Young Writers Society

1.

I never liked this house. It was peeling old- looking more like a giant rotting carcass than a house. I didn’t despise it- I hated it. In every corner, in every room; there was a shadow lurking around. I hated them just as much. It might seem weird if you take in on account the religion which I follow. Satanism was known for its almost fearless members (or at least, not as things as darkness) the others had made it clear when I told them, that I did not look like one of them. Opening a room, I checked inside. Venturing a bit further just to have a quick peek at the window though I barely could ignore all the darkness around me. The garden was empty, if we could call that a garden; it was a gigantic patch of land filled with dried weed mud and mounds of earth. This home was everything but cosy as the cold atmosphere weighing down on us- like a storm- only brought tension in my lungs.

There was no one.

No house, no person, no car- not even a living thing. We were the only persons in a huge range. I guess that’s why we decided to settle here instead of in the middle of a noisy city. Turning around my heart missed a beat. There was something in the shadows. It was there. Watching me with wide glowing, onyx eyes. Like two braziers of dead light.

I blinked- and it was gone. My heart was beating so loudly I was afraid that everyone would hear it- it was a terrifying thought. Shivers ran down my spine as I scanned the whole room, finally seeing the threshold of the door.

It looked so far away..

the darkness around seemed to be closing upon me as cold fingered my back clasping my heart in its claws. I could barely breathe as the last lights of the evening dipped to a nocturnal purplish black. I was gasping to breath, when suddenly, a figure appeared in the door’s threshold.

‘Ash,’ Halsey said softly. ‘We’re going to begin,’

He followed behind me as we engaged in the creaking staircase. My own heart was thumping loudly, but not Ash’s way- I was excited.

‘There you are!’ Serenity exclaimed. She quickly glanced at Ash before whispering in my ear. ‘I’m not sure this is such a good idea for him, I mean. His phobia might kill him,’ shaking my head, she sighed.

‘Ahem everyone!’ She said to the others. ‘Is everyone here?’ In front of their same, methodical nod of approval; she continued. ‘Well we are going to begin. If anyone wants his chance of-‘ she grinned. ‘redemption. Let it be known,’ she had addressed herself to the whole group but her eyes were fixed on Ash. Someone snickered. None of us really had truly accepted him in.

Since no one spoke, she sat into our circle and started drawing the reversed pentagram.

‘Web,’ she asked. ‘The doll.’ He brought it up to her. It was one of these old porcelain dolls. It was a horrible thing of a doll: damp and dead with two eyes staring right in me- and yet it looked like a living thing. Horror movies sprang into my mind, as I wondered if this doll would soon be made into a movie with as protagonists, and future inconscient victims; us. But I mustn’t think of that.

Ash was staring at it with a look of disgust, one which he didn’t hide at all. On opposite of the gracefulness and angel like features of dollS; this thing looked as if it had been in a dumpster for half a month.

‘Who got it?’ Jess asked, disgusted.

Serenity shrugged. ‘I found it in our attic,’ that was all the conversation we had after that.

The reversed pentagram had already been drawn and as Serenity and Web struggled to slice open the porcelain doll- Sonya and Jess prepared the mixture for the doll’s inside. I prepared the television which was fairly easy since I simply had to turn it on; Serenity said it would warn us of the Spirits’ inhabitation of the doll. Once everything was done, Sonya came over to me, touching lightly my arm.

‘What is it?’ I asked her.

‘Halsey, have you ever played this game?’ I shrugged.

‘Never with a doll,’

She smiled but it waned very fast.

‘Me neither. Neither them,’ she pointed at the others. Then looking at me, she pursued. ‘No one here has ever played the one man hide and seek. Who knows what’ll happen; maybe this game isn’t safe,’

‘Why? Are you scared?’ She shrugged. ‘I don’t think Serenity would’ve been wanting to play this game if she didn’t know the risks.’ She nodded but it didn’t seem to content her. Although being an extravert, this debate was sickening me. I was already craving to end this all and knowing as much of this game as I did about maths- I really didn’t need her to give more arguments for me to cower away from it.

No, this was going to be my first satanist game with my friends. This was going to be fun. It had to be.

‘Alright everyone,’ nodded Serenity as she gave a quick but faint reassuring smile. ‘I think you all deserve to be reminded of the rules,’ she looked in my way but my face was set. Her face hardened. ‘In case of doubts.’ ‘A by passer spirit will be called to inhabit this doll, and when it does; the game starts. However I assure you that it can’t be freed of the doll on the exception if someone breaks it. And even if someone does, it won’t be able to hurt anyone and interact physically when out of the doll,’ she smiled to us and all my doubts seemed to dissipate in thin air. She had that way of hers to captivate her listeners.

Web looked at me, smirking. I had to remember, though; that he isn’t a satanist; as well as Jess. It’s weird to say it that way, as if it was forbidden.

As I approached the doll, I could see it better. It was like one of these old dolls which resembled a baby, except that it was missing an eye. Jess produced the uncooked rice, which was said in ancient culture to attract spirits- hastily putting it inside the doll. One of Web’s brow lifted but no one else remarked that act justified by fear. I quickly looked around at each of us, looking for fear or doubt; and relaxed finding only determination. Sighing, I proceeded to watch Jess as she sewed the doll with a red thread representing blood vessels. Then, filling a bucket with water, we submerged the doll in it.

‘What happens if it finds us?’ Worried Sonya. She was the first one in this religious group which firstly didn’t seem to fit, she was too.. luminous.. I didn’t even know why she ever decided she wanted to become one. Jess and Ash at least didn’t bring up their religious opposite. Anyways.

‘Well, you’re it;’ Serenity said, frowning. None of us ever did play this game. She glanced at me then back to Sonya.

‘Are you sure there were any spirits in here?’

‘Yes,’ Web replied in her defense. ‘M’ something. Something to do with the face.’

‘The eyes’ Jess frowned. ‘And it’s Myosis.’

I turned to Sonya, looking surprised.

‘Myosis?’ I snickered. ‘Sounds like some big joke.’

‘I think it’s cool,’ Sonya murmured. ‘Anyways-‘

In a swift motion she produced the scissors from her pocket and, holding it by its blades; presented me with them.

We looked at each other, my hazel eyes crossing with icy blue, chocolate brown, olive green and electric purple before finally falling on Ash.

‘I’ll go first,’ he said with a layer of courage over his trembling voice.

He probably felt the need to prove himself. Sonya nodded and he grabbed the scissors before stabbing five times the doll saying, ‘I found you, Myosis! You’re it! I found you Myosis, you’re it!’ The whole time we stayed silent and grimly watched this seal this game for good. My thoughts flew all around and once more, I felt that strange emptiness inside. Seeing Ash stabbing the doll; make me muse about whether it would do the same thing when it found us. I silently protested against this grotesque thought and cast it away.

When we had all passed, we made a circle around the doll to count until ten. I looked over at the television, and that’s when I saw the ripples of static across the screen as ripples across troubled waters. I excitingly nodded over to it when Serenity looked at me. She grinned. It was here.

I looked up and we all prepared to count. That’s when I heard it, a loud noise. The door to this room had opened and a figure appeared in it’s threshold with big wide eyes of terror.

No please, I prayed. Not her!

2.

Everything happened seconds before dusk.

It all arrived so fast that I must explain what came to be beforehand, so that you can fully understand why I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

‘Ahem, Honey;’ I gazed over to Willow, almost sleepily; at the mention of my name. ‘Truth or dare,’

‘Truth,’

We had been playing that game for hours and yet my friends which I had invited over, didn’t seem to mind. Halsey told me she was going to meet some friends at the old house and that I had to stay here with them. She was 13 and I was three years younger, but I still felt betrayed of her leaving me with them. All I wanted was to be left alone.

With me? Dawn asked.

Of course, I replied defensively. She chuckled.

‘Wait let me think a sec’, she said as she tapped her chin. Cassandra joked a bit and all three, Cassandra, Willow and Julia started laughing. Seeing I wasn’t laughing, Willow hastily made up a Truth.

‘Have you ever loved someone?’

‘Yes,’

‘Who is it?’

‘I can’t tell,’ I said smiling, noting that I had to watch out next time I chose Truth.

‘Cassandra,’ Julia asked. ‘Truth or dare?’

‘Dare,’

It all continued for a long time. My sister had prepared all we needed from juices to sweets and once or twice we watched a movie and checked YouTube stuff. We were normal children playing. Nothing that weird.

‘I dare you to enter Halsey’s room and look for her diary.’ She was grinning widely, but even though I protested; they all went for it,

When she shouted she had found something, they all rushed to see; though I stayed behind.

The strange weirdo friend? Dawn ironized, before I could reply she quickly said her comeback: Truth or dare?

No you, Truth or dare? I answered instead

Truth.

Do you, I hesitated. Then I told myself I was dumb and asked. Love me?

Of course! Her voice was soft. I liked its sound. A sort of brushing of winds in my head. I liked her, but she was not real; physically speaking.

I heard that, she warned; she chuckled then leant forwards. Or at least, that’s what I thought she did. Truth or dare?

Dare, I replied without hesitation.

Go out there with your friends and stop being so miserable!

She had said that almost seriously though I could feel a more playful hue in the tone she used.

You were planning that from a long way, right? I protested in disdain. But in me I felt actually grateful, it was almost as if my body had heaved a sigh when she said that. I didn’t worry of Dawn being hurt, she never was; that’s because she could feel what I felt and could understand all my acts.

That’s what I liked the most in our friendship: this silent understanding, when someone understands things which can’t be put in words. That way there never was a flaw in our friendship which didn’t have a reason we both understood.

Now quit talking and go! She exclaimed. I muttered but followed where they had gone. Don’t see me as a unsociable person, I just liked to sometimes be left alone. I planned my futile speech (since anyway I’d forget what I planned in front of them) as I walked in the corridor and into my sister’s room, but as I did; I did notice the open diary and the pages- but I also noticed my two friends bent on another piece of work which outlines were familiar.

My whole body went rigid as a cold atmosphere ascended on us. The most intense of hate emerged from my void of emotions; where I usually felt blank, I now felt a burning heat. I didn’t even try taking it out of their hands. And from their looks; I judged that they had already read what was prohibited information. First came the hate, and later, like a cold shower; came the smothering feeling of betrayal.

Honey! You don’t know what you’re doing! Stop!

My vision was blurry as I raced across narrow streets. The trees were bent on me in a gesture which was meant to be terrific though it now only brought more to my utter despondency. I brushed away the tears from my eyes but my vision just became more blurry.

“Look, I’m sorry. If I can do anything-“

You can be silent! I replied on the defensive.

-just tell me. Then she went silent once and for all. I did not have one feeling of remorse for her, she felt what I was feeling; there was no reason why she should weep on what I said if she could feel and know what I was living through. Or so I believed.

I skidded to a stop as the outlines of the house came in sharper view.

I shivered.

How could’ve my sister even think of coming here? Her, so delicate. Like a fairy gently fingering flowers and delicately stroking my hair. She always smelled like ginger and a bright halo always hung around her wherever she went. Dawn liked her too. Or, in another way; I made her lover my sister as much as I loved her myself.

I shivered violently and decided to go inside.

I didn’t know that what I had just done sealed several fates.

3.

Cassandra took time to decide whether she’d come or not. I could not blame her, we were going after some autistic person which just ran away, unable to face a vividly present truth- at least, those were her arguments. On my side, I must say I admired this girl- she never broke or had a meltdown. She was always cold-headed until this night. Truth or dare, imagine! A stupid game which transformed in a nightmare in just seconds. When she opened the door, I felt as if we had just made a homicide- and I really dislike knowing that it’s about our friend.

‘Why are we going after her? It’s dark, and cloudy, and- and-’ Seeing none of us were turning back she hiccuped and fell silent. After whining for a long time, this silence was like a blessing.

The night grimly fell on us like the wings of a giant bird as the trees leaned in at us with their gnarled arms; and the black blades of grass chuckled to each other in the wind, as they waved passionately to one side to another.

Meanwhile, Honey had managed to open the door of the house without making too much noise and crept inside. I always boasted silently about this talent of mine- almost nothing, and yet it was real pleasure to hear soundless feet across cobblestone and pavement; and satisfaction turns to admiration when you note that these belong to you. I still couldn’t believe that amongst these ruins of a house, these cobwebs and these scary things- was my delicate sister. She always appeared to me like an angel gently fingering things and always softly speaking. Like Dawn, I thought. Like the brushing of two winds. I approached a pair of stairs which looked like two crooked and gnarled vines; and proceeded into slowly walking. Though I walk silently, in barely more sound than the fluttering of butterfly wings taking off in the night; I must say that my talent stops to the stairs. On these wooden, creaking stairs- I was worst than in the middle of an autumnal forest. As I carefully placed my ear against the door, my fears were founded as I heard chanting. Soft voices, barely audible. Almost like whispers. But there was a melody floating in this voiceless sound. I pressed my ear a bit closer, having my face nearly against the door. It was dank and the color was peeling off like old skin; my heart was in my throat and shadows were dancing in front of my eyes.

I started thinking maybe this wasn’t my sister, or then if it was; that I could creep away maybe after a little peek.

But then, my worst nightmare happened.

After a moment I really took in account what Cassandra was whining about for hours, and yes; my doubts were founded- a shiver ran down my spine. There was a shape in the woods near us. It kept up to our pace with an ease which I could distinguish.

‘So,’ Willow worried. ‘Are we being followed?’ I shook my head, remembering something of the clue of survival being to keep fears to ourself when we lead the party.

Finally, Cassandra broke down. To my surprise. Ahem.

‘I’m not going anywhere, I can see this thing! Believe me or not, I’m not going to this weirdo’s place!’ I sighed but inside I felt like blessing her; I was fortunate I wasn’t as well the first one to give up.

‘Don’t you think after opening a private diary and hurting a friend, we should at least comfort her?’ Willow insisted. But I felt her voice trembling. The atmosphere really weighed down on us like a lie and the pale face of Willow was dimly lit by her olive eyes.

‘Let’s go back,’ the decision was made. Suddenly, Cassandra seemed much more enthusiastic to ride on her bike back home. Hair flying in her back, she looked like a goddess in the dead of the night. Even know she seemed beautiful, with the moon lighting her features in an eerie but gently and strangely fascinating way; as she rushed across us.

Suddenly some animal leaped from the trees and she skidded to not hit it. She slid on the street, screaming; before crashing in the nearby bushes. I heard thorns ripping at her clothes and she gave in a last moan before disappearing behind the bushes, and sitting where she had fallen; dazed. What are they doing?! She complained. And what’s that thing! Whatever it was, it looked like a giant stag. The antlers had crashed into her bike, and she saw two great slashes where it had it. It had torn through the hard plastic as if it had been carton.

As the crumpled thing on the ground slowly rose its head, I could distinguish more clearly it’s inky black body and scales and two wings which were dipped towards the ground. They unfolded and it shrieked; a high, shrill thing of shriek which ran all along my back sending down more cold shivers.

