took off school had passed, I started to think about the bodies that were hanged on those chains. Those were the bodies of the bad students. Not only bad, but also with poor grades and douchebag attitudes. Was there a system in our school that killed all those students, just because of their grades? If yes, then that was fucked up…on soo many levels. In addition, to think they have a hidden entrance to a horror movie set, with a troll of a human, or…beast, waiting for a fresh prey…that would cause a lot of shock if people find out which was strange that they still haven’t found out. Even thinking about it makes me sick… But…as I write this journal, laying on the bed, and thinking about so many conspiracy stories that could happen if I open my mouth and spill the truth I receive an email from the headmaster of the school. It contained three sentences: “I hope you won’t say anything about your encounter with our…punisher. Don’t ever point out that door, or go in it, if you don’t want to end up like them…you know who.” P.S “We will know if you enter it again…” “With much care, your Headmaster” And to that, I replied: I Edward Ethan Grey, swear to uncover the truth…even if it costs me, my life. I will try to post something next week, and will try to keep it as short as possible. This journal has to be posted on the internet…or my encounter with this…will never live to see light. Crossing the Room Again… It’s been awhile since I last posted here, but this time, it’s become serious. Now, that I know something about the school, that nobody knows, makes it easier for me to understand it, and simply describe with full detail to the police. However, for that to happen, I need to investigate on the following place in the school, which I call the “Room”. Last time was a bad experience for me, but now I think I am able to withstand anything. Nevertheless, for that to happen I need to make a plan to infiltrate in the room without anyone watching. Thanks to the headmaster, I know that there are either cameras there or people who are guarding the place. For me to break in the room once again will be a task, but it will be something to work for. I don’t really care for my education; I don’t really feel any danger, just because I really want to uncover the truth, which is why I Edward Ethan Grey will resolve this mystery. 2 weeks after the first break-in. Sitting on my desk, as usual I was drawing a sketch on a piece of paper, when the teacher started talking about something I really wasn’t interested in. For the time I was home, I had planned and planned, but nothing really came to mind. It was true, that the last time I entered the room I didn’t really know that there was even a door there, but now I knew, since my memory isn’t that of a fish. There was a path to it, but it was dangerous for me to take it again. But…was there really a choice? No…but did I had something in mind? Yes. The plan I managed to think of when I get inside is simple, but the plan to enter itself is somewhat tricky. For the past three days, I’ve been walking in the wrong direction of the corridor, so I can take the very right side of the staircase, but it seems that there is always a teacher there, so I need to skip a few classes, just so that I can go inside. Our biology teacher announced the end of the class and everyone started packing their things. I hurried and got everything in my bag and just when I was about to leave the room i remembered something. -Edward, are you okay? - asked Mr. Yorker, looking at my stiff body. I was frozen, because I was thinking rapidly, and when he got closer to me I suddenly came back to reality and looked at him. -Yes, everything is all right mister, goodbye- I said and left the room. He nodded at me and continued to look at my back as I left the room. It was strange of me to freeze that way, but there is an explanation to it. You know how every teacher has a small room behind the dark chalkboard? Well, it happens to be that our biology teacher has the biggest of rooms. I need only to wait for him to leave the classroom, so I can hide inside of the teacher’s room. That was the plan for now. 4 hours later. It was tough to wait in the bathroom for such a long time, but I finally managed to enter his room unseen. I hid in one of his big wardrobes, where all the experimental things were kept in. For the time being, I bought a few bottles of water, and a sandwich, just in case. I heard the room locking, and I smiled at myself. During the wait, I saw how the janitor of the third floor leaves his keys on the door when I was in the bathroom. I quickly stole them and headed to the hiding spot, when I had the perfect opportunity. Now I was locked, but not really. The only thing I had to do now was wait. 2 hours later. The final engine started and the car left the parking lot and drove off to somewhere. I quickly left the wardrobe and unlocked the teachers room, then I unlocked the class room itself and quickly headed directly towards the main staircase, but I turned right, when I got near the history class room, and now running swiftly and without any sounds, I reached the right staircase, that no one seemed to use. Right as I got there, the cameras activated, but I was ready for that too. Grabbing a few mineral rocks, I gathered from the biology ingredient shelfs I threw two at the camera, which was enough for it to fall back in sleeping position. Now I walked down a few steps, and right near the window of the second floor I looked back and there it was…the wooden door to the “Room”. The excitement suddenly started to flow inside of my head, making me dizzy for a second. I drank some water and approached the door. Twisting the handle, it opened, but now it was pitch black. There wasn’t any sun to illuminate where I was going, just the rays of the moon that was slowly climbing on the welkin full of starts. It was already 19:10 when I entered the room, and judging by the time flow in there, I didn’t know when exactly I would leave…or if I will leave at all. Stepping forth with all my courage, the room’s smell hit my nostrils and the stench of many things started slowly killing my nose. First, it was moisture…then it was dust, and when I reached the broken places of the unfinished corridor, I slowly began to smell the metallic taste of blood. It was coming from further beyond the corridor, where only one room was finished, in which was a beast…a sleeping creature ready to devour me and whatever it comes to its way. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I began to record my voice. -1...2…3, all right…My name is Edward Ethan Grey and I believe I found out something really sinister in my school. It all began when I discovered a door, which led to some sort of place that wasn’t even finished in construction. However, that isn’t the thing I am worried about. The thing I am afraid of is what is inside the final room in this old room. Believe me or not, there is a…monster…I can only describe it as a troll among men. What is more shocking, is the fact, that it eats children who were not behaving well, or bullies, and even kids with low grades. I didn’t really know what to say in my head, or think…but I got a letter from my headmaster telling me to not tell anyone…and here I am about to tell this to everyone…- during this time I was looking at the final room, which was slowly getting wider and wider. The aroma of carrion from the attached bodies of dead students filled my nostrils as I tried to talk. Right in front of me though, a thin man was walking straight towards me, with a bright smile glued on his face. I felt the shivers running down my spine as the face of the man reveled to be the headmaster. I continued talking. – I believe the headmaster is responsible for this kind of horror, but I don’t know in what shape or form it extends. I just know…that there is something wrong with this school, something really wrong. – I paused for a second seeing as the teacher was right next to me, but a wooden plank was dividing the floors. He spoke with the most delighted voice possible. -I thought I warned you Edward…you didn’t have to come here again…I thought I told you?… -What is that? That beast…why is it here?…- I asked and again started recording this. -Oh, by the time you came back I thought you would figure it out…but let’s say it’s just a punishment for the other kids that don’t listen…just like you didn’t - he said and grinned as his eyes were locked into mines, he wasn’t even blinking. -I figured much…but, why? Are you a murderer? – I asked and felt a cold wind flowing in the air… -Oh…me…a murderer? oh…Edward, you got it all wrong…I am just really hungry…I can’t stop looking at you kids as food…what is so bad about it? And with that I figured it out…and as I did, his eyes widened…and widened until they became white a snow…his body started to extend as his features grew and turned into an ugly face…with sharp like spear teeth, and a massive body. His bold head was now covered in black hair…and his mouth…was turned into a smile…or so it was supposed to be. I pressed the “send to” button, and the phone gave me a few options, and I picked everything. While it was still recording, I added this: -I Edward Ethan Grey…plead for the police or whatever it is, to stop this man…and end this sort of wickedness. If you ever hear this…that means I am already dead. [Change of Hearts] Re-worked. It was a dream of his to go camping in the woods with his parents, but due to having a lot of schoolwork, along with their work; it was quite hard for them to camp out for more than a night. Jared wanted to stay a week or at least three days in the wild, which was enough, but his father didn’t have the time to take him and his mother there, so what did he do? I will tell you. The final bell for the day ranged and the students furiously left the classroom and headed for the main gates. The young man waited for his best friend Karl to come by, so he can share his idea. The other youngster didn’t really look like one, more or so, he had the resemblance of a fifty-year old man, who just escaped the retirement home. His face was wrinkled, and his eyes had dark spots under them, along with the fragile body of his, which looked like it was going to fall apart any moment. In difference with his friend, Jared looked like a professional football player, having a strong and tight body, and well kept up face, no visible pimple or wrinkle, despite Karl, who didn’t have a free spot on his cheeks. -What’s up, you have something in mind for the weekend? – asked Jared and curiously looked at Karl who slowly walked towards the front gates of the school. The man didn’t response for a moment, contemplating what to say, but then looked up at his friend and shook his head. -Nah, my schedule is clear…do you have a plan? – said Karl and again looked forward. -Heh, well since your “schedule is clear” I suggest we gather some provisions and head to the woods, what do you say? – asked Jared and pleaded. -No! – replied Karl and completely dropped the subject leaving Jared hanging. He felt a bit disappointed, but wasn’t going to give up just yet. After he came back home, he started texting him about all the exiting stuff that might happen while they are out in the forest, although Karl still wasn’t interested. The young boys exchanged text after text, and three hours later, Jared had finally succeeded in making his friend join him in the trip. Karl had to give up on the idea to sleep in his comfy bed, and lay on the rocky wand, but if that was needed for stopping Jared, then it was kind of an easy task. The next morning the young boys headed to the woods, and found one of the best camping spots in the whole area. It was located deep in the woods, but it didn’t really matter, since Jared was using the Jeep his father loaned for this time. The friends entered the fields at early 8:00 o’clock. Parking the car, they started preparing their tents, in which they were going to sleep. Jared had suggested bringing the bigger tent so they can fit in one, but Karl had insisted in bringing his own. -Well, what do you have in mind now that we are here? – asked Karl and placed one of the metal sticks on the ground and harshly nailed it down with a mallet. Jared took two fish rods and hanged one to his friend. -Well, for starters, we will secure the food for lunch and dinner, and then we will see, there are a lot of things we can do here - replied Jared, already done with his tent. -As you say, now help me out! – He ordered and laughed. After they finished setting up everything, the two students quickly headed down on the small cliff on which the camp was located. The little river crossed between the two camping sights, which were owned by the same person. On the other side, there was something like a big rock with a hole in which an animal could fit. -Do you think there might be something in the cave? – asked Karl and focused on the small hole. Jared also looked at it, but waved his hand with a “never mind” gesture. -I don’t really know if there is even something inside of it, but don’t really care either way… - replied Jared and sat on the ground. -Yea… - said Karl and sat beside his friend, while continuing to stare at the small hole of the rock. They threw the bait in the waters and waited for a bite. The fishing continued for hours, until they filled the two buckets with small fish, they were going to fry and later on eat. The boys were relaxing from all the unnecessary stress the school had placed on their shoulders, and having this weekend at the woods was a good spot. Relaxing indeed, until we reach the point in this story where it becomes a nightmare… Hours had passed, and the sky had already turn dark. The boys had started a campfire nearby the tents and were roasting the fish they caught. The fire was burning happily and brightly, while the two boys were sitting on fallen logs from the past. It was really calm and chilling, to stare at the dancing flame and see the images that it paints, awhile eating the food you caught yourself. Jared pointed at the fires and started telling what he was seeing, but Karl wasn’t even paying attention to anything. -Hey, are you even listening?! – asked Jared and fiery looked at his friend. Karl again didn’t say anything, but was staring at the hole of the big rock, at the other camp sight. His mind was stuck on it, like glue on fingers. Something about it, was giving him ideas…horrific ideas, which if heard, would lock him up and paint his image as a murderer. -HEY?! – shouted Jared and pushed Karl, who looked at him with fear and shock. He spat under his shirt and shouted back. -What the heck man, you scared me!? What’s your problem? – asked Karl and kind of sat on the log, ready to head off somewhere. -You weren’t responding to my questions, and I felt ignored, that’s why… - replied Jared and felt a bit ashamed of himself. -Of course, you will feel ignored when people don’t give their attention to you - said Karl and looked the other way… -Excuse me? -Don’t play dumb, you only talk with me, because we grew up together. But let’s be clear Jared, you aren’t really my friend, you are trying to get the attention of the whole class, no, the whole school, and you expect everyone to like you, despite the attention hungry prick you are… - explained Karl with a blaming voice, full of pain. There was a lump stuck in the throat of the young man, who felt hurt from the words of the other. -So, you really think this way, huh? –asked Jared and felt his voice becoming cold and annoyed all of a sudden. Karl didn’t look at him, but stood, and so did Jared. His eyes were piercing him from top to bottom, but his friend was giving him the cold shoulder. The better-looking boy felt an aggressive wave of words coming out of his mouth. -You know what…you are a fucking loser Karl, a piece of garbage which doesn’t even understand the word “depressed” because you are so hideously given up from life, that you don’t even see the things that are clear and shining. You always call the white, black, and that won’t change, because that wound you suffered from the news that your parents were killed won’t heal anytime, unless you figure out the way you look at life itself. So don’t give me the bullshit of me wanting attention, because I was always there for you in every-single dark moment of your childhood, but you never acknowledged it. In other words, you are a depressed complainer… - said Jared in one breathe and saw how his friend’s eyes expand from hatred. -SHUT UP! – yelled Karl and launched himself at him. Jared was faster and stronger, so he quickly leaned to the right and tripped his friend. Karl dropped on his face, and a bruise appeared on his forehead. That wasn’t gonna stop him, so he quickly stood up, and attempted to land another punch, but Jared ducked, and landed a knee in his stomach, followed by a uppercut to the chin, which completely stunned his friend turned enemy. Karl wasn’t getting up, so Jared kneed to see if he was alright, and just then he quickly rose and head-butted Jared, who fell back, but quickly stood up, holding his forehead with one hand. Karl reached up to the back of his boot and took a small pocketknife, which shined from the fire, exposing it to the soft air of the forest. -Don’t do anything stupid! - warned Jared and pointed at the knife. -DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! –shouted the enraged teenager and launched himself, knife forward. Jared grabbed his wrist, right before the knife reached him, and twisted it, making him drop it, then pulled his arm to him, spinning him in place, then punching him in the jaw as hard as he can. Karl fell and didn’t get up anymore…Jared, checked his pulse and felt that he was alive. -So long, bitch… - he whispered and started unwrapping the tent. After a 10-minute struggle, he brought everything inside the Jeep, and drove off in the night, leaving Karl alone. The other boy was laying on the grass-y ground and wasn’t even trying to get up, fighting with the need to start screaming with all his lungs. What had he done? His best friend now hated him, all because he went on and said that stupid thing he heard one person saying about him. He really was a sore-loser…but then again…Jared did insult him, calling him a complainer and a bitch, also mentioning the fact that he can’t even think about anything positive, just because the memory of his parent’s loss was hunting him to the point of exhaustion. He was angry…quite angry in fact…tears out of rage started falling on his cheeks, and the sound of the small river kind of made him relax…and just as he was listening to the song of the nature, a hand picked him up, making him freeze out of shock. -Hey…! – He said but looked at the huge person that was holding him. The man had a massive figure, and looked quite young, with long brown hair and piercing green eyes. -If you wish to kill me, do it… - said Karl and completely gave up on life. -I’m looking for food, if you can find me food, I will let you go…if not, then I will kill you, then eat your heart for dinner… - replied the man, holding Karl hostage, while keeping a straight un-blinking face. Karl furiously started thinking, and then grinned for ear to ear. -If you help me, in return, I shall bring you food from this day forward, until I, die - said the man and looked into the eyes of the unknown person. -I will do as you wish - replied the person and dropped Karl on the ground. -Well then…there is this one person that I wish to die… Two Weeks later. -Hey Karl, have you seen Jared lately, he hasn’t come to school for two weeks now? – asked a girl friend of Jared’s. For a moment the boy was stunned, but then kind of managed to keep a straight face, trying to fight the need to grin, and said: -Ah…I really don’t know…maybe he is still lost in the woods? – He mumbled and continued to his desk while giggling quietly. The current night, the news of the small town reported that the police had found the dismembered body of a 19-years old male, scattered across the whole forest. The first victim of many to come after him. [Sweet Sound of Death] Re-worked. The weather was once again purely turned against me. Water was falling out of the sky, as if little gods were throwing water balloons from the clouds. The rain was falling on the umbrella, taping sometimes gently, sometimes harshly, but still it was kind of a mixed emotional feeling. On one side, I was coming back from an exhausting day of work, suffered some hours locked inside an office, forced to listen to someone talking about different subjects all day long. It was frustrating, although, on the other hand, it was relaxing and peaceful at the same time. The sound of water clashing with the soft material was making me somewhat exited to go home and rest a bit. Turning left, I saw a person I knew, buying a hotdog from the street seller. He had moved the cart filled with snacks bellow an edge of a building, and had placed one of those big umbrellas in front. My friend noticed me and waved for me to join him. I walked under the big water absorbing cloth and sat beside him, on the only remaining small bench. -What's