The tension in the air was palpable as we stared down the Wraith, its hollow gaze fixated on us with malevolent intent. The ritual circle, our only defense, was flickering—its light dimming with every passing second. We had to act quickly, or everything we had fought for would be lost.
"Get the box!" Evelyn's voice cut through the rising panic. "Destroy it before the Wraith breaks free!"
Tommy and I pried open the ancient box, our fingers numb from the cold. Inside, nestled within a bed of black velvet, lay the piece—a jagged shard of obsidian, pulsing with dark energy. The very air around it seemed to thrum with malevolence, as if the shard itself was alive and aware of our presence.
Sheriff Carter kept his gun trained on the Wraith, though we all knew bullets wouldn't stop something like this. It was a matter of willpower now—holding our ground as the Wraith's power surged against the weakening barrier.
"Evelyn," I called out, holding up the shard. "How do we destroy it?"
Evelyn's eyes were wide with fear, her breath coming in short, rapid gasps. "Use the amulet! It's the only thing that can contain the shard's energy long enough for us to shatter it."
I reached into my pocket, feeling the cool metal of the amulet as I pulled it out. The moment it came into contact with the shard, the two objects began to vibrate violently, the air around them crackling with dark energy.
Tommy looked at me, his eyes full of doubt. "What if it doesn't work? What if this thing can't be destroyed?"
"We don't have a choice," I said, gripping the amulet tightly. "It's now or never."
I pressed the amulet against the shard, feeling the jolt of energy that shot through my arm. The light from the ritual circle flickered again, weaker this time, and the Wraith let out a guttural growl, its form twisting in rage.
"Fools!" the Wraith spat, its voice echoing through the clearing. "You cannot destroy what is eternal! Your lives are but fleeting moments—specks of dust in the wind. I will consume you, and your town will rot under my curse!"
The shard resisted, the energy within it fighting back with a force that nearly drove me to my knees. But I held firm, focusing all my strength on the amulet, willing it to do what it was meant to.
"Sheriff!" I shouted, my voice strained. "Shoot it! Now!"
Sheriff Carter didn't hesitate. He fired his gun, the loud crack of the shot echoing through the forest. The bullet wasn't aimed at the Wraith, but at the shard itself. The moment the bullet struck, there was a blinding flash of light, followed by a deafening explosion.
The force of the blast threw us all back, the shockwave tearing through the clearing. For a moment, everything was chaos—the world a blur of light and sound. I hit the ground hard, my vision swimming as I struggled to regain my senses.
When I finally managed to sit up, the clearing was filled with smoke and debris. The Wraith's form was flickering, its once-solid shape now little more than a wisp of shadow. The ritual circle had been obliterated, and the ground where the altar had stood was scorched black.
But the shard… the shard was gone.
Tommy groaned, picking himself up off the ground. "Did… did it work? Is it over?"
I didn't have an answer. The Wraith was still there, but it was weakened—its power diminished. But as long as it existed, we were still in danger.
Evelyn staggered to her feet, clutching her side where she had landed hard. Her eyes were fixed on the Wraith, and there was a mix of fear and determination in her gaze.
"We need to finish this," she said, her voice low but firm. "The shard is gone, but the Wraith is still bound to this place. We have to destroy it completely, or it will continue to haunt this forest."
"How?" Sheriff Carter asked, his voice rough. "We've done everything we can think of, and it's still standing."
Evelyn shook her head, her expression grim. "There's one more way, but it's dangerous. The Wraith is bound to the land through a curse—it was created from the blood of the innocent. If we can reverse the curse, we can sever its connection to the land and banish it forever."
Tommy frowned. "Reverse the curse? How are we supposed to do that?"
Evelyn looked at each of us in turn, her eyes filled with the weight of what she was about to say. "We need to perform a blood ritual—one that requires a willing sacrifice."
The words hung in the air, heavy and ominous. I felt a chill run down my spine, and the others were equally silent, processing what this meant. The idea of a sacrifice wasn't something any of us had expected to face.
"Who… who would have to do it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Evelyn looked away, her hands trembling. "It has to be someone who has been touched by the Wraith's curse. Someone whose blood can counteract its power."
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. We had all been affected by the Wraith in some way, but the thought of sacrificing one of us to end this nightmare was almost too much to bear.
"There has to be another way," Sheriff Carter said, his voice thick with emotion. "We've already lost so much. We can't lose anyone else."
But Evelyn shook her head, her expression resolute. "This is the only way. If we don't do this, the Wraith will regain its strength, and everything we've fought for will be in vain."
Tommy's face paled as the realization sank in. "So… one of us has to die?"
The silence that followed was suffocating. We were at a crossroads, and the decision we made here would determine not just our fate, but the fate of the entire town.
I looked at each of them, my heart heavy with the weight of what was being asked. There was no easy answer, no way to make this choice without losing something precious.
And as the Wraith's form began to solidify once more, its hollow eyes glowing with renewed fury, I knew we had to make a decision—fast.
The Wraith lets out a bone-chilling scream, and the ground beneath us begins to tremble, as if the very forest is coming alive. Time is running out, and the choice must be made—who will make the ultimate sacrifice to end the Wraith's curse once and for all?