Shivers ran down my spine. This thing was not any normal animal. Onyx eyes with two pools of gold in its core, bore through mine in an almost bored manner. A psychopathic fire lit those eyes and these pools lit into flaming braziers. I thought I saw it grin as it discovered a set of perfectly ranged razor sharp teeth and a forked black tongue which passed over each of them; as it cocked its head to look straight at me. I knew I had to get out of here, but something in the ripples of moonlight on its scales in this electric way and the divine-like gold in its fire rooted me in place. Another wail from Cass’ made it turn its head, breaking my mere fascination. It leapt unto Cassandra. I heard Willow gasp behind me. She used her bike to protect herself but it’s claws tore through it as if it was paper. She screamed as it rushed on her, opening its jaws which discovered a set of perfectly ranged razor sharp teeth which shone with a deadly shine in the night.

My brain seemed to connect just at this instant. I grabbed any close object to me, and unsurprisingly I wasn’t expecting much- probably a rock. Instead, I found a flashlight. I threw it at this rippling spot of jet black as it dug its claws into her flesh. All the time Cassandra screamed while trying to escape its grip. It turned its head, horrid thing of a head; a scaly large thing which looked like a lizards’ one, with dark scales covering it wholy and a large snout which loudly expanded and retreated as a chest would move when breathing. Just as the flashlight hissed past its dawn-like eyes; hitting it hard near the thing which I suspected was its head; I heard what looked like a deep hiss, and dust mingled with a grayish smoke escaped from its snout in almost an exasperated manner.

With a swipe of its tail, he sent it sailing across the sky and smashed into one of the house’s windows. But I didn’t know at that moment that it was the exact same window which caused Honey’s “worst nightmare”.

The thing turned its head to look straight at me. I could feel it’s strong gaze, but instead of faltering, I ordered, with my voice barely trembling- Willow and Cassandra up. I grabbed my bike and without turning to see whether they were following me, I raced across the road. Willow has made it safely but I didn’t see Cassandra.

‘Quick!’ I urged Willow. I could hear it coming closer. The clinking of its claws against the soil was a stark reminder of its presence. That incessant clicking vibrated in the air and slowly dispatched all thoughts, Cassandra, this thing, Willow- everything; until that was the only thing which resonated again and again in my mind. Is that the way deers feel when they are hunted? I mused. I couldn’t help myself- everything felt so unreal. Like a bad dream, one in which I’d wake up sooner or later. Once again I looked at the trees, and this time I really heard it chuckle in the wind.

The door had creaked open horribly. The sound had vibrated through the night like some wailing spirit. I had stood in the threshold like an utter fool as the light emanating in the room slowly uncovered my features to the people chanting in the room. For one point, they had stopped the melody.

10 eyes looked at me but only a pair faltered its aggressiveness. Then everything happened so quickly- two of them rushed my way while the others lay dazed or looked around fearfully with wide eyes; while I stood rooted in place. Of the two who rushed my way, only one of them actually took heed of me and pinned me to the nearby wall. The other one checked the door and picked up what caused it to open. She looked at the broken window and justified that something probably flew from it until the door. But I still had to deal with my sister.

‘What have you seen?’ My sister hissed as the others tried covering what they had been working on.

I hiccuped. ‘A- a doll submerged in-‘ she placed a finger on my lips and I fell silent. She smiled.

‘You saw nothing,’ she turned to the others but they bore grim faces.

‘Don’t move,’ she said softly. I nodded, my upper lip trembling; and she walked towards the other girl, content. She talked with her, no; she argued with her, and several times I saw the other girl shaking her head. I looked at the others, they smiled when they noticed I was looking at them. But their smiles felt fake. Halsey moved back towards me. She didn’t even try to hide her rage. Struggling to remain calm; she put a knee to the ground to look at me in the eyes.

‘Listen, Honey; Serenity tells me that any one who enters this house before this game starts; annually participates,’ she looked at me, her eyes boring through mine; hoping to find maybe a falter or a shift. She was smiling but it kept breaking to pieces ‘You’ll see, once done you’ll be able to leave. Don’t worry for the game; it’s easy,’ she tried smiling. ‘It’s basically like hide and seek.’

I nodded once more, then still holding me by the arm; she led me to the others. She told me that the blond girl which had closed the door was Sonya. The purple eyed person was Serenity and the dazed one was Web. She also showed me Ash, with black tipped, white hair, and Jess who groaned as reply and rolled her eyes.

There was a certain fake atmosphere, the very thing I was living felt unreal. But I dissipated my thoughts as I thought to myself how this would be better than on my own in a haunted house. I gave Halsey my biggest smile and she smiled back.

After a quick explanation of the game, basically as hide and seek; I finally asked the million dollar question.

‘Why is it called the one man hide and seek?’

‘Oh uh,’ she looked at the others for help. Serenity shrugged and Sonya sighed. Jess helped her. ‘That’s because the one who seeks you,’ she marked a pause for effect. ‘Is this,’ she produced the doll grinning with a sadistic pleasure as the others let out groans of protest. It was a horrible thing; a porcelain doll, which looked like a baby but had a missing eye. Its head was bald and its clothes were simple, a grayish hue, assuredly because of the damp. Mold also crawled about on the doll as the night creeps about. I let out a little scream but Serenity was quick enough to cover it. (The doll, not the scream)

‘Jess!’ she exclaimed. ‘Watch out or I swear someone’s going to get hurt!’

Oh Dawn, where have you left me?

There was no answer. It didn’t worry me much, I basically was the one answering.

‘Though I would’ve put it in a different way,’ Serenity said as her eyes accusingly fell on Jess with a look of disdain. ‘That’s basically it.’

Halsey leant forwards showing blade first, a pair of scissors. She looked hesitant.

‘Stab the doll five times saying: “I found you, Myosis! You’re it!”’ I reculantly accepted them.

‘It’s a joke, it must be a joke,’ I insisted under my breathe. Serenity heard it and stared at me.

‘This isn’t a joke,’ then as she gave me the doll; I saw Halsey get up and walk over to the window.

I was looking across the garden as snow started falling, very slightly; but still.

‘Hey Halsey,’ Serenity said, approaching. ‘Strange thing to find your sister playing a satanist game, huh?’ I nodded.

‘What caused the door to open?’ I maneuvered instead. I was in no mood to discuss ill luck. The snow was falling lightly as feathers would fall softly on the ground. Soundlessly. Without letting its existence and passage on earth known.

‘Oh!’ She produced a tiny pen. ‘This.’

‘Oh cool!’ Sonya said as she launched for it. ‘Can I take a look?’ Without having an answer, she snatched the pen and clicked on a soft plushy thing which made a clicking sound as light emanated from the other end of the pen. She shone it straight into my eyes and I protested playfully.

She laughed and clicked it off.

‘Wouldn’t it be dumb to light it on while playing the game?’ She whispered as she leaned in to say these words. Her words were so soft that they tickled her ear. I made a violent, playful gesture to let her know she had to knock it off.

She chuckled before backing away and placing it in her pocket.

‘I’ll keep it.’

‘Hey guys, for any retards,’ Serenity said as she looked at Jess than at Honey. ‘I must precise once more that lighting any source of lights, leaving this house or end this game in any other way is, uh; resulting in-‘ she looked at us for help but we shook our heads. ‘In, uh, disastrous consequences.’ Ash leaned forwards. ‘Death, you mean?’ But he had whispered it softly. So softly only me and Serenity heard it. She shifted uncomfortably before resting her eyes on Honey. Me myself I could barely believe life to have piled so much Ill luck in so small amount of time.

Sonya, hoping to cheer everyone up; walked forwards and, glancing at the TV;

‘Now that everyone is here,’ she looked hopelessly at Honey and she managed to weakly smile. ‘I declare the one man hide and seek annually open!’ Everyone cheered but I could not fully enjoy this thing knowing a living doll was going to chase after my sister. I swore to myself that whatever happened, I‘d take the blame.

The TV crackled and the static sizzled a bit before a channel was set on which we could see an excessive constriction of the pupil. Serenity leaned in.

‘I guess Myosis is not that late;’ she nodded at it with her head. ‘there he is,’

‘She,’ I rectified. Myosis had claimed being feminine.

‘Does it matter?’ Serenity frowned.

‘No,’ I frowned back.

Then for absolutely no reason- we burst out laughing.

4.

We ran out of this room as fast as we could, as excitement rose like the fear in one’s eye. As we trampled outside, scanning the room, I noticed Honey; with her auburn hair jumping on her back with each of her foot falls, rising and falling continuously in a slow and considerate manner. I was afraid to count how much time had passed and quite everyone was still checking for a place to hide. We all quickly dispatched corridors, stairs and restrooms. Ash and Serenity rushed for the attic as me, Sonya and Honey went for the rooms. We quickly secluded the guest room and I opted for the bedroom in which I hid behind hanging clothes which were rotting and smelling so badly that I gagged- as I inhaled. I fingered the rotting wood below my fingers, making a mental image of my surroundings. Normally, from my logical reasoning; Serenity’s hiding place should be the first one visited.

The attic above our heads was a large room which was dusty and filled with cobwebs; there were just as many as there are flaws in the stars. In our own room, junk was piled and a foul odor rose from everything. Even the cobwebs seemed to have a gagging smell. Even from in here I could smell it, and I saw Sonya wriggle her nose in disgust. She grimaced playfully as I looked at her and I laughed, putting a hand to my mouth to silence myself. That near encounter had cut out a huge piece of the fear. I was in these states in which the only answer you give is; “and so what-“ and that lifted a huge weight of the pressure weighing on my chest.

I exhaled deeply before proceeding on analyzing the house.

After the attic, there were the rooms. The one in which I was hiding was quite modest, with a wide bed with still drapes clinging to it. Moles and termites probably were living in it, so I thought it wise to kindly leave these drapes in place. The color was probably once white though now it was brown and a large pool of I-don’t-know-what was resting on the drapes. It’s shades contrasted darkly in opposite with the bed.

My short description is reaching its end.

Unfortunately.

The closet in which I was in was, made of wood and on this, i could clearly see insects crawling. I grimly made a little connection between crawling insects and the miserable feeling I had about this foul game, and in which I now was tangled in. Sonya had chosen a vent. She flashed the thumbs-up to me and soon enough Honey was the only one which wasn’t hiding. She then went for a box of toys which she dug into to cover herself below them. My heart was racing and I savored this fear as a sweet poison. Finally satisfied, I proceeded in closing the closet’s door. It didn’t creak- don’t ask me why. We waited for a long time. I saw Sonya move up the vent and started coming my way. Or at least, I guessed.

She was making too much noise.

I felt a urge to scream at her to stop, but stayed silent. At 3:00 AM; everything would be done and all this will be just a bad dream. Just as the door creaked open, Sonya froze in mid-movement and turned her head, unseeing; to where she thought the seeker was. The close shout I almost made stung at me painfully as guilt and relief rushed over me. But as salt and sugar; their very mixture doesn’t go together.

I could only see from the hole beneath the closet.

It was very small, though; but I could see each time whatever-thing-which-lived-in-this-horrific-doll walked in front or stopped. This game was terrifying me as I kept pondering back at how I had violently sunk the scissors in its corpse. I mused about how it would feel if it did the same when it found me.

I sunk a little bit more in the dirty rags.

I then came to the conclusion I’d probably kick it at the other side of the room if it even opened this insect house of a door. A grotesque image of its position when it would lay sprawled, this stupid doll; once I would’ve kicked it wormed it’s way in my mind. That insanely stupid thought had me almost bursting out though I managed to filter it until only a gasp for air escaped me. A very very loud gasp of air. I raised my hands to my mouth in horror but it was too late. The searching had stopped, and now; I could hear the slow, considerate movement of scurrying feet across the floor. I begged silently for someone to come help me, but I was alone. No sane person would help me. That meant I was most likely dead.

That grim thought was not that disturbing after all. I stiffly got up from my pose, my whole body ankylose after sitting in the same pose for so long. I moved further back in the closet as silently as possible, praying for the figure standing right in front of my door; to move away. I was about to give out a sigh when suddenly I jumped. A scratching noise was heard as the scissors scraped below from the hole below the door; and the blades raced right and left searching for something. I screamed and the noises stopped.

For a long time, nothing happened.

The seeker hit hard on the wooden door. I felt the whole thing tremble like a frail leaf. A crack appeared, then splinters until the seeker’s face could almost be seen. I was back against the wall behind me, when something hard and cold poked me in the back. Another hit of the scissors against the wooden door, sent splinters flying and covered the sound of Sonya calling out to me. But I heard her.

I thanked whoever is in the sky and heard my prayer, and helped Sonya lift the vent and entered as she made me some space to crawl inside. I moved inside the darkness just as she shut the vent and darkness fell upon us. Right before, i had time to have a quick snatch of her face; it was grim and silent. No smile crossed it- not even a stiffening.

I didn’t have time to thank her. The door fell close and, with an insect crawling on one side of its face; doll face Myosis checked inside the closet. With arms slightly apart from its body, it looked really like a baby. But the broken porcelain piece at the base of its head and the sharp pair of scissors which it clipped several times; kept me from laughing. It seemed to stare straight at me through the vent and pinning me in place, though I knew that there was no way it saw or could see us. As it turned its back to us and walked in this baby-like, grotesque walk; I sighed deeply. Sonya urged me forwards and we slowly crawled across the vent. After some time and some direction asking and taking, the vent opened up right behind a little door of the attic. There was enough space for three but already one was occupied. Ash looked at me. Terrified.

‘Where is Honey and Serenity?’ I croaked.

‘Still hidden in there,’ Ash whispered, voice trembling. ‘I want to get out of here!’

‘Shh,’ urged Sonya. ‘The game’s still going to last a good fifteen minutes.’ She looked at me despairingly.

‘And my sister?’ I asked as I leaned forwards.

‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t get her out without risking being seen,’ she sighed. ‘You were lucky. If the closet wasn’t open at the back, i wouldn’t have been able to get you out of there.’ I didn’t even want to amuse myself thinking of what would’ve happened if I had stayed there. Something messy- probably.

‘I’m going for a run for the salt water downstairs,’ I assured before even fully taking in the meaning. The saltwater was the only way to stop the game before 3:00.

After arguing a bit, without being too loud; they agreed on the exception that I walked out of the vent to not show where the rest were.

‘That’s suicide!’ Ash protested as Sonya unhooked the door and let me exit the vent. Just in the threshold, I turned and blowed a good luck to them. Sonya followed after me, and in front of my surprised looks, she rose her head to look at me and bore her wide; olive unfaltering eyes in mine.

‘You’re the best friend I ever had,’ she explained. Her voice softened. ‘I will hate to lose you while cowering here in a vent.’ She spat. Ash recoiled as the noise echoed in the vent.

We flinched as if the noise had been a hundred times louder.

Nothing happened.

