The Mansion

Chapter 9

“Alex?”

Lightning flashed again, providing a second’s illumination of his pallid face. His hazel eyes were disheartening in the darkness as the whites of his eyes slowly morphed into black when the light vanished again. His silvery silhouette suggested that he was still there. At least this assured me that he was real.

The rain poured down mercilessly on us, drenching us and drumming the stone floor. My body shuddered in response as each rain drop came in contact with my skin. The wind lapped around us mockingly, cold air stinging my lungs. Thunder roared, overwhelming the sound of battering rain.

 I was lying on the icy stone floor wrapped by a pair of warm arms like a cradle. Someone’s melodious voice kept calling my name frantically but my mind registered as a soft humming lullaby. I felt so warm and safe in the cradle that I felt my thoughts slowing slipping away. My eyelids gradually covered my drooping eyes.

Come with me.

Another soothing voice entered my mind.

It’s the only way to escape.

I wanted to reach my hand towards the calm voice. I wanted to escape. I felt lighter and lighter. The pain in my joints began to subside.

Escape

 “Genessa!” he yelled so loudly that it pulled me back to the present.

I looked around me in stupor; it seemed as if I had woken up from a dream. My eyes darted towards the owner of the warm arms. My vision began to clear before he spoke.

“Are you trying to kill yourself?” he yelled at me again.

It took me all my will power to answer him back.

“Alex… the girl…” my voice wavered momentarily, pointing towards the railing.

“It was a trap!” he shouted again. This time his tone was filled with dissent and rage.

He pulled me up and supported me with one arm while I limped back into the house, processing what I had seen. When inside, he closed the door with a loud bang and bolted the door. The hallway would have darkened immediately if not for the faint light streaking through the dusty windows.

I stood awkwardly away from him, dazed and vulnerable. Water dripped down on the floor with curious rhythmic noises. After a long time, my head could think clearly again. Hundreds of questions rose from my mind: What is Alex doing here? Why is Alex here? How did Alex get here?

When he turned around, he seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.

“I’m here to save you,” he said.

“I don’t really trust you,” I replied, taking a step backwards, creating a certain distance between us.

Lightning flashed again.

“Listen, this is your only last chance of escape,” he told me, taking a step forward. “All of them are hunting for you now,”

“Why?”

“Revenge,” he said in a monotone voice.

Thunder rattled the windows.

Suddenly, prickles went down my spine and I heard a buzzing noise. My body stiffened at the strange occurrence.

In a second’s flash of lightning, I saw Alex’s perplexed reaction.

“You felt it, didn’t you?” he asked.

The temperature of the hallway dropped suddenly.

“They are coming,” I managed to say.

There was a loud thud and an explosion of hot air. Alex quickly whirled around, grabbed my hand and started running away from it. I did not hesitate to trust him. I somehow knew that he felt the same chilling presence. Windows started flying open behind us as we dashed through the dim hallway. The howling of the bitter wind increased as rain came pouring in. I heard multiple thuds behind me, each getting treacherously nearer and nearer. I didn’t even dare to peer back—afraid of what I would be facing with.

Alex could run extremely fast because I was already feeling worn out and stumbled in most occasions. He kept encouraging me to keep running and I wished I could have strength like him. Unfortunately, my arms and legs were as heavy as lead and they ached with weariness and the impact with the stairs. My sudden fear was that we would be facing these pursuers sooner or later.  

 As Alex yanked me towards a corner, I caught sight of our hunters.

They were shadows of different shapes and sizes following us. Their black capes drifted in the air as they chased us, snarling and screeching viciously. Their eyes were red, like the timber in a blazing fire. I could even feel the heat radiating off their eyes.

I yelped causing the creatures to growl ferociously.

“Don’t look at them,” Alex warned.

Too late, I thought, turning in front.

“W- what are those?” I asked, fear tainting my voice.

“Those are shadows,” he said. “They’re not usually this dangerous,”

When he said that, I felt like I knew why they were so vicious.

My scent seemed to trigger rage inside them.

“Shadows?” I whispered under my breath. “That’s what that old man warned about,”

I noticed his hand tighten.

We descended a flight of stairs and found ourselves in an unfamiliar territory.

“Where--”

The hallway was extended straight to a single red door. There were red lanterns on either side, casting off faint radiance that indicated evil. The walls were plastered with dozens of glum portraits that were neither welcoming nor comforting. We had no choice but to enter since I heard more snarls behind me. I gulped in trepidation.

No choice.

We sprinted towards the door followed by a procession of enraged beings. I ran towards it like it was my only savior against these things. While running there, something strange happened. The door disappeared, revealing nothing but a rectangular void. I would have stopped but Alex tugged me towards the thing and we both tumbled into oblivion. I forced my eyes to shut and landed on something hard. I gasped in pain at the sudden impact and opened my eyes.

Darkness was the first to greet me when I opened my eyes. The floor underneath me was cold and hard. There was a dripping sound. It was so dark that I could not see if Alex was beside me or not. My hand reached up beside to see if Alex was there. My palm met with something wet. I started to get panicky. Where was he? Is he okay? Then, I heard shuffling noises and my head snapped towards it automatically.

“Alex?” I asked.

No answer.

I feared for the worst. We might have escaped those shadows but we still had more to face.

“Alex?” I called again.

This time I was greeted by a grunt.

Could it him?

Then my black world was filled with a white light. I instantly shut my eyes to avoid getting blind from the light. After a while, I opened my eyes slowly and processed what I was seeing. I was sitting in a room with a low ceiling. There were puddles of muddy water on the ground-- to my relief. The florescent light was still causing my eyes to squint but eventually I got used to it. I sighed in relief as I saw Alex standing next to a switch. My relief slowly turned to dread as my eyes lay on his shirt.

Red roses blossomed on his white shirt. But then I realized that they weren’t roses, they were splotches of blood. As he locked his deadly eyes with me, my realization was too late.

He was the murderer.

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A/N

Hey guys! Thanks for reading. If u like it, dont forget to vote, comment and add it to your library. Feel free to tell me my mistakes. :D Dedicated to MahrukhImam for giving me further ideas about my story. Thanks a lot, Alien sister! :3 If it weren't for u i would've been stranded on no idea land xD