I kept hearing a creaky voice as I tried sleeping after a very long day. As the cool breeze brushed my face, I realized something spooky. Turning around in the direction of the ghastly noise, I found blood trails on the floor.
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I got up from the bed immediately and carefully moved to the switchboard. I tried switching on the light, but the power was down. The creepy darkness and the air's chillness made me break out in goosebumps. As I tried switching on the flashlight of my phone which I found lying beside the pillow on the bed, I found out my phone battery was dead!
All this time, I was on the verge of a heart attack expecting a monster to come attack me and decorate the hallways with my blood, having me for a snack. I don't know if the blood I saw on the floor belongs to my flat mates or my neighbor's dog that likes to doze in my apartment most of the time.
It struck me that what was happening is as a result of the stupid thing my flat mates and I did. We tried out a ritual earlier in the night from an arcane book of witchcraft and doom that one of us rescued from some roadside vendor.
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We were just bored from the forced restrictions of the lockdown and the close down of the party scene in the whole town. We thought the book was harmless, we thought it was just the work of some twisted loon, but to our greatest surprise the writings in the book seemed timeless. We didn't let that bother us, so we gathered in the hallway and held hands together, chanting the spell that the book quoted.
With a twitch of the curtain, I was brought back to the present, where I was forced to choose between walking in the blood or giving up hopes of living and just wait where I stood. This is because if what I suspected was right, and what the book stated was all true, then I may not have lived past that night.
The ritualistic ceremony we conducted that night was supposed to be the harbinger of doom and the bringer of Armageddon. This was meant to bring the Satan's minion, the demon Arch vile and his army of lesser demons and hellhounds, under his dominion, to the living plane and leave them to feast on men's flesh while ripping the soul to take back to their ruler in hell.
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I heard the scream of pain that seems inhuman, and no human throat can sustain. The sound was definitely coming from the other bedroom where my flat mates shared the room. I battled with either running away through the other end of the hallway, or going to save my friends even if I had to risk becoming prey.
As the sounds abruptly ended in a final huffing puff, I decided to run and save my skin because the others were already consumed. I quickly but silently ran into the hallway, and to the door that can save me from death right away. I made it to the door and opened it.
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Entering the corridor, I was faced with the biggest dog I've ever seen in my life. It might as well be Cerberus. I made a twist and ran up the stairway, feeling pursuit from the hellhound that I hope to keep at bay. I stumbled on the cracked stair on the third floor, took a stumble and fell on the dog. I felt the burn when I touched the dog's skin. I felt the dog straightened, and it went straight to my jugular.
When the razor sharp teeth pierced through my neck, I woke up, screaming my head off, loud enough to wake everyone in the neighborhood up from their peaceful sleep. I felt embarrassed, and I made a vow to never again watch a horror movie at midnight before sleep, that too with my friends in tow!
I was relieved and happy that it was just a dream. I learnt my lesson in the scariest way ever.
This is my entry for the contest organised by the ink well community. You can click Here to join the contest.
