The king of everything

Chapter Twelve- The darkness spreads

It wasn't long before the others started to notice.

At first, it was subtle. A few of the guys in the dorm would complain about strange noises at night—footsteps echoing in the halls when no one was there, the sound of doors creaking open and shut, even though everyone swore they hadn't left their rooms. Sam mentioned it once, half-joking, as we sat in the common room one evening, but there was an edge of unease in his voice.

"Dude, I'm telling you, it's creepy," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Last night, I heard someone whispering outside my door, but when I opened it, the hall was empty. It's like this place is haunted or something."

I forced a laugh, but my chest tightened. I hadn't told Sam about what I'd been experiencing—the demon, the nightmares, the feeling that something dark was stalking me. How could I? I barely understood it myself. But hearing him talk about it, seeing the nervous glances from some of the other guys, made it clear that whatever was haunting me wasn't staying confined to my room anymore.

It was spreading.

A few days later, the dorm was buzzing with rumors. Someone had seen shadows moving in the stairwell when no one was there. Another guy swore he'd heard a deep, guttural growl coming from one of the empty rooms. Even the girls in the neighboring dorm had started whispering about cold drafts and flickering lights.

The air felt thicker, more oppressive, as if the entire building was slowly being suffocated by some unseen force. And no matter how much I tried to brush it off, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was all connected to the demon I had seen. The demon that had spoken to me.

It wanted more than just me.

One evening, as I sat in my room trying to study, Sam burst through the door, his face pale, eyes wide with fear. He slammed the door behind him and leaned against it, panting as if he had just run a marathon.

"Sam, what the hell—" I started, but he cut me off, his voice trembling.

"I saw it," he gasped, his hands shaking as he wiped sweat from his forehead. "Aaron, I swear to God, I saw something in the hall. It was... it was like a shadow, but it was moving, and it wasn't human. I could feel it, like it was watching me. I've never been that scared in my life, man."

My blood ran cold. "What did it look like?"

"I don't know." Sam's voice shook as he tried to explain. "It was tall, too tall, and its eyes... dude, I know this sounds crazy, but its eyes were glowing. Red. Like fire."

I felt the ground sway beneath me as he described exactly what I had been seeing. It wasn't just my imagination. I wasn't losing my mind. The demon was real, and now it was making itself known to everyone else.

"I believe you," I said quietly.

Sam looked at me, startled. "You do?"

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "I've seen it too. In my room. It... it's been following me for days."

He stared at me, speechless for a moment, before sinking down onto his bed. "What the hell is going on, Aaron? Why is this happening?"

"I don't know," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "But I think it's getting worse. And it's not just us."

As if on cue, a loud bang echoed through the hallway, followed by the sound of footsteps running, doors slamming. Shouts and curses filled the air as more people came rushing out of their rooms, panicked voices blending into chaos. Sam and I exchanged a look before rushing to the door.

The hallway was a mess of confusion. Several of the guys were gathered near the stairwell, their faces pale, eyes wide with fear. One of them, a guy from the floor below, was clutching his arm like he'd been hurt.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, pushing through the crowd.

"I don't know, man!" someone shouted, his voice shaking. "The lights flickered, and then... then something knocked on my door. I opened it, and there was this... this thing. It looked like a shadow, but it was solid. It just stood there, staring at me."

Another guy chimed in, his voice barely above a whisper. "It touched me. I felt it grab my arm, and it was cold—like ice. I thought I was gonna die."

I looked around at their terrified faces, realizing that we were all dealing with the same thing. The demon, or whatever it was, wasn't just after me anymore. It was hunting all of us, and no one was safe.

"We have to get out of here," someone muttered, backing away toward the stairs. "This place is cursed."

"But where do we go?" another voice asked, desperate. "We can't just leave."

I could feel the panic rising in the group, and it was contagious. My heart pounded in my chest as the weight of the situation pressed down on me. If we didn't do something soon, this thing—this demon—was going to tear us apart.

"Everyone just calm down," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "We need to stick together. Whatever this thing is, it's feeding off our fear. If we panic, we're just making it stronger."

Sam looked at me, his face pale. "Do you think it's going to stop?"

I shook my head, my mind racing. "No. It won't stop unless we find a way to get rid of it."

The lights flickered again, and the temperature in the hallway seemed to drop by several degrees. A low, guttural growl echoed from somewhere down the hall, sending chills down my spine. Everyone froze, their eyes wide with terror.

"We need to leave," I said, my voice shaking. "Now."

No one argued. We bolted for the stairwell, tripping over ourselves in our rush to get out. The air in the building felt thick, heavy with a malevolent presence that seemed to press down on us from every side. As we reached the lobby, I could feel the cold grip of fear closing in, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

We spilled out into the cool night air, panting and shaking, glancing nervously behind us as if expecting the demon to follow us outside. But it didn't. The moment we stepped out of the dorm, the oppressive feeling lifted slightly, though the fear still clung to us like a second skin.

Sam grabbed my arm, his eyes wide with fear. "What do we do now?"

I didn't have an answer. I stared up at the dorm building, the windows dark and silent, and I knew—whatever was inside that place wasn't done with us.

Not by a long shot.