After a slow ascension to the bedroom I was in, we proceeded in continuing all the way down. I checked in the room in which Honey was, and suddenly; I decided that I wanted to save her as well. I nodded at Sonya to move on without me. She looked suspicious, but obeyed reluctantly as she backed into the shadows like a wolf. My eyes smarted as they fell upon the room, dimly brightened though it was a real fireball of light compared to the darker; other rooms. The veil of heavy atmosphere upon the room seemed to lift as my feet slowly slid one by one across the room and my back slipped against the crooked wall-soundlessly. But she wasn’t in there. She had moved hiding place. I looked around at the sprawled toys like scattered leaves, and proceeded into looking in the basket she was. The toys had been pulled out and lay starkly at almost a feet away. Some of them had been violently torn and others shredded and gutted by small blades; as the stuffing scattered across the floor appeared in the dim light as broken glass. Fear snaked its way across my mind.

My shoulders sagged- she wasn’t here anymore. In rage, I kicked at the stuffing.

Meanwhile, Sonya looked around for the salty water they had prepared earlier.

‘Where is it!’ She raged as she kicked into the dust. ‘It was right here!’ Ash looked over at the splotch of darker colors on the mat. I carefully shoved the broken glass under the sofa. Of one thing I learned; survival is only possible with faith, and faith is better when fueled with lies. I stared at it hopelessly as Sonya raged a little bit further away.

‘Right,’ she decided. ‘Get the kid. We’re getting out of here,’

I protested. ‘But the rules-‘

‘I don’t give an ounce for the rules! We’re not talking of our lives, but of the one of a ten year old!’

‘And the doll-‘ My voice constricted. ‘Myosis..?’

She spat; then shrugged.

‘Serenity will assuredly find a way to wear off the effects,’ she grinned. ‘She’s the professional Satanist, here;’

I looked away, but didn’t disagree with her. She sighed.

‘Just go get her,’ she said softly. ‘Actually don’t. First go get the others-‘

Then someone screamed.

(Taking on account their current hiding

places, I should be inclined to put Ash or Serenity to arrive first; but in this passage please do not judge my aspect of distances and make it as I am planning to put it- that’s all!)

Halsey was the first to arrive, shaken by coughs and terror crawling up into her eyes as the sun crept into the sky. Her face paled as she saw Honey cornered by some ragged, moving-pile on the floor.

Myosis, I murmured. As if in response to this barely audible word, Myosis turned its head and it’s porcelain smile seemed to widen sadistically.

I really didn’t think twice as I launched forwards. The fear pinning me in place had vanished, and though my wits screamed at me to hide; the other side silenced them as the wind silences flames. Hidden as a secret, a newfound hatred burst inside of me and shielded me from fear as I kicked Myosis across the room with a shove of my foot. What once held the definition of an « excessive pupil’s construction »- now lay as a ragged pile of clothes in the dust and amongst roaches.

I knelt next to Honey and stroked her lightly across the cheek.

‘Your bleeding,’ she hiccuped. Her voice died in its embryon as I turned, seeing Jess enter the room; as silently and creeping as the night.

She curiously approached the doll.

Looking above her shoulder to have a better look, and just at that moment; it launched at her, scissors clicking wildly in one of her hands. Jess shrieked, the sound ripped into shreds the silence and felt like a thunderous blast of lightning to my ears. Jess was quick to react, though; and just as I went on my feet- she already had managed to get rid of it; and pinning it down, lifted her foot above it-

‘Don’t do it,’ I weakly protested.

But just as the words seemed to settle in, her foot came crashing down; and with a skull-bashing crash, the delicate porcelain face shattered like old glass into thousands of little pieces. At the exact moment she did that, the door burst open and all the rest of the players entered; wielding anything handy they had. They stood horrified. A cold veil seemed to befall on us as easily as a lock of hair falls upon a face.

The broken pieces littered the floor like the stars litter the skies; and the one only eye of Myosis rolled over until its midnight purplish color seemed to pierce right through me. I shivered and kicked it away.

Serenity slumped right on the wall she was next to, and buried her face into her hands muttering prayers and confused« if only » which fell into each other until it sounded like a disorganized melody.

Jess was looking around her, confused.

‘Hey guys, what happened? Didn’t I just save us all from this game’s seeker??’ Sonya walked over to her and slapped her across the face.

‘How dare you say such things!’ She half shouted, half screamed at her. Jess put a hand to her already reddening cheek. Sonya’s upper lip was trembling. Then her whole body shook and she slumped as well against the wall. Serenity looked up at Jess.

‘Look what you’ve done. And now you have freed this spirit- and we’re bound to it.’

Honey muffled a sob.

All heads turned as one, synchronized. Most of them, emotions; were startled.

I shook my head, shocked in front of so much absence of humanity.

‘Thanks to you all! Really, now she’s crying!’ Guilt was immediately read, at least; on most faces.

5.

‘I think we are safe,’ I managed as I tried catching my breath.

Closest house being mine; that’s where we went.

After I checked the locks and bolts on the doors and windows, I turned back to Willow. Her arms were crossed.

‘I think you owe me an explanation,’ she started. I frowned. ‘For running away after Cassandra simply slipped and fell!’ Now I crossed my arms.

‘She did not slip! I saw it! Something launched at her and she fell,’ then more softly. ‘Didn’t you see it?’

She frowned and turned. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. She just fell and you left her,as if you saw some demon;’

‘And the flashlight I threw at it-‘ I tried. She shrugged.

‘What flashlight?’

The fresh coat of snow which had been applied, kept us from returning seeing whether Cassandra was still there.

‘I’m taking a shower,’ Willow finally said. I didn’t show her where she should go, she could figure it out on her own.

‘Do you want to come with my parents?’ Though I coldly refused, when I was alone; I cursed myself for that- I was much more afraid here, alone.

I walked over at the mirror and stared at my reflection. I didn’t know how I should feel. I felt empty. The steam was still spiraling like fallen angels- in the room. The steam quickly absorbed my reflection, eating it up slowly until all that was left was a blurry sheet of.. blurriness..? A ten year old habit seized me. I leaned forwards, and mind empty; blankly drew the five pointed reversed star. (Otherwise known as the reversed pentagram) I grinned a little at it, before the cold consumed steam and pentagram. The most feared symbol, the most venerated pagan symbol- consumed by the cold air as water consumes flames. I turned my back to this satanist symbol and walked out of the room- feeling complete.

Meanwhile;

‘What are we going to do??’ Web despaired as he walked in circles; muttering.

Ash was blankly staring in the emptiness and Sonya was clicking mechanically; her flashlight. An itching annoyance rose.

‘Can you please stop?’ I softly hissed.

She didn’t look at me, but stopped the incessant clicking. We had waited until Honey rose to go use the restroom.

‘She deserves to know;’ Jess pointed out.

‘Oh you, shut up; you’re the reason why all this got messed up,’ Sonya snapped back.

‘Excuse me,’ she hissed. ‘Do you want me to remind you who decided to play thisso-called not dangerous game?’

Web nodded; but seeing it was irony, he turned red; nobody else gave any reply- and she fell silent.

Serenity rose.

‘It’s not that disastrous, it’s just a-‘

‘Spirit-with-murderous-motives- which-now -can- inhabit- whatever- mind- it- wants,’ Sonya muttered; cutting her off.

‘Not exactly,’ she frowned.

‘That’s exactly what it is, though,’ Halsey shouted; trembling. In front of their stunned faces, she proceeded. ‘You don’t understand that it’s not only our lives at stake; but the one of a young girl! One which doesn’t even believe in what we practice, and yet there she is!’ She sat back down. ‘I just don’t want her to be hurt,’ she softly managed.

A feeling of hopelessness befell on the group.

‘You’re the professional,’ Web pointed out as he looked at Serenity. ‘You know the game in all its ways- you even planned on playing it since you were twelve; so-‘

‘What should we do know?’ Ash said.

‘At least, know; Myosis isn’t fully a threat without the scissors,’ Jess pointed out.

I frowned.

Sonya muttered something.

‘Excuse me?’ Jess politely hissed. ‘What did you just say?’

‘I said: “Not thanks to you,’” Sonya snarled as reply.

‘What do you mean?’ I tiredly intrigued.

She had stopped fingering her flashlight by now, a real evolution!

‘I mean that if it wasn’t for this pretentious br*t; we’d all have ended this game happily and be gone with it!’ She explained.

‘So..?’ Jess intrigued. ‘What’s your invisible point?’

‘I say; let’s use her to call this spirit back into the doll and destroy it once and for all!’ She exclaimed. A sudden movement of her fingers, caused the light to flash out directly into our eyes.

‘Hey there!’ Serenity protested. ‘No one’s being used to call any spirit- even for this game,’ she looked at Jess’s face, streaming with horror. She grinned. ‘Yet.’

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Then Jess launched at Sonya.

‘Well I say- we use her instead! She was meant to prepare the salty water which mysteriously disappeared. How not so suspicious,’ she spat.

She had fallen right on top of Sonya who was too stunned to react. It wasn’t a fair fight- Sonya weighed so much less.

‘Get off me,’ Sonya warned.

Honey entered the room. She looked at them both. They quickly adjusted themselves and smiled widely.

‘I heard some noise-‘ Honey started.

‘It’s just the wind,’ I finished. ‘We were just messing around,’ I explained when she looked at Sonya who quickly wiped the dust off in a swift motion of disgust.

‘Oh; okay then;’ she frowned. Then she left to return get her bike.

‘I hate you,’ Sonya spat. A little bit softer this time, to not be heard.

Jess started. ‘Don’t you think you’re-‘

‘Oh shut up!’ I exclaimed; exasperated. ‘Can’t you think about a little more than yourselves?’

Serenity nodded approvingly at me. ‘Thanks for your offer, Jess; but the day we will need your opinion; we’ll tell you,’ Jess looked as if she was going to explode- but she simply pushed herself further into the sofa. ‘As for you, Sonya; if you had not cut me off talking about killing and offers- I might’ve told you what you debated on for so long!’ She looked at all our drawn faces. ‘Concerning Myosis,’ she specified. She leaned towards us.

‘So, before you guys interrupted me;’ she glared at Jess and Sonya. ‘I wanted to tell you about the Spirit. It simply has been called into the doll for the game; and though in its body, it was able to inflict harm- I assure you that the now freed spirit is no more a threat than a cloud is,’ she frowned as if she doubted it herself.

‘It’s not existent?’ I tried.

‘Well, in a certain way.. the only thing is that it’s visible. But only by those who wants to see them. Pain worshippers.’

‘Basically Satanists,’ I frowned. Great, I mused. I was just about to live the best vacation with some horrid spirit lurking around; and only I can see it. Great. Absolutely fantastic.

‘So- it’s not that bad?’ Attempted Web.

She shrugged. ‘It’s like sharing the same autism-character; except that it’s going to be a deal less fantastic and a deal more terrifying. See it as you want.’ ‘You’re the only one of your family to see it.’

Oh great. Just great.

6.

In exactly two days, one night and three hours; I was about to spend the most important moment of this whole week’s time.

A blazing sun was pounding carelessly, almost with sadistic lust; on a modest sidewalk. And I insist on modest since this sidewalk surely had family bonds with ruins. The sky streaked with a snaking silver and a radiant purplish pink; projected on the day’s situation, almost a promise.

Of those who waited with me with a reasonable distance between us, there were mostly boys eyes glued to the screen with that eerie glow of these things that shone in a blue tone on their face. The other half corresponded to compact groups of friends whose chucked could be heard thundering from, probably; the other side of the world. So I had no reason to feel somewhat annoyed. Oh, I also forgot this one person neither dumb, stupid, loud or idiot. A loser. Hair slightly curled, not very long; hazel eyes neither too green nor too yellow; in fact, this girl did not fit in any group and could be described into anything- but Manichean. This person who did not speak and favorises listening to delectable songs carefully chosen whilst tracing the invisible lines of the land space; instead of taking part in these loud screams and shouts.

This girl, so faceless and so meaningless and worthless in the eyes of the others- otherwise known as me.

Everything that happened yesterday came to me in snatches and nightmarish fibers of this adventure, which quickly turned sour. But all of it was slowly melting away in my mind, as the snow melts in the sun.

Once arrived at destination, I hastily put on my skis. The sun radiantly shone in its divine aura, as the clouds struggled to find any breeze to chase across the sky.

Surely, this sun was afraid to transform this milky white surface of snow; which sparkles like a multitude of stars. Surely afraid to turn it into a molten pool which shall be destroyed, almost as fast as it can destroy our retinas.

This thought, even though a bit revulsive; reminded of this dreadful last night. A strange name, that was Myosis. With a definition as complex as it’s existence itself.

I cannot take away these remarks, the unnatural feelings you get as you ski. Sorry if I drown you into them- the feeling of racing like the wind across the hills, the feeling when the ground shakes as the vibration echoes throughout your bones, and the refreshing fingers of some northern breeze as I heard the crunching sound of the snow below me; which gently gives way under my weight.

In this magical landscape, where stations and cabins lay waste to the landscape; the cables which connected them to each other, grimly reminded me of the thread of a spider’s web.

It was an easy descent. Except for a thin coat of ice which gave out an awful screech. Like the sound steel makes when it rubs on steel.

After the sun had risen to its highest, and finished its course in a icy ocean of purplish snow; I arrived at my last chairlift. Just as I sat down, a thunderous roar rumbles in the distance. All the heads turned, and in a same seizure of panic; everyone rushed for the sets of chairs lifting. A new shriek accompanied the gathering of snow in the distance, which first seen as a cloud in the distance; grew and swole up so badly that it was now certain enough that it could hold the name of avalanche.

The seats started to rise.

Some people rushed forwards to cling to them, to not be left behind- as the reality settled in, the slow people to realize got drowned in a blur of human bodies all screaming and shouting and reaching out for the chairs.

I squinted to get a better look of the large cloud which rolled faster and faster.

Doubts had started to started to settle in.

‘What do you see?’ I asked the man as I gestured to the cloud of snow.

He frowned with eyebrows I couldn’t help but to describe as bushy.

‘An avalanche, child; but where is your family?’ I hastily explained that they would return later in the week. But my scowl has not receded- I could perceive other sinister outlines in this avalanche.

The siege stopped. About several meters above the ground, the chairs swung dangerously from side to side. The avalanche having covered most of the station below, I was awaiting for the worst.

Out of the fog and dust below, long, sharp claws rose and dug into the cable. The shock shook the cabin even more.

Fangs glistening wetly, or venom; or both- anyways, it opened its jaws and the bestial thing roared. Two shredded wings followed the claws and gripped the cable. A tail whipped through the air like a thunderbolt which resonated across the valley.

She can’t see you, I said, trying to reassure myself. Myosis cannot see you.

That’s at least what Serenity said, and if there’s one person who knows anything about calling in spirits- it’s her. Right..?

I gave a quick glance to Honey. Only one rapid glance at her side assured my point that, she saw it too. She was just as us, she opened her eyes to pain.

For once, I really did want to exchange religion.

