Retreat into Darkness

chapter 6

Allaura Aislinn

      Katlynne got closer and closer to the back of the museum. She looked around, peeking through the corners, making sure nobody was watching her.
      She waved us to walk faster while putting a finger over her lips, a order to keep quiet.
      Dominic, Landon, and I had absolute no clue where Katlynne was going with this.

      As we kept walking, I noticed we kept inching closer and closer to the forest — too close.

      Katlynne stopped at the edge of the forest with her back towards us. She slowly turned around and had an evil grin plastered on her face.
      Without another word, she stepped into the forest.
      I froze. I stared at her in horror as she eased her way into the trees. Without a care in the world. As if the forest couldn't kill her.

      "Katlynne! What in god's name are you doing!?" I hissed at her retreating figure.
      "Come on!" she whispered back harshly, "It's safe, okay? We're only having a look around."
      She kept going deeper in the forest. Both Landon and Dominic made no moves to follow her. They waited for me.

      I don't — I don't know. I can't — I can't just let her go in. Not by herself. Not after what happened to my father.

      I looked at Dominic and Landon before walking in the direction of the forest where Katlynne wandered off. Once I passed the first tree — darkness. That is all I felt — feel. I feel it creeping up my spin, up to the tips of the hair that stand upon my cold neck. I heard both Dominic and Landon walking behind me. Nobody talked, it's as if we all feared someone — something could hear us.
      Katlynne was still ahead, too ahead. I picked up my pace. I couldn't lose sight of her. If she went missing, I could never forgive myself.
      She suddenly came to a stop. I walked to her side, Dominic and Landon closely behind me. Katlynne lifted a shaking finger, pointing deeper into the trees. I followed her finger to see a cottage. Or what was left of it.
      I held back my vomit, recalling what I drew last week. It was exactly the same.
      Letting out a shuddering breath, I slowly turned to Landon, praying he wouldn't remember what I have drawn. He just stared at the rotting house in horror.
      The Aura it let out was — was terrifying. It was just so dark. It was mostly silent as well. No birds, no wind, no animals. The forest seemed dead.
      The cottages roof was hanging off the side. The door barely hanging off of it's hinges. It looked so rotten, so old. It didn't look like it belonged in this world.

      Landon was the first to get closer. The dry leaves and branches crunching beneath his weight.
      I shuddered at the sudden noise. Then I saw it. A flash of someone, or rather something, moving across the trees to our right. Nearing the cottage. I sucked in a breath, we all did.
      Landon froze in place, all of us holding our breath. I put my hand on both Landon and Katlynne's shoulder. They turned to me with wide eyes, questioning. I motioned them to bend down, and they did. Dominic followed suit from behind. We all crouched to the ground. Waiting for another sound, another movement. Anything.
      There is was again. It moved from tree to tree. And fast, too fast. I covered my mouth with my hand, hoping it'll calm my heavy breathing. This isn't going to end well for me.
     
      It came out of the trees, or rather they came out of the trees. It was a man, long hair. slight long beard. Clothes of a hunter.
      I choked down a sob, tears brimming my eyes.
     
      dad?

      I stood so quick, too quick because I got slightly dizzy. My dad kept going closer to the cottage. And I ran. I didn't wait for my friends to follow, I didn't care. This was my dad.
      The sound of my running alerted him and he snapped his head in my direction.
      Bile rose in my throat. His — His eyes. Oh god. Oh my god. Black, they were so black. As if black inked spilled in them. He didn't say anything, but continued into the cottage. I didn't stop running, almost like I couldn't. I was aware of the pounding of multiple feet behind me. My friends.
      I stepped onto the rotting porch of the cottage. It's weight creaking underneath my boots.
      "Holy hell . . ." Dominic whispered from behind me.
      Holy hell indeed. The inside of the cottage was pitch black. I Halted at the front door.
 
      Was it my dad?

      It looked so much like him, maybe it had been so dark that I imagined his eyes black.
      "Dad?" I called into the house. My voice echoed back towards me. Landon side stepped me, stepping into the house, a hand hovering over me, stopping me from entering.
      He fished out his phone and pulled out the flashlight. All of us followed suit.
      All of our phones light lit up the house. It didn't smell as bad as I thought. It smelt like wood and... candles? Almost like wax.
      A creaking to our left made us all snap our heads in that direction. Both Landon and Dominic stepped forward first. The creaking sounded from — Of course. The basement.

      Dominic already started down the stairs before I was able to protest.
      Tears pricked the corner of my eyes as I remembered what he said, "I will do anything to help you find him, it's you and me."

      Landon followed closely behind. He seemed so calm. . . too calm.
      No one said anything, we all just started, slowly walking down the stairs.
      Once Dominic reached the last step, "What the actual hell?"
      I quickened my pace down the steps and took sight of hundreds — maybe even thousands of symbols burned into the wall. Some even made of wax.
      Everyone moved closer to the wall, wanting to get a closer look at the symbols.
      Did I imagine my father? Did I panic and really imagine him?
      If you imagined him, Dominic wouldn't have done what he did.
      Right, I hadn't. But where the hell was he.

      "Allaura." Dominic breathed out.
      I turned my head to him, taking my hand of the carving I traced. My fingers burned as I took it away, but I shook the feeling off.
      I walked over to Dominic. He was staring at a part of the wall, one single part.
      "Allaura, you recognise this, don't you?" He said.
      I looked over his shoulder. what the living hell-
      The side of my neck throbbed and I winced as I went to cup my neck.
      It's the same, exact marking that was on my neck.
      Dominic and I mirrored horrified features.
      "What-" Katlynne was saying before a small candle like light flickered from the marking I touched. The same marking that was on my neck. My neck throbbed with a heat, a dark heat. Around the room, the same symbol lit up around the walls of the basement.
      The orange light became brighter,
      "Allaura, what the actual fucking hell is going on!?" Katlynne bellowed.
      The walls slightly shook, as if the light of the symbols had a life of their own.
     A second later, a dark, circle like door — or what looked like a door. It swirled inward. black, so so black. It didn't frighten me. I heard Katlynne and Dominic, yelling — screaming at me to run. But I couldn't. I stared into the black hole. The walls shook with the force of the wind coming through its layers.
      Landon started screaming for me to run, to move away.
      I couldn't.
      I'm not sure I even wanted to. The darkness felt so — so welcoming. Peaceful.
      I reached my hand towards the darkness. My fingers hovered over it's beautiful color. So beautiful. It was mesmerising. I heard the faint words of 'hold her', 'don't let her go'. But I felt nothing but the beautiful spiral in front of me.
      I reached my hand closer to it's layers.

      The air in my lungs gave away. I was yanked into the oblivion. I was swallowed by it.
      The fear now kicked in. I wasn't sure if anyone else got sucked in with me. All I saw was darkness. Felt it.
      I was falling — but the air around me felt thick, coated with such evil, such — such darkness. I kept falling. The black spiral I stared into was long gone. The vision of my dad and the cottage, long gone.

      I just kept falling into the wickedness. My hair fighting against the wind that hit my back. I understood I could do nothing. There was no where to go, no where to run, but into the darkness. Into the void. I didn't fight it, I couldn't. So I welcomed it.

      I welcomed the darkness.