up? - He asked while chewing and didn't quite make sense, but it was understandable. -I'm good, you, hungry or what? - I asked seeing how he was devouring the hot dog. He finally emptied his mouth, greeting me with a smile. -I heard this week is going to be a nerve wrecker at the company, you know? -Yea, the head director fired some of the managers and hired new ones, which thought about some more additions to the rules, and some of them made people quit, because basically they were locking us inside the floor we were working on, and didn't allow us to leave until the shift is finished. -That's quite fucked up if you ask me. Good thing I'm just a regular "carry man" otherwise I would leave too... I nodded and looked at the small puddle, which was beginning to form under the small cart of hotdogs. Remembering I had to go, I got up and left my friend eating on the bench, who waved for goodbye and continued munching on his food. Now that I was closer to my block, I quickened the pace and entered the building quickly without getting myself wet from the pouring rain, which was making an even more intense noise on the metal front door. I brought the umbrella down and tied it with the lace, then headed to the elevator and pushed the button. The whole time i was hearing the sweet tapping of the rain, although I wasn't quite sure where it was coming from. Either way, the doors opened and I left it without wasting any more time. Leaving it, my apartment was right in front so I quickly unlocked the door and entered the room, and then locked it. “Ahhh home sweet home, am I right?” Undressing and the putting on my casual house clothes, I sat on a comfy chair by the table and switched on the TV, waiting for the microwave to heat up my meal, which was previously stored in the fridge. When it was done, I enjoyed it while watching one of my favorite shows. When done, I took a bath and freshened up myself, as the water was cleansing me. The small drops of liquid were softly touching and engulfing my body in a pure mess I loved to feel after work. There was a window inside the cabin, which I opened for the stream of the hot water to go out. The gentle sound of raindrops was once again hearable, and my senses tensed up because of the joy I was experiencing. After two hours, my shower was finished and I was clean and ready to go and chill in the bed. Putting on a clean pair of pajamas, I laid on the bed, bringing one book towards me. Engaged in reading the intriguing story I forgot about the sound coming from behind the windows. It was when I finally closed the book and laid on my side, giving up from the heaviness of the weight to get back up; when I heard it again. Once asleep though, the rain got closer to my heart and it was pure happiness for me. I was one with the water, and it felt good. How was this transcendence happening? I was fusing with the liquid and wasn't becoming one. This dream I was having wasn't real of course. It was just a fragment of the mixed reality I was living in. No other routes no different paths. Only a place in which you are forced to work and work, until you are dead. No plain living and staying in home. No, that was considered as an act against humanity and its hard working people. But honestly, nobody enjoyed this kind of work. No one wanted to sign on to the papers of the contract and establish a life-ending job forever. Many did though, and many paid the price. Some tried to escape but were slaughtered before reaching the main exit. Some did escape, but eventually vanished. Now it's my turn. Getting up I placed my feet on the soft carpet and opened the door heading out of the balcony. It was morning, and it was raining like always, in this simulation of a weather. It was nice though. That was the reality of our time. Everyone was working with bad moods, no one wanted to die, which was the best example of the weather. Nature was against us, for quite some time now. My thoughts had drifted away, but the tapping of the rain brought me back. My clothes were soaked and it felt nice to be washed away by the rain. However, my time was now, and I didn’t want to waste this chance. Stepping onto the big parapet, I looked down and saw the little ants walking calmly without caring for anything. Those ants were humans of course, human rushing to get to their jobs quickly so that they aren’t punished. I wasn't to worry about that anymore... Leaping from the edge, I spread my arms and started floating in the air descending into the waters. Everything was happening slowly, just the way I liked it. The raindrops were still tapping on me; the Joy of ending something like my life was purely out of bounds. There weren’t any more restrains in my life, no more rules, just plain emotional happiness that was filling me up. I wouldn’t have to wake up after only fifteen minutes of sleep, which was the limit you had, one hour per day. Can a human even survive with that little amount of sleep? Stress was just an addition to the exhaustion, and mixing those two together with depression, was what brought many people, like myself to end their miserable lives. Although, in the end, I always wanted to swim forever in the eternal waters of time, and now I was allowed to do it, as the speed of my body started increasing…falling down to the ground. The rain was playing a melody, and my ears were the consumers. And even then, I was happy...having to understand the sweet sound of death that finally brought me pleasure in this pain. [Karma’s Curse] Re-worked. For the time I have spent living in this world, I haven't got to meet with the so called Karma. True, that you experience it, not physically meet her, and yet I haven't had any of the emotions used to describe it, until now. My entire life twisted 360 degrees and it just stopped working entirely. All the fragrance and beauty in it faded away, and withered into a disgusting existence that stabbed me every time I felt the slight happiness passing in my veins and brain. How did it happen? This is how. One month before the downfall. Walking back from school I was listening to some music on the way back, cheerfully walking on a Friday afternoon, not caring about anything because it was the end of the school week. My mind was already focused on the games installed on my pc, on the food mum was going to make and on the comfortable bed on which I was about to lay in mere minutes. There were just a couple blocks and I was going to be back home, but fate wasn't gonna let me be free this day, oh no. Life always wants to tests people who don't care about anything, and my test came so suddenly, that I didn't have the time to even react to the problem. The thing was that, while walking and passing by the neighborhood's grocery store, a man emerged from the slight gap between store and house, where people usually kept the garbage bins. He looked old and skinny, wearing tore pants and a muddy brown shirt that looked like it was thrown up on. His eyes looked sleepy, and black circles appeared under them, making his white, greasy and mated hair, looked like it was washed in the towns sewers. His smell was sickening and I didn't want to talk or even look at him, but he stood in front of my way, making me stop in my track. -Wait young one! - He said and extended his hand like a stopping sign. Taking of my headphones, I looked at him with disgust and he saw it. -Can you share your time and help an old man buy some food for his grandkids? - asked the man and crossed his hands in a pleading manner. I, standing there, not knowing what to do, acted all high and mighty and completely cutted the man off. -Sorry but, I don't have the time nor money to spend on you, so if you can please leave me I would appreciate it. The man's eyes watered as my words stabbed him directly in the heart. -But, I have my own money, I can pay myself, I need someone to help me carry the groceries, can you please do it? - asked the man and took out a 20$ bill and showed me. Getting irritated I pushed his hand out of my face, and he dropped the bill, which fell on the road. -I told you to not waste my time, I have a lot of things I need to do, my time is precious, unlike yours... - I said, but the man was already running for his 20$. Just then, he kneed on the ground and managed to pick them up, although, everything happened in a second. As the man kneed a car passed right around the corner and didn't have the time to respond, as the vehicle drove above the man breaking his neck and spine in five different places. The driver quickly left the car, but the man was dead on the spot. I was staring at the old man's body and couldn't believe the outcome of my actions, because rightfully, I was the one who knocked his hand, forcing him to drop the bill, which led to his eventual death. Stunned was the perfect word to describe my situation. It was as if the car hit me...and with that started all. The life task has been completely ruined, and my entire world was going to be massively and utterly disgusting, fucked. While thinking about it, some noise came from my back, as I turned to see two children talking slowly towards the street. The boy saw the body of his grandpa and ran towards it, falling on the ground and sobbing sadly. The girl was still walking slowly and just when I thought I was Invincible for her, she turned and looked me directly in my eyes. -Curse…You... - she said, as her eyes showed much more than normal hatred, it was pure detest, mixed with the agony of her lost grandfather. She then looked back at the street and joined her brother. My feet were now completely frozen, and I wanted to run, fast, like there wasn’t a road that could satisfy my needs to run, but my brain had suddenly collapsed and didn't answer to any commands, as much as I pleaded. However, after the fifth restart of the functions I began to run as if my life depended on it, but to no avail. My tag was already glued to my forehead. I was cursed, with the curse of death. Moments after I arrived at home, I entered the bathroom room and sat there for forty minutes trying to calm myself down. -Jacob, are you taking a bath, if so, you are taking way to long! - Said mum, as her voice was coming from behind the door, - I want you to help me place the wine glasses on the top shelf in the kitchen! - She said again and I heard her walking towards the said kitchen. ~Sigh~ I looked up and saw the reflection of my face, staring back at the eyes that once started the old man's eyes. How could a good Friday, turn into a nightmare, so frickin fast? My mind was going to erupt from all the thoughts spreading inside my head, so I splashed some water in my face and went to help mum. Although, as I began to wash my face with a towel, I heard a sound of breaking glass, then a huge thumb, that caused a small quake. My heart tightened up again, when I left the bathroom and turned left for the kitchen, only to feel the most heart wrenching gut punch I ever felt. My mother was laying on the ground, bleeding from the throat. The dishwasher was wide opened, and four big chunks of glass were laying on its surface, with the fifth being stuck in mother’s throat. Her eyes were filled with shock and panic. She had pulled the piece, letting the wound free and spilling all the blood, which was being stopped from it. The red looking metallic liquid started quickly pouring from the pierced vein. She was vanishing right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything than stop the blood from spilling. Kneeling quickly, I placed my cold hands on the throat and felt the hot blood gushing from beneath my fingers. Mum was crying, trying to scream and pleading for help at the same time, as I was hopeless. She died five minutes later, as I was trying to tie a cloth around the wound. That was strike one. Life changing moment from the curse, and it was just the start. One week later, I was forced to move in with my grandparents, who lived close to my old house. Mom was buried and my school was informed that I would not be attending school for a week. The old me would scream from joy, but now, I was filled with grief and exhausting pain, which was wrecking my body. I've heard people say that they've experienced pain that psychically hurts, which was unbelievable, but it was the exact same thing I was feeling now. I guess the old saying of: "You start to cherish someone, when they are gone" is true. Nevertheless, my curse didn't stop. Grandpa used to be a mechanical worker, fixing cars and building cars and a lot of different repairs. He was quite young for an adult when he had his first heart attack, at least twenty years, before the second one, which was yesterday. He and I were feeding the pigs, in the back garden, when he suddenly fell on the ground and started crying to call the medics. The whole night, the doctors were fighting to save his life, but exactly at 13:45 (the time I was walking back home from the store), his heart stopped, forever. From the shock of the terrible news, grandma also fell ill, but took three days for her heart to also pass away, leaving me completely alone with nobody to go to. My father was buried a long time ago, now I was burying my other loved ones. It felt like everywhere I would go, death would follow me, and strike those who I found dearest. That single thought was tearing me apart from inside, turning me into a lifeless scrap of existence with nothing to feel, do or even breathe. Hopeless. Present time. 15.05.2021. "Now that I've shared my past, I will inform you, that I was moved into an orphanage. Two days have passed, and it seems all the children there were fine. Some looked skinny and sick-ish but were good. I still don’t know what my future will be, so tomorrow I will talk with the Headmaster of the facility." Closing the diary, that was given to store his thoughts the boy looked up, at the ceiling and, stared at the white latex wall. Laying on the upper end of a double decker bed, he began exploring his mind and its tangled webs of thoughts. Everything was so enormously twisted up, that he struggled to stop the tears, remembering the faces of his mother, grandfather and grandmother. It took the boy five minutes to finally calm down and notice the sobbing behind him. Then, a voice he recognized to be that of the little girl echoed in his ears. -Karma...always finds a way... - she said softly, and dropped her raised hand, exposing the sharp knife from the kitchen in the eating room, to the boy's skin. It fell and pierced him, making him feel the pain of the steel slashing through the muscles and flesh, tissue and bone, penetrating his insides, letting the already built up blood to gush out. He looked at the girl, who began to climb down the little stairs that lead to the upper bed. She was wearing a cute green dress, and her long blond hair was waving freely. "So this is how Death actually looks like? A cute little girl, with cold eyes?" - He managed to think before smiling and closing his eyes, submitting to Karma’s Curse. [Webs] Re-worked. I finally decided to get up and go to the bathroom, because I was trying to ignore the need to pee, but the built up urine was about the start leaking, thus, waking me up so early in the morning. It showed 04:50 on my alarm clock, as I quickly uncovered my body with the comfy warm blanket, and quickly slipped my slippers, got up and left the room quietly, trying to not wake anyone. As the door to my room opened, I just walked straight ahead, and opened up the toilet’s door, and quickly entered it. After an emotionally fulfilling cleanse I flushed the toilet, and then silently tiptoed to the bathroom, which was right to the left of the toilet. As a boy of my age, 12, I was somewhat scared of the dark, so I clicked on both switches to turn the two bulbs, one in the washing machine area, and the other, which was in the shower part area. I walked in and closed the door. As I started the sink’s hot water, I felt the cold floor, covering my feet with ice, because it was nearing winter, and our house usually got quite cold at those sort of days. I managed to wash my hands, as fast as I could and, just when I was about to turn around, something in the mirror right above my head caught my attention. It was a spider. A normal house spider, who somehow, without me noticing it, had built a web bed and was kind of staring me down, with its little eyes. Something in me was telling me to smash it, but I kind of brushed it off and headed back for my room. Not killing it was a mistake though. A mistake, which would end up chasing me, for the rest of my life, making me develop arachnophobia in the process. However, then I was too little and too naïve to understand illnesses, which also costed me something, my childhood. December 3rd, 1998. -Tommy, please after finishing cleaning your hamsters, get the vacuum and come clean the carpet in the kitchen- yelled grandma, and closed the door. I heard her, but I was too focused on removing a stain in the aquarium to reply to her, so I only nodded. If you think I am a jerk for doing that, well, you are mistaken, because, she had problems with hearing, and yelling was her way to actually know if she said something, and it made it easier for us to understand her too, even if it was excessively louder in the house. Most of the time my parents were working, and on the rare occasions when they were home, they ended spending the day with me, which of course wasn’t a bad thing. However, when they were gone, grandma would take care of me, so it was for the first five years, but then things got worse, and she developed a partial Alzheimer, and one year ago, Insomnia. The illness was triggered followed by the passing of my grandpa, and really injured her in ways non-understandable to a 12-year-old, but that wasn’t all. What was bad, was that thanks to the Alzheimer she sometimes forgot about things she was doing, like forgetting to take the food out of the oven, almost causing a fire, or forgetting to drink her pills. That ended shaking her up, and really scared us, since she woke up one morning, when my parents were at home, and started yelling about not knowing us or that she was trapped inside a maze full of spiders. That episode calmed down, but it was frightening to see one of the most loving people in your family, get ill like that, and don’t even know whom you are. Apart from all those things, she was a lovely granny, who always cared for me and loved me with all her heart, despite the deceases. She was… As I began to clean the carpet, I noticed her staring at the sink in the little side kitchen, where all the knifes, utensils and culinary stuff were. Although her gaze was locked upon the mirror above the sink, somewhat identical to the one in the bathroom. -Tommy, could you clean the long mat in the side kitchen? - She asked with her old loving voice. -Sure thing! – I replied and moved the vacuum to the other side of the room and started mopping the mat. Just before finishing, I looked up at the sink, and could swear that I saw a small pair of legs, crawling behind the mirror, spider’s legs. -We should, clean all the webs around the house, I think it’s getting time for the usual cleaning? – I asked, looking at the mirror, and seeing grandma from the reflection of the other side of the kitchen. -Yes, it would be good… - she said quietly and continued reading her book. I nodded and took the vacuum back to my room, and went inside the bathroom to clean my hands, since before using the cleaner I was washing the aquariums of the two little hamsters I had. Timmy and Jeryna, kind of like Tom and Jerry, but my version. I started the water and began washing my hands with a nice smelling soup, when my sight locked at the mirror. Interesting, I could’ve swear that last night, or should I say this morning, there was a cloud of web above the mirror, with a relatively large spider, laying on it. Now, it was all wiped off…well, good thing I guess? I cleaned the things grandma told me to, and decided to stop for the day, and start hanging out in my room, playing video games. Before I knew it, grandma, called me for dinner, thank god she had remembered to bring the food out of the oven. As I came in the room, she was placing two plates filled with potatoes and chicken. -Sit down Jonny, the food is ready! – She said and started getting the utensils. I was used to this already…she would mess my name up fifteen times in a day, before getting it right, but I didn’t want to insult her by correcting her, so I would just go on with it. She sat down next to me, on the small roundish table and we both enjoyed the meals. Afterwards, I got up and grabbed the empty dishes and placed them inside the sink, before noticing the cloud of web, which was bigger than usual. The spider was there too, only five times bigger than before…not really normal for a house spider is it? Quickly grabbing a paper towel, I was about to grab it, when I felt the stare of two eyes. I turned around and saw her silently watching me. -Don’t hurt the spider Tommy…he is innocent - she said, with her eyes looking directly at mine, a cold, unrecognizable stare. I placed the towel beside the sink’s parapet and looked