Shroud: Jinn

6 - Unveiled

They were everywhere.

Hopping from tree to tree. Rushing from one shrub to another. Disappearing and then reappearing in flight.

They cackled ominously in the dead of the night with their shrill laughter like a gleeful group of hyenas descending upon a hopeless prey that had trespassed into their secret territory unknowingly.

But these were not hyenas; they were figures with long, unkempt black hair cloaked in long flowing white robes that flapped menacingly against the wind.

I had driven on this path many times at night but why am I only seeing them now?

I gripped my steering wheel with one trembling hand, shakily switched off the headlights and reduced the speed of my car to a slow, constant crawl. I was desperate not to make my presence known. I had contemplated to speed off but I was terrified lest they would chase me down like what the floating head did in the morning.

My breath hitched when one of them glided right in front of my car and vanished into a tree. I hastily covered my mouth with my free hand to silence it as my teeth chattered involuntarily out of fear.

My car began to feel heavy and dragged itself to a much slower speed as though I was lugging something immense with me in the car. I stepped on the accelerator to prod it forward and yet, the vehicle struggled to move; it was as if some unnatural force was pulling on the back wheels of my car, refusing to let me leave.

A big mass of white started revolving around the exterior of the car like a thick fog. The harsh cacophony of jarring rasps similar to the sound of sharp twigs scratching on the car windows sent a chill down my spine. I flitted my eyes left and right as my fear multiplied. The car was not even close to any tree. I trembled even more before I realised that my body was not the one shaking but the car itself. The soft tremors started as light shakes before it grew even more hostile and I could feel myself flinging around in my seat. Soon, my car tilted to one side.

"This is not happening. This is not happening," I stuttered anxiously as I wiped the nervous sweat that had creased itself in between my nose and upper lip with the back of my hand.

The white swirly mist that was revolving outside the car moved as though in slow motion and I immediately saw it transformed into a multitude of white figures which stared straight at me through the other side of the windscreen with their hollow eye sockets.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." something breathed a chilling hello in my left ear, sending shivers mixed with dread down my whole body. Distracted with the sight that was in front of me, I did not realise a dark presence had settled in the same seat with me.

"A 'udhu billahi minash shaytanir rajim! (I seek God's protection from Satan, the accursed!)" I blurted out in fright.

In an instant, the figures recoiled into the shadows and my car was on the ground again. Without hesitating any further, I shifted the car into full gear and sped my way out of there.

* * * ◊ ˚ ◊ ˚ ◊ ˚ ◊ ˚ ◊ * * *

Doopdoopdoopdoopdoopdoopdoop...

My still erratic heartbeat told me that I could not have driven far. I attempted to steady my hands which were rattling the steering wheel but to no avail. A creeping, crawling sensation invaded my left ear, making it tingle in an unsettling manner. I rubbed at it frantically, hoping that the feeling went away.

As I drove further down the misty road, my eyes caught sight of a hint of white standing near the open field, with its hunched back facing towards me.

Oh God, not another one.

Taking a deep breath, I sped past the white figure and looked straight ahead. As I was still a foolishly curious human being, I braved myself to look in the rearview mirror and was stunned to see Marissa in a white floral nightdress, hunched over her pregnant belly.

It was four in the morning. What was she doing out so late?

Immediately, I remembered that her husband, Latif, worked nights and my sudden worry that Marissa might be in labour looped around my mind and ultimately overrode my fear of the supernatural. I swiftly stopped my car, reversed back slowly and finally came to a halt on the road near to where Marissa stood. As soon as I did that, I clenched my jaw. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if it was Marissa or something else.

In a second, I found myself searching for a kerosene lamp at the boot of my car, lit it and walked carefully towards Marissa, wavering slightly in between strides. My legs trudged along the muddy field, weaving through the tall grass that reached the height of my knees.

"Assalammualaikum. (Peace be upon you)," I stopped an arm's length away, lowered the lamp by my side and greeted Marissa, expecting a response. Her back was still towards me.

If it was something supernatural, it would not respond, right?

Silence.

"Marissa? It's me, Mustaqim," I spoke softly.

Soft whimpers.

"Marissa?" I edged closer towards her and raised the kerosene lamp in front of me.

She was shaking.

"Help...help me-" she whimpered once more, her voice terrified. She hunched over in pain, cradling her belly and at the same, trying to free her legs from something.

Lowering the kerosene lamp to the ground, I squatted down, parted some of the tall grass with my hands, squinted my eyes and discovered that both of her calves were tangled in some intricate vine-like tendrils.

I peered upwards at her and realised something I had not noticed before. The bottom of her nightdress was soaked in fresh blood. My eyes darted towards the ground directly below her and noticed that the ground was spared from any bloodstains.

Drip drip drip drip-

Three drops of blood fell from the hem of her nightdress and onto my hand, forcing me to look downwards.

Where did the fourth drop go?

A gentle breeze wafted through the field, causing Marissa's nightdress to ride up and I froze.

The same eerie floating head that attacked me that night was now hovering face up, directly below Marissa and in between her legs but its eyes were closed shut as though in deep hypnosis. Its innards were wrapped around Marissa's legs, pushing them apart and at the same time, crushing them in a tight deadlock. I held my breath as its long, bloodied tongue slithered, barged and prodded upwards as Marissa struggled to squeeze her thighs together. My eyes widened in disbelief as the creature's vile mouth opened in a sharp, disturbing manner as it welcomed more drops of fresh blood.

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CREDITS:

Background Music: Mattia Cupelli -  Dark Tension Rising Music | (Download and Royalty FREE)

Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/-zvQoPyY2XE

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