Chapter 1: The Edge of Fear

Splashing sounds can be heard over the loud sound of the heavy downpour. The rain didn’t stop falling even after over half a day passed. Peering through the window, children wearing colorful raincoats are playing outside the house, splashing muddy water all around. I smiled a little.

Finishing my short break, I turned away from the window and faced the towering stack of boxes placed in a not so orderly manner around the room. Even though I had just finished moving all my clothes, curtains, blankets and others to their ‘would be’ proper places, the stack didn’t look like it was reduced at all.

If I am to arrange all these remaining boxes, a day wouldn’t be enough. Thinking so, I picked up the box that should contain my daily necessities and carried it towards the kitchen area.

Walking through the ebony floor, and passing through two doors, I reached my destination. A spacious room of about 5 by 10 yards. In the middle is a tiled working station where the stove, oven and cooking tools are placed.

I cleared a small area above the tiles and placed the box I am carrying. Opening it, several sets of ceramic plates, stainless spoon and fork appeared. I immediately arranged them on the cupboard above the sink. Knives, ladles, mortar and pestle, chopping boards, many cooking equipment are included. I arranged them neatly to systematic and easy to reach places.

After emptying the box, the sun had already set. Yet, the heavy rain is still going strong. I walked towards the living room once again and there, I tried to arrange the boxes to make it easier to move them for tomorrow. After arranging the boxes and taking a light dinner, I went up the slightly creaking stairs and entered the first room at the top of the stairs.

Inside the small room, a simple bed covered in silky white beddings, a small work table, a chair, and a large wardrobe was forcefully placed, making the room look cramped. A large rectangular glass window adorned the east wall on the side of the bed. A semi-transparent, red linen curtain covered the sides of the windowsill.

I headed to the window and closed it, before untying the curtain to cover the window completely. Then, I sat in front of the desk where some of my important files are placed. When I picked up a brown envelope, something fell off the table. It was a small rectangular piece of card made of polymer plastic. In front, it has the words Gerry H. Wilkins written beside a 1” by 1” photo.

Other details are written below the name such as the company, contact details and others. It was my ID. Picking it up, I placed it inside my brown leather wallet so as not to lose it. I then turned my attention to the brown envelope in my hands. Removing the seal, I checked its contents.

What was inside was the land title and the purchase receipt. After series of unlucky events, until my apartment burned down, I decided to move to the town of my grandparents. It was a remote village where the hands of technology barely reaches.

After careful consideration of my remaining money, and with the insurance that I received, I decided to purchase this piece of land in cash. I plan to take a break from the frantic life of living in the city.

This house, despite being colored with a deep black by the previous owner, is in a good condition. The ventilation, the piping and the drainage systems are working fine without problem. Despite that, its price is as low as the ground. Thanks to that, I managed to save quite a lot.

Placing the land title back to the envelope, I placed it carefully inside the drawer under the desk. I then headed back to bed and planned to take a rest.

The fatigue of travelling over the whole day and arranging some of my belongings finally caught up, making me feel sleepy beyond imagination. As proof, as soon as I properly laid down the bed, I fell into deep sleep almost instantly.

Clang! Crash!! BANG!!!

The loud crashing sound, overpowering the sound of rain, suddenly woke me up. Looking at my tablet phone, the time is just a little past 2 AM. The sound of crashing still continued. The source seems to be the kitchen.

I immediately got up and turned on the light of my room. I opened the door, ran down the stairs and opened the light of the living room. At the same time, a crashing sound, louder than before, was heard. A white flash of lightning followed by a clap of thunder lit my dark surrounding as I was running from the living room.

I reached the kitchen. Only the monotonous sound of the falling rain could be heard. There, I carefully scanned the dark surroundings. Only the vague outline of objects around could be seen. With this, I cannot see the situation clearly.

