A young man, clad in a purplish-black police uniform, cautiously walked through the deserted hallway.
Moonlight streaming through the large windows casted an eerie glow on the dusty floor, illuminating the man's blond hair like a beacon.
His amber eyes scanned the shadows, his gaze piercing through the darkness. Suddenly, a faint whisper seemed to caress his ear:
"Glynn.... Glynn."
Startled at the eerie voice calling out his name, sweat began to form on his forehead. His feet and arms felt a sudden chill. Rubbing his arms with his hands, Glynn swept his gaze around with alert and tried to follow the eerie voice.
"Glynn.. Glynn."
"W-Who is there? Come out."
Without getting any response, the eerie calling of his name continued, Glynn frowned as he thought;
'This feels like scene from a horror movie and why do I sound like some cliche horror movie's stupid male lead?'
Glynn shook his head while following the voice as he walked through the old, abandoned hallway, his senses on high alert as if he could sense the danger.
Amidst following the ominous voice calling out his name, Glynn's gaze lingered on the faded walls. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, his expression softening as he took in the familiar yet forgotten surroundings.
As a young boy, he had spent years wandering through these same halls and rooms, but to see it now as it was left to decay was both surreal and haunting and a little sad.
He soon found himself in the recreation area which only had two large windows on each side. Glynn recalled how he and his friends used to run around the room, their footsteps echoing on the wooden floor. Now, only damp and musty silence greeted his ears.
Suddenly, a draft of cold air blew in, as if from a phantom door, sending a chill down his spine. Along with it, the eerie voice calling out his name stopped at the same time. It felt as if it got few degrees colder
"Just what happened here?"
Click Click
A noise was heard from behind...
Click Click
Glynn stopped dead in his tracks as a faint rustling sound came from behind. It was faint and barely audible, yet it was enough to arouse his curiosity.
He turned around and that's when he saw her. The Lady in black stood just a few feet away, her red eyes gleaming in the dim light. Her medieval gown seemed to blend with the shadows.
The Lady's face was shrouded in mystery, her features concealed by a black cloth that covered everything below her nose bridge. Only her two piercing ruby-red eyes gleamed like polished gemstones, radiant in the dim light.
She wore a black hooded cloak, its darkness deepening as the sky transformed into a fiery red canvas and the moon's white light intensifying to a brilliant glow.
Standing against the window's vast expanse, she stood poised. Her figure bathed in an ethereal bright moonlight, as if the moonlight itself had descended to encircle her.
Before Glynn could ask anything, the white moonlight surged to a blinding intensity, the sky transformed into even more deep, bloody crimson.
The air was shattered by loud blood-curdling cries, like goats and humans chortling, like nails screeching against chalkboard in unison with screeching metal, creating an unbearable sound and eerie whispers.
Glynn fell to his knees while covering his ears with his both hands. Unfortunately the cries could still be heard very clearly, Glynn screamed in agony:
"Ugh...S-Stop it...UGH, DAMMIT, STOP!"
The anguished pleas tore through his eardrums and ravaged his heart, guiding him toward the madness.
"AHHH DAMMIT STOP AHHHH!"
He began to pound his head against the stone floor while screaming, the sickening crunch of his skull echoing through the room. He ripped out his hair and scratched his neck. His blood splattered on the floor, painting a gruesome testament to his utter despair.
The Lady in Black gazed with indifference as she materialized a lantern, its dim blue light, shining like a beacon of warmth amidst the chaos. Soon the cries slowed to a haunting whisper, Glynn regained his reason as he tried to stop himself. Glynn clutched his chest, taking deep, ragged breaths.
Blood trickled from his forehead, painting his face with crimson lines, his neck dripping blood from gruesome scratches as he tried to sat and gaze towards the lady.
Overwhelmed with extreme pain, dizziness and exhaustion, Glynn gazed at the Lady in a daze, his eyes struggling to focus as his body trembled. His throat sore as he whispered in a voice laced with despair:
"W-Why...me...? Who...you... Again and again...Why?"
Lady In Black pointed her finger towards him, her expression hidden by the black cloth. With emotionless eyes and charming yet chilling voice, she uttered;
"The threads of fate like twisting vines do entwine,
The paths of life and death tread a delicate line, cross over time.
But anchored to one single key,
The blood of Sol and Luna doth it conceal,
And soon, a royal birth, it shall reveal.
Hid in the ol' mist,
The secret power of fate unknown to most, lost in a myth."
The woman's ominous words and ethereal voice caught Glynn off guard. The mention of the intertwined threads of fate and the paths of life and death crossing over time left him confused as the pain tried to eat his reason. He tried to understand the woman's words, he frowned in deep contemplation.
"W-What...?"
Glynn's expression shifted from confusion to surprise as the woman suddenly threw the lantern in his direction. As the lantern fell to the ground, it shattered, letting out its bright blue fiery contents.
As he tried to dodge it, he got severely burned by the blue flames, which suddenly transformed into sharp serpent fire that shot up his arm, causing immense pain. At the sudden rush of unexpected pain, he let out a muffled scream of agony.
With a jolt, Glynn woke up and took in his surroundings while breathing heavily. His head spinning from the vivid nightmares he just had. Glynn sat up and shook his head as he ran his hand through his blonde hair in frustration and tried to regulate his breathing. After calming down, he couldn't help but think to himself...
"Again... That dream.. That damned...Argh...Why...damn IT..."
