Shane's Sinister and Bizarre Encounters

The Shadows That Plague Us

A man awakens in a large mansion. He is unaware of what is happening.

"Wh-where am I?" He says in question.

The mansion is dark. It's hard to see even though it is daytime outside. 

The man is confused. He's never seen a place like this.

"Well, at least my eyes will adjust in time."

The man gets up and walks around until he finds a very long hallway with a speck of light at the end.

"There. That must be the exit."

The man begins to walk down the hallway. He walks for at least a minute more before he stops in frozen terror.

"I-I can hear footsteps that aren't my own!" The man exclaims.

Another man walks down a staircase slowly. With each step he takes, the man's terror grows.

W-What is this!? Why can't I move? Could it be from fear?

"Listen to me," the voice said calmly and gently as if speaking to a child. "I've heard you have... skills that can help me with my objective."

"W-What do you want from m-m-me!?"

"In fact, to rid you of fear, let's get to know each other," the voice said with the same calm tone. "I will tell you my name, something I've never done to anyone but the most loyal people. My name... is Asmodeus."

What in the hell!? Isn't Asmodeus the name of-of, which demon... The demon of lust!

The man had a very fit body. Over his chest, he wore a purple shirt and over that, a button-up turquoise jacket. His face was obscured in darkness. Above the staircase which was presumably his room, there was a mist flowing down the staircase. The mist smelled sweet and flowed throughout the mansion carelessly.

"Why don't you tell me your name?" The shadowy man asked.

He began to walk down the stairs. Each step he took lightly. He still spoke in an extremely calm voice. The man was now standing in front of the other's exit.

"N-No!"

The man began to run the other way so as to escape the shaded man. He felt chills with each step he took. He felt an overwhelming sense of death within the mansion.

"Ha! You're not gonna catch me if you just let me go!"

Suddenly, the man was back in the same spot he was 7 seconds ago.

"Come with me," The man said calmly. "I've heard you have a special set of skills that can help me in my ordeal."

Yet again, the man tried to run in the opposite direction but instead was brought back to his original position.

"Still think you can outrun me?" The man asked, still calm.

In an instant, the man was right beside the other.

"I saw how you had chills when you tried to run from me... To complete the objective I have for you, you have to learn to be completely calm."

The man leaned into the man's ear.

"Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes."

"Good. There's a traitor among my ranks. His name is Folfopino. Right now, he appears to be in Venice. Go to an airport and ask for a ride to Venice."

The man gave him an airplane ticket.

"Now go."

The man followed his command  and left the building.