Arisu [ #JustWriteIt - Horror - Complete ]

Chapter Four - Black and White, Left or Right?

"A honeyed voice, soft and soothing sang,
A storybook's pleasing tang."

Palm over palm, interlocked hands, triangle shape, then finally a snap of his fingers. The gestures produced a steely spark, flaring to a spinning ball of luminosity.

Trick held up his new source of light. It wasn't the correct color, but dull grey was better than plain black.

He could see his surroundings.

The young apprentice gave himself a quick look over for any injuries. His grazed knees stung, but otherwise, he was okay.

He vaguely recalled going outside and doing some stargazing. Hazy memories of the Halloween sky. Something about trick-or-treating too.

Why had he been running?

Red writing!

I have to tell Coryn that this manor has a demon hiding in its walls!

Trick gulped loudly and looked to his left. Then his right. Was it just him, or had the manor gained even more of a creepy vibe than before?

He half-expected to see a disembodied face pressed against one of the windows, or perhaps an unidentifiable shadow near the door.

Paranoia crawled up his spine, mimicking a spindly spider. Was he being watched by it right now?

Trick had no idea which way to turn. He'd collapsed on a landing, facing a set of shadowy stairs that stretched up the right and out of sight.

Behind him was the left flight leading downwards, straight to the spooky living room. A little past that was the front door. If the wind hadn't blown it shut - it was still open.

Right now, I can run for it and never look back. But if I do, then...

He shook the thought out of his head and forced his legs to move, one step after the other. The prickly sense of being watched wasn't going away.

He wasn't a fool. He wouldn't go upstairs - where the demon was probably prowling about.

Coryn would tell me not to worry about anyone else, that I should follow my gut if it tells me to run away from somewhere...

He was heading downstairs. But, not to run away. He'd never fully listened to his brother, and he didn't intend to either.

I saw a bookcase in that lounge.

Trick sprang off the last stair; landing softly on the matted rug. A cloud of dust went swirling in the air. He fanned it away with his spare hand and strode on ahead.

Books mean knowledge and entertainment.

Nothing jumpscared Trick from the grey gloom's boundaries.

I'll wait there until my brother comes down. He's a fully fledged mage - I'm just a beginner. He can handle whatever it is... Right?

Even so, he kept his hand held a little higher than usual. The blob of monochromic light was his beacon, dragging him away from the danger.

He never knew how lucky he was.

Never realized how right his brother had been about listening to instinct.

Something had been sitting in the shadows of that second staircase.

Waiting to be seen.

Watching Trick's every move with scarlet-ringed eyes. And smirking with teeth as sharp as the needles in Coryn's sewing kit.

[It's short... But it decided to give "someone" time to run, so that's good... With much love, Phantom.]