Inwardly, Honey prayed for the nightmarish apparition, to go away. She also prayed for Dawn to tell her something. Something. Anything. She knew that it was her who directed Dawn, but when I mean talk; I mean like, the words came out themselves. That; was the voice of Dawn.

And when she took too much time to invent, the words were dull- none of the originality and sadistic fun she used to have in her tone; was present.

New roar.

I turned my head to look at the despicable thing which leaned towards the passengers on the seat right behind us.

Pray harder, was the only thing I offered myself to hold back the tears.

A clicking of its tongue against its upper jaws, clearly showed its disappointments the people behind us. It started to climb a little bit nearer.

I prayed to any god or ungodly person up there, to do anything. The beast with an explosion of nightmarish colors across its body, was right above our heads. Preferring Honey to me, it leaned forwards to take a closer look out of interest. Two pupils of an electric purplish blue; plunged into the eyes of Honey to rummage in her soul. Excepting to see some kind of faltering in her blank expression. Since, evidently; all those who couldn’t see him, they didn’t react to its presence- thus, it would not hurt either them, or her. That was her hope.

Her whole body winced as the thing approached itself a bit more closely, and slash her cheek by simply stroking it, very slightly. A scream took birth in her throat, and, without really taking in account the flaws of my decision; I jumped out of my seat as much as I could, and straight right planted the tip of the sticks used in skiing; pushing it further in its soft tender flesh. I’m exaggerating, most of it bounced off the scales; but it still did scrape her. Its head swung to face me, it’s giant deer antlers really making it look like some pagan divinity. It roared in pain and in rage. Just as it did, I grabbed Honey by the hand and dragged her closer to me as we jumped and fell like stones.

And I can say it was quite fortunate, because a blast of hot air only reached us as above our heads the whole seats took fire and erupted into flames.

A horrible tearing sound echoed loudly as the cable supporting the seats, was now freed. Myosis clutched the seats as the wyvern unfolded its wings and in sudden jolts of flapping and pulling, managed to move the seats a bit more to the right; before letting it crash far below. The seats erupted in flames as the whole thing bathed in a orange glow and flames licked at the rocks on which the seats crashed. Terror crept down my spine as I realized it had been done purposely, since the rocks were only on the right. I turned and almost retched, but my stomach was empty and all I managed to do was heave and make gagging sounds.

In a quick flapping noise and straightening towards the horizon, Myosis was gone towards the East in just a sweep of its tail.

‘Honey!’ I yelled. A small voice answered me. Trembling and frightened, she had found refuge behind a rather large piece of snow.

‘Serenity,’ she hiccuped. Then gasped. ‘She- she said that-‘

‘Yes I know, I was with you,’ she slumped and fell into the pits of silence.

‘Don’t give me the silent treatment,’ I warned her. But that was only in my head. My other voice had long broke and fallen into the treatment I was talking about.

After a while, a group of helpers found us huddled together and minutes later we were on a bus, home.

‘Can I ask you a question?’ Honey asked in her normally so melodious voice; now wavering with uncertainty.

I sighed. ‘I know as much as you do, I already told you that-‘

‘No no, it’s not that.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s Dawn.’

‘Who is that?’

‘You know, Dawn.’ She buried her head in her hands. ‘She stopped answering me.’

À vaque memory emerged about her. Dawn. Who was that, already? This name was something I knew, though..

A memory went up.

‘Truth or dare?’ Honey asked me.

‘Truth,’

‘What is your favorite color?’ She asked as she leaned in. I liked her way of showing interest to normally, uninteresting ideals of other people. Even things claimed as unimportant- she treasured them and jealously kept them, as today people keep down a secret.

‘Grey,’ a look of surprise passed over her face. But it quickly disappeared in a smile.

After playing a fairly long period of time with her, she suggested we play with Dawn.

‘Who is that?’ I had frowned.

She had shrugged. ‘A friend,’

‘Alright, Dawn; Truth or dare?’ I asked her. I had ironized quite a bit on her name, though if Honey heard it; she didn’t make any remarks.

‘She’s asking for a truth,’ Honey pointed out. I jumped when I heard her say that. I almost thought she had fallen asleep.

‘Oh yes then,’ I tried to think. ‘Can you tell us which part of your physical form do you least like?’

‘You upset him,’ she complained as a scowl deepened her brow. ‘She does not like judging- even less herself.’

Her?

‘Oh sorry,’ I apologized. My shoulders sagged.

Of course, I felt that trigger warning in my gut; some sort of twisting and gnarling in my viscera as of it was being clasped by claws. Dreadfully cold and sharp claws. But it never was a really powerful warning, and that conversation actually seemed quite normal-

After several days, I didn’t even hear nor mention about Dawn. After only the fifth day, Honey came up to me with that enigmatic smile of hers which would stretch like a cat under the sunshine. She came up straight to my ear.

‘Her birthmark-‘ she had murmured in words so gentle, they tickled my ear.

And before I could protest or ask what was she even talking about- she was already swiftly back in the house.

Obviously, I ended giving it in to my parents. My mother seemed distressed but my father assured me it was just that her limits between her and imagination; had broken.

Of course, I didn’t know at that moment that it was just a more polite way to say autism.

***

Afterwards, I stopped talking with Honey that much. I even seemed to try avoiding her- when I met her as I walked in the corridors, in the school and schoolyard; or simply on the streets.

I don’t really know why.

I probably believed it was contagious.

When she, however; did conclude that I was avoiding her. Her very own sister. She closed on herself even more, and selfish self centered me at that time; didn’t realize that the real monster in this story, was me- not her. Not even Dawn.

I frowned.

‘She’ll come back,’ I assured her. ‘I’m certain.’ She tried smiling but every inch of it was screaming and waning and breaking- until it broke right there and then.

‘She says it’s filthy,’ Honey grimaces as she ran up to catch with me. ‘Covering half her face in a deep ocean black-blue purplish hué like the sea; very soft and almost silky at the touch,’ she made another face that twisted her face. ‘I think it looks right on her though when I told her about the ocean comparison, she said it was the exact same color- except hers was dirty and soiled sigh sea foam.’

‘But what is!’ I exclaimed.

She sighed in exasperation. ‘Her birthmark, silly! To Dawn!’

I gave out a sigh of frustration.. and satisfaction! At least she managed to pierce the bubble of her age and was now freeing herself of Dawn and the shadow it cast on her.

Of course, I didn’t care that very much of this figure; I didn’t know how much love and feelings of worthy and uniqueness, Dawn had given my sister- how much that not-even-existing-creature probably was worth much more to Honey’s eyes than me. A felt a prickle or jealousy which, like a shiver down my spine; disappeared in a sigh.

***

The bus rode while bumping on the wet, stony and snow-crunching road; before stopping in front of a house away of all civilisation.

Dead.

Empty.

Rotten-rotting-corpse-of-a-house-barely-standing-right-here; as Jess would call it.

We thought of naming it, as all these cool guys in the movies do. It could’ve been house 47, the house of Fortune Street, the dying one, White wasteland, grey moon- but it was simply THE broken house because that’s all it had to it. Smashed windows, torn chunks of wood, shards of glass and wood sprawled across the garden and the household: as thousands of tiny stars. A bashed in door and a staircase which, as the poem; was assuredly made me feel like the glass staircase when I walked on it. So yeah, so long for the cool name- it was just; the broken house.

7.

Several years earlier*

‘Truth or dare?’ Dawn playfully asked.

‘I’m not in the mood,’ I argued as my eyes fingered the racing clouds and the gloating sun. Finally, ‘truth,’

‘If you could change one thing in the way you were raised, what would it be?’ She asked. I looked down to where Halsey was. I had noticed her shift of character. She seemed to keep a good distance between her and me. As if I was contagious.

‘Meeting you,’ I seethed. ‘If I could change one thing, it would have been to have never met you,’

‘Are you okay?’ She worried.

‘No I’m not! All of this is your fault- I want to be normal, I want to be like other people- I want to be like them,’

I was itching to add something in front of the uneasy silence which befell our conversation.

‘I’m sorry,’ i added. ‘I didn’t mean what I just said. You’re the best friend I ever had.’ I slumped down.

‘What is your favorite color?’ I began.

After long seconds; I was afraid she wasn’t going to answer.

‘You already asked that question,’ she frowned. I scoffed; but smiled.

‘Alright, what do you feel most grateful for?’

‘Knowing you. Your turn,’

‘What lie have you told that hurt someone?’ She murmured. Her voice was so soft that it tickled my ear.

I pondered on it for a bit.

‘The most untrue, painful statement I said; was saying I hated you- and saying I wished I never met you,’

voice softening;

‘I love you,’ I murmured. They were simple words, words which had slowly been washed of taste with time; and use. When I was left to ponder on the simple meaning of me saying these, I always came to the touching conclusion that it was my way to say I loved myself the way I was.

‘I do too,’ I sensed her smile; even now when I couldn’t see either her face or her body.

***

The rain drummed tirelessly and pitilessly over my face already ground up by the cold as it penetrated my skin and soaked my soul.

Finally, the bus arrived, like a spectre in this gloom.

Blurry figure hardly even visible in this screen of fog. The fog was the bus and the bus was the fog- both of them seemed to dissolve; hand in hand, in the sky.

After a long trip, he dropped me near the broken house.

‘Where are you going, girl?’ Asked the driver in his ruff, guttural voice.

‘The house you see; and name’s Jess,’ I acknowledged him not even lifting my eyes off the window.

In front of his suspicious, pork eyes; I added-

‘I live there,’ I winked at him then disappeared in the howling wind of the night; in a twirl of my cream-colored hair.

I hope I don’t need to explain to you that, of course not; I don’t live there. That rotten corpse of a house is as ugly as it is empty. Oh Well, you might fall on rats; if you’re lucky enough.

Despite the bus and the joyous driver, I still had to walk a good mile up to this house. The sky was heavy on my shoulders, and after all the wails and shrieks and thrashing of the wind- now not even a rustle shook the grass.

To soothe the roaring silence in my ears and the feeling of dread clasping my chest in its claws; I began whistling.

The oppressive atmosphere seemed to penetrate into all my thoughts, poisoning them. So when I saw the ruins, I cling to this last anchor; and eyes wild with fear- I sprang forwards into a sprint. A burst of energy shook all my muscles and I only accelerated faster, probably hoping to hear something else than silence. There isn’t a reason for me running, I guess the silence was simply too loud.

Out of breath, I stopped a little bit before the main entrance. From where I was, I could barely distinguish the door. The peeling paint and the wood below it. I saw figures moving inside, in the light. I sighed. Last, once again.

I sighed again, and as I started to run; I turned my head to see a wooden carcass in trenches dug next to the road.

The rain had ceased since long, so out of curiosity; I decided to investigate.

It was the handlebar of a bike.

The rest of it (of the bike), I found by brushing some of the snow piled upon it. My fingers also traced huge claw marks which had deeply scarred the bike. It seemed to have sliced through it as easily as in cheese- but what terrified me the most; was the questioning of what kind of thing belonged these claws.

A pile of snow- a distinct flaw across the sheet of fine snow- caught my attention.

With the back of my hand, I chased away the snow that had accumulated; I stifled a cry.

I staggered away and had to hold myself to a tree to steady myself. A dull terror invaded my thoughts like the melody of a song.

It was like a scene from a horror movie. A frozen stare with wide eyes and a mouth wide open in an act of surprise; or of horror. A shudder of disgust and fear ran through me and my stomach turned in front of the mess below the face, of burnt flesh and boiled bones and skin.

I heard a moan not far away. I turned to see a dog rolled in a ball, writhing and occasionally letting out squeaks.

I approached it with a slight, hesitant step. A branch cracked under my weight. The sounds it was making suddenly stopped.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,’ I soothed. But below, I could hear my voice crackle and break in terror. ‘I.. promise..?’

But the words died in my throat as the animal lifted its head with two huge onyx-like stones embedded in its face. These eyes glowed with an intense passion. Riding as a nightmare unfolds. Bones straightened and cracked as it’s whole body unfurled. Its head was the only thing which had been looking at me straight- all of the rest of it turned and twisted until, below the moon; a beast twice the size I had suspected; unfolded completely in the pale glow of the moon. It’s membranous wings rolled their muscles and discovered on these cracked wings, a thin set of lines which seemed to twinkle as twinkles the morning dew on a spider webs’

thin canvases.

He tilted its head with almost an amused smirk across its snout. As it leaped, that’s what set off a blaring alarm in my head.

Obviously, I had come to the conclusion that this thing wasn’t a dog.

A.. demon..?

Impossible. None of them had been released by the game. And yet-

As it whirled around, snarling; it’s tail whipped through the air and crashed into my chest. I collapsed after one or two staggering steps- gasping for breath and clutching my chest. My whole body shook tremendously. I gasped as blinking spots and black dots appeared in my vision. Help. I thought. At that moment, I was still much too far to ponder on death. The violence of it, was not what mattered for me. The thought of my body mingling to nature as if I never meant anything to anyone; the thought of me being swiped from history and be just « Jess who never was here ». But I was too far to ponder on that.

‘Please,’ I begged as it bent its head inches from my gentle and so fragile face. I removed a hand from my chest, and it appeared to be bloody. Spikes. There actually were spikes on its tail.

It’s breathing tickled my skin while two purplish blue gems bore through mine and seemed to pin me down. Taking my breath away in mere fascination. And horror. It seemed to be analyzing me, looking for something. Or someone.

A forked slimy, wet dark-purple raisin colored tongue; snapped on the upper part of its jaws, in irritation. No- in disappointment.

A razor sharp claw stroke my neck ever so lightly. The tip of it scraped my skin. Ever so softly. A tingle seemed to run through my veins.

Then I started screaming.

8.

When I was done, no one spoke for a long time. Everyone had arrived, except for Jess.

‘She’s probably on a date,’ Sonya had grimaced as I pointed out her absence.

‘Are you sure it was Myosis?’ Web tried hesitantly. ‘I mean- it might’ve been something else-‘

‘Oh please,’ I protested. ‘You know yourself that I’m right. What other thing could it have been?’

‘But we know that, the only question is-‘

‘-how come it could physically interact,’ Sonya murmured. She looked up straight at Serenity, who was shifting uncomfortably.

‘Don’t look at me!’ She protested.

‘You’re the one who wanted to play the game at your youngest, you’re the professional,’ I pointed out. I didn’t want to get on Serenity’s bad side, but almost falling to my death was a mild enough excuse.

‘Alright, alright, but that doesn’t mean I have any answer for you.’ She looked out the window, then her sharp gaze fell back on us. ‘Well, there might be one-‘ she left her unfinished words to hang in the air like a shroud carried away by the wind.

‘What?’ I pressed.

She looked at me with her soft olive eyes; almost, pitifully. ‘You’re not going to like it,’ she warned.

She looked at Honey, and by a nod; my sister immediately understood and left the room.

After Honey had left, she slumped on the couch and raised her hands in submission in front of our weighing stares.

