Dusk

Preface

Sara was trying to escape.

She knew for a fact that some of the girls at the school had been going missing but the servants kept telling everyone that they had been feeling homesick and they were just going home for a little while. It had been months since she had last seen her friend Helena, they were planning on dining with the countess herself over dinner, and Sara missed her terribly.

Finally, when everyone in the building was asleep, Sara crept out of her bed and tried to make her way back to the entrance of the school.

The stone walls of the building made it easy for the light that was being given off from Sara's tiny candle that she had stolen during one of their etiquette lessons to be trapped in them, making it an even darker journey. Sara kept one of her hands on the walls at all times so she wouldn't get lost in the infinite maze of possibilities the castle offered.

She must've been walking for what felt like hours when she heard the first scream and was stopped dead in her tracks.

The scream came out of nowhere and it echoed of the stone walls reminding Sara of the sound it made. It didn't sound like one of the girls being frightened by another during their time outside, no. It reminded her of when their was a fight close to their home and another man's arm had been broken; it sounded like whoever had screamed was fearing for their life.

"What are you doing out of bed pretty girl?"

The voice was sweet and relaxing and Sara gasped in fright. Out of all the darkness and terror that she was experiencing the voice of a kind woman was what scared her most. The voice came from behind her so she didn't see a face as to who was talking to her.

"I- I'm looking for the bathroom" Sara answered back trying to sound confident and not afraid. But no one answered.

After what felt like hours standing in place out of fear Sara turned around expecting to find the face of a demon staring back at her but no one was there. There was nothing except the darkness that had been surrounding her. Sara sighed out of relief and that's when the walls burst to life with the sound of the second scream.

This scream was worst than the last because it sounded like it was right behind her, right where the voice just was.

Sara let out a small scream and dropped her candle. Her only source of light was extinguished and her world went dark around her.

"It's okay pretty girl," whispered the voice again, "I won't bite."

Sara could feel that the area around her was starting to become increasingly cold and she started to shiver. She could slowly start to see her breath.

"I just want to play a little game," said the voice. "Don't you want to play a game with me?"

"I- I'm going to go back to my bed now," Sara answered back, her voice shaking.

"You're not going anywhere pretty girl..." came the sweet voice behind her.

"Sara?" That was Helena's voice.

"Sara I'm scared," said the voice of Helena.

Sara slowly began to slowly turn around to see if Helena was really behind her. The hallway was empty. No one was there.

"I must be going crazy," Sara said under her breath trying to make sense of what was happening.

Then out of nowhere stepped the figure of the countess.

She was more beautiful than any woman Sara had ever seen. She was wearing a rich, lavish red gown that accentuated every detail of her body. Her skin was the most palest white, almost statuesque even. Her hair was deep black that hung around her like she was floating and Sara couldn't help but just stare at the woman that was standing in front of her.

"Hello Sara, it's nice to finally meet you," the countess said. Sara tried to answer the woman but it seemed as if every inch of her body was telling her to run from the angelic creature and yet she couldn't run away. It was as if she was transfixed on the countess.

"Don't worry," the countess finally spoke breaking the silence in the hallway, "this won't hurt at all."

The countess slowly walked her way up to Sara as Sara stood frozen in place out of fear and stupefaction.

That was the end of Sara's life.