Are you ready to experience the spine-chilling terror of Shivers, the new compilation of horror stories shorts by Bella Riley?
These stories will take you on a journey into the darkness, where the things that go bump in the night are real and lurkin...
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I
. The Journey Begins
In the year 961 AD, under the cold and dreary skies of the North, the Viking longship of Sven Orsenoff, son of the legendary chieftain Gorm the Fierce, cut through the icy waves of the dark sea. The ship, named "The Serpent's Maw," was the pride of the Orsenoff clan, its figurehead a monstrous, writhing serpent that seemed to gaze hungrily into the depths of the unknown.
Sven, a formidable warrior with hair like fire and a beard thick and knotted, stood at the helm, his eyes fixed upon the distant horizon. He was accompanied by a crew of forty seasoned warriors, each bearing scars that spoke of battles fought and victories won. They had been sent by King Harek the Wise to investigate the ominous whispers of a distant Viking settlement. The settlers had sent word of a creature of unknown origin, a nightmare that had allegedly fallen from the very stars themselves.
As night fell, the wind howled, and the waves grew more tempestuous, the men gathered around a flickering fire, seeking warmth and solace in tales of their ancestors. Sven, ever watchful, noticed the eyes of his crew were haunted by something more than the terror of the seas.
"What weighs upon your minds, brothers?" Sven asked, his voice a low rumble like the distant thunder.
Bjorn Ironside, the ship's navigator and a man of great strength, hesitated before replying. "Sven, this journey fills us with unease. Tales of the creatures beyond the stars are whispered among our people. Some say they are the Old Ones, who ruled the earth before the coming of our gods."
Sven stared into the fire, his brow furrowed. He knew of the legends Bjorn spoke. They were stories that brought shivers even to the most hardened of warriors. Tales of beings so ancient and alien that the very thought of them could drive a man mad.
"We must not fear the unknown," Sven replied, steel in his voice. "We are the sons of the North, and no creature, whether of this world or another, shall make us cower. We will confront this nightmare and show it the might of our people."
The crew, reassured by Sven's words, offered a chorus of agreement, and the fire burned brighter, pushing back the darkness that surrounded them.
II. The Cursed Shore
After weeks of treacherous sailing, the crew of The Serpent's Maw finally made landfall on the shores of the beleaguered settlement. The landscape was desolate and eerily silent, with an oppressive fog that seemed to consume the world around them.
As the men disembarked, they found the settlement in ruins, the once-thriving community now a ghostly testament to the horror that had befallen it. Homes were reduced to ash, and the few remaining structures were adorned with strange symbols that bore no resemblance to the runes of their people.
Sven led his men through the desolation, the weight of the scene pressing down upon them all. They found the survivors, a pitiful few who had managed to escape the devastation. Among them was the settlement's elder, a man named Arnulf.
