Jacob finds himself with his back to the floor in a place he doesn’t know. His head throbs terribly and mind-fog obstructs his attempts at making sense of things. Darkness surrounds him, the only light source being a candle next to the door, casting eerie shadows on the wall in the shape of dancing demons. For a while, he just stares at the shapes, transfixed and fascinated, but as time passes his mind untangles the knots. Suddenly he recalls the events from before and fear takes hold of him. His numb lips struggle in an attempt of speech “Alice, where are you?”. His voice came out almost a squeak, but Jacob did not get embarrassed. The quietude is all he gets in response. Behind his eyes flash images of Alice’s predatory smile and the bloodstain on her skirt. He heaves himself up into a sitting position with great difficulty and courses his fingers through his wet hair. He glances in the direction of the door and stands himself up on unsteady feet. Escape. Just as he is about to begin walking towards the door, he hears a feminine voice from deeper inside the cottage “HELP, JABOB PLEASE”. Jacob grits his teeth and summons the courage to turn his head towards the call for help. It is Alice, standing next to the staircase and with tears streaming down her face.
Jacob wants to escape, his body reluctant as he moves from freedom to darkness. “Alice, what the hell is going on here”. She looks at him pleadingly whilst throwing furtive glances down the steps “The monster is coming, hurry, I can’t flee on my own”. Something is very wrong here, but a monster? what is she even talking about… Jacob sees then the shadow behind her. “Alice, watch out!” He but manages to get the words out before the shadow drags her down the staircase. Her scream bounces against the walls, amplifying the terror of it. In a rush Jacob runs toward her, all reservations and fears forgotten. The young man gets closer to his doom, and the mouth of the beast is watering in anticipation for its next prey. As Jacob starts to trail his way down the staircase he notices water tarting to drop down from the ceiling, which is not that strange considering it is such an old cottage and all… but why is the water so warm, so very hot that it stings where it touches him. Something is terribly wrong here. Jacob finds himself halfway down the steps when this realization hits him, but to his great dismay, he slips on a step and tumbles the rest of the way down. Falling towards darkness… a place where the light of the all the more distant candle does not reach.
To Be Continued…
Benjamin Bratz 