Shadows' encyclopedia - The Prodigies of Arahsmurd book 1

The Laurence's neighbour 2/2 🎀

That evening, Rebecca headed up to the attic. She pulled the trapdoor built into the ceiling. A small ladder descended and she climbed upstairs. The room was dark and dust was falling on her. She discovered objects, scattered boxes and large spiders. Rebecca wasn't afraid of spiders, she liked them. She searched through the boxes for a clue to the presence of her hero and the killer on line 14. Inside the boxes were drawings of vampires, or old notes of experiments carried out in the college laboratory... Even her old impaled mouse was there. At the bottom of the box, she found some old books on vampires. She leafed through them one by one with a broad smile. They all contained the same idea about these nocturnal creatures. Incredibly powerful, blood-sucking creatures, weak in the face of light... Rebecca bent over another book with a completely torn cover, containing names of species such as half-vampire, noble or aristocratic... these books were useless. The Goth stumbled across a copy of Twilight, a gift from Berenice, which she hadn't appreciated. To please her friend, she had accepted the book without complaint.

The young woman felt sad that she hadn't found anything relevant. A few raindrops hit the window. Rebecca paused for a moment and thought about her childhood. She felt a little nostalgic as she watched the trees in the woods rise up under the torrents of water. The smell of dead leaves wafted through the walls, masking the sweet fragrance of the books. Rebecca grabbed another box and found a book at the bottom that she had never seen before. It looked to be in good condition. The cover was all black and made of caiman skin. Rebecca wondered about the nature of the book. The title was a coat of arms representing a G surrounded by a snake. She tried to open it, but the cover stuck. She forced her way in, but nothing happened. Rebecca seemed attracted to the book, but she didn't know if her parents knew about it. She decided to keep it and hide it in her belongings. She discreetly left the attic, went to her bedroom and locked herself in. 

During the night, Rebecca's parents were watching a film in their bedroom. They laughed while their daughter struggled with the book. Rebecca tried every method of leafing through it: she stroked the back like a magic lamp, then wondered if there was a mechanism to open it... but to no avail. Clack! A strange noise came from below. My imagination is playing tricks on me, she thought. Concentrating, Rebecca encouraged herself to repeat the same movements on the book that remained inaccessible. Clack! The suspicious noise happened again. Curiosity drove Rebecca out of her room. Before leaving, the young goth took care to put the book back in her rucksack. She walked quickly past her parents' bedroom without making a sound. Clack! The noise intensified.

The Goth slowly descended the stairs, but the floor creaked beneath her. She gritted her teeth as she followed the strange noise she had heard. Clack! The suspicious sound seemed to come from the kitchen. Surprised, Rebecca discovered that the window had been opened because of the wind and she closed it again. Suddenly, she heard the floor creak slightly. Her heart raced. A drop of sweat fell on the kitchen floor, amplifying the sound of her fall. Rebecca was so panicked that the noises seemed louder. She moved forward slowly and heard the front door slam and then open violently. Rebecca detected the smell of blood wafting through the house. She crossed the corridor, wincing. The stench of blood mixed with a new smell: sewage. The front door was wide open and the rain was falling like daggers in mid-air. The wind was blowing hard, knocking over the few objects on the chest of drawers in the hall. The young girl pressed the door shut with all her might, but she couldn't do it! Suddenly, the strong wind stopped. Rebecca bumped into the door as she tried to close it. She heard little noises getting louder as she went... Something scratched her legs and clawed at her. The young adult came face to face with large rats that covered the floor of the house like a tidal wave. Trapped by their attacks, she lost more and more oxygen. The beasts were biting her...

Wounds formed on Rebecca's face. She screamed for her parents to help her, but the sound of her voice evaporated. However, a strange thing happened: some rats were attacking Rebecca and others were not. Distraught and slightly freed from the mass of rodents, the young woman got to her feet, but a rat clutched at her clothing and lodged itself in her hair. Rebecca tried to get rid of it, but the animal clung firmly to her. There was a bleach spray on the hall dresser. Her mother had forgotten to put it away when she was cleaning. Rebecca grabbed it firmly and sprayed the rat, which fell over. She repeated her action on the others. As the rodents scattered, Rebecca reached the front door, dumbfounded. As she rushed out, she spotted her neighbour in the way.