back at the spider, which crawled back inside the mirror. That was very strange of her…usually she would take the spiders like that, and throw them in the trash, since nobody likes seeing a dangling spider above your head. Well, whatever I guess she felt pity for the little person so I let it slide. Afterwards I went to my room and had another play session, before going to sleep. The next day. What woke me up, wasn’t the sun’s rays touching me gently on the face, or a cloudy-fully raining day, i woke up from the sounds of the muffled screams of one of my hamsters. I quickly jumped in my sleep and looked behind me, looking at the back of my grandmother. She was standing stiff, and her left hand was holding something? -Ma’- what’s up? – I asked looking at her with shock. She slowly turned backwards and as if a lightning bolt hit her, she threw the hamster in the air and started screaming. -TOMMY, I’VE TOLD YOU MANY TIMES TO NOT BRING THEM LITTLE RASCALS CLOSE TO ME, YOU KNOW I’M AFRAID! – She screamed with all she had. I caught little Timmy, and started caressing his little head to calm him down. His little body was shaking…she was gripping him, torturing him, and she just stated, as she has many times before, that she hates animals, that move…basically everything, and all of a sudden she is choking my pets? -Did you take your pills today? – I asked gently. She started back at me, and her eyes expanded for a second. -Oh dear, I might have forgotten…- she said and placed her palm on the side of the head and quickly left my room, leaving me speechless and somewhat afraid for her health. As the days went on, the normal routine for me and her continued running smoothly without any weird accidents, just a few, which I didn’t really figure out until now. I would catch her talking to the mirrors, all of the mirrors inside our house; although I thought, it was just an old people thing, so I shrugged it off. Sometimes though, I would catch her in my room, petting little Timmy. I don’t know what has changed with her, but all of a sudden, she loved the hamsters. Was it because the sleepless nights that terrorize her, end up breaking her brain, making her do things she would usually not, and adding the side effects of the Alzheimer. She began to forget herself, if that’s even a thing? Yes, there was always something cold in her, like her usually warm and loving eyes, were now blankly empty, and soulless. December 20th, 1998. I was just getting back from school, and was walking up the twenty-step staircase leading up to the first floor of our block, when the elevator made a sound of arrival, and the non-automatic door opened. Grandma closed the door, and looked up to me. -Oh, hi Mark…- she said and passed me by, as if I was no one. -Grandma, where are you going? – I asked, kind of insulted by the fact I wasn’t recognized. She swiftly turned around, and her eyes expanded behind the glasses, which made them pop up even more. -Oh Tommy, I didn’t see you there, I’m going to the basement to get some jars with tomatoes, do you want anything? – She asked and didn’t really wait for an answer, and just took off, walking downwards the stairs. -Do you need any help? – I asked, and heard an echoing “No, thank you dear”. I lifted my shoulders and entered the elevator. Once I was inside our apartment, I noticed the…clouds of webs surrounding the whole premises. How? Was this even real…the whole apartment was messed up with spider webs. Good thing I was always bringing a useless notebook in my backpack, always useful for something. I started swinging, kind of like an idiot, trying to wipe the web away, and it kind of worked for a moment. Just then, I realized that the webs were coming from inside the room of my grandma. Walking slowly towards it, I switched on the lights, and some of the webs evaporated, although not all. The room, now filled with lights, was torn completely and utterly apart. The bed was turned upside down, the wardrobes were broken, and what made no sense to me, the mirror was…opened? Checking inside, there was a whole other space inside it, filled with…different animal bones. Pigeons, dogs…even cats…although, what I found most disturbing was what was left of Timmy’s fur. She had taken it…and god knows what she did to him…how did she manage to place all this web around the house was amazing to me, back then, but now I remember everything with such pain, that I kind of regret not helping my grandma more with her medication. Not knowing what to do, I went back to the elevator and pushed the first floor button, cussing aloud the slow machine. Once I got there, I nearly jumped the twenty-step staircase and kind of hesitated to enter the basement, but I did. From this point on, I can’t quite remember what actually happened. The psychotherapists tried to guess, but none were correct, or I wasn’t trying to listen to them, since I knew what I saw then, and it was nerve wrecking to say the least. Moving inside the maze of the basement, i turned right, since ours were to the right, then up, and right, the last one in the middle. The lights were on, and that rather helped me walk further. I then continued ahead, and once I was about to turn right again I heard the silent voice of my grandma. -I’m sorry for keeping you in for such a long time, but i didn’t have a choice, Tommy would have killed you, or someone else…I couldn’t let it happen - she said and it was hearable that her breathing was out of pace. Finally deciding to do it, I turned and walked right into the door, but then grandma pushed me, harshly, with fear in her eyes. -Stay back Tommy, you are gonna get it If you don’t listen to me…- she said and her eyes began to slowly descend into tiny slides. Her lips were shaking and the white strands of hair on the head were filled with webs. -What’s going on? What happened in our house? – I asked, but I think, just think that I knew the answer. She kind of twitched, and her mouth opened, like a tick, or something, but then she regained herself, and looked me, this time with craziness in her irises. -I had to hide him…it was my only friend in those cold nights…he always talked with me, gave me advice and told me about things you did or didn’t. He was my friend Tommy; I couldn’t let you kill him, not like that. -Who are you talking about? – I asked, but my question wasn’t even acknowledged. -He was there for me when nobody even knew how I felt, not being able to remember anything, and not being able to even rest for a single minute, because my damn brain can’t even heckin’ know what it wants! – she said, and her eyes, restored to her real ones for a slight moment, before filling themselves with tears, - I love him Tommy…just like you love your Timmy, I love him deeply, and can’t let you kill him, alright Tommy, so back off, go back to your room, and don’t say anything to your father, am I clear?! - She said and her voice edged up a bit. -But…what is it?! – I asked and didn’t even move from the ground. She looked me with a kill stare, and that’s when I noticed that, there was a slight green light coming from inside the basement, or rather from our personal room, which was behind the door, grandma was standing in front. I could see something black-ish moving inside, although it could’ve been the shadow of a water bottle or something else, although I was yet again wrong. She opened the door, fully, and then I saw the face of my nightmare in full view. A spider, big enough to fit in a car, was staring me with its eight eyes, and was clapping with its jaws. The fur that covered the legs was enough for a few coats, just looking at it made me cringe with disgust. The green light was coming from its eyes, which enlighted most of the place. Its body was massive, covered with messy hair everywhere, and I couldn’t believe my eyes, and now just remembering it, im getting the shivers, although I’m not quite sure what happened after this. Grandma then smiled to me and said something I didn’t even hear, because the sound the spider made, when he pierced her head with its fangs was just…nerve wrecking-ly horrifying. I think when I opened my eyes again, my father was watching me closely, and mother was crying. They explained to me, that grandma was gone, but I already knew so it wasn’t shocking, but what was interesting, was that they found two big holes from behind her neck, kind of like spider bites, but a lot bigger, but there was no sign of an attacker of anything. Now, after a lot of therapists and much more things, I tend to remember the bits before I passed out. I see the shadow of the big monster, just vanishing inside the basement’s room, and that’s it. Strange no? Believe me or not, I started thinking that this thing was just an image brought to me by grandma, who created it from her illness. However, I wonder, where does the border between reality, illness and fiction lies, because I can’t quite figure anything out. My mind is filled with webs I can’t unfold. Moreover, from times to times…I tend to forget about my most precious memories. Or from times, I forget people's names or even oddly curious, my own. What I find peculiar about this situation...is that I can hear small whispers from behind all the mirrors in the house. "Feed us" - they whisper. I don't know why I find this scary, and truth be told, I can't really remember. Most…strange. [The Man without a Face] Re-worked. Everything rather happened quickly. That man I saw back then was not anything I could have imagined in my dreams or nightmares…it was something taken out from a horror book. However, let me explain what actually happened. It was probably a couple of weeks ago when my family and I, were returning from a summer trip. Driving directly towards the town, I did not bother to look at the sidelines of the road, since my phone, obviously was right in front of me, keeping me from all distractions on the road. My brother who was right next to me, younger by three years, was the opposite. Peeping from the window and pointing to some things he found interesting, and worth shouting about. “Look at that tree!”; “Wow did you see that? It was sooooooo cool!”- And mainly stuff like that. Nevertheless, it was fine. He was younger, as I mentioned, and having the fun of his life was probably better for him, than staring at a phone the whole way back. Although that changed. Right when we were entering the town, the battery showed 10% power, so I decided to leave it for some time, and join my brother in sight seeing from the windows. -Hey Marty, look at that, the old candy store has been renewed! – Happily exclaimed the younger boy. My mother quickly reminded him that he is allowed to only eat one sweat per day, and his enthusiasm died off the way it started. We continued to see if anything had changed for the fourteen days we were on a vacation, but mostly it was all right. Dad stopped near a supermarket so we can grab some groceries for the house. Olly, my brother, and I, decided to stay in the car and wait for them. There we started playing “guess what I’m thinking”. It was my turn. -I’m thinking of… - I started to look around from my end of the window and saw a gum machine, - I’m thinking of rounds… - I managed to say. Olly took some time in guessing correctly, but when he saw the roundish balls in the gum machine, he managed to answer it correctly. -That was easy Marty…now let me try! - He said and turned around facing the small forest surrounding the neighborhood. Some moments passed and he was still figuring out what to say. I was about to ask him to think faster when he turned towards me with blistering eyes and mysteriously said: -I’m thinking of a figure… That brought me back in the game and I too started searching the area for some sort of person. My scanning senses weren’t that adapted as my little brother’s, and after a whole ten-minute session, because I didn’t want to give up easily, I failed trying to guess his thought and gave up. -Alright, what were you thinking about? – I said annoyed of myself. He got closer to the window, pulling me with him. -See that!? – He asked, cheek pressed against the glass. I had to squint my eyes a bit, to see between the thick trees, and then, right in the deeper parts, where you think you couldn’t see him, was a man, dressed in a suit. For some reason I got frighten a bit, but congratulated him. -Nice job, how did you see him? – I asked and sat back on my side. His answer was the thing that completely brought me out of my comfort. -Oh, he waved at me…and made the sign for me to be quit…although he didn’t have a nose…nor eyes in fact…strange huh? – said Olly still thinking everything was fine. Moving away from my seat, I pressed myself against the glass and again saw him….but this time, closer to us…he was at least three steps ahead of last time, and now he was visible…That’s when I also saw his face…or, head. No eyes, nose, mouth, ears, eyebrows or hair…Simply no face at all…just a blank white head, staring at us…if you could say so. Dressed in a dark-blue costume, ornamented with golden strips of flowers, filling his body entirely, making him look like a bodybuilder or something similar. Looking at him, then, he was about 1.80m tall. That image of him waving at me was already sewed in my brain and it didn’t want to leave. Olly was constantly telling me his features that I could clearly see myself. It didn’t help at all, seeing him taking small, but noticeable steps towards us. My body was frozen for a moment, not knowing how to act in this kind of scenario. At this point, the guy was almost out of the forest, and had to cross most of the parking spots in order for him to get to us…and judging by the fact how slowly he was walking, he wouldn’t made it before our parents would. Although…I was once again proven wrong, when the man doubled his speed and begun to walk completely normally toward us. -Hey look, that man is coming to say hi! - said Olly and began to roll down his window. I didn’t explain anything to him, but quickly pushed his hand away from the rotating handle, and brought the window back up. -Hasn’t mother told us not to talk with strangers! - I exclaimed angrily and a bit shocked. Olly didn’t bother to listen to me. He was looking at the man, getting closer and closer to the car. He was walking with his arms tucked in the pockets of the jacket. His facelessness was frightening me silly, while the little one didn’t budge, thinking this was some kind of entertainment …but it wasn’t, it really wasn’t. He was coming not to greet us, but to potentially abduct us or something I didn’t want to imagine. Closer and closer. Just when he was two meters away from the car, he took a sharp left turn, and continued walking towards the woods. I didn’t hear them coming. Looking at the man, I completely missed dad and mom, who entered the car, holding big bags filled with groceries. Taking a deep breath of relief, I leaned on the comfortable seat. Olly started talking about this mysterious man, and our parents didn’t believe him of course, he had this wild imagination, and saying odd stuff was his sort of specialty. Dad started the engine and we headed off to our house, which was some kilometers away. Before leaving the parking lot, I turned back to face the forest to see if the man really was something brought off by my imagination… and there he was…standing hidden by the leaves, faceless…waving at me. Two weeks passed and I had forgotten most of that, until I was reminded by a newscast one night. All of us were sitting on the kitchen table and were enjoying the dinner, when the usual news started grimly. The speaker was holding a white sheet of paper and looked at the camera seriously. “Good evening folk of Rivenwood, I would like to say with the upmost disgust and grief, that the act that we’ll be informing you, is so horribly wicked and foul, that my words are barely capable of describing it. Without any further ado, here are the details: There were eight reports to the local police office for missing children who mysteriously vanished. It is said by the parents, that the vanishing happened midnight, and nobody knew where they could be. The police started working on this case immediately and were forced to inspect their houses for sign of intrusion, but by the looks of it, there were no evidence found. Sadly, after weeks of trying to figure out what happened, the corpses of four children appeared in the local forest. It is said that they look horridly disfigured. One of the inspectors was good enough to share more information: “The corpses we found didn’t have any signs of abuse, no hand marks or anything that could leave any prints of the killer. The only thing that is missing from them…is their faces…it looks like they…I don’t know myself how, but their faces are completely gone…nothing but hair…it’s pretty disturbing, so I would suggest to all town folk to lock their doors, windows and any kind of locks in your house for security reasons. Reporting for you, Officer Barnes.” Therefore, folk, as the officer said, be sure to secure your homes, and protect your children. With that being said, I say to you good and uneventful night.” The newscast ended and we were left speechless. I had stopped eating entirely and was filling as if my stomach was twisting itself like a rope. Mom and dad looked shocked, but didn’t bother saying anything to us, because we knew they were here to protect us. Olly and I finished our plates and went to play with our toys for some time before going to bed. I didn’t think about anything else than words of the speaker, and reimagining our encounter with that…man. The details the officer went on describing the victim’s injuries…if you could even say that were very similar to the person we saw…no face…nothing. Seeing how it went down, my brother and me would have been in the same situation like the kids. If he had reached us that time…maybe, I would be faceless right now…Thinking that I looked at the mirror as I was brushing my teeth, and spat out in the clean sink. It was time for me and Olly to go to sleep. We shared a room, with a bunk bed. I was at the lower bed because I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in the air. As we laid on the soft matrasses I closed my eyes and instantly and feel asleep. It was probably around 3 am. when the bigger brother woke up thirsty. The blinding darkness in the room wasn’t fully working because of the light from the moon barely coming in from the window. He used that chance to get up and go fill his glass with water. When he returned, the boy placed the glass on the desk, left by the beds. He began to lay himself again, when he heard a tap. Figuring he had placed the glass on an unbalanced place, and it had moved a bit, creating this noise, he didn’t bother. However, the tap followed. And again…and once again. Looking around panicky he saw that the glass was perfectly still…and the noise wasn’t coming from it, but from the window. He knew it wasn’t raining, because they were on the second floor, and if it was, the raindrops would clash with the tiles and shingles on the roof, creating a much heavier sound. It was such a distinct sound…like somebody was tapping it with the knuckles of their hands. That would be impossible though…the floor was seven meters above the ground, and, nobody could do it…not without a ladder…The small blinds hanging above it, were slowly dancing from the little bit of air coming through it. Maybe they were gently colliding with the glass, but…no, their noise was more like a rustle than a knock, it wasn’t that either. It was coming from behind it. He couldn’t just ignore it. Standing up once again, he used the stick controlling the blinds, to move them on the other side, and opened the window. There was no one there. The whole backyard was empty, give or take the bikes and swings they used to play with. He looked at the forest, hoping, or waiting to see the figure they saw back then, but hopefully there was nobody there as well. That brought him such relief as he completely relaxed his senses, and enjoyed the cold air caressing his face. At that moment, a slight chill went down his spine. Something or someone had placed its arm on his shoulder, gripping it tight. It made his entire torso shiver. The boy did not want to turn around, because it already knew. That man was behind. He could feel that eerie presence. The dread filling the entire room was so visible and hope taking that he lost the ability to even breathe for a moment. The darkness was now surrounding all of the corners, swallowing all the light emitting from the window. All the big brother could see before he closed his eyes, was the reflection on the window…The man without a face…now grinning with a sewed up mouth, a child’s mouth, on the white font for a skin, covered in blood, once again waving at him. [Smiling in the Rain] Re-worked. So I am sitting on my chair, by the desk, and im staring right through the window. It’s rainy outside. The electricity is stopped, trying to avoid another major shut down, caused by a lightning strike. We can’t go outside, because…well its poring like a massive waterfall is falling from the sky, and going outside, well…it