I slowly reached for the switch. With a flick, the light around the kitchen turned on, illuminating the surroundings. The scene I saw was clearly a mess. The pots and pans that I had set are scattered on the ground, some with cracks, even deformed. They are clearly not useable anymore.

The fridge was opened as the food inside was ravaged to the point of being inexplicable. Meat was shredded to pieces. Vegetables were smashed to a pulp. Fruits were scratched and diced. Even the cord of the fridge was snapped as if it was bit by a thousand rats.

The stove and the LPG tank was spared from damage, however, scratch marks can be seen on top of the tiles. The size, comparable to that of a bear. It dug out even the concrete under the thin white tiles.

I scanned the whole kitchen anew. The damage is quite severe. However, nobody can be seen around the scene of the crime. There are no signs of break in as the window is still in one piece. Nobody too could pass through the door as it was still locked. I was even standing in front of the only other exit connecting to the kitchen. I felt puzzled. My fuzzy consciousness cannot process the scene that I am seeing.

I tidied the room for a little. I placed the ravaged food in the garbage bag, placed the destroyed cooking tools on one corner, and pulled the remaining part of the fridge’s plug. Then went back to my room after checking the locks once again. Again, I slept as soon as I laid down. Looks like I’m much weary that what I thought.

Morning came. I woke up as the bright rays of light shone my face. Checking the time, it was almost eight. I tidied my bed hurriedly. Then, changing into easy to move clothes of a grey T-Shirt and a brown Short Pants. I walked towards the door and opened it. There, I stood wide eyed, shocked.

The outer part of the door is clearly out of shape as many scratches, the same at the kitchen, covered the whole surface. Even the walls around the door were not spared. The door knob was bent downwards with a dent on it as if it was hit from above.

Honestly, I was afraid. If this is some sort of animal, then this is clearly something dangerous. Good thing that I locked my door shut.

I meekly checked the outside of the door. Left wing. Clear. To the right side. Clear. Looks like it is safe for now. I headed back to my tablet phone and quickly called an acquaintance, requesting him to send in helpers and a new set of door knob. I even requested several other types of locks.

Knowing that it will arrive at around noon, Instead of just waiting around doing nothing, I decided to go around and greet my new neighbors. I just ate a loaf of bread and drank a hot coffee before moving.

I headed towards the front door, put on my favorite blue-and-white sneakers, and walked towards the yard. The ground is still wet from the long rain yesterday.

Looking around, I easily noticed the large maple tree in the middle of the yard. Slightly past that, over the other side of the road, a house could be seen. I immediately headed there, walking in light steps, while thinking.

Maybe I should bring some offerings. I thought. However, all the food items I have were now inside the bin. And I don’t have any practical gifts on hand that I can offer.

Crossing the barren road covered with green trees on both sides, where not a single car passes, I arrived at my nearest neighbor’s doorstep. I knocked softly on their door.

Not long after, they opened the door. A man with a beautiful white beard accompanied by a brown haired woman that is likely in her prime, greeted me with a smile.

“Good Morning. I’m Gerry, the one who moved across the street.” I greeted.

“You must be the new guy. The name’s Peter.” The white haired man spoke in a deep baritone voice.

After a short handshake, he then continued speaking.

“This is my daughter Cherian. There are also two more boys but they are currently still asleep.”

“It’s okay, I think I saw them already yesterday.”

Using my high communication skills, I managed to get invited inside their house to continue our chat. There, we chatted about random things for quite a while. I didn’t forget my main objective and tried gathering information slowly.

About half an hour later, I gathered quite a bit of information. It seems that the said house has been passed down to several owners already. And each owner never lasted a week before being found dead. Even the cause of death varied. Some died of Heart Attack, some jumped from the attic and died, some were seemingly killed by something, and others. The number of owners that bought this house seems to be quite large as a month after the previous owner’s death, a new owner would come.

Also, the surrounding households treated the black house as a haunted house as they sometimes see movements inside it despite being empty. And there are times when they hear groans of something coming from the house itself. Due to this, the kids are only allowed to play on the wide lawn in front of the house and are forbidden from entering or getting near it.

