A Fortnight's Wishes and Secrets

Braewood Castle (2)

Lilith jolted awake. Her heart was thumping harder than she had ever felt it thump. Her hands were shaking and her breath was uneven. She sat up, holding onto her chest, trying her best to breathe deep and slow. She closed her eyes and felt her nostrils flare before every muscle began to relax.

What was that dream? The memory of it flashed in her mind like a gallery of old paintings. Though now, she felt more disgusted, nauseous even and...cold. She rubbed her shoulders as she got out of bed and stepped into the pale light from the glass doors. It didn't help as much as she'd expected, the sun was still hidden from her. She sighed and went into her washroom to prepare a warm bath.

After she had finished preparing for the day, her stomach began to grumble horribly. "It's not my fault I missed dinner this time," she whispered. She approached her room door and frowned before grabbing the door handle. She twisted it slowly and thankfully, it opened. She let out a relieved gasp and pulled the door open. She stuck her nose into the hallway and narrowed her eyes while looking up and down the hallway. They were vacant but footsteps rang in the distance. She stepped into the hallway and nearly shut her door before deciding it was best to leave it slightly ajar.

It was an uncomfortable walk. Her body felt tired and her mind was exhausted as she tried to recall the way back to the foyer. She had forgotten how much each hallway looked exactly like the other and cursed herself for not paying more attention to where the silver servant had led her. She hadn't even made her way back to the mezzanine with the tree in the courtyard.

Soon her pace began to slow and her body felt even weaker. She had been hungry before but not like this. Her stomach felt like it was curling into itself. She pressed down on it to try and alleviate the pain but to no avail. She leaned against the wall and took a moment to breathe. "What is going on?" she murmured to herself. She had to eat soon and she knew she wasn't going to find the dining hall like this.

"Hello?" she yelled. She held onto the wall as she slowly began to move down the hall again. "Anyone?! Please..." her voice became weaker.

A scraping sound echoed through the hall and Lilith turned around to see the source of the noise. The hallway was as vacant as before. She frowned and looked in the other direction but nothing had changed. "Is anyone there?" She called but no one answered.

She started walking again but didn't get far before she heard the same scraping sound, this time, closer than before. She turned her head again and bit her lip. "Hello?" the question sounded more like a demand. She didn't like whatever game this lurker was playing. She did her best to move faster despite her body growing more lethargic with every step.

The scraping sounds continued. The faster she moved the more she heard the noise, and on occasion it was paired with a chittering. As Lilith turned the corner at the end of the hall, she saw it out of the corner of her eye. One long, hairy stem gripped onto the wall corner serval feet above her head. Lilith paused, feeling dread rush from her neck to her stomach.

She slowly tilted her head upwards and her eyes widened. It was an insect, larger than herself, gripping onto the wall near the ceiling. Two great arms stuck out from its head like sharp, pointed antlers and its shell was shining hues of green and purple. It chittered while it watched her, frozen in terror. It took a step downward, slowly moving its giant antlers toward her.

When Lilith finally remembered she could
breathe, she let out a scream before falling to the floor. She backed away from the creature as it crawled down along the wall as fast as she could blink. Lilith screamed again as it inched closer to her, posturing with its front legs, plotting to take her to its den. "No! No" she cried, still pushing at the ground with her feet and catching herself with her elbows.