might result in you having a really nasty coughing for a while. Although, it gets quite boring when you don’t have anything to do…or watch. Playing with your old action figures seems like a waste…And just reading gets annoying when the raindrops keep hitting the shingles, which echo around the whole attic floor. My room was on the last upper floor, so every time it rained, it was a sound warfare in the whole premises. And what was my plan of escape? Nothing. Plain and utterly nothing. Just sitting by my desk and writing something on a piece of paper…looking through the roundish glass of a window and, imagining a race between the two single drops that continue to slowly slide down the glassy material. Just boring stuff. Even if I tried stuffing cotton balls in my ears to preserve the sound coming from the clash from the raindrops and the roof, it still would be somewhat hard to hear mother’s screams at me to get down and help her with something. And you see…all my possibilities are very limited…to the point of almost staring at the wall and imagining how it will respond to your silence. However, it never did, strangely enough it didn’t. What grabbed my curiosity that day though, was beyond the window…actually on the street. A single man, standing sternly and holding an umbrella. He was wearing an old grey windbreaker, and an old-fashioned top’s hat, that looked ridiculously in the pouring rain. What man would stand there though? Was he crazy to just stand there, in the middle of the street? Strangely enough, I wanted to join him in just standing there, because…well, I don’t know…maybe I was bored, or maybe I wanted to have fun. Frankly, I was sick with the house, or not being able to do anything, so I made a plan. Grabbing my waterproof yellow coat and a black umbrella I quickly left the house, just when my mother was having a little break from all the work she was doing. When I left it, the rain and coldness of it, quickly got to me. Shivering for head to toe, I unleashed the umbrella and stared the man, while walking towards him. His head was tilted towards his torso, and I wasn’t able to look him directly in the face…nor see it. When I got closer to him, I had to yell for him to hear me. -Isn’t it a little raining to be here?! - I yelled at the man who only stared at his feet. He noticed me, didn’t say anything, but nodded his head slightly. -What are you doing here?! – I once again asked. The man now moved a little bit of his head, and I could see his mouth. He was smiling. A strange almost evil smile. A smile you get when you see your bully being bullied or something along that. Then, as he was grinning from ear to ear, he looked up on me. Now I could see his eyes. Red…and deep…with insanity filled inside of them. His face was covered in scars...as if he had clawed himself with a knife…or maybe with his fingernails? That smile wasn’t going anywhere. Grinning, exposing perfectly white teeth, he said with a hysteric tone. -I’m…enjoying the pretty water…the water…its falling from the sky…I love the water…it is really nice…it makes me smile…and when I smile…I am happy…and when I am happy…it’s because of the water…because the water is falling from the sky…and when the water is falling…it makes me smile…and when I smile…it’s because of the water…it makes me happy… - he said with eyes, bulging from excitement. The lunatic repeated those words over and over again…and i…for some reason stood there…feeling the falling drops of water, descend upon both of our umbrellas. I felt a slight sign for me to get the hell out of here…go inside and lock the doors windows and every kind of thing that is lockable. However, before going, I was really curious to know one more thing. -If you, like water, why are you hiding from it with the umbrella? – I yelled. His eyes rather changed. It was as if he was curious himself. Filled with excitement he nodded to me, and released hold from the umbrella. Instantly, the rain got to him. He was covered in water so quickly that I couldn’t even understand what had happened. Moreover, by the looks of his face…he wasn’t liking it. His eyes now only resembled that of hate and anger. His lips were still exposing that grin of a wide smile. However, his eyes…if he had the ability to kill with a stare…oh god…then he started speaking again with a childish voice, still smiling like a freak. -I DON’T LIKE WATER…it makes me cold…and I don’t like being cold. You tricked me…I don’t like being cold, and covered with cold. It’s hurting me…and it doesn’t make me happy…It makes me want to…feel angry…and nobody likes me when I am angry…when I am angry, I am not happy…and I am not happy…because you told me to be angry…and now you are going to be sad…yes…and when you are sad…I will be happy…and when I am happy…I will smile…he he…he he…he… His laugher was so…I don’t even know what word to use to describe it. Chilling, haunting, dreadful…I was standing there…and once he had finished, I launched myself back in the house, and like I said, locked everything there was to lock, not explaining anything to anyone. My mother was yelling at me but I wasn’t listening. My brothers looked somewhat concerned about my strange behavior, but I didn’t care. My only thought was to hide. Hide from that man. And I did. Going to my room, I covered myself with the soft and warm blankets and shut my eyes. I don’t know how much time it had passed, but when I opened eyes, I quickly got up, and looked through the window. It was dark outside. The clock on the side of the desk showed 3:00 am. There he was. The man…the umbrella was on the ground, and he looked like had traveled through half an ocean to get here. Once I had my gaze on him, he looked up, and right at me. His red eyes…looked at me…and his lips…still formed in a smile said something. Reading his lips, I shivered and backed away. He whispered: “I’m coming…” [Sight] Re-worked. Believe it or not, the mold that was beginning to group on the forgotten walls wasn’t affecting her at all. Neither was the dust, gathered there for the thousands of years, showing just how old were the columns used to store the collection of strange and various things, for the people to someday buy. The objects themselves were curious and interesting, from the passed ages, picked out from places, no one has ever been to, except the owner of the shop. The old lady, wrinkled and barely standing was watching as the girl was looking at the shelf with mirrors. Her only crooked tooth was helplessly hanging on to her prosthesis, as her wide-open mouth was breathing heavily, due to her nose being stuffed by the dust. It was somewhat creepy, to say the least, but what can we do? Age isn’t controlled by the human’s hand. It’s something natural we cannot fight. No one was responsible for her state of being. Well, if she was a smoker once, her teeth might have fallen from that…or, the harmful fumes might’ve cause her heavy breaths from said smoking. Or maybe…just, guessing at this point; her loss of breath was caused by the fact that the girl she was staring at, was looking at the mirror…the one in the back, not shown for sale, but hidden, as much as she could try and hide it from the people’s eyes. In truth though, she would always forget to move it away, and would freak out if someone saw it, just by looking at the ones that were for sale. Most of the people didn’t pay much attention to the dirty mirror, with the broken wooden frame, engraved with strange runic markings. But this time…the girl was looking at it. Which might be the reason for her to be not bothered by the mold and dust…too focused on reaching for the mirror, pushed way behind the ordinary ones. Jullie knew there was something more to it. Why would a perfectly fine thing, sit there and not be for sale? Perhaps it was something unique, and had a different value than the rest of the plain mirrors. Or, it was just stored for someone, friends with the lady. Who knows…the fact of the matter was, that Jullie liked it…and if she liked something…she would always make sure to have it, by any means necessary. This time however, the teen wanted the object not because it was pretty or something, but because…well, I don’t even know how to begin explaining the fact that she was somehow drawn by it, by a force she couldn’t meddle with, and that was “coincidence”. Who would know that today would mark the day that a girl would enter in this old lady’s pawnshop, and would be drawn to this circular thing…? Well, as far as I know, Jullie didn’t, and she always knew she wanted to buy something…and with this strange looking mirror, she knew she had to had it. However, what exactly was the cause of this sudden attraction between her and this glass? Maybe the reflection on said surface was kind enough for her to like it? Or was it that her piercing green eyes were sharper than usual, while staring into the reflective ones. On the other hand, that her hair shone in a different shade of black, or that her lips were puffier than before? Who knows…maybe all those combined? Certainly something out of them. Moreover, for an aging young girl, this was more than needed in a mirror, making it an “instant-have”. Without wasting anymore time, she swiftly turned and faced the lady, gripping the wooden frame of the mirror tightly. -I would like to buy this one! – She exclaimed, quite out of character for her, but she couldn’t keep her excitement for having a new item in her massive collection of unused stuff. The woman though, not so energetic like her, looked as if she had lost her mind. Slowly, moving her hand above the desk she was sitting by, she waved her finger in a slow negative gesture. -What do you mean by that? I cannot have it? – asked Jullie and leaned over the desk to look at her better. Now that her eyes could scan her better, the granny looked even creepier. Her dilated pupils, made her blue eyes kind of frightening. The mouth, which was still widely opened, began to shake intensely, as if she was suffering from something. Yet, a sound still emerged from it, yet distorted and nearly incomprehensible. -N-not th-...at… - she said, pointing her gaze at the mirror that was now placed on the desk. Jullie moved the mirror away and that suddenly calmed the old woman, returning her to her less-creepy state. Her breathing kind-of normalized yet, the eyes remained expanded and roaming somewhere. -Do not take that mirror young one…please do not, leave it here, with me…where it cannot harm anyone…- she said, this time not stuttering. -What do you mean by harm, it’s just a mirror?! - This time, a bit more aggressively said the girl, and saw how the lady tensed, thinking that she would hit her. Jullie felt bad for raising her voice, but…it was like someone ordered her to do it…but, she just wanted to get this mirror, and this pawn shop lady wasn’t giving it up for some stupid unknown reason. -It is cursed my child…back when I was your age…for so many years now - replied the old granny and looked at the girl, trying to focus her sight on her eyes. Jullie nearly chuckled hearing her reasoning, but remained calm, and a bit interested… -Cursed you say, and why by any chances I am still not struck by a lightning? Don’t say stupid things like that…Cursed…huh… Yet the old woman remained persistent. Claiming the mirror was ultimately and solemnly cursed. Without listening to the girl’s arguments, she began telling a story. -Back when I was young and didn’t believe in any fairy-tales or grandma’s tales, I lived, without any stops or regrets…until I got to meet with a woman. She, just like I am right now, was selling different kind of things…just like me…and now, just like you, I wanted to purchase this particular mirror…which, by any means, was just brilliant. Ornamented with different runes I couldn’t decipher or translate, it proved to be a fascinating peace for my collection of odd things. Yet again, day after day, whenever I looked in the said mirror, with glass, pure and crystal, I saw…different things than normal people would. Horrific worlds, dreadful times…and most of all…I saw myself, looking at me…staring at this green wasteland of eyes, and diving into the abysmal lake of this never-ending cycle of repentance. Regret that I have bought this…wicked…this…this…- she said and stopped due to the mass cough that came out of her lungs. It was visible that her body was wrecked from the years of smoking and such, yet, Jullie didn’t smell any cigarettes, nor did the place, which was a small apartment room reek of that sickening aroma. Nevertheless, she was a plain white sheet, and coughed as if she was diagnosed with third stage tuberculosis. She covered her face, enough to stop the flying saliva coming from her open mouth. Jullie didn’t know if she should look away, or just continue to stare at the woman, wanting to know the rest of her story. As the woman stopped coughing and managed to stabilize her breathing, she looked even older than before, as if ten years had passed in the last five minutes. The girl felt uneasy looking at her dark-ish corpse like skin, though didn’t break eye contact, which was quite hard, taking the fact that there was no sign of a color in them…only blank white orbs…staring at her, yet not knowing of it. Suddenly, as Jullie was hypnotized, the granny energetically and quite quickly grabbed her exposed hand, resting on the desk, and squeezed it gently. -If you wish to take it girl, then so be it…yet I warn you…it will cost you a lot of suffering just by having it in your home. It will one day even cost you lives, those of the ones you deem dearest for you. And then…one day…you might end up like me…hopeless…broken…and old. So, take it, if that is your wish, I shall not charge you with anything for it…just get out of here... - said the grandma, with a voice, deeper that before. The girl was no longer set for arguing over stupid curses and such, she just wanted to get the hell out of there…not only because this old lady seemed crazy, but because her guts were telling her to do it. She pulled her hand back, and took some steps towards the exit door, before hearing the woman’s last words for her. -One last thing before you set your life in a dark course young one…Don’t…by any means…look at yourself in the mirror, alone at night…just don’t look at yourself in it, in any matter. Don’t even consider it yours…the more you don’t…the more it won’t harm you - said the lady and leaned back at her chair, tilting her head backwards as if she was going to take a nap. Jullie felt a slight impulse of fear passing through her like a small fly. Without thinking much more…she left the shop and brought home a brand new mirror, minus the moldy-gray stains on it and the little chipped wooden frame. … At first no one even bothered to see that there was something new up in the bathroom, yet, all after a day acknowledged that there was something new, something, strange to the house. First, to notice was Herold, Jullie’s father and driver for a company that gave him a big paycheck. As he was the first to see it, he was the first to check the overall durability of the mirror. It rather looked rugged at first; yet, at a second inspection it proved to be nice and fitting for their home. The wooden frame was a shining bright-brown color opposed to the washed out nearly gray-ish one that was before. So was the glass, which stained with green-ish and gray spots, was now crystal clear and reflective of the smallest thing. Harold was glad to have such an amazing thing to look at, EVERY, morning since the day it came in the house. Thus, being the first one to suffer immensely from it. It started from back pain, which he normally had. Amplified by the mirror’s curse, the pain was ten times worse than before. It got soo bad, that one day he couldn’t even get up to go to work, so he had to call sick for the day. His muscles soon deteriorated and…broke down completely. By the time, they figured out the cause of this, he was already gone. The second to fall victim of the curse was the mother, Angie, whose bathroom custom consisted of five things EVERY morning. One of which was combing her hair, like most women do. She would stare and stare at the glass, and it would reflect her image perfectly…until it didn’t anymore. Her image started to age rapidly, yet, it wasn’t only the reflection that aged quicker than a sandwich hitting the floor. She herself…was getting older each day, each look, with each gaze…she grew older…uglier…madder at the mirror. To say the least…she was affected by it so much…she decided to end her miserable face and well end herself. Truly tragic. However, one more member of that family was yet to suffer. The one that brought it with her. Little poor Jullie and her obsession for things that are peculiar. Her complaints started the very-next day she attached the mirror to a rusty nail above the sink in the bathroom. She broke the warning the old woman gave her and unleashed the curse. Well, at first it didn’t dawn on her that the bad luck with her grades was coming from it, nor the foolish mistakes she did the whole day…or the moment she fell on the ground, face forward, and nearly broke her nose…No, that was only plain bad luck. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop there. The very same night, day after she brought it, she saw it…or, saw them. Millions and millions of chained green figures, floating in the coastline of the mirror’s sea shore. It was unbelievable, yet there…and seeable. Her next blink, took her to a different place, a destroyed land, with a red sky…pouring blood as rain…and nothing…nothing but destruction. Her third and final blink before moving on, showed herself…staring widely at the mirror, not able to comprehend a single thing of the things she saw. The reflection was smiling faintly, as the edges of her lips slowly moved upwards and revealed a grin, which strangely didn’t bother Jullie that much…probably because she was too confused to be scared. That night, she didn’t sleep much. Nor the next one, or the one after that. Her luck continued to suffer immensely, and her reputation of the “best girl in school”, soon degraded and faded away. With all her brains, she thought that returning the mirror to her previous owner was an option…yet…she didn’t find no one at the small apartment room that she entered some time ago. Yet again, she was stunned to see that the old granny had passed away that same day she gave away the mirror. Curious. Another week passed…and, well…it was getting worse and worse. Her father had gotten numb and chained to a bed. Her mother was getting sadder just by the second as she lived…and she…well, her luck got her into some serious shit…getting her blamed for stealing something from a student, and getting her ultimately expelled from her high-school. Nice huh? One more week…and her father passed away from bone breakage…her mother committed suicide in the same bathroom, by slicing her wrists and letting a turned on radio blast her in the tub of steamy water. And Jullie…well, she didn’t do much. Rather than going anywhere, she decided to keep her bad luck inside the house. That didn’t work out for her the way she planned. A knife pierced her foot, right as she was preparing dinner for herself. At this point…I don’t think she bothered that much, since she might have gone mad after her parents dying this tragically. After making a lettuce salad and fried rice, she went up in the bathroom, with the knife not even bothered to be removed from her aching from pain foot; and chilled there, eating peacefully, as if her mother didn’t die there two days ago. “What more could happen?”. She thought at that moment, though the teenager, looking at the mirror from a different angle. “Is there something more that could happen to me?”