I continued visiting other neighbors until an hour before noon. Their anecdotes matches almost perfectly with each other. It was to the point that I was clearly weirded out. This is certainly not normal. At first, I thought it was an animal of some sort. But now, my confidence is fading. I returned home to this creepy black house.

I sat down the sofa placed in the middle of the living room, beside the large stack of boxes. I relaxed my tired nerves and closed my eyes slowly. I slowly relaxed as I listened to the sound of my own heartbeat. I let the sound of classic music playing acted as a background music as I regained my lost focus.

Slowly, even the sound of the music playing was lost. Only the rhythmic sound of my beating heart remained in my consciousness.

Suddenly, someone forcefully grabbed my left shoulder. Shudders ran from my head down to the tip of my toes. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. I quickly jumped into action and stood up while turning around.

There, a man stood. Correct that, a group of men. They are all wearing the same blue colored overalls. They must be the helpers that I was waiting for. I wept the cold sweat that ran down my forehead after realizing that I panicked for no reason.

Checking the time, it was already past noon. Looks like I ended up taking a nap. Sighing in relief, I ordered the men in blue to start unpacking the large number of boxes. Giving instructions here and there nonstop, we ended up finishing the job in less than 5 hours.

After offering them some makeshift sandwiches and fresh orange juice, they left the house. Being left alone, I felt unease creeping in. To dispel this unease, I decided to search around the house for any possible hiding place for that thing that ravaged the kitchen last night.

I first headed down the basement. I opened the door towards the basement placed right under the stairs to the second floor. The stairs are already pitch black as the time is already early evening.

I picked up a flashlight and turned it towards the stairs. I went down slowly, one step at a time. Not long after, I reached the bottom. Since the stagnant air of the basement causes some displeasure inside of me, I quickly scanned the whole basement without moving from the bottom of the stairs.

The basement is almost empty except for some empty wooden boxes of about 4 feet in dimensions stacked in one corner. Deciding that there is nothing weird and/or out of place here, I went upstairs.

I skipped scanning the first floor as I had already finished it when I was directing the helpers on where to put each item. I climbed the stairs to the second floor. There, I could see four doors. I skipped the first door, my room, and headed to the second. I opened the door and scanned the room.

It was completely empty. I checked the window of the said room and it was locked completely. This room is clean. I moved to the next room. This time, I noticed that the window isn’t locked. I immediately ran towards and locked the window.

BANG!

The door seems to have slammed shut with vigor. I was surprised by the loud sound that occurred. I thought my heart would stop. Pulling the flashlight from my waist pouch, I illuminated the room… Nothing worth mentioning. The cause was probably some strong gust of wind. I encouraged myself as such.

I opened the door and checked the passage to the left and to the right. Everything seems normal. I closed the door behind me and checked the last door. After I opened it, a small room with nothing but a stainless steel vertical ladder came into view. It probably leads to the attic.

Placing the flashlight hanging from my left hand, I carefully went up the ladder. The opening of the attic was quite large. Approximately 4 feet wide and 7 feet long. With my heart beating an eight-beat tune, I carefully, extremely carefully peeked my head on the attic.

Unfortunately, I can’t see anything. It was too dim to even recognize a silhouette. Slowly, I raised my left hand holding the flashlight. I flipped the switch on while on high alert. I pointed it around the attic… Which I immediately regretted.

 

Chapter 2: The Passage of Time

 I groaned as I slowly got up.

The surrounding’s too dark to even see my own hands. Panic, fear and confusion assaulted my still wary brain. Where am I? What am I doing here?

“… What the…?” I muttered unconsciously. As soon as I did, I sensed some movements within the surrounding darkness.