‘Alright, alright- but don’t tell me afterwards, that I didn’t warn you,’ she looked at Sonya which was passing the flashlight from one hand to another. Under her weighing stare, she stopped.

‘Myosis is not alone,’ she exhaled as if she was finally letting go of the pressure. The words washed over me, like insignificant waves wash over shores.

‘What?!’ Sonya cried. ‘Is that your grand revelation? Your fatalistic vision of the future? That Myosis is simply not alone??’ She sighed, looking at the skies. ‘You gotta be kidding me,’

Serenity frowned. ‘I’m not sure you actually understand what’s at stake right now. If you have any basic knowledge about spirits, you’d know that the vessel (the doll) can contain but one spirit; here, Myosis- but there exists cases in which another Spirit called « suppressive dialects of the underworld bearing scars of oneiromancy-»

‘English please,’ Sonya frowned. Web leaned forwards and gestured at her to be quiet.

‘Right- what I just said; A.K.A demons,’ she glared at Sonya. ‘Can possess the same vessel of a former spirit. And basically, yeah,’ she shrugged. ‘It can make spirits touch us physically since once the vessel, or the doll; broken- it frees the demon inside,’

She looked at all of us.

‘Oh, I forgot- the only known demon to possess vessels at the same time as Spirits, is called Necrosis,’

‘What a name-‘ Web half dreamily said, he didn’t even notice all our shocked faces turning to stare at him.

‘What!’ He protested. ‘Who would call himself Necrosis??’

‘That’s not it,’ I half hissed half murmured. ‘Fact is, even though we respected the procedure of calling a spirit instead of anything else; in a doll- we actually did that; except now it can physically interact,’

‘What’s the whole point of this « physical interaction »?’ He protested as he raised his eyes upwards. ‘What is so frightening about « physical interaction »? Worms can « physically interact », I don’t see why it makes that insignifiant name any special,’

I rolled my eyes and as I did, my look met Serenity’s. In our locked gaze, we seemed to be trying to calm our lust for murder in front of this empty flower pot head. It’s Serenity which cale to my aid at that moment.

‘Maybe that’s because demons with claws, wings, fire and all- present a bit more of a threat than a worm blindly digging below miles of dirt. Huh? What do you think??’ She said with a voice dripping with poison.

‘Not to forget that this demon is still linked to us because of the game, and only when it will have found us and stabbed us as we did with the scissors- will it return to the old rag doll of haunted basements,’ Sonya despaired as she fingered the smooth glass containing the light from which emanated her flashlight’s glow. I was too tired to shut her up and bring her back firmly, to her place.

She was right.

And I knew it.

***

Three knocks.

They were coming from downstairs, I crept slowly down to where it had come from. Then two other knocks were heard rising like a shrill scream rises. The front door. How dumb of me, of course; it’s Jess. From the looks of the others, they probably heard it too. I was still halfway down the stairs when Web detached himself from the group to unlock the door. Halsey called me to stand besides her, and stroked softly my hair.

‘Wait,’ warned Serenity. ‘It might be-‘ she shifted uncomfortably. ‘I mean, just check it’s really Jess.’

Just as Web was going to ask who was the « it might be- » person; Sonya glared at him then pushed her way to the door.

‘Right,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll do it.’ She bent and pressed her forehead against the peephole of the rotten door.

All she ever saw was Jess’s head. Two heartbeats later she turned.

‘So, was that Jess?’ Hesitantly asked Web.

She nodded.

‘Alright, open,’ chimed in Halsey as she stepped forwards to unlatch the door.

‘I know but-‘ Sonya flinched. ‘Something’s just not right.’

The bangs resumed. Louder this time. Less patient.

‘Jess, is that you?’ Ash called out. He shrugged back at us- no answer.

‘Sonya,’ warned impatiently Serenity. ‘Is that Jess- or not??’

‘It is, but-‘ she shifted uncomfortably. ‘Something’s just not right.’ Ash sighed and Web let out a moan of protest.

Serenity walked forwards clearly annoyed by this whole is-that-the-right-person-to-let-in-thing.

‘That whole Myosis-Necrosis is eating your minds; it’s nothing,’ she reassured as she smiled.

This time it was Halsey which took a step forwards.

‘No don’t,’ she warned. Then more soothingly. ‘The risk is just not worth taking.’

Just as Serenity seemed to going to answer, her words stuck in mid air as she listened. A look of astonishment passed over on her face.

‘Have you noticed,’ she urged softly. We glanced nervously at each other. ‘The knocking,’ she explained. ‘It stopped.’

We looked at each other- not one of us could explain why they abruptly stopped. Surely, no one would come this far in the countryside to visit the only house- which wouldn’t open. At least I knew, that Jess would’ve tried bashing the door in.

I looked at Ash who still bore that same enigmatic wisp of a grin in his impassible mask; Web with that look of someone which just realized he is called Web-

‘Supposition?’ Serenity pressed on.

‘None,’ I assured as my eyes passed from her to Honey. Surely, she couldn’t have known.

Then my eyes fell on Sonya. She was lacing her fingers nervously as she put her weigh from one side to the other. She glanced up like a frightened animal.

‘I think I might know why the banging stopped,’ she said quietly.

Just at that moment we heard a horrible creaking noise. Everyone flinched in unison as the back door opened.

I looked at her pleadingly. ‘Don’t tell me you-‘

Just at that moment, Jess entered the corridor we were stacked in. It was Jess alright, same face and clothes she had wore- though they were tattered with blood. A circle around her neck from which a trickle of blood oozed from it; rooted me to place with horror. Honey gasped.

‘What’s the matter?’ Worried Jess. She walked towards us bearing that same innocent smile.

‘Don’t worry, I simply fell on my way here;’ she explained as she gestured to her necklace of blood.

A huge weight seemed to lift up the group as we all heaved a sigh of relief.

‘We’re all just a bit stressed out,’ explained Web as he took a step forwards.

We all assembled in the room; after an uncomfortable silence, Jess broke it.

‘Honey, are you alright?’ Asked Jess. She got up to reach out for her.

Once I heard my name, I started panicking. The world spun around me. Such easy words, though; I’m fine. But as she reached out for me, I couldn’t help the cry that escaped me.

‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to

hurt you,’ she grinned. Her eyes bore through mine, but in contrast of the smile that radiated like a dead light on her face; her eyes were red. Almost teary.

Serenity stepped in front of me.

‘Don’t come near her,’ she hissed.

Web got up, his mouth already open to protest. At the same moment, Jess sidestepped Sonya and approached herself from me.

‘She doesn’t know you a lot, Jess;’ Halsey warned. ‘You should leave her alone- you’re probably scaring her.’

‘Get back,’ warned Sonya.

Jess just came closer, all the time smiling. But it seemed as if all the rest of her face was tearing off the mask. Now, tears really appeared in her eyes and streamed down her face. I screamed.

‘I said: « Get Back »!’ Shouted Sonya just as she reached out for me. Sonya pushed Jess away from me then smacked her across the face. Just as she did, a shrill scream rose from the group. But I was unable to see as Halsey launched forwards to block my view.

‘She’s just acting,’ urged Halsey. Then the door closed in my face.

***

The head of Jess rolled until it faced me fully; her eyes shining with tears which rolled down her face. Her cheek had reddened from the blow though the most terrifying was her unfaltering smile on this destroyed and broken face.

I’m not sure who screamed. It might’ve been Serenity, or Web, or Myosis- or me.

Just as the head twisted and spun off the neck in an almost funny manner; Jess had taken two hesitant steps before falling to the ground like a rag doll. Dark spirals of fumes has risen from beneath the clothes before compacting together.

‘Myosis,’ murmured Serenity. The half-formed fumes grew wings in seconds as it sprang towards her and knocked Serenity in the chest. The clinking of claws resumed as electric lilac eyes cunningly bore through mine. Myosis cocked it’s huge lizard-like scaly head and just at that moment, all the people in this room which were frozen with fear; finally started running away for their lives, from this spectral apparition.

‘Honey!’ I shouted above the noise. She reached out for me and I caught her hand. I pulled her closer into the shadows of the corner I was in. Through the screams and shouts, I saw a blur of claws rippling right in front of my face. A stinging feeling as something warm slowly trickled on my face. I put a hand to my face and brought it up to my face. Blood.

As the room cleared, the gigantic dragon-like thing bent its head until giant jaws containing huge sets of jade white fangs were only inches from my face.

The moment was so unreal, that I barely had time to react. Two pools of molten amethyst pierced through my flesh. I’m not quite sure what happened next, just that; having my eyes closed- I just heard a gunshot followed by a shriek quite inhuman. It felt like metal scraping over metal with a shrill scream underneath. I pressed my hands against my ears just as a swipe of a powerful tail with sharp icicle-like spikes; shot through the air- immediately followed with a crunching noise. I opened my eyes to see a snarling figure hovering over a broken thing on the floor. Then it backed away and turned to face us. I held my breath, certain it would simply leap and tear us to shreds. Instead, it only waited under the feeble, yellowish light while swiping its tail almost playfully from side to side. I was puzzled, but Honey quickly figured it out and threw an object out the window. I froze as she did so, but instead; it launched for the window and broke through it as half as the wall crumbled as castles crumble to dust.

After making sure it was gone, I rushed forwards to where Serenity was.

‘I think I might have a broken rib,’ she managed in a gasp. ‘Strange, huh,?’ She said as I looked to where Myosis had disappeared. ‘It’s deaf.’ Then for absolute no reason, she started laughing. A fit of coughing then, seized her; and put an end to her hysteria.

I left her there to go get my phone and dial emergency service. I’ll just say that she had an accident.

‘Halsey!’ Honey called out fearfully. ‘I don’t think Serenity’s breathing anymore!’

9.

‘Good luck,’ Amber muttered as I raced down the slope. I had done this several times; and right now the only thing I had in mind, was to win. Black clouds weighed on the moonlike landscape like some heavy atmosphere. Earlier, my parents had entered our room 407 where we were staying in for a week.

‘They’re asleep,’ my father had murmured to my mom as they hushed their loud voices and sounds. Silence had dressed its barriers between us both, but none of us were asleep. ‘You’re the one who’s making noise,’ my mother had protested as my father gestured at her to be quiet. They had both chuckled, and strangely enough; I felt jealous. I just didn’t seem to get why they should get to be happy while bad luck strives at my feet as a shadow strives near light- of course, I knew this thought was selfish. The only one here that deserved joy, for me; was Honey- because even after all her efforts, I still heard her whimpers and sobs which came out in strangled sounds.

Wind hissed in my ears: disembodied sounds and different dislocated fragments of voices. Everything around me appeared as a blur, as the troubled surface of an ocean; and only the tremendous beat of my heart in a chest filled with so many indescribable emotions- made me feel as if my chest was going to burst.

As I passed the finish line, something appeared wrong.

Had I done something wrong? Had I failed? Impossible. I mean, I’d never fail any tests until now.. right..?

Amber came up to my side, grinning.

‘Is it a yes?’ She asked. In front of my look of uncertainty; she dispatched herself with a petty excuse.

Several minutes later, ( time which I did not see pass as I tried to figure out why the teacher gave me fleeing stares), ‘Now I’ll give out to you the medals,’ our teacher grimly announced as we all sat around him on wooden benches in the inside’s heat; right next to a stove.

‘Stanley,’ he started. ‘7:14-‘ the one concerned gave out a « yess! » which quickly drowned under our modesty-warning glares. Two more passed and two more failed.

‘Halsey,’ he gave me a sad look. Now I know that « sad » means just as much as beautiful or ugly- by that I mean; absolutely nothing. Sofor any English teacher out here; that feeling of sadness I heard in his voice was an indescribable way, in which you seem to hear his voice tarnished with guilt and sweetened with soft words. Soft lies.

I’d like to tell you some petty excuse, as that I was stressed out, or had cardiac problems; or something of that kind- but truth is, I have no excuse. I failed as badly as failed can be.

‘I got it!’ Emma shouted as she raised it to have a better look of it. The sun gently stroke its caramel surface and made it shine like a real star. A golden star.

Great, Amber seemed to be telling to me as she rolled her eyes. I couldn’t blame her for having a sister which got it where she failed-

Suddenly a phone rang.

‘It’s mine, sorry,’ I said as I took it out.

‘Hello?’ I called out.

‘Halsey, come quick!’ I heard Sonya said hastily. Her voice was itching to burst.

‘Sonya?’ I ventured.

‘It’s Serenity! She’s waking!’

Then she hang up.

I didn’t think about how rude it was,

‘What’s the matter?’ I asked a bit harshly to Amber, who had been staring at me a bit as if I had something huge on the face.

‘Your eyes- they look a bit..glazed..? Who was it?’

‘A friend,’ I turned to the teacher. ‘Can we leave, now?’ I asked. My voice probably snapped taking in account the others who seemed to take a step back.

‘Parents,’ I lied. Then I set off- anyways, I was not really excited of the teary speech he’d give on about how we shouldn’t give up.

***

Three days, four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes, twenty hundred fifty-nine thousand and two hundred seconds had passed. Three whole days in which we didn’t know whether the most admirable friend of ours; would live to tell the tale. Four thousand three hundred and twenty minutes in which I held her lifeless hand and removed her rippling caramel locks away from her eyes; and finally twenty hundred fifty-nine thousand and two hundred seconds in which I contemplated with my heart in my throat, that tiny screen which would follow each heartbeat she made. Of course, it would be exaggerated if I ever said that I was alone. There was, of course; all of the other Satanists which would come and sit with us- but of all; Web stayed the longest. I never left him alone, though; I don’t really know why. I didn’t really trust him- I know it’s dumb, but I just couldn’t seem to want to take the risk. A sheet of sunshine had dropped unto the bed and crept slowly towards Serenity’s face.

‘You should go get some sleep,’ mused someone behind me. I jumped and turned to see Web. I hadn’t heard him coming.

‘I’m quite fine,’ I coldly replied. ‘Thanks for your visit,’

‘You don’t need to stay near her,’ he insisted. ‘Look at you, you haven’t slept in days.’

‘That’s what having friends is called,’ my words settled upon us, casting a shadow on the room. I turned my head away as he sat.

‘I’m sorry,’ I added. ‘I don’t know why I said that.’ An uncomfortable silence settled in for several minutes.

‘She did mean a lot to you,’ softly acknowledged Web. I nodded. After only seconds he turned to face me with a serious expression.

‘Did anyone see where it went?’

‘What? What is « it »?’ I inquired. ‘Myosis, you mean?’

He flinched.

‘Don’t name it!’ He warned.

‘Sorry,’ I ironized as I turned back to Serenity. Her pupils has started to flutter quite slightly under her closed eyelids. But I didn’t pay too much attention since a roaring boredom, was the music which filled my ears.

‘And who really is able to call in demons except for Serenity? I think that-‘

Her eyelids? Of course!

‘Web! She’s waking!’ I shouted excitingly. I thought I saw a frown in his look, but I really didn’t care if it mattered for him.

‘Halsey! It’s Serenity! She’s waking!’ I half shouted the moment she picked up.