. In truth…yes…though…she didn’t let it happen. Angry at everything…regretting all her actions…wanting nothing more than to bring her life back, she swiftly got up, gripped the knife that was still in her foot and approached the mirror with the intention of breaking it. As her hand got closer…as the blade of the knife was, moment away to crashing with the glass…her reflection stopped her. She stopped herself? It’s confusing I know, but bear with me. So the reflection managed to stop her, from killing the reflection that was her. Oddly enough, she stopped fighting the instant she was stopped. Looking exactly in the pupils, herself through the glass, she saw nothing but deep, darkened fields, with different corpses of people, men and women, children, animals…fallen trees and withered flowers. Nothing but endless decay from the unknown results of an unknown event, from a different time…from a future day? As Jullie blinked, the images changed once again, this time showing kids, decapitated, with the heads spiked on the fence to establish dominance. Each head had a different expression to it. The one that made her gag was the head that was grinning devilishly. As tears began to fall from her eyes, the final blink again brought her back in her bathroom, face to face with her different self. The reflection had green- dead skin, and eyes from which emerged maggots and clotted blood. Her sliced throat was wrinkled and hardened by the jelly-like yellow plasma, stuck in the wound. The worse part were the teeth…which…well, were absent from her mouth. In her gums were small blades, stuck inside them, tearing the flesh soo deep, it transfigured her jawline completely. Jullie herself was laughing hysterically at the picture she was forced to look at. With nothing more to lose…she didn’t have any will to continue on with this curse she didn’t even believe in. Which was why, she furiously stabbed the still gripped knife into her eyeballs, and still laughing maniacally and feeling horrifyingly sick from within, she tore the eyes from her sockets, and splashed the blood everywhere. To be completely positive she wouldn’t see anything anymore…she took a bite from one of her eye, which was stuck on the blade of the knife…and started chewing as if it was gum. But, it proved to be thicker and harder than it looks, and made her throw up in the sink. As she was pouring herself out in the pool of black-ish stomach juice, the staring reflection was continuing to grin animalistic. -Isn’t that better now?! - asked the vision from the mirror, with a growling and terribly rusty voice, patting herself on the back. -Yes… -replied Jullie, without any sign of fright…yet, happy, because she wouldn’t see anything scary nor dark. Becoming the rag doll with no will to be alive…the thing, barely bringing out a beat from her heart, as she wanted to die. Yet there were still some lingering things, popping out in her mind. Wickedly twisting her brain cells, and making her dissolve from the light. It was hard to see a normal human being, get this fucked up and conjured from a sickening demon, though, she herself was the thing that brought it to her house and deemed it. The reflection wasn’t responsible for the deaths of her parents…and feelings. It was only guilty of relentlessly showing her the nightmares of the deep and haunting demons. Making Jullie, see images of darkness brought to her by the curse of the mirror…even without seeing. Forever taking away her sight. [The Dog from the other Side] Re-worked. The summer was just getting warmer and warmer, when the little toddler named Johnny decided to go outside for once; and enjoy the sun. It wasn’t because his mother made him, or because he was just bored, no…on his own initiative, he went outside, grabbed his old football and started kicking it at the trees beside the house. The trees themselves were blossomed and lively, with the green leaves on them waving along with the slight breeze. The area was secluded to say the least, so Johnny didn’t have to worry about hitting a car…well because there wasn’t a vehicle in sight, in fact…they were many kilometers away, on the road, where Johnny wasn’t allowed. He had the permission to play in front of the house, or by the little bridge, connecting the two villas together. The house in which he lived in at the moment was the one his family used in the summer when they didn’t have that much work. While the other house, at the other side of the bridge…well, it was unknown for him, which was why he had never crossed it; that and because his mother had forbid him to…which was a mandatory law to follow. He didn’t want to end up going to summer school, which was why he followed all his parents biding and did as they said. It was easier. He was having fun as well. Being young, he didn’t feel the curiosity needed for someone to actually break their rules. Therefore, from the two weeks that they have been living in the summer villa, he didn’t bother crossing the wooden bridge. Instead, he ran and kicked the football, which then flew and either ricocheted on a tree or continued to go further in the part of the woods he was allowed to be in. -And here goes the young Johnny “The Lightning” McFlare, passing the opposite attackers and heading straight for the door goal- he screamed to the living creatures listening to him, and flew past three trees that had grew in a strange pattern. His little feet controlled the ball perfectly and didn’t panic when he tripped on an overgrown root, but continued to dribble past the rest of the strangely grown trees from that line. -Look at “The Lightning”, he has the opportunity to score…wait, oh no…another blocker from the opposite team, yet, he dribbles pass him with a feint from the books, and aims at the goalkeepers left side! He strikes and!!!- His little voice disappeared, looking at the football, that was flying pass the two trees aligned perfectly to represent a goal door, - GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL! - He yelled seeing as he scored. He continued to commentate on his imaginary play, as he made one voice for one of the commentators and another one for the other one. As he walked to the spot where he thought the football had landed, he was left amazed to see the ball way further in the forest, reaching even to the spot where the bridge began. What was kind of bad, was that it had stuck a stone, overgrown from the water flow under said bridge. If there really was a current like before, it would have floated above the waves and little Johnny could’ve gotten it…but now, he could only stare at what was left of the flat ball, hanging deadly on the edge of the stone on which it had stabbed itself. To be correct, he was the one responsible for it popping...if he hadn’t kicked it that hard, it wouldn’t fly way up here…and he wouldn’t have to pass through the line he was forbidden to cross. Yet, he did. And he was somewhat amazed at himself for doing it, and not because of sheer spite for his mother, but because of his old football. -Well…it seems Johnny Lightning won’t be playing in the next season of the league, but will be making an appearance sometime later in the next one…- he said in his commentator’s voice and giggled. It wasn’t that big of a deal to begin with. Well, it was a really cool old ball, but he would ask his father to buy him a new one. It wasn’t a big fortune. Yeah...they would understand! Johnny left the ball there and started walking towards the little route leading to the villa, when something took him out of his thoughts. -Woof! – barked something from somewhere. The little guy was startled at first, but then made out the source of the noise and its producer. Right on other side of the bridge, where the road to the second unknown villa begun, stood a golden retriever. His tail was happily waving as his front paws were fully extended up, making it look as if he was guarding the bridge. The toddler on the other hand wanted to go and either pet him or get close to him, breaking the rule of his parents for the second time for today. Hey now, it didn’t hurt no one, and he wasn’t going to go there…he only wanted to see the dog…nothing more. As he got closer to it though…he felt this immense pressure in the air around him. As if, it was getting harder to breathe. That didn’t stop him, as he stopped only three steps away from it. Johnny smiled at it, yet, it seemed…off. At first when he saw it from afar, it looked normal, but being close to it…it was, so really odd. His overall shape of his nuzzle was kind of to the left, as if someone had punched it hard and dislocated its jaw. However, there wasn’t visible damage to it, apart from the…large spreading hole in its chest. Johnny didn’t saw that before…or he just missed it…though it was somewhat impossible to miss something so…awful. -Woo…ul…f..f... – barked the retriever and looked at the little child’s confused eyes. That bark was hundreds of times different from the one he used to call him on the bridge. Though, it revealed something more…The dog didn’t even open its mouth when it produced the noise. Johnny stared at the yellow-ish eyes that were staring at him…and felt nothing but fear out of a sudden. As if, all of this was wrong. This dog was wrong…there was something really wrong with it. -Are…are you okay boy? – asked the child and waited for it to respond in a way. What followed was way more the boy could handle without freaking out. At first, the dog remained silent and didn’t appear to even listen to him, but then, out of a sudden, it slowly nodded its head in response to his question. That was freaky. In fact, it was too freaky. But that wasn’t it…oh no. As if on cue, the dog moved its left front paw, revealing a yellow tennis ball. It pushed it sideways, and it rolled a couple of meters to the right. Then, to make the boy chase it…it tried to imitate the last bark, but sounded way twisted and growl-y. -Worrrggr…. r. r…. ooolf…. – cried the dog and locked his gaze on the little boy’s face. His eyes looked too real…way too real. The irises weren’t yellow anymore, but milky white and somehow blinded…while the pupils remained rounded and nearly faded to a black dot in the overall eye. The scleras, perhaps the biggest of change, were now…pink-ish and veiny. Seeing as the boy was getting frightened by the second, the dog smiled…His mouth opened revealing human like teeth, yellow and crooked, with ones filled with black-ish carieses that had split them wide open and covered them with putrid blood. Pus, murky and still liquid fell out of its mouth. The stench that came out of that smile was enough for the boy to fully enter the fear zone…but…the fact it actually did it was enough. How could a dog smile like that…like a human…Not even that…it looked sinister! Twisted…demonic…And to be honest, Johnny being six was the driving point in this, because in his little consciousness, that image of the dog smiling was going to get framed and never forgotten as much as he would try in the future. Now, on the other hand, he could only scream...turn away, and run towards his house. He didn’t want to turn back and see if it was chasing him. He could only remember the smile. As he ran, he tripped on an overgrown root, on the same one as before, tripped and fell flat on his face. It stung for a moment, feeling his bruised nose and knees. What made him get up though, was the following growl that came from the direction of the bridge. The dog wasn’t even trying to imitate the bark a normal dog would do. No. It straight up screamed as if a siren combined with a static wave from a TV had sang together in brutal symphony of broken decibels capable of destroying someone’s ear drums. Johnny covered his ears, and now crying from the pain of both nose and knees, ran as much as he was able due to the injuries of the fall. He didn’t look back, nor wanted to. Only ran, and ran, until he finally reached the house, entered it and hid in his room for three hours, until he fell asleep out of fear. That same night, after his mother had promised him probably a thousand times that monsters aren’t real, and that there aren’t in the woods, he finally calmed down and turned to the side of the wall, and closed his eyes for a good night’s sleep. He could feel the slight tapping coming from the window from the rain that was pouring down the whole state. It was making him relax, so it was okay. The tapping didn’t stop all night, and at one point, it even started roaring with thunders and shining with lightning’s. Johnny didn’t mind that either because it illuminated the whole room, making it look like it was day, while it was dark. And you know what they say, the day always beats the nightmares of the night. Or so the little boy wished it to be. However, it was okay, he didn’t have to worry about things right now…in his sleep, where he was always safe and sound. Finally, Johnny turned to his other side, the one where he could see the window, just in time for the lightning in the sky to illuminate the smiling figure of a dog, staring at the poor and defenseless boy, who wished he never, ever, crossed the bridge to the other side. [Shadows of The Lake] Re-worked. As the car went past the signpost on the right side of the road, I instantly felt the guilt of being the one responsible for the disappearance of my little sister, Jullie. Of course, it wasn’t right to blame everything on me, because my father was there when she vanished. My mother was as well, but no one seems to know where she went, or if there was someone who took her that night. All I know, is that once we all woke up that day, Jullie was nowhere to be found, with no clues to leading where she was had gone. The police found no sign of break in, no visible clues in the entire premises, and eventually called out the case and closed it entirely just last year. Two years have passed, and…I cannot seem to think about anything else. All those signposts didn’t change it either. Those necrologies taped on them, showing all the kids, all the people that had gone missing since the last twenty years, reminded me of her. How no one knew what to do…No one knew where all these people went. Everyone searched the woods, the neighborhoods, the other cities as well…but there didn’t seem to be a single lead for us to hang on. Which was why I was looking at those obituaries and looked at the missing folk that had vanished so suddenly, until a voice brought me from my thoughts. -What are you thinking about? - asked my father, finishing his cigarette. Since then, he and mom have been trying to establish a link with me, talking all the time, just keeping in touch, and to be honest, as much as I pretended to not care, I needed that kind of interest out of them. -School stuff...i don’t even want to start thinking how many books I have to start reading at the start of the break…- I replied, looking at the road which was about to split in two ways. The one we were turning left on, was leading towards a small lake, at which we were planning to camp out for the night and try to fish. -I know you won’t have any problems with them books now, will ya? - He chuckled and steered to the left. The Jeep, smoothly took the off-road way and started descending down the rocky way, until we reached a parking spot that we figured was gonna protect the car from the sun. The meadow that we stopped at, was filled with freshly blossomed violets, which painted the air with their soft, yet pungent aroma caused by the rain that had poured the previous night. It was somewhat hot here, due to the vapor from the weather itself. One day it was raining the other it was sunny…no wonder we were catching colds left and right. Either way though, my father started unloading the tent we were gonna sleep in, while I began to take our fishing rods, the small bucket with baits and the lunch boxes mom made us for the small trip. I thought it was redundant since we were going to catch fish anyway, but she made them besides that. After everything was cleared out of the trunk, we started working our way of setting up the tent. -So, you have one more year of high-school, have you thought about what you wish to pursue after that? – asked dad, as he was hammering the rods in the ground. I didn’t answer for a while, thinking I had to align the rods with the corresponding holes, but his gaze rather made me answer it for him. -To be honest, I don’t really know…maybe I want to try law, who knows? Our class teacher told us that next year they will give us a pamphlet with all the things that we can pick to study after high school. – I replied, not really wanting to talk about that just yet. He nodded and helped me raise the tent and then we both staked it to the ground so tight that it nearly ripped. -Well, since you have something in mind, I won’t trouble you with school stuff now, so why don’t we set up the fishing spots and lay on the chairs for a bit? – He proposed and waited for me to take the bending chairs from the back seats of the truck. When we finally sat on them, the rods were slowly shaking in the waters, with worm baits, attached to the hook, and with father, snoring on his chair, with his hat, titled to cover his eyes from the sun. I had placed my chair so that I could hide under a tree, which was a couple of meter to the left of him, and stared at the waters. They reminded me of things, memories, stored away in places of my mind where I would go, whenever i was feeling nostalgic. Now was that moment. The lake itself was a memory, a family one. Each summer we would visit here, and camp out, just like now…but then, it felt different. Mom was here, Jullie was here…we were all here and we were having fun, away from the neighborhood, which was a couple of miles away from us. We would make campfires and stay almost the whole nights, burning marshmallows and telling each other ghost stories. Dad would always make the perfect ones. My mind instantly started retelling one fragment, which was kept until this day, as it was one of the best nights ever. We had caught a couple of basses, and had made the perfect dinner. Jullie was six, and I was sixteen, and we were the best of friends. She was gripping my hand, and roasting her marshmallow, as we were all listening to father who was talking in his theater voice. - “And so, you wish to hear a spooky tale now? Well…I shall deliver you one that will keep you awake all night! This story is true…untainted to this day. Told to me by father, who learned it from his, and so on. It is a story that doesn’t know its years, but it is haunting…scary and nerve wrecking…SO PREPARE! – he raised his voice for more suspense and continued. When all the people in our town fall asleep. When all the sounds stop making their little noises. When the moon, illuminates the whole area completely, and when all animals stay quiet, they appear. The shadow people. From the shadow lake. This lake, that is right here. They ascend from the deepest pits and walk, as if normal human…but made out of things, we cannot even begin to understand, nor accept. These shadow people, they march, slowly, towards our small town, and collect those things we hold deep to our hearts. Some take money, some take gold. However, the most common thing for them is to take someone of our own. A child or a mother. Perhaps a father could do the trick, as they won’t leave if they haven’t taken even a single thing. And if someone sees them, they take them away as well. But keep in mind, for them to appear, all the sounds must disappear. Each human must be asleep. And all the lights, withered for them to creep. The only way for a family to stay kept and never to be bothered, as they take what they find deep, is to maintain a perfect harmony in life, and never fight for the smallest thing. Would the shadow detect that this house is filled with negative mindsets, it will take all that it finds dear, and leave the same way it had crept. And if you somehow manage to see one of them…do not stare them in the face. As their eyes will represent nothing but hate…hate for the living and rage for the awake. For they are asleep. And their eyes shall open, once you begin to scream. And as they do, you will never even see…How the darkness enters your system…and you become a shadow that will also never sleep. And once they have pillaged the small town, they head back to the lake; which they enter, all the way to the sleeping depths underneath…only to rise after a year from then.” That story was always embedded in my brain, as I remembered how my sister vanished without leaving a single trace. Of course, this story was a fictional one, created by my father that was trying to scare me and my sister back then…though, as much as I try to keep my mind out of it, it still redirects it to it. Trying to show me something, I can’t un-see. All those similarities with the vanishing and never appearing again. All those children and folk, which somehow disappear each year suddenly, make perfect sense, when I think about the tale. What freaks me out even more, is that…it has been happening for many years now, about twenty…and nobody has ever managed to find out whatever happened to their loved ones. Not a single soul. It was somewhat strange if you think about it. How does someone just vanish? Go somewhere where you can’t seem to find him? I don’t know…but I somehow think that there is an answer for it…as much as I try not to think about it, it always pops up in my head like an add. What if…just…what if…this fictional, made up story from my father…is actually…real? What happens then? Is there a way to stop all those creatures…shadows, as he said, from pillaging our belongings and loved ones? My body shivers just by the thought of them being real, but it is something to think about when you don’t have anything left to think about. And right now…as I was staring in the lake that was peacefully reflecting the sun…I saw how my rod began to twitch. … A couple of hours later. I can’t begin to describe how lucky I got, in terms of catching fish that is. Not only did I manage to catch a bass big enough to be a sea lion, but also my father helped me catch another one. We didn’t have a scale to weight them, but he managed to do so on eye, and figured they might be at least six pounds or more. The second one wasn’t that big so we didn’t really think that much about it, in fact, he insisted of grilling it on the fire we had made for the night. It was nice to say the least. We had a great time, just me and dad, chilling and watching the current slowly move around the big pound in which the water resided. I