In a hurry, I felt around me, looking for anything that I can use to protect myself. Ignoring the throbbing pain in my head, I frantically searched for any form of salvation. When I reached about an arm’s length to my right, I touched a cylindrical object. Instinctively, I picked it up and flipped the switch.

The cylindrical object released a bright light that cleared the darkness in front of it. Without losing my initiative, I pointed it towards the area where I felt the movement before.

My trembling hands, covered in cold sweat, firmly held the flashlight. My blurry vision, affected by the sudden light, has yet to clear. Despite my foggy sight, I clearly determined that there’s nothing but an aluminum ladder to where I was pointing at.

I checked left and right, up and down, but it seems that there’s nothing here. Even knowing that there’s no danger, my loud beating heart is still running at full speed. The remains of the fluorescent tube that should be giving light to this room is lying scattered on the ground. In its midst, some sort of form could be seen.

It looks like a large chicken’s footprint. The shape of the foot is more similar to that of a man, except that it only has three toes. Oh how I regretted having read monster encyclopedias when I was a kid. Thanks to that, I am now shaking in fear.

I quickly headed to the hallway, turned on all the lights, went down the stairs and sat in the middle of the living room with a glass of water. Having calmed myself down, I remembered what happened.

When I climbed the attic, and was about to check it, the first thing that appeared in front of me is a pair of red eyes moving with extreme speed from left to right. A mice. However, I was surprised because of the weird tension that had been going on. The result, I slipped down the stairs and lost consciousness.

The back of my head was still throbbing with a dull pain. Probably, I fell pretty badly. But since there’s no dizziness of nausea, it may be not that severe. Just in case, I should have a doctor check it.

Sighing in relief, I checked the current time. It was now past nine. I passed out for over 3 hours. Feeling tired for no reason, I headed out of the living room and into the kitchen, looking for anything light to eat, before deciding to go to my room.

I brought the remaining sandwiches from this afternoon, and a cup of coffee, to my room. I sat in front of the desk with mountains of documents. I ate slowly while scanning the files one at a time.

When the documents are finally sorted and arranged neatly, the food was already gone. Even the time reached past midnight. Noticing the scenery outside the window, it was currently raining. I didn’t notice it. Streak of lightning could be seen from afar.

Then, a particularly near flash of light appeared. At the moment the light vanished, the illumination inside the room turned dim, then died out after a second. A blackout, it seems. Unlike within the city, they don’t have emergency generators here. The only source of light remaining is my tablet and the occasional streak of lightning.

I tried looking for the flashlight, but then remembered that I left it at the sofa in the living room. If I knew that a blackout will occur, I will surely bring it with me. Picking up my tablet phone, I went out of the room.

With the dim light from the phone that barely reaches the floor, I carefully walked down the stairs. My heartbeat was the only sound I can hear in the extremely quiet surroundings. Being nervous, I missed one step at the stairs and broke my balance. Luckily, I managed to grab hold of the handrail.

“Ahh, shit…”

However, my lucks seems to be just that. Since I used my right hand holding the tablet to support myself, I ended up letting it slip off my hands. It fell off the stairs and landed in front of the basement door with a crash. I prayed that it didn’t break.

I blindly made my way towards the sofa relying only on my memory. After a couple of minutes, I managed to reach my destination. Looking around the sofa, I quickly found the flashlight and turned it on. The reliable amount of light that was released calmed the almost freaking out me.

I ran towards the basement door and picked up the tablet. Examining it, the LCD seems to be cracked. Luckily, that was the extent of the damage. The data can still be saved. I sighed in relief.

As the flashlight was pointed towards the basement’s door, I noticed that it wasn’t closed properly. I pushed it close and locked it. As I turned around, I heard a very familiar sound. It was a creaking sound common to wooden stairs. It was the sound of something coming up from the basement.

Curiosity was welling up from the depth of my soul. However, my fear won over my instincts. I ran as fast as I can, sometimes slipping due to the hurry, towards the only room that I can say that is safe. My own room. Due to panic, the supposed to be half-a-minute trip took twice as long.