She was about to reply when the line cut out. That was quite annoying, you know; it didn’t happen really often- but whenever there was a lot of snow, it could sometimes destroy lines. I once remember Serenity telling me about that guy which had been locked in this place since after a huge amount of snow had fallen, the door was blocked. So he had to wait several days before the snow melted since the lines were jammed and dead. When people around him saw him, they said he looked inhuman. Barely more alive than dead. There was this smell around him which crippled flowers, and he started seeing spiders and rats everywhere. They would scurry on his walls and on him at night and by day he could sweat feeling them below his skin. The telephone lines were just as treacherous as a knife alright. But all that matter of lines and snow were very meager for me, and I was just too eager to see Serenity actually wake. So I didn’t go downstairs to fix the line.

I ran down the corridor, almost falling to my death down the stairs;

‘Web,’ I called out. ‘Where are you??’ The realization hit me one second too late. Of course! How dumb of me! He must be with Serenity; that’s where I left him.

I opened the door. Quite violently. The smile waned off quickly off my face.

‘What have you done?!’ I shrieked. That ridiculously long and tiny tube which brought air to Serenity, was lying on the floor as the air escaped its inside. I ran forwards to put it in back in place, when someone stepped out from the shadows and locked my neck in a deadly clasp.

‘I suggest you forget everything you saw,’ advised a soft voice. The words tickled my ear. Blinking spots of light appeared in my vision as I kicked into the face of the one holding me. He grunted but barely even moved.

‘You’re choking me,’ I managed as his grasp tightened. A last constriction and then her whole body sagged and slumped like a rag doll to the floor.

‘I’m sorry,’ he apologized almost solemnly as he rose. ‘This is the only way I have if I want to destroy Myosis- kill its vessel.’

***

The door was half open as I entered, my heart thumping loudly. Serenity was the closest thing I had to a soulmate after the girl in the mirror.

‘Sonya?’ I called out. There was no answer. I frowned.

‘Sonya!’ I insisted loudly, again; as I entered the broken house and got up the staircase.

‘You’re really getting on my nerves,’ I muttered as I slammed each door open. Each time, dust spiraled across the room; it was strangely beautiful- something about it, the way it seemed to twirl in spirals in a shower of golden sun- it looked somewhat.. divine..

‘There you are,’ I exclaimed.

I was about to add something but my voice died in my throat.

‘What has he done to you?’ I murmured as I knelt to help Sonya up.

She looked up as if I was like the last thing we’d expected to see. Or maybe she just felt so betrayed she didn’t expect anything more from anyone else.

‘Serenity-‘ she started. ‘..I’m so sorry..’

‘Don’t worry,’ I soothed. ‘Everything that matters is that you are alright.’ She sighed and sat back down.

I must admit it was a terrifying entrance for me, to see burnt bones and the rest of a carbonized hand still clutching the doorknob which had melted right under him. Of course, minutes earlier; it wouldn’t budge as Web struggled to open it.

**sorry but for lack of precision, I’ll tell you right now the facts- this narration is about Web**

Blood was starting to creep across the sheets right below my hands.

‘Sorry,’ I murmured.

She had died right in front of my eyes as she stared at me with wide, frightened eyes. It had actually been easy, so it was without almost an ounce of a regret; that I left the bedside, hand still feeling the covers beneath my fingers.

A low scraping noise.

Foot still half in the air, I turned my head. From the wound of Serenity, fumes starting pouring out of it like fountain water. The dark air crept across the floor as I backed away to avoid its contact. I made the sign of the cross just as, in a splattering of blood across the room; a figure rose its head from inside. Then, it curled its claws over Serenity’s motionless body and started to crawl out.

That was all I needed to run. I didn’t really mind for Sonya. I’ll just say she died because of Myosis. Nearly slipping to my death in the stairs, I had then nearly crashed down with the door as I ran onto it. It didn’t even budge. I put a hand to the handle and started to shake it until the whole door vibrated.

‘Help me!’ I screamed at the figure behind the door.

‘Web?’ She had frowned. ‘What’s happening? Where’s Serenity?’

‘She’s awake!’ I lied. ‘Just open this door!’

She had put a hand to the handle, and jus as she started turning and I pushed out a sigh; she froze in mid-action.

Something clicked in my brain as I look around, and then I had sat against the door as I saw a Myosis supply creep behind him, of jet and ink; colors which rippled quite stunningly as the light traced across it with its fingers.

‘What are you doing?’ I protested.

‘Shh-‘ she proclaimed. ‘Don’t you hear?’

She cocked her head with a smile widening glassy eyes animated by a fire I never saw dilate her pupils- it was the fire of passion. The intense passion of hate.

‘No!’ I cried as tears welled in my eyes in fear and exasperation. She was here. And I did not want to die. Not now. Not this way! ‘I don’t hear anything!’

Her smile had widened even more.

‘Exactly,’

‘Will you now open the door?’ I cried as I slammed my whole weight against the door. I heard Necrosis. Or Myosis. Or whatever- behind me. I think I even felt its soft breath against my skin. It prickled my spine like cold fingers.

‘Please, just open the door-‘

‘No.’

One word that killed my ears and struck me dumb.

‘Halsey!’ I protested as I tried to catch her eyes to see a reason why she said that. ‘You can’t be serious.’ I begged ‘Please. Just open it.’

She slammed a hand against her brow and shook her head from left to right. My heart sank.

‘Sorry,’ I heard her mouth.

‘Halsey!’ I shrieked as she turned her face away from me and put her back to me.

Tears obscured my vision as I slammed my hands against the door. It still wouldn’t budge, faith seemed to trickle down my fingers and drown in the worst feeling that ever came to be named.

Betrayal.

I had sat against the door, eyes blankly staring ahead of me; as I heard the roaring of the flames, the blast of heat in my back and a final shriek and thumping on the door before an increasing amount of ash spilled itself from behind the door. With glassy eyes I opened the door as Myosis pounced outside, without even a look at me, and, drawing its membranous wings; took off leaving the ash clinging to its body, to slowly sink from the skies like fallen angels.

‘I’ll help you up,’ I offered as we set off painfully away from the lifeless body of Serenity. Tears welled up in Sonya’s eyes.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she murmured.

‘Don’t be,’ I insisted. ‘This isn’t your fault.’

Before anyone could go on about theories of why we were now not walking with Web. Why I let him to die when only one gesture from me would’ve saved him.

Some may ask.

But as I arrived at the doorstep, several minutes earlier; there is something I heard right away- the silence. That’s all I heard. The incessant beeping of the machine which normally could be heard from the outside, was what pushed me. The absence, the silence- that’s what forsake Web in his genuine plan.

10.

‘So- what exactly just happened?’ Asked once more Ash.

‘Web-‘ Sonya began, but seeing me glare; eyes fluttering to and fro from Honey-

‘Tripped in the stairs. He’s with his parents right now far, far away.’

I walked away from the conversation and straight into the balcony where a cool blast of nocturnal icy air hit me in the face.

I started whistling to try falter the knot in my throat.

‘You shouldn’t whistle at night,’ a voice said on the other balcony of the neighboring house. I turned around and frowned at Sonya’s neighbors. Pale figure in the moonlight, she gave me goosebumps. Long, hazelnut hair fell in locks on a thin, translucent dress as delicate-looking as a woven web of silk. Please understand my little cry of disbelief when, in a blur; the spectral figure vanished. No explosion, no electricity on the air- she just.. was gone.

‘The spirits will think you’re calling out to them,’

A second she was not there, and the next she was lunging at me from behind just as I turned hastily around; her dress clawed and tattered and her hair flying wildly as she drew out her hands ready to claw out eyes and face. And her eyes.. oh.. her eyes. Blood was gushing from empty and swollen sockets that stared right at me as if she still could see me with them gouged.

A gooey, inky black substance dripped below her eyes like a river of tears, and down below her chin.

The moment I saw her, staring in sheer horror at her mutilated face; she immediately clasped her hands round my throat and pushed me back as I looked at her with wide, bewildered eyes. The edge of the balcony pressed against my back. The stone was cold.

Her rotting nails deeply cut in my flesh as she got so close to me, that I could feel her heart thumping and her breath on my face. By that, I mean that I didn’t feel anything. Anything at all.

Then I woke up.

Fear was surging in my veins and clawing at my heart with icy cold fingers.

Her skin had been peeling off as If she was some corpse. Even her chalk-white face troubled me. I took my time to breathe deeply in and out as the silence echoed loudly and my racing heart blotted our all other thought.

But something else was itching me about this dream-

Even though everything seemed quite wrong about the ghastly pale face drained of color and rotting, deteriorated flesh- still, it was something else; and I still couldn’t make out what. So.. troubling..

My eyes traced the outlines of the shadows across the room. I didn’t hear a sound, though the silence was louder than thunder in my ears- and something about it was far more oppressive than anything else I could name.

With awe, I laid my thoughts on Necrosis.

‘Are you alright?’ Asked Web as he poked his head. He frowned and a hesitant twitch crossed his face. ‘I heard you shout.’

‘Where is Sonya?’ I urged. He frowned once, then gasped.

‘This way,’ I notified him first thing as we exited the building. He had not even been half awake when I hurried him outside. The night was cold, achingly cold. A moonless night cloaked in star frost.

‘What are we doing?’ Honey worried. She did not leave the threshold of the door though.

‘Sonya disappeared,’ I explained, seething as I reeled around to look behind. I flashed a weak flashlight beam across the trees.

‘It went that way,’ Ash said quietly.

He pointed down at a trail of fuming snow which left charred, blackened traces behind. ‘Necrosis?’ I asked in a feeble voice.

He nodded and whence we reluctantly followed the traces into the dead of the night.

‘Stay here,’ warned Halsey on the edge of the woods as she was swallowed by the forest’s darkness. ‘We’ll be right back.’

Honey tried to shrug before shivering violently. I should follow them, she intrigued. It’d always be better than staying here; alone.

I made the clawing gesture on my

heart -the one said to keep all the negativity at bay- before tracing right behind them. That’s what Dawn would’ve told me to do.

After a several amount of time, in which Halsey and Ash heard branches cracking, feet shuffling and heavy breathing-

‘Fine, get out;’ Halsey finally shrugged to the trees. The shuffling stopped at once and a figure appeared quite nearby.

‘You’re could’ve just told us you were coming,’ Halsey acknowledged as Honey quietly stepped out of the gloom.

Though I tried hard to hide my concern, I could see quite well the surging panic in every fumbling and sudden reactions in Ash’s movements.

‘Are you OK?’ Honey asked as she walked up next to him.

‘Yeah, just fine;’ he shrugged. She looked away.

But everything wasn’t okay. I just clung too tightly to my reputation, and that smiling fear on my face probably was what was going to make my undoing. All the other noises of the forest drowned in an incessant thumping. Blood surged in my head and my vision field became fuzzy. Halsey, standing like, two feet in front; seemed to dissolve in the night and the trees were leaning in towards us. I could swear they were!

A whisper rose from the forest, melody accompanied by the noisy cracking of the trees’ limbs as they moved stiffly from one side to another.

Death, they seemed to whisper. Death death death

A shadow appeared not far away from me and danced across my face. I chased it away with a swipe of my hand and caught up with Halsey.

Someone help me! Why am I so craven? Just tell her you’re afraid, just take that smile off- she’s your friend, she won’t be ashamed!

‘I hope she didn’t go far,’ I muttered instead. Please please please. Look at me, Halsey; that’s all I need.

But Halsey just shone her flashlight across the woodland, the yellowish light falling upon gnarled roots and crooked trees.

‘Sonya!’ Halsey shouted. Wings flapped in the distance as a flock of birds took off.

‘Lets go back,’ I insisted as she crept a bit further.

‘Alright,’

She turned around and was about to go back to Sonya’s house, when we heard a voice tentatively cry out.

‘We’re coming!’

Halsey turned, heart fluttering in her chest. She rushed forwards as I cursed and my heart sank.

You shouldn’t say that, Sonya’s your friend!

But deep inside, I knew that I just really wanted Sonya to be lost further in the forest.

‘Sonya?’ I asked as I stepped out of the gloom. The milky stars caressed her hair’s molten caramel hue.

‘That’s not Sonya,’ murmured Honey next to me. She was heavily panting from running, I hadn’t realized I had even ran.

‘Sonya!’ I called out again. She turned towards me, and a horrible founded doubt settled on me.

‘You shouldn’t whistle at night,’

Where had I heard that voice? Something familiar seemed to emanate from it.

‘The spirits will think you’re calling out to them,’

She turned around and saw us, she smiled. Her sweetest smile- made of honey and gleam.

‘You’ve found me,’ she smiled again.

‘Give me the pair of scissors,’ I demanded at Ash, eyes still transfixed on Sonya.

‘Why?’ Honey asked in that shivering voice of hers. ‘Halsey, why?’

‘You won’t need scissors,’ she noticed. ‘there’s no Myosis or doll here, only me,’

I’ve found you Myosis, you’re it, I found you Myosis you’re it- I still remembered the way we said it. When it all just sounded like a big game.

Blood was thumping in my ears and a searing heat trickled down my spine.

‘Halsey-‘ Ash started. Then as the reality settled down on him; he gasped. I lunged forwards, scissors gleaming; as in a swift motion, I landed straight on Sonya and wriggled around to stab her. She kept getting out of the scissor’s way, even though I stabbed quick and hard in every way.

We struggled on a bit, and even though I clearly had the advantage; she still clawed and bit into whatever I presented within her reach. Raising the blades over my head, i brought them down and would’ve straight stabbed her though she managed to pull away. It did cut through her clothes’ fabric and splatter blood, though. The sight of it seemed to send her mind reeling.

‘You cut me,’ she gasped. My head was spinning as the taste of blood cloaked all feelings and sensation.

She looked at me and her eyes glistened in the dark. There no more seemed to be a purplish haze in her eyes, and for that; I wasn’t grateful. Killing a demon is so much easier to praise than killing a friend. Possessed or not.

She looked down at herself and seemed to take the realization in.

‘I’m sorry, I don’t have the choice,’

‘You’ve always had the choice,’ she snapped. ‘always,’ she frowned and pulled away from the scissors.

‘did you come all this way only to have me killed? Such an honorable friend,’ she mused.

‘Shut up.’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘I’m not it doing this for me, but for every single player of this game,’

‘What player?’ She asked sweetly. ‘I don’t see anyone behind you,’

My face was set as stone. I stole a glance above my shoulder and, yes; Ash was gone.

His phobia.

What a horrible monster of a friend I am! Surrounded in darkness, he’ll never make it! At least he had his flashlight. But then my eyes dropped and my heart sank with them, since there it was; still lying on the ground.

‘Run get your little friend,’ Sonya smiled. But it wasn’t Sonya anymore. Her eyes were purple. I wrenched the scissors out of the dirt and rose them above my head.

‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you, if you kill her; I’d just pass on to someone else,’ as the voice rose in all its cunningness, the same ink flowed from her mouth and nose and ears and even her eyes who seemed to darken until they looked more like empty sockets than eyes.

‘Now drop the scissors, I promise you I really don’t mind between your dim-witted sister and her.’

I dropped the scissors to the ground alright. And started backing away from her. The ink was flowing on her lips and chin and face. A pool was forming at her feet.

‘Good choosing,’ then, clicking the scissors; it came closer. ‘But I found you. Halsey. You’re it.’ She lunged at me, hair flying wildly- though at once, a beam of light exploded across her face and blinded her. I looked to where the source was, it was Halsey holding up the flashlight. Sonya seemed in much worse shape than just blinded. Her self was gasping while the ink sizzled and burnt right on spot. The bleeding just worsened and her eyes were now wet with black blood streaming down face and body. Myosis lunged out of her in a blur, whirled in the air like a maelstrom and darted directly at the source of light.

***

I dropped the flashlight as I saw it coming. The reptilian wyvern of last time I saw it, was now a flux of inky, burnt blood which streamed from its scaly body. I was frozen on spot, stupidly holding the flashlight like a barrier between me and him. I ought to have run or gotten out of the way, but the best thing I could think of; was drop the flashlight. In a swipe of its massive wings, he kicked me aside. I could see the rage in his eyes, a smoldering fire. He only seemed to grow less restless once the flashlight was smashed and the only light was only now, the one of the moon. Then he turned to me and seemed to smile.

‘Myosis has told me about you,’ he acknowledged as he slid closer. His voice was sharp, like a soft metal over metal. The tree was ice below my fingers. I was so afraid I neither moved nor spoke. It got much closer until I could make out his face.

‘The birthmark,’ I said in a whisper as he leaned in.

‘Oh that. It’s quite ugly, huh? I thought so too.’ It opened its jaws and seemed to swallow the stars faintly blinking behind.

I murmured something which only he heard.

Necrosis immediately snapped its jaws set back together. ‘I’m not whoever that person is,’ he frowned. ‘ you can’t just want me to be someone and find out that’s right. I’m Necrosis, remember?’

‘It’s Halsey,’ I pleaded.

His face was of stone though his tail was kicking against the dirt. ‘We used to play together,’ tears were streaming down my cheeks. ‘We played all day long and would stay up late to talk whenever we could’

‘I remember,’ a voice softly murmured. It was Myosis. What was it I said about his voice? Oh yeah. Like a brushing of winds. ‘You’d ask if I loved you or not,’

‘Do you?’ I asked. He knelt and his great head was inches from mine. His breathe was moist with fire and ashes.

‘No.’ Then a screech arose as fire sprouted from its nostrils. Something’s wrong. He’d never

‘I’ll never forget or hate you,’ I promised, as heat seared under and below my skin. ‘And I’ll always love you,’

Halsey screeched and wailed. She threw a rock at Necrosis, but he barely flinched.

Necrosis stared down for a long time, then lunged outwards and vanished in the shadows. I dragged myself towards Honey to beat the flames out.

‘I’m so sorry, oh, so sorry,’ tears were blurring my vision. ‘why was I so selfish as to let you come, so unnerved to let you play, and so stupid enough to let you enter the woods!’

I should’ve died at her place, she was young and had a beautiful heart- heart I thought misshapen with autism.

‘What happened?’ Managed Sonya. She looked around. ‘Where’s Ash?’

‘Gone.’

‘Oh,’ she laid back on the grass.

‘I never really ever took interest in that; but, it’s so beautiful to watch the stars in the skies.’

I looked up.

You’re looking, I told myself. But are you seeing?

11.

I had awoken way past the first rays of dawn. Shifting uncomfortably to one side, my scales gleamed a slimy wet gleam below the moonlight. How had she done that? That lack wit of a girl, not even half aware of a person she considered as a soulmate- a creation of her imagination.

Question: so tell me, how did she manage to take control on what I was so carefully taking care of?

Answer: A question. A simple truth-or-dare question. It had shut me in for awhile, I admit; but her trick proved useless. She may have woven with her soulmate the purest of links, it did not prove very useful when I seared her flesh off her face. Two more left to go, I shook off sleep and started up. She caught me. And flicked me aside like a twig in the winds. I guess that then survivors were coming real close to what seemed like a potential weakness. They’d probably ask Honey, though they might have difficulty getting any answer.

I’m fading

The face in the dark pool was not mine. Those empty eyes so electrifying purple, were waning to a profound black. Not even waning. Decaying.

Theoverpowering of the soul over his vessel, had been violent and excruciating. The second this.. Honey- had snatched Myosis out of my hands, I had been pushed deep deep below. Feeling myself twitch away and fade slowly, I roasted her alive. Falling in the black pits of one’s soul. A place so dark and closed, feeling so trapped you could barely breathe. And the pain. Oh, the pain. Searing up my back and stabbing my head with horrible migraines. The smell of ash seemed to have woken back up all my senses. Maybe Honey’s sister should’ve taken a closer look at us. She might’ve heard us talk.

‘I’ll make you taste remorse so badly I doubt you’ll ever be able to make use of that loose tongue of yours ever after.’ Myosis had not squirmed away as I expected, he simply looked up at my face with devastation in his own. All the fight had vanished from his flowered lilas eyes. He did not, somehow, flinch at my rotting face. If someone saw me and came to have the need to describe it; they’d just start with the electric eyes and the birthmark strewn across my face. Then they’d move on onto the large wings, but noting was special in them. That was about it: my face had been as plain as water. Until the game took longer than expected, and I was stuck here; rotting. I would never worry too much about it, but huge gaps would appear in my mind like bruises on a face, and their number had reached a point where they stole way by a figment of imagination. What was left of me, was withering. Dead. Dying. No one could see me, and no one should ever have the need to. My black scales were smelling of rot and decay. No, my vessel and that other girl needed to die. The quicker, the better. Myosis would disappear with the game’s oaths, and I would become my real self. A demon in human shape with amethysts for eyes. I could feel Myosis standing, staring, waiting- in some dark corner of her mind.

I see you’re awake; we’ll be off then, she did stride off and take into the airs with a soft brushing noise; though reculantly.

And be quick of it, I mean to be out of here as soon as this game ends once and for all. I could feel her rage boiling inside her, but she swallowed it up. And that was a damned good choice of hers.

‘I found you Myosis, you’re it,’ those words could’ve been playful had it not been followed by a stab in my chest. Myosis’s chest, to be precise. I found some relief into knowing that what I was suffering, was echoed ten times worse in her feelings. The left side of my face had burned badly where the flashlight had shone upon. Whenever I twitched, I felt as if a bucket of steaming water was kicked- boiling and fuming and all- right at my face. Aye, I have lost- but let’s see wether you’ll stay on the winning side once I’ve found you.

Then he might start making plans. But until then; the game moved on and he had no will whatsoever to be left behind.

We walked a long time, side by side, our thoughts vibrating with feelings; in silence. ‘I hate her,’ I finally acknowledged.

‘Strange,’ her eyes lifted up dreamily. ‘I actually feel quite the same.’ I hit a rock and it skittered across the cobblestone. ‘No- I mean it, I hate her. A falling tree branch?! Does she think we’re completely blind and stupid?! A slight exposure.. yeah that right. She was literally charred when they looked at her, and they said she bled to death!’

‘She’s not a satanist.. she cannot see..’

‘But why not believe us!’ I swallowed what I had just said. ‘No that was dumb. Of course you believe what you see. Still. Why should we lie about her death?’

‘There’s worst.’ Sonya said slowly, as she unlatched her door and let us in. ‘They might also accuse us.’ Seeing Halsey’s dumbstruck face, I quickened. ‘We were four, one of them died, the other fled. We were the only other people, for all they know, that were left unharmed. There were no traces of anyone else. So tell me. What would be your own logical explanation. Say that some demon arrived, burned someone alive, made someone flee for his life then disappear- while no one else has seen, heard, or even noticed either fire of creature. Or then-‘

‘Say that we killed them and faked story, tree branch and all for personal gains. Logical and reasonable.’ I nodded my head sadly. ‘That would be my answer.’

‘You know, there might be another way,’ Sonya said after a long silence. ‘When I was in his head, I saw things. Horrible things- certain of them,’ she shuddered. ‘But I also found out a rule Serenity had not told us. I’m sure you haven’t heard of it-‘

‘I did,’ her head twisted so fast I was afraid it would snap. ‘Last rule at the bottom of the page- “ if the game may not be closed with simple manners as sprinkling salt on the doll here are five endings.”’

She leaned towards me. ‘And..?’ Her Hans crept towards me.

‘It’s no. There’s no way I become a demon’s creature.’ She pulled her hand back. Hurt. ‘Please carefully remember that Satanists are not demon-worshippers but people who worship feelings above the divine and love above all God.’

‘I do remember,’ she said softly in that southern slur of hers. ‘Except the only other way is dying.’

‘Well if we manage to get him stabbed once more-‘

She shook her head. ‘That won’t work. Remember? Salt and water. That’s all.’

I sighed loudly in exasperation. ‘Alright, I give up- let’s just wait here and die. Such a good idea- I actually feel tempted.’

‘Don’t be such a pessimist, now that you’ve talked about it; there might be another way- Myosis,’ she mused. ‘Is just a vessel to Necrosis. Alone, Myosis is nothing but a breeze in a tempest. The demon may only survive once the game is won, and so long he has a vessel. Might be we could get Myosis and Necrosis away for a short period of time, then we could-‘

But I wasn’t listening to her anymore. Movement in the outside. Dark shapes making supple movements, dancing across the window.

‘He’s going to burn the house down,’ that fact was barely a surprise. It would’ve been so much quicker had he done that in the first place.

‘We have to get out,’ Sonya looked moved but she still got up and went for the outside.

‘Which way?’ She called out. But I had spotted a flashlight and right now I was much more preoccupied by putting in new batteries than worrying about Sonya. ‘Honey.’ She said in a whisper.

When I looked up, the sceptre of Honey was gone. With Halsey trailing not so very far behind. She did look like Honey from afar; though her eyes had that metallic, unpleasant glow to them, smelling of corrupt.

‘Halsey!’ I shouted though she barely noticed. Dialing 9 1 1 would’ve probably been a great idea. ‘Can you please help me? I think I just saw something looking like a dead relative though it wasn’t really her and my friend is just about to disappear in the forest- so I’ll go. Oh and also there’s a risk we might die, even though we’re not sure how; but feel free to send as much help you can.’

Yeah right ಠ_ಠ.

‘Halsey wait,’ and I rushed back after her just as she disappeared in the waves of trees.

**

Two days earlier

**

A shiver ran along the trees as they creaked and groaned below hoarfrost and wind. My footsteps made this unpleasant crunching sound which was really noisy for me at this point. Who are you running from? Did it matter? No it didn’t. I had to get out of this place. And as fast as I could. I shivered. I really should’ve taken that flashlight- this darkness was more than just disturbing. But how could a man who found alien and bizarre his own footfalls, be able to bear the weight of silence. And darkness. And everything inside it.

Something made me feel as if stopping to contemplate the darkness, would have me fall inside it. If I even let my mind wander to the names and faces of the monsters lurking in the dark.. I didn’t even want to think of it. No- no thoughts. Just my footfalls and my breathing. Maybe if I focused long enough the darkness would recede. But it didn’t. It just closed in tighter. An absent constricting, smothering and yet starkly present presence. The heavy atmosphere was a block of stone on my chest as almost all my breathing was snatched and brought in as fast and clipped. Damn that flashlight. Weren’t there any moon? Stars? Something? And the silence. Such a loud one that was. A blaring macabre symphony in my head. As silent and achingly still the night was, my thoughts were flaring and rushing and stumbling all over the place. What if there was something behind me? and why is it so silent? Are they gone? All of them? Am i the only one left? Will i die too? What if Myosis is right behind me, sneaking in like a shark sneaks from below on a surfer, what if he is that movement is the trees? What if it’s not? Does it matter? Should I run? Stay still?

No I should move on. Now shut up and keep moving.

And that’s exactly what I did.

My heart was thumping in my veins. Waves of heat would flood over me and then shivers would churn my guts before the fever returned again. I was trembling and shivering at the same time. I had closed all thoughts from my mind, but there was one which had worked its way through. The darkness was getting in much closer. The trees were fuzzy and blurry in my vision. They were as unstable as ink blossoming in water. Their huge branches would blot out the midnight purple sky and nodging in closer, as shadows stretched and twisted and crawled out before they could tickle mine own figure. That’s when I decided to start running.

The trees seemed oily and watery with their ink dripping all over the place. Some would slip to the ground soundlessly as ink would slip noiselessly across paper. They would flower on the ground with skeletal petals blossoming growing flailing and dying before opening a plethora of new blossoms after waning. I tried my best to be out of reach of the ink as the forest crumbles into the darkness. Before long I was panting and breathing heavily. I had probably run into the wrong direction since I saw no sign of civilisation. I looked up and around only to see a plain darkness all around. The forest was gone, and where different hues of midnight blue amethyst purple and deep onyx belonging to the forests’ nighttime colors, all that had faded into blackness. A silence so strong it blotted out everything else. I noticed I had stopped breathing and was about to fill my lungs when I noticed how everything was much too silent. And I was right; since as I rubbed my arms up my chest to electrify some warmth, I noticed how my heart stopped beating.

‘I still quite don’t understand,’ she said, brow furrowing. ‘You say he ran- for what seems like no reason- then had a heart attack.’

He shifted uncomfortably. ‘We think it might be because of his fear of dark places.’ ‘He was also with three other people. The third one, a girl, bled out when an oak tree branch fell on her. They say she was named Honey.’

‘Why haven’t you.. I mean, why haven’t you arrested the other two?’

He snorted. ‘Too little evidences. But I’m certain of it. Both girls were satanistes and the other two were atheists.’ He leaned in and his face contorted in doubt. ‘But you believe me. Right?’

I shrugged. ‘Then what happened?’

‘We believe they killed the girl and were about to do the same to him although he ran. It’s the only possibility. Unless someone else did it..’

‘The girls talked of burning..’

‘Nonsense. We made a full autopsy of the body, no burns. Only minor exposure.’

‘Alright,’ she got up. ‘That was all I needed.’ She walked over to the door with quick, flurried steps. ‘Oh and, don’t worry- I will avenge your son.’ Then she was gone.

**

Saying that place made a positive effect on me, is a lie. I guess I should be fortunate that it wasn’t in the midst of a forest, though that relief evaporated the moment I saw where he had fled. It was the broken house. Never had a building seemed so unfamiliarly cold and haunting than this one. ‘Halsey!’ I called out again, though she had already stepped inside. Reculant, I walked in right as the door whispered close. I caught up with her in the corridor upstairs. Glancing in the rooms, I recognized the splintered closet I had hidden in.

She nodded over to a closed door, scratching unbeknown to her conscious, the right side of her face. ‘That’s where he went,’

I took three steps, frowned, and turned.