didn’t regret agreeing to going here…well, not for now at least. Everything seemed fine; we had a couple of beers, I, only two, because I didn’t like beer that much, but wanted to keep dad company. We joked about finally beginning the renovations in the house we were going to do for one year now, and figured it would be best to do all the things we planned to do during the summer break, since I was free and had more time to do stuff. He agreed and later on in the evening, at around eleven, we went to bed in the tent that was big enough to fit another person inside. When my body laid on the ground, I instantly became tired from all the previous school stuff I had to manage, and all the energy thrown to catch those basses. Though, I did not fall asleep that fast, unlike dad, who was asleep even before hitting the pillow. I resumed to stare at the fabric of the tent, and listen to father’s vicious snore, capable of waking up the sleepiest animal in the forest. I don’t know, maybe that dragged me into the realm of dreams, or perhaps it was naturally, who knows, the point is…I started dreaming…and to be honest, I didn’t feel asleep, until I started seeing random flashes of stuff that had happened, or things that were completely fabricated by my mind. At first, I was at the doctor’s office, trying to get a note to justify my reason to skip school for one day, the next moment I was at home and was helping mom with the renovations by moving boxes filled with junk we had kept for years without actually using. Even in the dream, I felt the heavy masses of stuff, trying to pull me down, but I remained hesitant and stood my ground, not dropping a single box. Then, all of a sudden I was back here…in this particular meadow, at this exact same lake, or at least at the spot where it stood, the water I mean. Now, as I looked around tiredly I couldn’t see a single tree in the radios of five miles, but I could sort of make out where the pound for the lake was supposed to be. And right now, the only thing I could make out was the kneeing image of a…dark figure, weeping and strangely moving her body in agony. Her voice was the thing I mistook for the wind, since it began to howl strongly and crack at certain points. There were a couple of words in the midst of the whole theatrical spectacle. -Why! Oh…WHY! MY BOY IS GONE! – She whined and continued throwing a fit at something I couldn’t see. What made this particular thing somewhat interesting was the fact that her completely entire body was completely black. And I don’t mean the skin…it was somehow, unworldly dark and in a way ghostly. I didn’t say a thing, but continued to stare at her cry, without the single thought of going there to here and ask what was going on. -WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM?! DID HE DO SOMETHING WRONG, DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?! OH MY BOY!... – she rose her arms and extended them towards the sky and began threatening someone. Probably it was god or something similar to him, at least I assumed, but didn’t have the intention of finding out. Like the last time, I thought that my closing my eyes within the dream I would teleport to some other place, but that didn’t seem the case, because as I did, I still heard her weeps and cries. Kind of annoyed, it was meant to be one of those dreams where I had to follow the story until something broke it up. Which was why I decided to go and confront the lady who was pouring her eyes out. Without scaring her, I approached and kneed to the muddy ground to try to see her face better. Just like before though, it remained untainted by the immersive darkness that was covering her whole body. It felt as if I was staring into a living fog, but made of something similar to flesh. -Excuse me…- I stuttered trying to bring her attention to me. She completely stopped sobbing and looked at me, or I think she did, as the thing that was supposed to be her head rose up and saw me. Just then, I managed to see something like eyes, barely even visible by the cloak of darkness that was covering up her body. -Are you my boy? – Her voice was shaking, yet remained firm and suddenly filled with hope. -No…I was wondering what were you doing here…- I asked and pointed at the ground. Just then, her face became clearer, yet, disfigured as well. It was like talking with something through a thick black veil. Her lips were blacker than anything I could think of, and her skin, dark-grey, or at least that’s what I could make out of this curtain of black. -My…my…boy, he is dead…I couldn’t save him…and…look at him…he is gone…oh god he is GONE! – She rose something that I could identify as mud, gathered and somehow made to look like a baby. -I am really sorry; how did it happen? – I asked and looked at her grey-ish face, and tried to seek her eyes. The only thing that resembled them, were the white orbs, faintly showing themselves. -Well…he was sick…I don’t know what was wrong with him…but…he…um…he coughed, yes, he coughed and didn’t stop. So I thought I should give him water…and that’s when I made him drink…but he didn’t stop, and I didn’t know what to do, so I made him drink some more, but he still didn’t stop to cough. And still I didn’t know what I could do…so…I made him drink and drink and…and then he was gone…. OH MY GOD HE WAS GONE! – She explained quickly and fell into a sob once again. I didn’t know what to say, but think that she was an awful mother to single-handedly drowning her baby like that. I didn’t say it, but I could feel her sensing I wasn’t really fine with all this. -You don’t think I am at fault do you? I just didn’t know what to do! – She replied to my worries, as if she already knew what I was gonna say., - Don’t try to deny it! – She stopped me right as I was about to say it; - Don’t dare to say you don’t think I am a bad mother! I TRIED MY BEST TO HELP HIM, AND YOU STAND THERE, JUDGING ME, TELLING ME I AM THE WORST! – She yelled, and pointed her dark hand at me. -No, no of course not, calm down, I wasn’t gonna say that… - I tried reasoning but she didn’t bother to listen. -All the men are the same! They see a single mother, trying to look after her baby boy, and they tell her she is bad at it, that she should give it to an orphanage or to a family that could actually care for him…BUT THEY ARE WRONG! ALL ARE WRONG! I CAN LOOK AFTER HIM MYSELF WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM…SEE! – She swung the mud that was supposed to be her baby… -I didn’t say anything about you being a bad mother…I just think…that the decisions you have made…are wrong…- i defended myself, as silly as I felt, because this sort of woman I didn’t know was going ballistic over something I didn’t know about. -Oh…but you thought about it…you don’t strike me as a bad person…but think negatively…which is why you suffered! – she said and made something like a grin. -What do you mean…suffered? I haven’t suffered… - I disagreed, thinking back to a time I have been in pain or something. -Oh, you didn’t suffer physically, but mentally! It’s a shame you don’t even remember when you lost your little sister…all because you felt the need to be the edgy teen you were trying to be…all because you wanted to act tough in front of your parents, but soft with your little sister. Yes…that is why you lost her…because the shadows, go for the family that is happy and doesn’t fight...and your family fought, because you wanted to be…different! – she said all this, in a tone that made my hairs rise up. How did she even know about any of this was above my knowledge, but the fact she knew about the shadows, and the tale, made me even more curiously-disturbed as I was. -How do you know about Jullie? Where is she! Did you take her? – I asked, not caring about her words of me being bad. She produced something that sounded as a giggle, then made a gesture, with her hands, as if she was making something rise…something invisible. Just then, as I was kneeing, my feet got wet, and then my knees, as the water rose as if It was kept for a very long time and was being unleashed with a force strong enough to push back everything in its way. The pound I was standing at, started filling up quickly. My feet started sinking, which was the first cue to get the hell out of there. Just as I turned around to face the surface, I felt that I was about to fall. Something was gripping my feet and was pulling me back. Having my other leg firmly stuck to the muddy ground, I used the momentum to slip out of the grip and swim back to the meadow, just to see the shadows coming from the lake. -Oh dear little boy…Jullie is fine with us…and soon you will be reunited…you and your sister will join my family, and become my kids…forever! – She pointed at me…and everything ended. My entire body shook and I rose from the ground. Looking around, all sweaty, I felt the silence around the tent. Father was sleeping without snoring, which was a first…and I…breathed deeply…but couldn’t hear my own breathing. As if all the noise was…somehow silenced. My mind instantly went to the dream, and my body tensed with fear. If that was real…then…the stories about the shadows were also real…I looked up to see if the moon was shining above our tent, and managed to see if from the fabric…glowing and shining. That was the only source of light, illuminating the area, and it didn’t feel right. No sound, not even the wild animals, the insects, nothing was making a single sound. Only me…awake…trying to figure out what was happening. Just then, they started showing up. Rising up from the waters, their figures covered the tent, looming it with the shadows…of the shadows. Dark figured…with no faces…nothing. A foggy fabric of black skin…walking towards…me. My body was paralyzed and couldn’t move…but if it could, I couldn’t do it from the sheer intense dread that had taken over me. Seeing the dozens of figures emerging from the pound. Seeing as they marched silently…some passing by and walking towards god knows where…and some…stopping right in front of the tent. Then, the zipper started unzipping the door of it. As it went fully down, I could see a smaller shadow…a figure, barely reaching the middle of the tent. Its hands were quite smaller than the rest of the shadows…yet, remained as creepy as the others. -Time to go… - I heard a familiar voice in my head. Looking behind the smaller shadow, I saw the head of the very same woman, at least her figure, poking her head just above the water. As on command the rest of the bigger shadows, grabbed my legs and pulled me out swiftly, lifting me in the air in the process. I tried to fight back, but they grabbed my hands as well, leaving incapable of doing anything. It was just as dad said it was. Silent, leaving no trace…dark and scary. I could see the grin of the woman from the lake, and felt a big portion of fear, overwhelming me. I didn’t want to be a shadow…I didn’t want to die…And then, as i was being carried to my demise, I felt the touch of a smaller hand, touching my cheek. I remembered the smaller shadow at the tent, and twisted my head so I could see, who was the one touching me. It was her. The one I was seeking, the one I loved the most. Her smile was engraved on her face, as her eyes, more alive than the others, stared at me, telling me it was all going to be all right, without even moving her lips. Hearing it by her, I felt I didn’t need to fight back, I could feel that this was meant to be, seeing as I really was the one responsible for her death. I was the one, that needed to suffer, not her, but at least now…we were gonna be together. I looked at the woman for one last time, and felt my body entering the lake, with the shadows, gripping me tightly. She nodded to me, and I closed my eyes, trying to remember if there was something I had left behind unfinished. Even if I had, there was no way I could go back and do it, because I was going to become a nothing. A dead, creature…living thorough the connection of the woman, who had suffered, and was now the mother of the suffering…taking all who were negative and bad, and raising them as her children. Feeling the water enter my lungs, and my soul, aligning with the darkness…I felt nothing, as I was becoming one of them. Only the hand, still touching my cheek brought me something similar to happiness…and that was sweet little Jullie. If not for her, I was doing it for me. Dying, so I could redeem myself, and be the big brother I was supposed to be. I smiled, and closed my eyes…feeling the cold entering inside. The Shadows of the Lake, were my new family from today…and until the end of time. [Enter the Game] Re-worked. I don’t know why it was there, but it was. Not to brag, but it was there. Ever since we arrived at the place, as we had moved away from town in this old and dusty house, pretty much all the left out junk from the previous owner was still here. Apparently, he lived in this big cottage twenty years ago. About “it”, by the way, I was referring to the old computer at the attic, stored in the far right corner on top of a wooden desk, apposite to the bed on the left. Who knew that even then, people had computers to work with? It wasn’t something fancy in any ways. It was an old Hewlett Packard or HP for short, which didn’t have quite the power nowadays PC’s do. Evidently though, that was the first thing I saw when I entered my new room, which was going to be the attic for some apparent reason. Old or not, I was going to use it, since…well I really didn’t have any other option, until our stuff arrived. Pushing the start button on the case of the machine I waited for the iconic “American Megatrends” logo to appear, for all the components to be listed and finally for the OS to boot. It ran with an old version of Windows XP Professional, and it had the power to probably write docs, mainly office work, not for gaming in the slightest. However, being me in my thirteens at the time, I really enjoyed playing games, and wanted to see if this thing could run something. That would be hard, considering the huge one gig of RAM it possessed, combined with the Intel Pentium 4, which carried the “massive” 1.30GHz wasn’t that much. That was all shown during the listing of the components bit, and I waited for the XP logo to stop shimmering and finally let me test out the speed of the darn thing. Leaning on the already uncomfortable chair I saw how the greeting “Welcome” appear behind a light-blue background, with the cheerful, ~TUN TUN TUN, TUN TUN~ melody following along. I noted in my head to ask my father for a more comfy chair later, and placed my right hand on the kind of yellow looking mouse that still had a ball on its bottom. It was called “trackball” not sure about that, but it moved slower than my dog when he has taken pain pills. My dad told me that they had to clean those balls at his age, which to me, sounded quite strange, but seeing it move so retarded-ly, I get why. Now, as the OS was running, the green field with the strictly mowed grass, overshined by the blue sky appeared on the 15-inch screen that the monitor had and then flashed for a second to show five icons on the desktop. They were aligned on a vertical line, from the top to bottom, Computer, Control Panel, User Files, Networks and Recycle Bin. Not a single thing more, or less. “Could there be any games?” – I thought looking through the generic card ones that were preinstalled with the OS. There weren’t. Bummer. -Hey chief! Mind lending a hand?! – Resounded the voice of my father from somewhere down the house. Well I didn’t mind, but I wanted to see for sure that there weren’t any sort of missing links to a game, maybe something like “Super Mario Bros.” or something like a ported “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” but sadly, there wasn’t a single trace of a game. Clicking on the “x”, I closed all the opened tabs and returned to the desktop. Rotating the cursor on the screen like a maniac I was about to give up when I noticed something. The Recycle Bin was filled with something. I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier when I was looking at the starting icons…maybe because I wasn’t focused enough on it to actually see there was something deleted twenty years ago. -Uh….yea dad, just give me a minute and I’m there! – I finally responded to my father’s second yell. First, though, I had to check out what was left in the bin. Double clicking it, it opened another tab that showed a black icon, titled “Game for Fun”. -Halleluiah! - I exclaimed in joy. There was finally something to see out of this old thing. Without wasting my minute, which was now probably thirty seconds, I double clicked the black icon, it transferred it back to the desktop, and when I launched it again, another window popped up and went into full screen. For the second I wanted a black background and a menu appeared. On top of it was a message. “Welcome back, Player 1” with purple letters. The menu started with.
-What the? – I verbally asked. There was no explanation to that mechanic, but that wasn’t all. As the stickman disappeared, a rotating title appeared that flashed in bright red. It said, “ENTER THE GAME”. Weren’t I in the game already though? I clicked on the other option, which was “Star Over”, and attempted the same thing, but once again the thing repeated and the stickman died. Getting a bit over it, I was about to start once again when our family dog Jolly, entered the room by climbing up the stairs. She was a female Husky, which had purely white fur and intellect as smart as a human did. -Hey there girl?! Whatchu’ doin’ here?! – I asked her, while looking at her perfectly crystal blue eyes and caressing her soft fur. She woof-ed at me and tried to come and lick my face. I let her for a bit and I remembered that I had to go help dad. Leaving the room and climbing down the ladder that led into it, I ran downstairs, leaving Jolly to stay there and wait for my return. Getting there, I remembered that there was so many things, yet to be done. There were still tons of boxes from the move, and we had to separate it into the corresponding rooms. Box 1 was filled with dishes, pans, skillets and different kind of kitchen appliances that were logically going in the kitchen and so on. As we moved dad asked me if I liked the room. -Well, it is a bit dirty, but I think I can manage to turn it into something cozy – I replied lifting up box 2, which was to be headed to the living room. , - Oh, and that old PC is somewhat rare to see, it’s quite the antique- I added. My father had this odd look at me, which seemed a bit worried. -What’s up? – I asked him, seeing his strange concern. He didn’t seem to want to answer, but seeing, as I wasn’t going to ignore that, he did. -Well, ever since we got here, I was meaning to call the land-lord and ask him if the remaining furniture is part of the house, because we agreed on an empty one and clearly, as you see…this one isn’t empty at all. I was a bit taken back by that…what did he mean by that? Wasn’t it mean to be stored with the furniture? If not…then whose stuff were these? Asking him the same he shrugged his shoulders right as a barrage of barking followed. We looked at each other and dropped the boxes. We could recognize the tone of the barking and this was straight up murder bark. And, to be honest, Jolly wasn’t the type to bark that way, not without someone forcing her to do. Mom was in the car, still filling the bags with items, and we were the only two outside. Which meant, there was someone trying to hurt her on the inside! Rushing up the stairs and then the small ladder, we hopped on the attic, but dad placed his hand before me to stop me. -Wait! – He order and I stopped climbing the ladder. I could hear her though…she was growling at something I couldn’t see. -What is it? What’s going on? – I whispered by he didn’t reply. I pushed my head upwards so I could try to see, but I was able to only manage a glance of Jolly as she was slowly laying on her fours. The growls were now minimized to whimpers as she was crying. Dad finally entered the room, letting me in too. At first, everything seemed fine, until I saw the broken monitor of the PC. Dad walked slowly to her and started caressing her ears while I inspected the computer. It was still running somehow, even as the main cable was unplugged. How did the monitor break, was beyond me though. I mean, sometimes the PC’s work for a few seconds after they are shut down, but explaining why the screen was shattered was the hard part. Not to mention, the red stains on the broken glass. Even if Jolly was to break it, I don’t know how did she unplug the power cable, without electrocuting herself when she bites it. This whole charade was a bit shady, and trying to comprehend what was causing this thing, was probably pointless, because it wasn’t meant for us to understand. Dad’s phone then rang and he swiftly picked up, as he moved away from Jolly. I kneed right next her and started doing the same as Dad. I could overhear the caller’s words, which rather worried me. -“Jack, I don’t know where you are, but you’ve entered the wrong house. The one I am at is probably 5 miles along the street. The one