✓ | OVERNIGHT ( ORIGINAL )

xviii. cascading darkness

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

[ xviii. cascading darkness ]

     CALUM SENSED A dark and evil presence hit him in the face once he opened the door. The hairs on his arms and neck stood as tall as a tree. The cold draft suddenly made him shiver, and it was particularly cold outside either. A voice in the back of his mind warned him. It started to yell at him to "run", to get away from the house as far away as possible. His eyes traced back and forth into the pitch black darkness that was called a basement.

Melina's palms started to sweat. Her eyes were glued onto the darkness that was exposed to the two of them. She wanted to shut her eyes desperately to get away from the darkness she felt was calling her name. But then closing her eyes would only lead her into more darkness. Not to mention Melina was petrified of the dark.

     Her earliest memory of her fear was when she managed to find one of her father's books. At the time, she didn't quite understand what "horror" was. She didn't know it was terrifying and gruesome. That it managed to go into your mind and twist the ways you see life. You'd see if more horrifyingly after witnessing "horror". Melina ended up reading the whole entire book without telling her parents.

     Ever since, she had been afraid of the dark. Imagining the stereotypical monsters underneath her bed or even a murderous serial killer waiting to lunge at her. A zombie hiding in her closet waiting to eat her and tear her flesh by flesh. Or maybe there was even a decaying body hidden underneath her floorboard as a warning. Whatever the irrational "maybe" was, she was still petrified of the dark.

     Her widened eyes imagined a deceased body lunging at her from the darkness. Killing her instantly. Or even slowly.

     Melina started to hyperventilate, gasping for the much needed air. Calum looked behind him to see the gasping coming from Melina. His heart fell down to his stomach as he instantly ran up the steps to get to her. He knew what to do since he'd been around her many times when she would have a panic attack.

     The blonde felt as if everything was closing in on her, even though she was outside. Her body shaking and her eyes shedding tears. Calum stood in front of her and licked his lips uncomfortably. "You're okay," he whispered gently, staring at her face that was covered in tears. "You're okay. Just breathe."

     Her chest slowly started to rise as she did what he told. She counted to five mentally and her chest fell for five more seconds. Melina felt her arms starting to relax and they fell down to her side. Calum let out a relaxed sigh as he watched her body calm down.