Glynn was struggling to shake off the memory of the lady's words, which kept echoing in his head and causing a severe headache.
He turned on his lamp and immediately reached for his pain relief medication, opening the drawer and grabbing the pills. After swallowing it, he hoped for some relief from the pounding headache.
Glynn sighed and looked at the clock. It was 2:00Am.
"The threads of fate are intertwined
the paths of life and death cross over time,
Yet they're bound to a single key
The blood of Sol and Luna is the key
A royal blood shall soon be revealed
A truth concealed and a myth it reveals."
"Argh, what the hell is with this dream... Is my brain telling me to become a peot instead...? I need to discuss with Dr. William. Neither therapy nor medications seem to work."
Glynn sighed as the woman's haunting words kept ringing in his head, and he could not shake off the memory. He repeated the words that had been haunting him for years.
Few hours later.
The sun-drenched campus of University bustled with students hurrying to their next class, their backpacks and tote bags swaying with each step.
The air was alive with laughter, chatter, and the rustling of leaves from ancient trees that dotted the quad, their branches stretching towards the sky like nature's own cathedral. But in a quiet corner of the library, Alice and Maddie huddled together, plotting their escape. Alice, with curly brown hair tied up in a ponytail and a smattering of freckles across her cheeks, whispered urgently to Maddie,
"Hey, I heard Professor Thompson will drone on for hours I don't want to go... I think we should use the alleyway with the small wall, if you know what I mean."
Her bright blue eyes scanned the room for potential witnesses. Maddie, with straight blonde hair and a pierced nose, nodded in agreement, her eyes fixed on the floor.
"Hmm, even though no one ever uses the alley way I don't want to take any risks, it's best if we go there after 15 minutes."
As they made their way to the university alley, a narrow passageway between two buildings rarely used by students, the sounds of the campus grew fainter, replaced by an eerie silence.
The air was thick with the scent of old brick and damp earth, and flickering fluorescent lights cast eerie shadows on the ground.
After moving a little further a strange, rotting iron smell tormented their nostrils, making Alice frown and pinch her nose.
"The hell? What's this smell? I think I'm going to vomit. Ugh."
Maddie nodded, turning
on her mobile torch for a sense of security. She pinched her nose while frowning;
"Geez, my father's a fisherman yet even his suit doesn't stink as much."
As they approached the wall, the smell turned more strong and unbearable. Alice bent down to vomit, her frown deepening.
Suddenly, Maddie grabbed her arm, her eyes fixed on something ahead.
"Holy light, w-what's that?"
She breathed heavily, her voice barely audible, her face pale with fright.
Alice followed her gaze to a spot where the alleyway turned a corner, and her heart skipped a beat. Two bodies lay on the ground, surrounded by dead cat carcasses, their skin pale and still, their eyes frozen in a permanent stare. The rotten flesh and air seemed to vibrate with an otherworldly energy, like the whispers of the dead.
Alice staggered backward and screamed, her primal sound echoing off the alleyway walls, sending shivers down Maddie's spine as she stood frozen.
"AHHHHHH...HELP HELP ANYONE!"
She cried, stumbling backward before turning and grabbing Maddie's frozen hand. They ran, their footsteps pounding the pavement, as the sounds of the campus erupted into chaos behind them.
"Breaking News: Mid Nova, 10:37 AM. I'm Anna Williams, reporting live from the Great University of Scholars, where two student bodies have been discovered in an abandoned area of the campus. Police are currently investigating, and we'll bring you updates as more information becomes available."
At the alley a grim scene unfolded before the officers: two dead bodies of young students, their eyes frozen in a permanent stare, their faces ruined. Their bodies were surrounded by a circle of dead cats, arranged with unsettling precision. The air was heavy with the stench of death and the murmurs of the gathered crowd.
Police officers collected evidence, took photos, and videos, their faces stern. Onlookers stood at a distance, their expressions a mix of somberness and fascination. Students, faculty members, and morbid curiosity seekers whispered among themselves, guessing about the victims identities and the circumstances of their deaths.
Media personnel were present at the scene, cameras and microphones at the ready. A news van parked nearby, its satellite dish extended like a giant metal arm. Reporters interviewed witnesses and police officers, piecing together the story.
Officer Glynn knelt beside the bodies. Strong rotting smell tormented his nose but his eyes were fixed on the symbol etched into their skin. The twisted ritualistic marking seemed to whisper dark secrets, but he knew better than to jump to conclusions.
"Leo, take a closer look at this symbol."
Glynn said, his voice low and even. Glynn's colleague Leo examined the marking, his face scrunched in concentration.
"It appears to be a mix of ancient languages, sir. I'll need to run tests to confirm, but it could be a signature."
Officer Glynn nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. This was no ordinary murder scene. The ritualistic elements, dead cats, and symbol pointed to something sinister.
Glynn's eyes narrowed as he pondered the evidence.
"A cult or a serial killer?"
He thought, weighing the possibilities. He needed more information to make a call.
"Leo, call Sarah and ask her to get me everything she can on any similar cases in the past."
Glynn instructed, his mind racing with connections.
"I want to know if we're dealing with a copycat or something new."
As he stood up, his gaze swept the scene, taking in the university's abandoned alleyway. As Glynn was checking;
"Sir, we found IDs around their necks, but no other belongings,"
The officer reported.
"Both victims are male, from the history department. The older one, Matthew, is 21, and the younger one, David, is 20.'