The depth of short stories and micro-fiction 2

Behind the Blood-red Curtain

Belinda exited her car and onto the crumbling asphalt of the old television studio's parking lot. The building loomed before her, its once-sleek facade now weathered to a dull sheen. Weeds sprouted from the pavement cracks as if nature was trying to reclaim the land. A shiver ran down Belinda's spine as she gazed up at the studio's entrance. She hadn't set foot in this place in over four decades, not since the final episode of "Crimson Shadows" had wrapped.

"Crimson Shadows" was a horror anthology series that captivated audiences in the 1970s with its campy humour, over-the-top special effects, and terrifying storylines. Belinda had been one of the show's starlets, appearing in numerous episodes as various damsels in distress. She had thought those days were long behind her, but the nostalgia-tinged memories still lingered.

The studio's new owner, a young entrepreneur named Marcus, greeted Belinda warmly as she entered the lobby. "It's an honour to meet you, Ms. Winters," he said, shaking her hand. "I'm a huge fan of your work on 'Crimson Shadows.'"

Belinda smiled politely, though she couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease. Something about the studio felt off, like a discordant note in an otherwise familiar melody.

As Marcus led her on a tour of the renovated facilities, Belinda noticed strange little details. Equipment would malfunction or go missing, only to reappear hours later. Some of the new crew members seemed... off as if they were hiding secrets behind their bright, eager faces.

It started with small, seemingly insignificant events. A script would go missing, or a prop would be misplaced. But as the days passed, the occurrences grew more frequent and more disturbing. One of the crew members reported seeing a shadowy figure lurking in the studio's corridors at night. Another claimed to have heard disembodied whispers in the soundstage.

Belinda tried to brush it off as mere paranoia, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching her. She began to experience strange visions, flashes of gruesome scenes from old episodes of "Crimson Shadows" that seemed all too real.

One night, Belinda received a mysterious package with no return address. Inside, she found a VHS tape labelled "Episode 13: The Final Reel." A chill ran down her spine as she realized that this was an unaired episode of "Crimson Shadows," one that had been rumoured to be cursed.

As she watched the tape, Belinda felt a creeping sense of dread. The episode was a surreal, nightmarish sequence of images, with the show's cast members being stalked and murdered by an unseen force. The final shot was of Belinda herself, screaming as a dark figure loomed over her.

The next day, the cast and crew of "Crimson Shadows" began to receive strange, threatening messages. "You should not have come back," one read. "The shadows will consume you."

It became clear that some malevolent entity had been awakened by the studio's reopening. The demon, as they came to call it, seemed to take great pleasure in tormenting the former cast members. One by one, they began to vanish, never to be seen again.

Belinda realized that she was the demon's ultimate target. She tried to flee, but the studio seemed to shift and change around her, like a living, breathing entity. Every door she opened led to more corridors, more shadows, and more terror.

As the night wore on, Belinda found herself back in the very soundstage where she had filmed so many episodes of "Crimson Shadows." The lights flickered and died, plunging her into darkness. In the sudden silence, she heard the demon's voice, a low, raspy whisper that seemed to come from all directions at once.

"Welcome back, Belinda," it said. "I've been waiting for you."

Belinda tried to scream, but her voice was frozen in her throat. The demon began to laugh, a sound that was both familiar and yet completely alien. As the darkness closed in around her, Belinda realized that she was about to become the star of the demon's twisted show, a horror anthology series that would never end.

The next morning, the police found Belinda's car parked outside the studio, the engine still running. But she was never seen again. The studio remained open for a few more months, but the show was eventually cancelled due to a lack of cast and crew. The building was abandoned once more, left to the mercy of the elements.

But the legend of "Crimson Shadows" lived on, a cautionary tale about the dangers of meddling with forces beyond our understanding. Some say that on certain nights, when the moon is full and the shadows are just right, you can still hear the screams of Belinda and the other cast members, echoing through the empty corridors of the old television studio.