After I reached my room, I closed the door shut, slammed all the additional locks and chain locks, and even barred the door with my bed. After doing all these, my anxiety was finally lifted. Still, the deep rooted fear was yet to disappear. I don’t know why but something tells me that what I was doing was completely useless.

After placing the flashlight atop the desk, facing the door, silence dominated the surroundings. Only the sound of my labored breathing, the wildly beating heart, and the rain drizzling on the roof could be heard. I don’t know how long that silence lasted. After a long while, I heard the same familiar sound of something climbing up the stairs. I can feel the weight behind the steps from the sound it produced alone.

Frankly, I was scared as hell then. Hearing the sound coming closer, I can’t help but pray that it would go away. Contrary to my wishes, the sound stopped just in front of my door. A few seconds of silence, it felt like the calm before the storm.

BANG! BABABABANG!!!

The door was fiercely knocked. I was about to piss my pants there. The whole bed shook as the banging continued. The chain locks were uprooted together with their screws. Even the door itself slowly showed cracks forming.

In a last ditch effort, with my trembling hands, I pushed back against the bed. My eyes wandering around the room for any route of escape. Only the window is available. Jumping off from the second floor wouldn’t probably lead to death unless I landed head first. Still, with the wet surrounding, I doubt that I wouldn’t slip and slam my head. A broken leg would also surely ensue.

… That moment, I remembered, I had asked the helpers to install grills on the windows… Talk about bad timing. My only escape route is blocked due to my own fear. With this, I can only bet in a do or die situation. I let go of the bed, and jumped into cover.

I forgot the flashlight again… Damn. The moment I thought this, the door finally gave in and the debris were sent flying towards the room. I head the flashlight rolling on the floor. I could even hear the bed being pushed until it slammed to the desk. Even the location I am in slightly shook.

I held my knees and calmed my shaking body. I gritted my teeth to prevent it from giving off clattering sounds. The heavy footsteps were going around the room. Surely, it was looking for me. Goosebumps rose all over my skin as I felt the sound of footsteps coming closer.

Don’t come near the wardrobe!!! I shouted from deep inside my heart.

As the sound comes closer, I slowly inched further inside. Repeating this, I finally reached the other end. There’s nowhere else to go. This is the end. I felt that these two sentences are going in circles in my head.

A loud screeching sound followed by a loud banging. It probably threw the bed out of the way. Surprise by the sudden sound, I pressed my back against the inner wall of the wooden wardrobe. The grim ripper is laughing at my side right now. No matter how I think about it, I won’t make it.

Then, a sound similar to the high pitched beeping sound of the television rang loudly. I quickly covered my ears, avoiding this ear-splitting sound. It lasted for about a dozen of seconds. After it faded, nothing but silence remained.

Seconds passed. Nothing changes. Minutes, and even an hour passed. There’s no movement. However, I am too scared to even venture outside this old wardrobe. As time passed, the tension slowly faded. When I notices, slight presence of light could be seen from the gaps of the wardrobe. At the same time, my stomach rumbled.

Having no choice, I slowly peeked outside. Surprisingly, it was already morning. The devastation that my room received is far more severe that the other day. The door is completely useless now. The bed is upturned with two legs broken off.

I picked up the flashlight and this time placed it in my waist pouch. The data from my phone’s still recoverable but it is not in a usable state as of now. In other words, no support will come. Thinking about it, even if I told the police about it, they probably wouldn’t believe me.

Honestly, I don’t want to spend even another second inside this building. My freak-o-meter has already passed the maximum since yesterday. Every cell in my body is telling me to get out of here.

I would love to get out of here as soon as possible. However, that will make the money I spent buying this house go into the drain. That’s one thing I would like to avoid at all costs. Ignoring the chaotic state of the room, I headed downstairs. I sat at the sofa with only a glass of coffee and a toast.

