Curiosity got the better of me; it overwhelmed my sense of fear. I couldn’t resist the temptation. It represented a parallel world, a different reality. What, if anything was lurking in the shadows. It was a derelict edifice isolated from humanity. An eerie whistle playing the tune of death drifted into my mind. Nothing else mattered now. I had gone past the point of no return. The plants seemed to watch my every step, as if mocking my existence. I placed my shaking hand on the doorframe, no force was needed. The door groaned open by itself, almost as if it was inviting me into its domain. I was unsure of what to do next, the sound produced by every step ricochet out of the obscurity. There was minimal light as I entered, it was a bright day outside yet no sunshine gazed through the cracks. The only artificial light came from the glow of a burnt out candle. It seemed the only occupant of this mansion was a spider hanging from its cobweb. Something was wrong, none of this added up. Unless my eyesight was tricking me, I was sure a shadow darted to one side. Someone was here and I could sense it.
What I felt was abnormal, the heat from outside could penetrate the wooden walls without any effort, but my whole body was shivering without me even realising it. The air tasted damp around my tongue, a bitter vapour dispersing as if it was radiating from within the walls. This was something I had to investigate, I staggered towards the staircase, the grandest piece of architecture in the mansion. Undoubtedly, the oldest as well. A metallic, monotone vibration emerged from the stairway, following me with every step I was taking. The sound grew louder, from a soft rhythm, escalating till the vibrations seemed to be visible. I quickened my pace, forcing myself to escape from this, I couldn’t control my thoughts. I could feel the pressure on my body but the adrenaline prevented me from collapsing. I rushed into the first room I could see; firmly shut the door behind me.
I studied at my surroundings, it was a room, it didn’t look very impressive compared to the mansion’s other rooms. The dust looked visibly layered precisely covering the bed sheet. No-one had been here for quite some time, the room was neglected and disused. This wasn’t the place for me; it had a creepy aura to it. The room needed some fresh air; I turned to the degraded looking window. Just like the door, the window creaked open from its standing position. There was no moonlight tonight; it was difficult for me to see what was outside. To be honest, I didn’t really want to anyway. There was an old oak cupboard in one corner strewn with tattered clothes. It seemed to me that nothing here was normal; no-one could possibly live here. Everything had become derelict. My eyes darted around the room, the bookshelf were layered with crushed pieces of paper; some had burnt marks on them.
A painting in the corner of the room captured my vision, with such ferocity, displacing my eyes from my mind. I couldn’t focus on what I was looking at; I had no control of my thoughts. For some reason I couldn’t find the courage to turn away. Its presence denied any other form of evil in the room; this painting was overflowing with darkness. The painting was covered with intricate detail. It looked as though the illegible signature of the artist was painted in blood. The painting seemed to resemble me; not me; an evil symbiotic version of myself. A life blood, a soul mate, something inseparable, yet a source of energy no one would want to be attached to. I couldn’t describe the painting in any form. It didn’t have a form, and it couldn’t have possibly existed in the first place. A dark aura dispersed from within the depths of the painting, consuming any life I had in my soul, my mind and heart were on the verge of collapse.
A light flickered in the corridor outside the room, there was an evil presence. The sound from every breath would echo around the room like ghost repeating everything I said. It was unnatural. Paranormal activity. I saw the bolt of the door lock shut through my peripheral vision, I didn’t dare to move, and I was too scared. In hindsight, I knew that I wasn’t going to leave this place; I should have never come in the first place.
