Telluric

Chapter X: Be Afraid of the Dark

X

Darkness was all Mayla saw when she awoke, the sun just beginning its routine race across the sky. Sluggishly, she mope out of bed and began to freshen herself up. After brushing her teeth, she undressed and stepped into the shower. Her mother was already up, though she wasn't sure about her younger brother.

"I'll wake him up when I get out..." Mayla mused to herself. After about five minutes washing, she got out and began to affix herself with various ideals that she deemed necessary for the day.

She dressed herself and stepped out of the bathroom, heading towards her brothers room. She could hear the loud snoring from the darkness within. Flipping on the light, groans from Jordan and squeaks from the bed replaced the snoring.

"Jordan, wake up." Mayla whispered into the darkness. Jordan hesitantly got out of bed and sleepily gathered clothes and various other items he needed for the day. While he did that, Mayla obtained her breakfast; toast and juice. Eating it quickly, Jordan just had time to get a glass of juice before they left for school.

They walked a few feet from each other, heading to the same place. Jordan was a freshman at Graywood High, being a little more than a year younger than his sister. The slight wind nipped at their noses as they approached Graywood Manor and Cemetery.

A large Victorian home sits about three hundred feet away, while a large metal gate separates it from the outside world. In the late sixties, the house's grounds were then used as a cemetery, becoming a popular destination for paranormal researchers. This also didn't help Graywood's current reception as a small macabre town.

For about a hundred yards or so, the two had to pass in front of the gate, in order to use the most direct route to school. Often they would nearly sprint past the unsettling house on dark mornings like this. Today however, some seemingly omnipotent force decided to have Mayla walk at a normal pace past it.

This in turn, allowed Mayla to notice something she had never seen before today. The house was vacant; a building used only as a reminder to the late Elizabeth Graywood, founder of the town.

But there was a light on inside the house today. Mayla stopped and looked up at the house. Something caused a devious attraction to discovering what that light was inside. Coming to her senses, Mayla then snapped out of the mysterious proposition.

"May!" Jordan called. "Come on, let's go!" He ushered for Mayla to pass up the opportunity, which she reluctantly (though also somewhat happily) obliged. Just as she turned however, something grabbed her leg. It was too dark to see what it was, but using her resources, Mayla uncovered her phone and used it as a makeshift flashlight.

The light revealed a startling picture; a boney hand was grasped around her ankle. "Fuck!" Mayla gasped, whipping out a text book from her pocket. Using all the force she could muster, she hit the boney hand.

The hand broke into two, the arm and the hand. The hand still grasped onto Mayla however, as she dropped the textbook and grasped the hand, attempting to pry it free from her leg. Falling over, she called for Jordan, frantically screaming.

Jordan rushed to her aid, helping pry the boney hand from her calf. When it finally released, Mayla stood up and looked at the figure in the darkness. Its body was boney and decrepit, and its odor not discovered until things settled down smelled of decay and grotesqueness.

"What the fuck was that?" Jordan whispered to Mayla. Mayla could only shake her head in reply. They then turned and began to walk, when they heard a groan (not unlike Jordan's when he had to awaken for school.) "Shit shit shit." Jordan panted.

Mayla turned and saw the figure begin to approach them again.

"Fuck that." Mayla yelled out, running off. Jordan followed suit. The darkness cloaked their fear, and many more ominous mysteries as they continued on.