Now, instead of fearing the unknown, I should crack down how to stop it. Or maybe, how to eliminate it. To do this, I need to analyze the events that occurred. I arranged my thoughts. After an hour of pondering, I decided to head to the local library. I didn’t bother changing from my clothes anymore. Ease of movement is the best.

I spent a long time in the library. When I finished my research, the time was already two in the afternoon. Still, my time was not wasted. I finally found a way to deal with that beast. Even if I say “to deal with”, it’s more like a gamble. If my conjecture is correct, I’ll get a fifty-fifty chance. If not, then death will be the only conclusion.

Before heading home, I bought some countermeasures in a nearby hardware shop. Since it was quite a lot, I had them to deliver it to that damned house. The moment I reached the house, the delivery van was already parked in front of my yard.

Without wasting a moment, I quickly started preparing for our last confrontation. There are too many things to set up that the whole procedure took around 4 hours. I worked patiently and diligently. Making sure that nothing will go wrong in the crucial moment.

It was already dark outside. And so is inside the house. I didn’t turn on the lights. I just sat down silently at the sofa that is facing the stairs towards the second floor. Food was set in an arm’s length away. From now on, it’s a test of patience.

My eyes slowly got used to the darkness to the point that I can vaguely see what was around me. In estimate, the time should be around nine in the evening. All the plates full of food was swiped clean by me. The current moment is so peaceful that I started to feel drowsy. However, in another three hours, the situation would change greatly.

The same beeping sound of yesterday was heard. I immediately grabbed my prepared weapons. It was a 3 yards long wooden stake with a metallic pointed tip. A battered flashlight was tied carefully on its body. I switched on the light and pointed the makeshift spear towards the stairs.

Despite the fear creeping in and numbing my face, I stood still and tried to remain calm. Wild, running sound could be heard from the second floor. However, it stopped right before reaching the stairs. Looks like I was spot on.

Theory 1: It is afraid of light.

I didn’t waste any moment and started phase 1. Using my left feet, I stepped on a switch, turning it on. At the same time, I turned off the flashlight. The second floor was suddenly flooded with blinding amount of light. Again the beeping sound was heard. This may be the sound of the monster’s growl.

Just as planned, something fell from the second floor and landed at the bottom of the stairs. At that moment, I pressed another switch. Above me, a beam of light acted like a barrier. Separating me from the dark surroundings.

With this light, I could barely see the silhouetted of the monster. It was large. Over a dozen feet tall. No wonder it could send a door flying. Before ending up wasting this chance, I immediately stepped on another switch. This time, light illuminated the basement’s door and the door leading to the kitchen. There’s no other escape route other than outside the house.

The monster in front of me cannot run away easily, conversely, I too am under the same condition. After testing the air for a moment, I immediately started the second phase. Using my right foot, I stepped on a new switch. This time, a beam light from the top of the stairs lit the surroundings up to my location.

The monster dodged to the side quickly. It was very nimble despite its large build. Another beam light appeared vertically above the monster. It once again dodged beautifully. However, it was now within range.

I immediately thrust my makeshift spear. It quickly tore through the air, aiming for the body of the monster. When it was about to hit, the monster ducked and dodged the attack. Then, the unknown variable started to make a mistake. That was… Me.

Due to the thrust, my body moved forward. When I managed to regain my posture, I was way outside the wall of light. Right in front of me, a large shadow was staring straight at me. Its deep black eyes, darker than its body, was staring at me. I froze for a moment.

The monster raised its arms that is long enough to reach the floor. Then, it flicked it like a whip towards my direction. I, half reflexively, raised the wooden spear in defense. At the same moment, the arm that was about to hit me, stopped before hitting the wood. Looks like another bull’s eye.

Theory 2: It cannot destroy the original house, or anything that is part of it.