‘Strange.. I never knew you had a birthmark, Sonya,’

‘There’s lots of things you don’t know about me,’ she said, smiling.

‘What’s behind that door?’

‘I told you, it’s-‘

‘What’s really begins that door,’ she snapped her mouth shut, although her smiling eyes betrayed her thoughts.

‘You can check it out for yourself,’

I shrugged and walked for the doorknob. Watchful eyes pressed hard against my back. I could feel her presence, not so very far behind, probably just behind.

It’s just a door.

The metal was cold against my palm.

I slammed the door open. It shook on its hinges and twisted so hard it slipped from my hands and banged like a metal ball against the wall. I pounced across the room as far away from the center as I could. Sonya had slid in behind me, but as I cowered further in a corner; she slipped into the shadows and her face was mildly obscured. She opened violently the closet door, though nothing came out. I sighed loudly as all the tension building in me, broke down openly. She gestured towards upstairs as we scurried out of the room to get to the next room.

‘Who are you?’ I asked. ‘Have you seen two friends called.. Halsey and Sonya?‘

‘I didn’t,’ the figure said. It rose from the windowsill it was posted on, and slid towards my left.

‘They should be here at any moment now,’ I muttered. Then looking back up at the girl standing in the room. Her movements were supple and jet black hair cascades over her shoulders. Something in her electric purple and iceberg blue eyes, struck with a repulsive admiration. ‘I guess you’re one of their friends. Serenity? Or Jess?’

She chuckled and took three steps towards me; though it barely seemed threatening. ‘You can call me Serenity if you want,’ she shook her head then smiled. ‘But I can’t let you go; they’re going to come in here anytime and I just can’t have you running about with your arrest warrants.‘ she slid up besides me and leaned in to whisper in my ear such tickling words, I ached to scratch them away. I blinked in confusion. ‘What?!’

12.

It would be a lie to say Jane was a woman of inspiration. Her broad shoulders and square shapes would bring revulsion at first sight, although there still were her eyes of eerie beauty. Not an electrifying purple or iceberg blue, but a radiant emerald. Like the hazel hue of the sun caressing leaves. The ring of yellow in her brown eyes became a circle of honey, the darker iris becoming an onyx embedded in her eyes. No, truly, her eyes were the only thing which lit her face and gave her a more feminine aspect. She always seemed to have some sense of justice; that’s why when a series of murders and kills judged accidental, happened; she took a closer look and started suspecting that something must be awry since the kills always turned around the same group of people. She had argued against the charges, but nothing could change the facts. There was no proof.

For a long time she just strode in the shadows, letting go of the case as the kills settled in oblivion.

All it had taken, was a tip of a father’s victim, and here she was- a totally new trail that, she believed, would lead her to the very last murder. The house was quite an odd choosing for people as delicate as the girls she had seen. She had checked the whole house, and was disappointed to find no one; although she had arrived way before either Halsey or Sonya arrive.

So imagine her surprise when she realized she wasn’t alone.

What happened? There had been a thunderous screech, a horrible crackle of wood as if it were bones being splintered in thousand of pieces.

I was somewhat dazed, so I really didn’t find any explanation for it happening. My eyes slid across darkness until they met a huge gap in the wall above, where the stairs had been. Oh.

‘Halsey!’ I called out. A soft rustling followed, as wind scattered the rotten splinters away.

I tried getting back up, wincing at the pain in my arm. When I looked over at it, I saw it was twisted in a weird angle. My exclamation never left my lips. Seeing this, all the pain seemed to wash over me, the burst causing me to fall exactly back in the spot I had left. I closed my eyes tightly and waited until the oozing pain had become a little bit more supportable.

‘Here, let me help you up,’

My eyes shot back open. Some square-looking woman was standing over me with her hand presented out to me.

‘Who are you?’ I asked suspiciously. It didn’t matter really; so I took her hand and she lifted me back to my feet.

‘I’m Jane,’ her voice, although trickling with sympathy; sounded much more abrupt and icy than it wanted. I shrugged it off.

‘Were you alone?’

‘No. I was with a girl.’

‘Bring me where you last saw her her,’

No. I hesitated to tell her, what was she even doing here? In this lone house.

She sighed. ‘Look, the house will fall down any minute now. You must tell me where you last saw her, otherwise she’ll never get out in time.’

I turned away from her and pointed at the pile of debris on my far left.

‘I’ll get going now..’

‘Oh no you won’t, until now; you’re under my protection.’ She smiled. ‘You lead.’

Reculant, and somewhat a bit shook by her reply, I still dragged myself up to her and started climbing the pile all the way to the top.

She followed closely, and the whole time I could feel her unpleasant watchful eyes on my back. They were grey as storms, though their churning silver hues was the only fascinating fact about her face.

This is where she should be,

The door was still closed, although I could picture myself it’s insides. Windows masked with tape and paper, a dusty inside. We had had them covered for our game, it seemed as if it were ages since then. This is where I last saw Halsey. She probably should’ve gotten the time to get inside, probably right before the floor collapsed.

There was as well a ladder going up to the attic.

I had seconds to decide.

‘She probably went upstairs,’ I acknowledged, pointing down the corridor to where the ladder was.

She followed behind me, barely nodding to my answer. The bars were dusty, and creaking-

‘Go first,’

She waved dismissively and proceeded into climbing up into to attic.

‘Are you coming!’ She shouted from the point she was. I backed from the entrance, sliding my hand across the wall; until I found what I was looking for, and twisted the wires hanging from the wall where we had bashed the switch; for the game.

The lights didn’t even flicker, they crackled off like a sigh.

As noiselessly as I could, I felt the thresholds’ beneath my fingers, until coming across the one I thought was the one in which me and Halsey had aimed to go inside at first. The door was bolted, and even though it was a rusty, barely even still hard bolt; it would still shriek noisily if I slid it aside. I tried doing it slowly, but it was of no use.

‘Sonya!’ She shouted again. I wrenched the bolt aside, although the echoes of her voice covered most of the noise. I pushed the door open with a timid hand, and slid inside; discreetly pulling the door back in place.

**

The moment the door closed, it made a sort of sucking noise; the noises outside shushed to silence. I didn’t even notice Sonya not being behind me, the whole atmosphere seemed to have me entranced in mere fascination.

I didn’t really have a clue of what to do next, although seeing a little bedside table, with the only timid stream of light shining upon what was towering above it. The only object which actually looked newly placed and freed of dust. I edged closer, taking a hesitant step closer, when something rustled in the shadows. I spun around, but nothing. A switch would’ve been the first thing I would’ve wished for had I the possibility to do so; unfortunately, this was a room as dark and stark as a usual room of this house.

The windows were blocked with great sheets of paper, a feeling of awe and recognition struck me; before realizing why. This was the room I had found Ash in, struggling with his phobia.

The paper was barely peeling off the windows, as I approached them to reveal the other presence in the room.

Don’t

I’m not sure if it was but a figment or my imagination, but I still jumped when that voice murmured in my head. I listened for some time, but hearing nothing; I sighed- deciding that it was best if I listened to my intuition. If it even was that.

I cautiously approached the table, noticing the barely noticeable spirals on it; before my eyes fell on the object on it. It was nothing more than a glass filled with water. Tiny, not even yet dissolved bits of pieces of some almost translucent powder-like thing; had packed together in a carpet below. If it was poison, it was a really clumsy attempt.

I knocked the glass over, which fell and shattered in a crystalline ring.

The shadows all around me seemed to heave a sigh.

‘That was your glass of salt,’ a voice acknowledged as Myosis stepped out of the shadows. ‘The last way you could’ve ended the game. It’s such a shame, I believe I should thank you- but I have other things to do,’

In no time, he had unfolded his massive wings and sprung at me, knocking the air from my lungs. Raising its powerful jaws inches from face, they froze in the action of biting my head off as we distinctly heard a door creak open. He snapped his fangs shut together, promising he’d be back; before sliding back in the shadows as Sonya entered the room.

Not noticing me at first, her eyes narrowed and became to slits as she tried making out the details of the room.

She stepped forwards, as I tried to silently wave at her to warn her about the presence in the dark. After several seconds of her eyes adjusting to darkness, she finally noticed me; or at least, I think; since her eyes grew. I must’ve been quite unclear in my silent message, since she sprung forwards and knelt by my side.

‘Halsey are you okay?’

I nodded over to the creature stepping from behind the door and closing in on us.

Her eyes widened with fear.

‘I am glad you came, I hate losing time looking for prey- although- why did you return here?’

Sonya was about to taunt his ways of using Jane to draw her here, when she realized Myosis (Necrosis) really seemed clueless. If he wasn’t responsible for sending Jane; then, who was?

‘I came here for Halsey,’ she said instead, with a face set of ice and stone.

He didn’t seem to believe her, although he mildly didn’t care; his jaws widening to a huge machine of steel and bloodshed, a little ember-like glow swelling in the darkness of his throat.

Sonya was too afraid to do anything, I could feel her heart thumping besides mine.

‘Truth or dare?’ I tried, his jaws slamming shut once more as a wildfire engulfed his eyes.

‘I’m not sure why you would-‘

‘Just answer.’

His claws slid across the rotten floor, making an uncomfortably low screech reflecting the inner conflict of Myosis against Necrosis inside.

‘I guess I’ll just play along once, if that’s your urge,’ he leaned in closer, his voice threateningly soft. ‘I’m not stupid however- truth.’

I nodded and turned away as I built my idea in my mind. His giant blotchy birthmark splayed across his face reminding me of Honey one way or another.

‘What are you doing!?’ Sonya half-whispered half-cried as I reaches out for the words I needed.

‘Just tag along, this is the only chance we’ve got;’ she didn’t seem content with that answer, although she still fell in a comatose of silence.

I turned back at Necrosis, who was still displaying this grin of victory across his face.

‘If you were to die tonight, without any ways of communication with anyone; what would you regret the most not telling to someone?’

A palpable silence fell upon us. He heaved a sigh, which turned into laughter as the words settled in.

‘What I would like saying to someone?!’ He said, incredulous; ‘I’m afraid you wasted your last words.’

‘Just answer.’

Sonya’s icy tone hit me with surprise, although Necrosis barely seemed to hear them.

‘It’d be “Rot in hell” and to you,’

I nodded, but just before he could tear me to shreds,

‘Our game is not finished yet, I got your answer. Not Myosis’s.’

His tail swished from side to side, his brow furrowing as his eyes fell behind a veil of shadows.

‘No.’ He lunged at me, his claws shimmering like razors, as they shot at me-

-and caught Sonya straight in the face.

The blow knocked her aside, sprawling away as she put her hands up to her wound to stop the blood gushing out.

Police sirens sliced the swelling silence, Necrosis sharply twisting his head around to the sound;

‘Which one of you called them?’ He snarled, baring his fangs out menacingly. ‘I’ll make sure this time, that he’ll be the first one to die.’

I looked cluelessly at Sonya, and she looked back just as surprised as I was.

‘We didn’t-‘

‘I did,’ a voice acknowledged as the figure of Jane holding a shotgun appeared in the threshold of the door. In front of Sonya’s puzzled look,

‘You weren’t that silent hon, I heard that door open and followed you until there.’

She faced back at Necrosis, aiming at his eyes with her shotgun. Red flags went off in my head as I noticed how he barely even seemed to tense.

‘Myosis sent you right?’ He stated, edging closer to her as he spoke in his soothingly threatening soft voice of a whisper.

‘He showed me the place, aye. I don’t see why I should lie about that anymore.’

‘Did he tell you about the rules of the game when someone intrudes?’

A flicker of doubt shone in her eyes.

‘He kept that part out..’ Her aim dropped of a few meters, aiming for his chest instead.

‘Aye, I knew he would.’

He lunged, a shot rang in the air as Necrosis twisted away from it- right on time as it sailed across the room and lodged itself on the wooden wall. She protected her face for the upcoming wounds, although Necrosis wasn’t aiming for her. He twisted out of her way and slammed the door shut with a swish of its massive tail. She looked at him, confused.

‘They are to be removed immediately,’

Just as he said that, a trail of blood broke across her temple; then another one made a clean, sharp slice; before the blood started to trickle from it and fork a pool below her feet. She turned around, but no one was there. A more violent cut hit her hand, causing her to jump back, dropping the gun.

Unmoving, Necrosis was looking at her with eyes as stones. He barely noticed me as I scooped a shard of the broken glass and crept on him- slashing violently at him just as he turned. One of his wings catching the blade and wrenching it out of my hand as he brought his paws up to his chest.

A large slash had cut inches below his neck.

Such a shame, a voice said in my head. The advice of my own mind was not really what I needed right now, so I shut it up.

The wound was bubbling and opening wider by the minute, as if it his skin was made of paper.

The salt..

Of course! But as I went for a grab of another of these shards of glass, Necrosis swept them away; flicking me aside on top of Sonya. Below his scales, his flesh was bubbling as if a deadly disease was circulating all along his blood vessels. The amethyst of his eyes bled in his eyes, shrieking, he covered his eyes sparing me the horrifying spectacle of the pigment of his eyes bleeding like tears across his face, although they burned and seared his flesh as if they were rivers of molten and still burning hot lava.

The unbearable sight of it all sent me reaping for the window, tearing savagely at the paper until it ripped off revealing a heavenly landscape. Snow was falling like tears from the sky.

His face was an unrecognizable mess of blood and bubbles as he summoned out the fire which the salt had turned on himself, burning him- I saw it rising in his jaws, as if they were sparks springing from an anvil. His wounds bubbled and steamed even more, until he chocked on his heat, tripping on the pyre which was his body, and engulfing himself almost entirely in his own fire.

I rushed over to Sonya, but noticed she was already up; helping Jane back to her feet- the invisible knife having stopped slicing at her. I smiled weakly at her, and she nodded back; before returning back her attention to Jane.

‘It would be not telling Honey I loved her,’ a voice said behind me. I turned and saw Myosis. Well.. a different kind of Myosis. As if scoured from the darkened scales of Necrosis with the fire, Myosis was now a shimmering creature with icy blue pools and blinding minty white for scales which blinded me when she turned around in the sun. Even her eyes were different. The menacing electric replaced with a gentle soft silvery grey. Her scales were rippling, but not in the greasy like way of Necrosis; but rather in a more clean and pure way. Her wings lifted, then fell back into the dust.

‘How come you were taken as a vessel? You’re not real.’

Her face saddened. ‘For none-believers, Necrosis is not real. Only those who wish to see something can actually see it.’ She turned away and hid her face beneath her wing. ‘I’m dying.’

Parcels of her had begun parting as a twinkling dust in the air. As if a hand was clearing the dust off a surface.

‘Myosis?’ I inquired. ‘Were you the voice in my head?’

She shook her head from side to side. ‘Oh and, stop calling me Myosis. I’d rather go by Dawn. It’s a much sweeter name given by my soulmate. The only one who saw me as who I am.’

Then she dissolved entirely and I was left staring at spirals of dust, spinning around as if falling in honey.