The Realm

° Chapter 10 °

The darkness magnified the evil resonating in the forest.

The trees appeared to be watching them, their every move, every breath, silently criticizing it all.

Miss Beatrice was now holding Emily close while flashing the light everywhere for a sign of the other girls. She genuinely feared something happened to them.

The driver was more than tired. He was exhausted and the eternity of trees before him did not help his case.

He was about to give up and walk back when his eyes caught something in the dark.

Someone walking carelessly towards them. Their steps were faltering and they seemed to be shaking and whimpering.

He shouted to Miss Beatrice,"I see someone!"

In an instant, they were both flashing their already dimming light towards the same direction.

"Casey!" Miss Beatrice cried out in relief.

She held on to Emily and they all walked towards Casey in a fast pace. The trees seemed to block their way, preventing them from reaching her. But they did.

Casey's appearance was no better than Emily's. If anything, she looked worse.

Wild eyes, tear stained cheeks and torn clothes smeared with blood from the injuries on her arms and knees. Hair was loose and untamed with dead leaves and dirty dust in them. But she didn't seem to notice any of it as she whispered over and over again,

"No escape... No escape... No escape...."

She didn't look up nor did she mind any of them, her vision fixed straight ahead.

Casey nor Emily acknowledged each other. They appeared to be in a trance.

Miss Beatrice and the driver looked at each other. They didn't know what to do with the girls. They decided to search for Pamela, who was the only one left now.

They continued with the walk that was too long to take and the destination too far to reach.

Meanwhile, Miss Beatrice took out her phone to inform someone of their whereabouts. Her heart sank to the depths of absolute despair when she saw her phone.

No coverage.

Low battery.

She could've sworn her phone's battery was full.

The driver noticed and took his own phone out, but luck was not on their side as he was met with the same results.

They were hopelessly stuck in the middle of the forest with two girls who seemed to have crossed the limit of sanity, with no means of contacting anyone and no sign of a living soul anywhere.

The odds weren't in their favor.

But they continued to look for Pamela, ignorant to the obvious truth that they were never getting out. They kept walking, getting more and more lost with each step.

↔↔↔↔↔

Seconds.

Minutes.

Hours.

All have tarried away but the Mysterious plane was timeless.

Their legs were tired and so was their mind. The clarity over their situation was not yet in their grasp. But soon, it will be.

It felt as though, with each step, their soul was slowly melting away.

Finally, after walking for so long, they reached the menacing old Mansion. But after those draining, torturous hours, the Mansion looked majestic and welcoming to Miss Beatrice and the driver.

Anything would look comforting compared to the dark forest that surrounded them in an almost taunting way.

Thirst.

Hunger.

Everything was heightened.

They walked up the daring steps and suddenly both girls froze in their position, putting a stop to their chanting. They stood at the entrance and stared inside. The punishing doors were still open, patiently waiting for them.

Miss Beatrice spared them a glance before squinting her eyes to have a better look at the strange inscription etched right above the door. It was in an ancient language she couldn't quite put her finger on.

The girls abruptly turned towards them and chanted in unison,

"Those who enters the realm, beware.
For now your soul belongs to Him."

The sound was unnerving and their words entrancing. Thousands of other voices were chanting with them. In the same monotonous voice.

A weak soul is easier to capture. The strong one fights back. It's strangely fascinating how quickly your own mind turns against you. How quickly you lose control. And when you do, only one thing remains.

Emptiness.

Miss Beatrice and the driver soon joined the girls and walked in, eyes dull, soul drifting, their light fading away.

The last essence of life ebbed from their cold, hollow spirit.

The double doors closed behind them, trapping their souls inside with absolutely no way out.

The inscription blazed in the Stony surface,

'Enter here and you belong to Me
Under My Command for all eternity.'

They had unknowingly entered Demos Poneiros,

"The Devil's Realm."

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