Lucien

Chapter 3

I was awoken by a loud noise, almost as if a heavy object had fallen on a concrete floor. I looked around, only to realise that the room wasn't my own. Afraid, I got up and took in my surroundings. I was in a dimly lit room with a cold, concrete floor. It was at that moment that I heard a dark chuckle, followed by a barely audible deep voice that was predominantly male.

"Crystal..." It mumbled, "Follow me..."

Then, I saw it: A ghostly white hand, identical to the one that had been tapping on my window, was beckoning me towards it. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to walk towards it. Suddenly, the hand vanished, leaving me once again in darkness. I was alone, but I could feel a presence in the room. The voice spoke again, barely above a whisper, but I could hear it as clear as anything: "Keep walking..."

I wanted to turn back, but I kept walking anyway. After all, there wasn't really anything else I could do. After what felt like an eternity of walking, it spoke again, sounding like it was right next to me. "Stop... I'm right behind you..." I froze, it's haunting voice sending shivers down my spine. What it said next made my blood run cold.

"Don't.. Look.. Back.."

My heart was beating a million miles an hour, as I felt a pair of cold hands settle on my shoulders. Without warning, a sharp pain travelled down my back. I started to panic. I tried to run, but I couldn't move. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. Then, I realised what was tearing into my back: claws. Long, sharp claws. The pain only worsened, as the claws cut deeper and deeper into my back. Moments later, the pain became unbearable. My vision started to blur, I felt the world around me spinning, and I knew this was the end. Everything went black...

I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart beating out of my chest. Looking around, I noticed I was still in bed. It was all a dream. But why did it feel so real? I spent the next 10 minutes trying to calm myself down, when I heard it:

Tap... Tap... Tap...

It was back. The slow, rhythmic tapping on my window, just like I'd heard before I went to sleep. Cautiously, I made my way over to the window. Opening the blinds, I saw something I would never forget: There was a face, ghostly pale with a sinister smile, a single fang larger than the rest. It's eyes were covered by a large, black hood. I recognised this face straight away, it was the same face from the night before. But how was it here? I was on the second floor, so nothing could have gotten to my window. Unless, it was standing on a ladder. I got closer to the window, looking down. There was no ladder. The tapping got louder, sounding more like knocking, still keeping the same slow rhythm. Startled, I jumped back. I quickly looked at the window again, but the face was gone. The only thing I could see was the small garden, lit up in an eerily pale beam of moonlight...