you are at is no longer occupied but is not listed for sale, so I suggest you leave it! “– he said, sounding a bit stressed. Dad told him to wait there and hang up. -Get your stuff again and let’s get out of here, we’ve mistaken the house. Following his order, I tried to get up with Jolly, but for the passing time I was listening to the caller, I didn’t feel her there anymore. At first, I thought she was calm, but as I looked to her, she wasn’t breathing anymore. Looking at my hand that was still caressing her, I found it was covered in blood. -Dad?! – I said, not knowing what to do. Hearing my increasing fear he kneed next to me and started examining the dog, which didn’t show any signs of life anymore, despite it being alive a mere second ago. -Oh my god…- I could hear him murmur under his breath. Tears were starting to fill my eyes, as he was trying to find something to say. There was nothing to be said…she was gone, our Jolly. Dad stopped caressing her, and then as he lifted his hand I saw something that made me curl up. Beneath her ear, where a patch of fur used to be, was now something red-ish a writing, with a bit of glass still sticking up from it…. Dad saw it too, but I was too shaken to pronounce it. As I remember this, ten years from now, I still get a strange feeling of dread over my shoulders. As a dead memory I had forced it into a dimension of my mind that I didn’t want to open ever again, it was now clearer than before. Powered by the catalyst, which was I? Looking from the window and seeing the very same looking dog, I was reminded of her…of our Jolly…of this story I am writing at this moment. I was yet again brought back to that old past of events I tried to forget ever happening. Yet, even if my mind had someway suppressed it, and configured it into a strange déjà vu, I didn’t try to hide it in a corner of my mind. Even if my old self, stopped playing with computers and games, my older self, wanted to regain that story, share it will people, and forget it all over again. I don’t know who did it. Was it something beyond this world? Something that came out of this Computer? I do not know, but I will be haunted by that memory for the rest of my life, without a way to stop it, even if I placed it somewhere in the darkest part where I don’t wanna seek. Because that scarring writing, carved into Jolly’s skin, was the following, “She entered the game. She entered the Game. SHE ENTERED THE GAME”. [Seven-Day Sinner] Re-worked. My story is long, but I shall start from the point where it was supposed to end. My name is Edmund Slype. I am not a bad man at heart…maybe not a bad man at all, but in the fortunate events of my life, I was forced, pushed, to become one. I am writing this story, knowing I am about to get out of prison next week, and thinking that I’ve been a good person for the last fifteen years. Well I am not…or perhaps I’ve set my mindset in not being one. Nevertheless, let me first start of from the beginning of this gruesome tale of vengeance. From fifteen years ago. I was merely twenty years then, probably at the rock bottom of my life, well, until prison. I was looking for food in my non-adequate state behind a McDonalds. The trash bins resounded with a smell that was colossal to my nostrils, yet gave me a hunger that I couldn’t just leave aside. I hadn’t eaten in probably a full day, and was nearly hallucinating at this point. The drugs I was using didn’t help as well. Let’s say that my entire body felt like jelly, and trying to move wasn’t ideal, but for me to get better, finding food was the move, even if I couldn’t. Therefore, for about half an hour I was throwing around the black bags with leftovers and whatnot. I did find some cold fries, which in hindsight I couldn’t really distinguish between the normal ones or those, because I was too fucked up to even understand those were actually potatoes. I munched on whatever I found there and finally satisfied with the junk that was in me I fell by the bin and leaned on its metal frame so I can chill for a bit until I found something different to entertain my drugged state of numb idiocy. Just then, if I had decided to move on and try to walk towards some other place, I could’ve avoided the mess that happened. Just like If I hadn’t accepted to take a loan so I can buy heroin I would’ve still be in college, and still have friends and parents to relay on, and so on, but that’s a different case. I didn’t move, I just watched as a black car, 4x4, entered the backside of the fast food and stopped right next to the trash bins, in a way where the people couldn’t see me from the shadows. Two men then left the still running vehicle. -Take her out of the trunk and throw her by the bins so that the workers find her in the morning- said the voice of the first men that was wearing a hat. It was raspy, as if he had started smoking in his mother’s womb. The second man didn’t say anything. He hurried and opened the trunk; singlehandedly lifted a body of a woman, and with a few steps towards the bin, dropped the body like a nasty diaper. The carcass fell in a way where her face was exposed towards mine. She was merely a girl, maybe around sixteen. Her scared from scratches face was probably really pretty, but those men had probably killed her or something. Looking at the torn rags she was covered with, she might have been raped as well. Just then, I think I sobered up a bit, but still didn’t have the power to move normally. -Call 991, and report this…- said the man with the hat. That was strange; I thought they were going to wait for the morning. I looked at him and just then, I saw his eyes, glaring at me with a smirk that I could only describe as evil. I lifted my hands to try to explain and tell them that I wasn’t going to tell anything, that I was just going to go, but the words I muttered were probably undecipherable to them and sounded like baby talk. -C’mon, let’s leave as soon as possible…- once again ordered the boss. Both men entered the car, and as the one that was obeying the orders entered, I heard him call the number. I was a goddamn goner. I tried to move but my legs failed me. If I waited for a bit longer, I was sure as hell going to be framed for this. Along with the drugs in my blood, I was 100% dead. Surely, I heard the sirens after minutes of hard labor in struggling to get up. The police car harshly entered the area and quickly parked right next to the bins in a way where the headlights illuminate the body…and me. One dark-skinned male officer and a white female one exited the car, pointing guns at me. -You have the right to remain silent, if you move, I will shoot! – exclaimed the male one and took a step towards me. Waving my hands in a gesture that I can describe as “unfortunate turn of events” or “it was a mistake”, I tried speaking, but the gibberish that came out didn’t really convince anyone that I was innocent. -Looks like we have a drug accident? – asked the woman officer, kneeing towards the body, yet glaring at me like a puma. -Doubt it, she was killed…look at the dark spots around the neck – pointed the male, and got even closer to me. I tried explaining myself again, yet the man wasn’t having it. He yelled for me to lay on my face and place my hands behind my back. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice. The drugs were going to move on in probably two hours and until then; I would be probably in jail. The cop handcuffed my hands and kneed towards the corpse of the girl. They inspected it as much and then called for an ambulance and the inspecting team. I was constantly trying to explain the situation but the cops weren’t even listening to the words because the thing that came out didn’t even register as a sound. In the end, they muffled my speech with a handkerchief and continued their process. After twelve minutes, all the teams were on the spot and were doing their jobs, and I was laying there like a duck that couldn’t quack. I watched as the paramedics inspected the clues and the damages on the girl, then as the ambulance workers lifted her body with the stretcher, and pulled her inside. The officers finally lifted me and pushed me harshly in the backseat after the teams were finished. My life couldn’t have taken to the worst then. Two weeks later. I was going to get a trial on the case of Leonora Joseph Parker. She was allegedly: raped, drugged, choked and murdered by the hands of…me, I guess. With no attorney, I didn’t have a really legal and justified defense. I was just placed in front of a crowd to be sentenced for a crime I didn’t commit. -So, by your testimony you claim you were on drugs when you entered the fast food chain, and saw a black vehicle join you by the place, two men exit the car, one wearing a fedora hat, and leave the body of the girl, while you were sitting by the bins and were…contemplating where to go next? – asked the judge, looking at me the same way I look at worms…disgustedly. I confirmed his statement, and just felt the judgment around the courtroom escalate to a high temperature of guilt that I shouldn’t have felt because I knew I wasn’t guilty. Hearing the cries of the mother, sitting by the table next to me didn’t exactly help. Neither did the deadly glare of the father. It only made my anxiety of the situation worse. I was alone versus the whole building. No parents, no defense, no nothing. They only had my word for it, and that was about it. -Well, in that case I have to tell you young man that you are in a precarious state. Your testimony doesn’t really add up to anything…the laboratory confirmed that the bruises around the neck of the poor girl match up with your prints, which doesn’t really look that good, now does it? I am willing to work on something here, but if you are insisting on your version of the story and not confess about your crime. I have no other choice but to serve my final word.… - said the old man in a sigh. What was he expecting of me? To accept that I’ve done something that I haven’t? That would be beyond stupid. However, my state didn’t even allow me to do anything at this point because the evidence of my past endeavors didn’t really help me. I was certain there was something fishy around here…actually, not even that stinky; it was plain bullshit from the start. I hadn’t touched the girl with my finger, let alone choke her to death. It was a complete and utter frame if you ask me, yet… my powerless state of defenselessness was…well overwhelmingly low. When I was truly innocent at the moment, I didn’t have back-up, which was really…really harsh. If my parents were here, they could’ve hired a lawyer and maybe then I would have a solid basis, in oppose to now where I only had myself to defend me. Moreover, seeing, as I was a drug addict at that point, I wasn’t taken seriously due to the fact I was more of a trash than the bins filed with them. I hopelessly looked around…to no avail. All the side jury were voting for my guilt…and honestly, that felt really heavy on me…to the point I nearly convinced myself that I was the villain here. “That was it”, I was about to be sentenced in jail until the end of my life. -Edmund Slype, you leave me no choice. You are sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in the state penitentiary “Saint Marry”. – echoed the voice of the judge as he smashed the hammer on the wooden pad. I couldn’t do anything. Just saw the guards help me get up and escort me to the car that was going to lead me to the penitentiary. Moving was now systematic, I was doing in on instinct and wasn’t thinking about it. It was mainly a process I did because I had to, but was mainly thinking about the rest of my life, knowing I was going to probably end up dead in that prison. Just then, in front of me, I watched the people leave the court. One man seemed familiar…a bit higher than the rest…wearing a fedora. My body then kicked in overdrive. I started running yet failed flat due to the chains of the cuffs. The guards started railing me with shots using their bats, while I watched and yelled at that man, who didn’t even look back. Fifteen Years Later. Looking at the mirror, I am minutes from leaving this place. I can barely recognize my eyes…because the flame hiding behind the blue frame was brighter than the color it originally had. The strife to gain my revenge on that man…to serve him the same plate as mine, to gruesomely end his life…the way he did it to me, was merely a slight portion of the fire that was burning inside me. I was ready now…older, stronger and wiser than the old me. I might have done some stupid shit when I was young, but that was going to change as soon as I was free from the restrains of prison. I was going to find that guy, and make him suffer, the way I did. Make him feel the pain I felt. My soul was going to condemn him to death, the same way I was condemned and framed. Part two. Day 1. Emmet struggled opening his eyes…but once he did, he suffered the pain of having to face the day light in his face after a long night of sleep. Well, it wasn’t exactly a comfortable sleep, but in a way, it did feel somewhat nice. He tried moving to the other side of the bed, to no avail. A crippling sensation of awareness finally started to creep in, as he was trying hopelessly to move. -Don’t fidget like that or your hands are going to rip! – echoed a low and authority like voice. The young adult looked around, but the only thing he could see…is a blank spot in his memory. How did he get there? Why was he restrained? Where was he?! All questions a person would normally think of. He tried moving one more time and this time his hand did indeed rip from the bolt that was drilled right in the middle. It was devastatingly painful… -I told you not to do it…- once again resounded the same voice. Emmet began breathing quicker, trying to forge some kind of explanation to this nightmarish scenario he was involved with. The more he looked though, he felt sicker and sicker. He wasn’t just attached to some bed or something like that, no. He was hanging in the air…drilled to some metal looking cross, similar to the one Christ is depicted on. The main thing was that his didn’t have sharp looking spikes that poked his back dangerously close. His feet were also drilled, together to the starting point of the crucifix. All his limbs were basically restrained from moving…not that he had somewhere to go. Finally, as he deducted quite professionally, he started looking for the source of the remarks. -Over here buddy…- helped the disembodied voice. The man Emmet saw…was no older than he. Maybe thirty-ish? His baldhead shined from the sun, while his blue eyes stared deadly at the poor bastard. Something felt wrong about him. Was it that he wasn’t wearing some sort of concealing thing over his face? That meant that either he was going to kill him…or torture him until someone pays him. -Who are you? – muttered Emmet with the strength he had. The bald man nodded to himself, and sat on a backwards chair facing him. He smirked, which showed his somewhat white teeth. The deep wrinkle in his forehead explained either the hardships he went through, or the stress he was covering up. -I am not really important…but, for you to understand the picture, I shall explain. Firstly, my name is Edmund Slype. Ring a bell? – asked the middle-aged person looking at Emmet fiercely. He tried thinking of someone he knew that was called Edmund, but nothing actually stung. -Well, alright then, let me clear your head. Remember sixteen years ago…when you, and your right-hand man dumped a dead girl in the backlot of McDonalds? Just where a drugged me was hanging out at? This time Edmund looked at him, with all the hatred in the world. Emmet as much as possible, tried, tried his best to overlook the pain and remember. -That same guy, who then got blamed for the murder of Eleonora Parker, your lover at that time…THE SAME GUY…WHO WAS IN PRISON FOR THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS! – He said raising his voice for the first time. Emmet didn’t have a choice. The torturer had gotten up and placed his hand onto his shoulder, pushing him towards the spikes. The thing that reminded him, of Edmund, wasn’t his anger at him, nor the thunderous pain but because of sweet Eleonora. His mind finally connected the dots. That was the guy, who was framed for his crime. “Jesus…”- he thought, looking at his rage. His back was being stabbed at the tip of the spikes when he yelled at him. -I remember, I remember! You were the guy who was sentenced to twenty years! I know you! – cried out Emmet. Edmund smirked again and sat on his chair once again. -Okay, we have some sort of progress over here. You know me, you know how I got in prison, you know now, that I have been released…What you still don’t know, is why you are here, how you got here…and what am I going to do to you…right? – asked the man looking at Emmet with a grin on his muzzle. He answered that he was correct. -What are you going to do to me? – He managed to stutter and ask. Edmund “hmm-ed” and sarcastically looked at the ceiling. -What indeed am I going to do with you? Hmm, well, for starters, I am going to explain how you got here, just because I don’t want you to die out of curiosity, not knowing how in the hell did you end up crucified to this large and beautiful metal cross. Edmund let the man process what he said, and seeing he wasn’t going to verbally response with anything, he proceeded. -Well. One year ago, I was released out of prison. My first task was to find you. At that was simple because we lived in the same city. For starters, I had to pitch in some money for my future endeavors so I started work at a local café. It wasn’t hard being a barista, serving coffee, flirting with young chicks and that deal…but it wasn’t really fulfilling. I mean, I was a drug addict for quite a while, but after prison, or, in it, I got out of the habit and started clean, which in a way left something like a desire to find a new hobby. Moreover, that hobby was clearer than ever, when you, out of all people entered the café one day and sat on the far-right side of the room overlooking the street from the windows. Then, I knew that I had one way in taking you without someone else noticing. First, I had to note your schedule and how you traveled and did things. Second, I had to figure out a way for me to abduct you, without starting any suspicions. Third, I had to find some sort of place for me to do my things with you. All were quite accomplishable. I had to ask some people for help, but in the end, I found a place thanks to a buddy of mine from way back. This house we are in, is at an isolated small island Vinalhaven, Maine. It’s mostly a cabin though, knowing that it’s a resort for a family that come here in the summer. The guy told me I could use it for the time being, knowing they weren’t gonna visit in some months. I could ask my parents as well, for some kind of old house or something, but they haven’t talked to me since I was nineteen, so I guess that’s a no-go. Either way, I rather figured out your schedule. Coffee at 9 o’clock, and launch at 12. The easiest part was drugging you and making you sleep. Then it was somewhat hard for me to drag your unconscious body to the back of the shop, where the escape car was. The harder part was actually crucifying you alone, because man you are something else when you are knocked out. So, that’s what it was. If you thought the coffee tasted somewhat tingly, it was thanks to the double extra effective sleeping pills I sneaked in before giving it to you. So. That leaves us with the question…what are you going to do here…or to paraphrase, what am I going to do with you? – elaborated the tormentor, looking at Emmet with a slight note of affection mixed with detest. Emmet was barely listening to his whole explanation about how he schemed the plan to bring him here. What he learned was the key to understanding it all, because he now knew how he got here and where he was located at. Now he could use it, as info in when he is negotiating for a release price. If it came to that at least. Seeing the burning fire in the eyes of Edmund, Emmet didn’t really feel that it was the right time to say anything about paying his way out, considering that it was the same way he got out of trouble so many years ago…with bribe. -This…This isn’t just about revenge isn’t it?! You want something from me? – asked Emmet, trying to find the right words. Edmund rose instantly from the chair and kicked it. -IT IS ALL ABOUT REVENGE! – He yelled, and then tried to keep his voice in tack, - You are right howsoever. I do need something from you…- he said and walked off from the view that Emmet could see. -What do you need? I can help you financially! I have the money! – pleaded the man, knowing he wasn’t going to end up alive after all. Just as he guessed, something did happen. From where the holes in his hands were, something like a rope attached to the bolts started pulling him back. One around the torso, and on his feet as well. It was tight, and its pull force was enough to fully extend his body to the limit, where the spikes were now to the middle of their length. His whole backside