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The heavy door fell into lock with a loud thump, immediately a shiver crept it’s way down their spine. The hair on their arms rose to the sudden coolness, when it was a scorching hot late summer day outside. The leaves were already brown and laying damp on the hot asphalt.
Yet the house in which they now stood, was ice cold; enough to see their breath form clouds. They had been just staring around the dark hall. Barely any light filtering through the thick curtains hanging in front of sharp, broken windows.
The heavy door was rattling at the force of the knob being twisted and turned. Metal protesting with a bone-churning screech, activating the adrenaline that had calmed down in their body. Completely forgotten, how they came to this situation, now searching around in panic for a way out. Suddenly they remembered and ran up the creaking stairs.
So long and winded, sounding like the steps could give out at any moment.
Downstairs the rattling had stopped.
Now dull thumps against the thick wooden door were audible. The door didn’t budge at all, as if it tried to protect them from the horrors which caused them to flee here.
Hinges shrieking as if in pain, to keep the danger out;
they hoped, at least.
Running further upstairs to find the secret spot they remembered from all that time ago, back when they used to play in this house as a kid. Knowing every little ledge, crawlspace and secret room.
What they didn’t know; were the horrors which had taken the ruin of the house as theirs, a long time ago; watching, hiding always just out of sight.
When they arrived on the floor, they pressed forward through the webs and heavy-floating dust whirled up from old, mocking rugs, slippery under their feet, as to trip them to sacrifice them to what was trying to get inside.
The air barely filling their lungs. Just enough to keep them alive.
The loud cracking sound of wood being split, filled them with terror. Now the door could not protect them anymore, as it gave in to the demanding swings of the axe.
They ran as quietly and fast as they could, to find a place to hide and pray - to whoever would help - to survive.
Floorboards creaking under the heavy footsteps of their follower, as they were choking back tears of terror, biting their lips as they scraped their knees crawling over the unkept old wood.
Their arms began to shake, but they couldn’t stop.
They needed to survive.
Suddenly the protesting sounds of the stairs - barely holding on - reached their ears.
They were close but it was closing in.
The crash of a step giving in, breaking to the burden of the follower, chilling them to their bones, as they heaved the cold, damp, thick air. It felt like they were suffocating, when they finally reached their destination. A hidden room, nowhere shown in the plans of the old building.
They went to sit in the corner as they felt something warm brush by them.
They choked down a scream of surprise and terror as the darkness in the cramped niche began to move.
Red ovals glaring down from the highest part of its form. Presumably it´s head.
Eyes.
Big, red eyes turning to them, while they were petrified, crouching on the icy floors. To terrified to move, scream and barely able to breathe.
Vision flickering from grey to black.
Their head whipped around to the sudden sound of nearing footsteps.
Bellowing.
Echoing back of the bare, cracked walls.
Then a nauseating sound of metal scraping a stone wall, making them shudder down to the deepest part of their bones.
How could it know, where they were?
Their thoughts screamed.
The terrified look on their face, filled the moving darkness with burning fury.
It came closer, engulfing them completely as the dooming noises of wood being split, became audible again.
Sounds of walls being kicked down and smashed to pieces, closing in.
Blazing hot tears running down their cold face as they accepted their fate. Their lips were quivering as they bit down sobs and other sounds of despair.
Controlling their breathing as they calculated their options.
Choosing one of the two horrors.
The more comforting and familiar one: the darkness that had lived within the ruins of their favourite place for so long, it had become one with it.
At last the footsteps halted, just a few centimetres away from them, as the fear squeezed their eyes shut.
They sat still like time was stopped. Even their tears dried on the spot.
Yet nothing happened.
The sound of cursing and the grinding of teeth took them out of their stupor. Slowly glancing up, yet there was nothing to see except for pure darkness and a few glowing red eyes, watching them with care and concern.
A sudden noise startled them again. The axe being hit into surrounding walls, accompanied with yelling and cursing. Like the terrors blood was literally boiling it from within.
Their blood ran cold once more at that, causing them to burst out in tears of fear again, pulling a heart-wrenching sob from their lips, as they covered their face with their hands, trying to muffle their fear.
Immediately the departing sounds stopped and turned into footsteps approaching rapidly.
Louder and louder, as if banging right inside their head.
Suddenly the darkness pulled itself from around them, blinding them for a moment when the low light hit their eyes. Their vision returned just in time to witness the darkness hurling itself towards the attacker.
Their line of sight aligned with the terrifying gaze on the attackers face, determined to relieve them from life. Fighting against the push of it’s enemy with fury and determination just to see the shocked - but no longer terrified look - on it’s meant-to victims face as the last thing, it ever saw, before the darkness painted the old house red.