The Lodge

10

The moon shone brightly through the large stained glass window of Auchdarblair Lodge, casting colourful shadows across the wooden floors. Olivia jolted awake, her heart racing as she realised she had fallen asleep on the floor of the bathroom. She looked around the dimly lit room.

She saw her friend, Harriet, emerging from the bathroom with a determined look on her face. It had been a few hours since they had last heard from the killer, and Harriet was determined to find a way to escape.

"Harriet, what are you doing?!" Olivia whispered with urgency.

"Liv, the sun's coming up" she replied, standing out in the hallway with a glimmer of hope shimmering in her eyes as she noticed the sky beginning to light as the sun neared it's rise.

Olivia watched as Harriet descended the stairs leading to the ground floor. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should follow her friend or stay behind and wait for help to arrive, but something inside her urged her to follow Harriet, she needed company.

Olivia's heart pounded in her chest as she peered over the banister, taking in the scene below. Harriet, with her sharp eyes and determined expression, was examining a locked door at the end of the hallway. Olivia suddenly felt a strong tug on her ankles, and her heart leapt into her throat. Before she could react, the rope tightened, cutting into her skin and pulling her with a force she couldn't resist. Panic flooded through her as she struggled against the bindings, her mind racing with fear. It was no use. The pulley system had been set up perfectly, and she was being dragged towards the large stained glass window at the end of the hallway. The wooden floor splintered and scraped against her skin as she picked up speed, her screams echoing off the walls.

Harriet's eyes snapped up at the piercing sound of terrified screams. She could feel her heart racing as she looked up to see Olivia's delicate figure hurtling through the stained glass window, shattering it, her high-pitched shrieks fading into the distance before abruptly falling silent. It was a scene that seemed to play out in slow motion, each detail etched into Harriet's mind with brutal clarity. The shards of glass glittered in the emerging sunlight, casting a sinister glow over the chaos below.

Harriet could almost taste the fear and desperation radiating from Olivia, her once vibrant and carefree friend now reduced to a mere pawn in this twisted game.

Olivia's piercing scream echoed through the air as she collided with the unforgiving ground. Every nerve in her body screamed in agony as intense pain shot through her, radiating from the point of impact. She frantically reached out for Harriet, the only person who could save her from this nightmare, but she was too far away, standing at the window with a look of horror etched on her face.

Olivia's vision started to blur, she felt herself losing consciousness, her body succumbing to the injuries inflicted upon her. With each passing second, she could feel her life slipping away. She gazed down at her twisted and broken form, her limbs bent at unnatural angles, her clothes stained with blood and urine. Struggling to breathe, Olivia's mind raced as she thought of her family.

She longed to go home and see her family, to feel their warm embrace and know that she was safe, however this was no longer possible. This nightmare was her reality now, and she knew that it would only end with her death. She saw him. The looming figure, the one who had caused all of this pain and suffering. He stood there, watching her with a cold, calculating gaze. Olivia knew that it was over, that there was no escaping this fate.

She released one final breath, she closed her eyes and let go, the weight of her injuries and the weight of her sorrow too much to bear.