of the body, legs and hands and all, were now spiked in. -The same money, you used to bribe the damn judge to give me a sentence? Or the same money you used to control everything you needed? No…my friend. I don’t need your money. What I need is your soul to leave your heart, and for you to beg when I finish you off. I didn’t just build this large piece of architectural punishment, just for you to pay your way out of it…oh no. You are going to bleed. You are going to bleed a lot, my friend…to the extend when you no longer have a single drop of your blood in your veins. To the point where you are going to be begging me to fucking end your bullshit of a life! – said the man and pulled the ropes again. His body looked like a painting from the best horror writer ever. A mixture of blue from the bruises and a bright red from the sweet blood that was dripping from the gaping holes that were ever extending by the spikes that penetrated him smoothly. His cries felt like fluent harmonies of the dying man, that filled the ears of Edmund, who was enjoying each and every moment of this charade. They stopped somewhere in between, and he learned that he was unconscious again. Day 2. A day had passed since the big explanation, and now it was mostly action time. Emmet was sleeping once again…but Edmund had better plans. This whole idea in his head was formed by the fact that he, Emmet, and his mother went to church quite a lot, yet, when it came to repent for his sins, he chose to…back away from his faith. Which was the whole inspiration of Edmund to build this massive structure that height at least eight feet. It did take some time, but, in the end…it was worth it. The idea, was that, the seven days that god took to create the world, was going to be the exact number of days Edmund was going to take to inflict as much as punishment to this garbage as possible. The first day, was the spike stabbing…today, he had something more engaging. First, he had to wake him up. Splashing him with cold water, Emmet woke up with a scream to pierce your drums. -Good morning to you too! – Shouted Edmund while he was fixing his ears…, - Damn you can scream loudly…that’s alright. Emmet didn’t even say anything. Breathing heavily like before, he was only staring at the object in Edmunds hand. -Oh this? – He looked at the sledgehammer, - Don’t worry about it for now…enjoy the time when I haven’t yet stricken you with it. Emmet’s eyes were watering, looking at his punisher with the most regret he ever had. -I am really sorry…Please don’t! – He asked with the most respect and sorrow in his voice. Edmund was a bit surprised. -Oh wow…Thinking you were going to start whining and making some attempts in repentance far later in this course. I guess this cancels out everything you’ve done now, huh? I guess I don’t have to hurt you anymore now that you’ve apologized – he murmured to himself. -Please…don’t do it…don’t hurt me…- once again pleaded the man. A swung…and a huge struck followed. Edmund didn’t even feel the grief in his tone. -Nooo! – cried Emmet, knowing his feet were now broken. He couldn’t feel them, but the pain from the hit was enough to make him surrender. -YOU THINK THOSE WORDS CAN STOP A MAN FROM RAPING YOU?! – Asked Edmund, taking another shot with the massive hammer, - You think I didn’t yell and plead for someone to help me when they were beating me up, because they thought I had raped a girl!? DO YOU IN THE RIGHT MIND, BELIEVE I AM GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY FROM TAKING FIFTEEN YEARS, FIFTEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE! – screamed the man, while hitting him again at the same spot! Emmet was completely done. Screaming, crying, and even pissing himself out of the damage he was feeling. -NO, NO! I DON’T, PLEASE STOP! Edmund smirked…knowing those words from before. -You know…I haven’t enjoyed something like this since I did heroin. The sensation of pure pleasure isn’t nearly as tasty as to what I am doing now! Plus, the side effects of vomiting aren’t here. You know…what would happen if I didn’t do drugs, but killed some fucking douchebags like you, hm? Do you reckon my parents would disown me again and leave me like a damn raccoon to find me some food?! – said the man in a rapid fashion. Emmet only cried…cried and begged for him to stop. That didn’t please him. Once again, a strike to the feet. The bones crackled and broke to the point of no return. There wasn’t a way for them to heal before, but now it was just awful. The dark bruises made Emmet black out himself from the final blow. Edmund dropped the hammer and went to have a beer in the other room. Day 3. -This is the third day my friend…and you don’t seem to give up quite yet, huh? – asked the torturer, looking at Emmet. His lips were chapped, and his feet not even responsive anymore. He looked like he had suffered so many years, while it has been only two days. Well…plenty more to break his spirit. -Do you wish to…umm, change something in your body? – asked Edmund, looking at his barely opened eyes. Not waiting for an answer, he took a sharp looking knife, the ones used by the army, and made a small cut. The pain of it woke him up completely. -No, no, no! Please don’t use a knife, please, anything but that! – He yelled, sounding like a girl more as each day passed. Edmund was yet again surprised. -Are you afraid of sharp cutting utensils? The crucified man nodded as much as he could, and hoped for him not to feel the pain of being slashed. Edmund then traced his body and stopped to where a medium scar near the forearm was located. -Is this why you are afraid…aww…I guess you’ve been using plastic knifes from that little accident. Emmet confirmed which made his abductor happier. -Well, if that’s the case, of course I won’t stop…What do you take me for, some kind of shmuck? – He laughed and made a cut where his previous scar was. The man again yelled, feeling the cold steel enter and leave him quickly. The droplets of blood quickly formed to a concerning stream. -Oh, we are not done yet! – giggled Edmund, having the fun of his life. He circled the point of the knife, around the chest and carved out some of his skin, that resembled a circle. When he showed him his creation, Emmet again, logged out of his brain and went to sleep, leaving Edmund alone. -Well that was anticlimactic. Shame on you! – He said annoyed and did a couple of cuts to his legs before heading towards the shore to swim for a bit. Day 4. After the pulling, hammering and cutting, he had something else in mind. He was going to start right at night, midnight to be exact, and torture him as much as possible…unless he gave away to his stupidly timed blackouts. It started simple. He was going to heat up the cross…while he was still asleep. Emmet didn’t even feel it coming, because, well because he was out of it. However, once his skin started feeling the steam coming out of the spikes that were still in his back, he woke up. -What’s happening! – He shouted, - Am I burning?! -Kind of, just not you! – answered Edmund, chuckling at the response of Emmet. The back of the crucifix was now hot red, thanks to the heating torch. It was quite big, but it did the job. It kind of felt like a barbecue, though with a human shish-kebab. He was spreading the heat outtake to the surface of the cross itself, making so that the man, suffer from each side, not just the same spot. -DON’T! – He implored like a madman. Emmet tried pulling himself out of the spikes and the drilled bolts in his hands, but didn’t do anything. The much he could possible do was tear his hands out and bleed from the wounds of the back. Edmund observed his skin getting redder and redder with mere seconds spends on the heat of the torch and cross. His growls didn’t help much, only worsened the damage. Large blisters started forming on the shoulders, while his face was hotter than pavement on a sunny day. His feet were probably harmless, but the upper legs were still untouched by hammer, which made the burning of the cuts from the previous day even stingier. -Please!!! - He asked with a guttural yell. That itself was music to the ears for Edmund, but he figured, that if he was ready to confirm that he wants to die, he should stop for a bit. Turning off the torch, he approached the front and asked him if he wants to say something. -It burns…it hurts…. water…. please it burns! – He managed to say in the heat of the conversation. Rolling his eyes Edmund took the bucket with icy water, remembering that he brought it just in case he actually has to cease the torment. Without warning, he threw the water at him. Emmet felt blessed yet cursed at the same time. The fire that was causing his body to burn was stronger, though, with the addition of the icy water it regained some sort of comfort, enough to make him sleep again. -Curse! – shouted Edmund throwing the bucket at the cross…. Day 5. The next day, Emmet woke up quite tired. The blisters on his back were pulsating from the heat…his feet weren’t hurting anymore, yet each second the pain of the broken bones was terrible. The cuts on the upper thighs and torso were gushing out pus. The spikes in his back were still achingly hurting. Overall, he was pathetically obliterated, not fully, but still quite conquered. Looking around, not feeling his breath anymore, he tried yelling, or something along those lines. Nothing came out. Nothing. His mouth had no flavor, and his teeth were hurting from the immense jaw grip he was persistently tightening in intense painful moments. His lips were soo chapped that he could cut his tongue on them. At least it was moving freely and could create some saliva…God he was thirsty. It was impossible to receive any food or drinks at this point. Edmund would even consider hearing out his plead. The only thing that could save him…was him asking for help…in a way of Edmund killing him. But…did he truly want that? Was he really okay dying here, alone…with no one to see him except his murderer? No. There really wasn’t much he could do now though, considering his situation. He could only hang on the cross…and endure the punishment…or die doing it. -I see you are awake! Great. We can start with you actually being conscious to feel something! – exclaimed Edmund, energetically walking towards Emmet with a bucket of something. -Can you please give me water? – asked the man with the last strength he had. It didn’t even sound decipherable, it was pure gibberish. Edmund was perfectly okay with that. -You know what, ama’ do you one better! – He said and walked towards the back of the cross. He placed the bucket on his chest, exactly at the circle wound gushing with pus, and tucked the belt connected to the bucket to the back of the cross. He tapped on it, and Emmet felt something touching him. Small paws…rodent like. They were tiny, tickling and making the wound hurt. -Now…you shall not receive meal or liquid, because this little mouse I found in the island is far more deserving of having some food! – He said, directly looking at his eyes, widened from terror. Using the torch from yesterday, Edmund started igniting the back of the bucket. The mouse inside started squeaking in a high pitch that sounded horrible to both men’s ears. The one igniting the bucket was happy, while the other was not sure if he should try to move and hope that the mouse doesn’t go ape shit and tear through his gaping chest wound. His prayers didn’t work. The bucket was bright red, and the rodent wasn’t having it. Squeaking like hell, it started eating its way out of that hot prison, by devouring the exposed flesh and muscles of the wound made two days ago. The visceral low growls of Emmet could shame even the best black metal vocalist…yet he wasn’t doing it to show off. He was feeling the sensation of having a mouse eat him…while still alive. A maleficent smell started spreading from behind him…It was about time, really. -You know, you could see me commiserating before, watching a man being eaten alive, such filth…but, not now… - whispered Edmund, watching the eyes of Emmet nearly popping out from the shock. The tormentor wanted more…wanted to hear the words out of his mouth, not just feel them. Stopping the torch, he went back and untucked the belt, which freed the mouse from its inferno like moment. The moment he had, he used it to run as if his life depended on it. The act rather proved that the hunter had some sort of humanity still left in him…Emmet on the other hand, like usual, had blacked out… Day 6. Today Edmund had a plan. He wanted to use it on the final day, but he guessed that this sixth punishment was far more brutal. He had taken a pill, energy inducing pill. He was going to let Emmet drink some water, mixed with the pill…and well, entertain himself. Once the confined man was given the opportunity to drink something, he was more awake than ever. Drinking like an elephant, he drank a whole a liter of water. The drug then kicked in…and Edmund was ready to do the next procedure. He opened the hatch on the ceiling and revealed the…sun. He then titled the cross on the mechanism so that Emmet was fully exposed to the sunbath. One whole day had done such damage to his body. The gaping chunks of flesh on the chest were gruesome enough to make faint-heart vomit, but the pus coming from all wounds was just disgusting at this point. Wasn’t it going to be much easier for Emmet to give up? Yes…yes because the final thing…the final punishment was going to literally take his sight. Emmet didn’t know what was going on, so he remained tense even when Edmund wasn’t there. He stared at the sun and enjoyed it…until it didn’t feel normal. It was getting…way too hot. Edmund wasn’t even there to do anything…. He was laying on the beach and was reading a book he bought last week. It was about a sailor lost in the sea and was quite interesting to say the least. Emmet on the other hand wasn’t interested at all. Struggling to cope with the burning rays of the sun, he endured as much as he could. Not only did his skin start to fry up, but also the wounds of the cuts started bleeding all over again. Did he even have blood anymore? Guess he did. He didn’t have a choice but to either stare and blind himself or close his eyes and sleep…for some reason though, he wasn’t sleepy like before. Even worse, he was quite energetic and wanted to…do be awake and do fun activities. Why?! He knew Edmund had done something, but he didn’t know what exactly. Did the sun have some sort of recreational powers? Superman used the sun to get stronger but Emmet was no superhero. He was plainly a man, a businessman, who dealt with threats the paper way. Buy them in…he couldn’t buy Edmund in however…he could only beg him to release him…or beg him to kill him. Which was the thing that the torturer wanted. To kill him, and end this once and for all. A plan that started ever since he saw the man with the fedora walking away during his trial. Ever since his first assault in jail. Since the time he was only twenty. A plan to destroy a person. That proved true. Emmet had no choice but to finally give in to the wish of his abductor. He was nowhere to be seen though. The young adult, left alone to fry in the sun light, making him reminisce of the days where he was free and could do anything. Making him burn from the most natural thing ever. Exposing his already deformed body to the light rays of the light. That was the cruelest punishment he could endure…if he could endure it though, because staying all day in this light…would harm even the healthiest man in the world, and he wasn’t exactly in perfect condition to do anything but count. Pass by the numbers and seconds of the minutes in the hours left in the clock for him to feel something different from the heat of the sun. 1…2…3…4, the hours passed slowly. Never in his mind did he think he was going to dream for the sun to die. In a way, he was counting for his last time when he was alive…he was having the last “Day of Reckoning”, of his life. Day 7. Once Edmund got closer to the cross, he could feel it was permeating with heat and smell. The heat was understandable, but the putrid smell was purely logical, yet unwelcome. Emmet had completely dissolved into a crispy and fried, crucified human-steak. His hair was nearly burnt, his skin red and covered in pus, blood and some form of mold he couldn’t even understand. The backside was gruesome to the point of no detail…but the spikes had delved so deep in his back that the wounds looked like a distorted confiture. Edmund covered the hatch and closed the ceiling window, bringing the solitary darkness the premises was famous for. -Mornin’ – he greeted the man, who looked nearly dead. If it wasn’t for the barely breathing heart that was nearly invisible to spot, Edmund would’ve thought he was already dead. However, hopefully, he still had some sort of energy in him to breathe. -You know, I was thinking back at the beach that this thing we did here…this festival of horridly painful punishments, was quite amusing for me, and hopefully, really painful for you. My point being, that we had a blast…and did enjoy ourselves to the upmost extend there is…of course not the same kind of enjoyment, but still oddly similar. But I guess what im trying to say, is that this parade is going to finish with the biggest bang ever. You are going to close the curtains of this beautiful theatre, by dying – said Edmund, looking at the disfigured mess. His face wasn’t even close to what it once was. His cheeks were sunken deep; his eyes were red from tears and screams. The lips once chopped were now entirely opened, bleeding as if a wound. Not to mention the body which…well, which was completely wrecked. -There are two things that keep me still from mercilessly killing you, - continued Edmund, seeing as Emmet wasn’t able to talk anymore, - One being a question. Why did you kill that girl so many years ago? I just want to know that – asked Edmund, trying to see behind the blackness of his iris. Emmet struggled to move his lips, as his face was covered in burns, but he eventually managed to spill one word. -…. fun… Edmund remained as calm as before, yet something in him ticked. Fun. What was so fun in killing an innocent girl, he didn’t know, what he knew was something entirely different. -Funny you should say that, - he whispered to him, taking the utensil from the back pocket of the jeans, - I am also doing this because it’s fun to torture a guilty man, yet, purely out of revenge I am willing to ask you to end your life, or I shall continue to make your life miserable, more than it already is. – he said, holding a spoon to his face. Emmet’s eyes opened fully, which made him flinch from pain. He didn’t know what he was about to do for sure, yet had a certain idea. He wanted to tell him what he wanted to hear, yet didn’t have the strength. -Well then, I shall continue with this punishment – announced the mad lad and brought the spoon closer to the left eye of the poor soul. -I…. - said Emmet, stopping him. Edmund watched his eyes water for the countless time this week, yet…the dread behind them had drawn such a gruesome art…that Edmund himself kind of felt bad for the man, yet hated him to his core. Awaiting his response, he didn’t move at all. -I… want… to… die… - whispered Emmet with a low and raspy from the pain voice. Edmund didn’t say much. He placed the spoon on the ground and went back to the cross. A man of his word, the torturer was going to claim his soul. Emmet was finally ready, while the other man was more than enthusiastic of the future than ever. Pulling the break crank on the mechanism of the cross, he pushed it forwards harshly. The large construction plunged towards the ground along with Emmet, bolted to it. Managing to close his eyes for the final time while being alive, he held his breath awaiting impact. The crucifix landed and collided with the ground, causing the spikes to crush everything in his body to crumbs. A still living portion of blood splashed like a mosquito on a wall. Edmund stared at it, and felt…freedom rising in his heart for the first time in fifteen years. The blood that tainted his groove for such a bitterly long time. He was done, no more chasing…no more endless aching for revenge. It was served, and finished. Justice was established. And he was happy to have gotten rid of a stain in the world. Thinking of his plans for the coming days, he went by the beach again, and sat on the hot sand. A nice day. A pleasant day. Fresh air was filling his heavy breathing lungs. Edmund couldn’t ask for more. He wasn’t the villain in this story, as much as it looked like he was. Thinking of that, he closed his eyes and laid there, enjoying the moment. The moment of having condemned a sinner, to a seven-day death. A day in his life, where judgement was equally spread.
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AuthorHello, this is Nedyalko Delchev, or Black Wing. I’m a writer and currently 25-years old. One of my dreams is to publish a book and impact the world! Until then, I will be posting all kind of contend on my Story Book! Archives
September 2023
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