I noticed this after knowing the fact that the wardrobe where I hid was actually there since the house was first built. After looking through old documents, I also discovered that the workstation at the kitchen was later added after the house had undergone some renovations. It is the reason why only the door of my room, my belongings and the lights were damaged when I was attacked last night. No damage was actually dealt to the house itself.

In simple terms, as long as it is a part of the original house, it can act as my shield in a moment of desperation. The wooden part of the lance I am using is actually the part of the old wardrobe, where you normally hang your clothes on.

This surprise can only be used once, or so I had decided. Using the chance that the monster stiffened, I once again thrusted my spear. This time, probably surprised, the monster received the attack. The spear embedded itself at the chest of the monster.

The bot of us didn’t move for a moment. Then, I felt a strong impact on my stomach. I was sent flying towards the wall. The air escaped my lungs as I was knocked pretty hard. I felt like crying as the pain I was feeling is far from how I imagined it. It hurts like hell.

Forcing myself, I crawled up into a sitting position and leaned my body against the wall behind me. The monster just stood still on the spot. Staring at me. I too stared back. The fear inside me was gone before I knew it. The pain probably made me forget about my fear.

All of a sudden, violet lights illuminated the surroundings. Not a single spot was spared. The monster, getting bathed in ultraviolet light started twisting in pain. Serves you right. I noted mentally.

A long beeping sound was suddenly heard. It slowly increased in frequency, until it sounded like a whistle. It was similar to the sound of a jet engine, slowly turning into an eardrum-breaking noise. All the lights suddenly exploded. Even the glass window above me broke into a million pieces.

Since I cannot move my body freely from the pain, I received the damage directly. I can feel a hot liquid flowing from my left ear. Probably my left eardrum burst.

After the high pitched noise vanished, it was followed by the sound of loud footsteps. Luckily, it was going away from me. I was planning on giving chase, however, I need to recover first. After a minute passed, I was finally able to move, albeit slowly.

With my right hand pressed above my hurting abdomen, I used my left hand to light a match I had prepared in my pocked beforehand. Using the faint light of the fire, I lighted a candle set atop the table. I prepared these just in case that another blackout occurred. Putting three candles in a single candle-holder, I slowly walked towards the stairs.

I noticed something while walking, a trail of green blood was visible on the floor. I quickly decided to follow it. While skillfully using the wall as a support, I painstakingly climbed the stairs. The trail stopped under the stainless stair towards the attic.

The wooden spear too was left lying on the ground, beside a pool of green blood. I hesitated whether to climb or not. However, I need to see the conclusion for myself. I climbed the vertical ladder while feeling great pain.

After placing the candle-holder inside first, I used both my hands to pull myself up into the attic. I rested to recover from my erratic breathing. I looked around while doing so. There, I noticed the continuation of the green blood trail.

I was tired of walking, but it seems that I only need to keep at it a little longer. Forcing my body, I picked up the candle and followed the trail. It didn’t turn left or right, instead it went straight towards a corner of the attic where the roof is lowest.

The trail led me to a single painting, partly hidden by a dusty white cloth. The cloth was covered with a large amount of the green blood. I tore off the cloth to reveal the whole image of the painting. Under the flickering light of the candle, I observed the painting.

It was a simple oil painting. A pure white woman was drawn at the center: white hair, white skin, white eyes and white one piece gown. She was standing in the middle of a red circle further surrounded by deep darkness.

I peeked behind the painting and saw the name of the painter. Coincidently, it was also the name of the original owner of this house. Whether even the monster is his doing or not is a mystery. But what puzzled me the most is the title of the painting with seemingly no correlation to what is shown at all.

“… Timeless Passage…” I muttered the title with a sigh.

The next day, I disposed of the painting immediately. I sent it to an auction. Since it is an antique of over two centuries old, I am expecting a large profit from it. After staying in the hospital for a couple of weeks, I returned to the black house.

And since then, the strange chain of event didn’t happen again.

 

Impressum

Texte: Seraph Wedd
Lektorat: Seraph Wedd
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 31.08.2016

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