Arisu [ #JustWriteIt - Horror - Complete ]

Chapter Fourteen - Will-O-Wisp

"The caretaker's eyes yielded no fear,
He didn't shed a single tear.
There is no gold for you here."

He held his breath as the tearful-eyed girl gave him a brief hug before running away. She pulled herself up onto the grimy tiles of the kitchen counter, then climbed to curl up inside one of the overhead cupboards.

The colossal skeleton snorted, exhaling two powerful plumes of whirling smoke. Its "orbs" were locked on the back of his head - he didn't have to turn around to know that.

YOU'RE GOING TO DIE HERE AND NOW!

Gone was the honeyed voice, replaced by this mad shrieking. Had he pushed it too far? Of course he had. Was he regretting it? Just a little.

Coryn sprang from his hiding place and rolled head-over-heels, landing in a crouch. It was well of him to do so - the kitchen counter was obliterated in one fell swoop.

Here I go!

Fuelled by a thrilling adrenaline rush, Coryn circled the skeletal rabbit, searching for a means to dart past it and towards the stairs.

His idea came in a flash.

It was crazy - but it worked.

He ran forward, then veered off to the right, relying entirely on his hazy robotic vision to guide him without looking into the eyes of the beast.

As he thought, the skeleton whipped around to keep its sights locked on him. More of the kitchen's front was shattered in the process and up rose more dust.

Coryn stepped off an unsafe part of the floor and moved again with haste - for the time he took was precious.

Under the thick blanket of dust, he moved towards the unblocked doorway. The skeletal rabbit couldn't see properly either - it couldn't tell that he'd moved at all.

As alive as he felt, Coryn's optimism was dampened by the knowledge that the more he tricked it, the angrier it would become.

He wondered if there was a spell for utilising that.

With controlled bounds, Coryn raced towards the staircase. His feet thumped lightly on the staircase, vibrating through the hollow wood.

He gritted his teeth and threw himself to one side in a sharp turn once he reached the landing. His ponytail flicked to one side and hit the wall with a soft swish.

A tremble underneath his feet warned him that the rabbit had caught his deception - and wasn't too happy about it. Nevertheless, Coryn tried not to ponder on it as he stumbled into the corridor.

Spears of light shot out from opposite walls as he ran past, sticking together like spider's silk. Within a blink of an eye, a new wall had appeared that cut off the previous passage.

Coryn tried to move swiftly, but staggered unsteadily to one side when an earthquake-like tremor reverberated underneath his feet.

What now?!

A massive shape shot out from the darkness, breaking straight into his way.

It was the skeletal rabbit - god knows how it'd moved so fast.

Coryn held his nerve and stepped into one of the branching corridors without faze. He couldn't fight the monster without a weapon - something which it was trying hard to ensure he couldn't get to.

More walls knitted together as he passed them. Soon, he realized they were trying to trap him. A chill went down his spine at the implications of that fate.

He had nowhere to run when he reached the study with a jump and a skid.

All of a sudden, thousands of strands of cobwebs began descending from the ceiling.

They started wrapping all around him, trying to mummify him as he struggled against them to reach the grimoire.

Helplessly, Coryn seized them by the hundred and ripped them off - only to have them replaced in seconds by hundreds more.

The cobwebs were succeeding in weaving him into a cocoon. With his legs wrapped tightly together, he fell on his stomach.

His arms were stuck to his sides in an instant. He managed to tear them free and reached towards the grimoire that lay on the floor, stretching as far as he could.

More webs coiled around his head, forcing his mouth shut and beginning to seal his nose as well.

The grimoire reacted when his fingers brushed against a page. It jumped to life and began to glow with strange symbols and patterns.

Wincing, Coryn squirmed in the cocoon and shouted some unmemorable words with his muffled voice.

At once, something astounding happened.

White flames burst forth and engulfed the suffocating prison. It burnt away like paper, leaving their caster with only a few red marks that were already fading.

It was ethereal to watch the white fire spreading. It blazed everything in its path to ashes, burning through the sinister cobwebs as if they were fuses.

Once it hit the ceiling, the fire flared out, melting away into flying flickers that died before they reached the ground.

Coryn pulled himself up by grabbing the edge of the desk for support. It looked more worn than ever before - but suspiciously devoid of any sewing equipment, which he was sure he'd left behind.

Something wasn't quite right.

Before he could ponder on the matter, the skeleton burst through the door. It looked even more macabre with a few of its jagged teeth torn out. Unexplainable blood was pouring down from its mouth.

THIS IS THE END OF YOUR TIME!

A tremendous voice that made the world around him rumble.

Chaotic, whiplike lightning from outside drove the statement further.

Sparks flew from Coryn's hand as he scooted backwards to avoid a decapitating swipe. They landed on the ash-strewn ground and instantly set ablaze into heavenly white and blue fire.

"I won't go down without a fight! Was that your best shot?!"

[Thank you for staying by my side, dearest reader. With love, from Phantom.]