Chapter 83 - A Night in the Haunted Village
Staring at the diary on the chair beside him and the scarf on the floor, Luke sighed, "Alright, I judged both of you wrong. I'm sorry."
The scarf probably didn't know what he was feeling, but somehow it tried to warn me by not letting me lie on the bed... and the diary... well, I think it also tried to warn me by scaring me out of staying in the room... in its own twisted and peculiar way, it was considerate...
The diary disappeared.
Or maybe this guy just wants to be the only one cursing me…
Luke sat on the floor, taking a moment to think. He stood up and put the mattress back in place. Looking at that thing was making him dizzy.
We're not safe here; definitely, something happened in this village. Someone messed with things they shouldn't have… maybe everyone we interacted with… God, better not think about that.
Luke prepared to leave his room.
All along, the woman indirectly suggested we sleep. So, lying in that bed on top of the pentagram… nothing good would come of that.
Alice and Anna… I need to get to them.
Luke stepped into the corridor, enveloped in silence. Everything was dark; all the inn's torches were extinguished. He couldn't see anything.
It's all dark! Should I conjure the torch? Better not.
He closed the door gently, making no noise. Moving slowly toward the girls' room, he was in complete darkness. Only a faint light from the window provided any illumination. When Luke looked outside.
Damn!
The entire village was in darkness; there were no lit torches on the posts. Everything was pitch black. The only light came from the moon, and Luke strained his eyes as he moved cautiously.
The wooden floor creaked, and he cursed inwardly. The silence was deafening, making the corridor feel endlessly long. With his scarf around his neck, ready to fight skeletons, facing unknown whispering entities was a different story.
At the end of the corridor, a sliver of moonlight illuminated a woman standing there, blending into the surroundings. Luke only noticed her because of the faint light. He swallowed hard and crouched down, watching her as she gazed outside through the window. Luke stayed still, crouched, while the woman stood, looking outside.
She turned slowly, as if studying the environment, and then headed downstairs.
God in heaven!
The woman made no sound as she descended. Luke tried to take another step, and the wood creaked again. He paused, taking a deep breath.
I need to get out of the range of these entities and take the girls with me.
Peering outside, he saw only the darkness of the village.
Moving slowly, he took small steps toward the girls' door.
Should I knock?
He raised his hand.
No! Any noise I make… I don't even want to think about it.
Luke passed through the door using his intangibility. Fortunately, a lamp was lit inside.
He looked around and approached the double bed. Pulling back the blanket, he saw Alice sleeping.
Fuck! Where's Anna? God!
Shaking Alice, he tried to wake her up.
"Alice…" he murmured.
Luke tried to shake the girl, who was in a deep sleep.
"Alice… wake up!" he whispered a bit louder.
The girl kept sleeping, and Luke turned her over.
"Damn it…"
What happened to her?
Alice was extremely thin. Her face was gaunt, with no fat, looking almost skeletal. Her once strong arms were now frail, and her radiant blonde hair was lifeless and dull.
Luke picked her up, but she remained asleep.
What do I do?
Holding the girl in his arms, Luke conjured his canteen and poured water on her face.
It didn't work…
Trying to shake her, the girl kept sleeping.
It has to be the painful method…
Placing her on the floor, Luke drew his knife.
Where can I do this? Where? For the first time in a long while, I'm scared to hurt a human…
Positioning his knife over her left shoulder.
"Sorry…" he murmured.
Luke raised the knife and stabbed it forcefully into the girl's thin shoulder.
She jolted, screaming, and Luke immediately covered her mouth with his hand.
"Quiet… quiet… it's me, for god's sake, be quiet," he whispered.
Alice glared at him angrily.
"What are you doing, Luke?" She clutched her bleeding shoulder.
Thank God she didn't go berserk and shock me.
"Listen, we need to get out of this damned place. We're in the middle of an evil ritual."
She squinted her eyes at him.
I get it… talking about these things to someone whose mother was accused isn't the best idea…
The scarf jumped and lifted the mattress. Luke conjured his torch and showed her the pentagram.
The girl stared at the pentagram, then looked at her thin, frail arms.
"What? What happened to me?"
"Don't worry, it wasn't completed, and you'll be fine. Cheer up; many models would kill for this body."
"This isn't the time for jokes."
"You think I don't know that? I'm on edge here."
"Wh-where's Anna?"
"She's gone… I'm going to find her. I think I know how we can get out of here…"
The girl drew her sword.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy?"
"I can still fight. If I use my power, I can still strengthen myself."
"You want to fight against a malevolent entity?"
The girl pondered for a moment and lowered her sword.
"What do you suggest?"
God! I definitely suggest burying myself in the ground and never coming out.
"Stay here, lock the door, and don't let anyone in. Not even if it's my voice or Anna's on the other side, don't open it… and stay away from the bed. If it's me, I'll simply phase through the door."
The door is already locked… so…
Alice nodded.
"And keep your blood away from that pentagram."
Speaking from experience…
Luke phased through the door and found himself in the corridor.
I can't believe it has to be me… what's the point of being surrounded by powerful women if I'm the one saving them? Damn… I'm screwed.
In the dark corridor, he was close to the stairs.
I have the option to sink into the ground, but I don't know what's waiting for me below. Trying to peek with my head… won't work; it could be like when I did it in the basement, and I'll fall making noise.
I can't believe it… I'll have to go down the stairs and check below. Anna had said she went to dinner…
He walked down the corridor, peeking into the rooms to make sure she wasn't in any of them.
I'll have to go down…
Stepping carefully on the first step, he was relieved the wood didn't creak. Squatting down slowly, he descended the stairs, peeking as much as he could. Below was the reception, everything was dark, and he couldn't distinguish much. Even summoning the midnight cloak didn't help.
As he reached the middle of the stairs, it creaked.
Oh my god! What a scare! Damn it!
He paused for a moment and sighed.
His hands were sweating, and his breathing was starting to get heavy. He stopped for a moment to control himself from hyperventilating.
Descending the stairs, he reached the first floor. Still crouching, he moved towards the dining area. He paused every time a board creaked.
Passing through the corridor.
'Cu-coo!'
The clock made a loud noise, and a little bird popped out, chirping:
'Cu-coo!'
Luke ducked to the floor, almost lying down in fright.
What in god's name was that? Damn it!
The bird returned inside the clock.
It's 9 PM sharp…
He put his hand on his heart, his heartbeat was very fast. It felt like his heart was getting bigger and trying to burst out of his chest.
Reaching the end of the corridor, he entered the dining area. Anna was asleep, her face resting on the table, her plate beside her. Luke had gotten used to the dark, and the faint moonlight coming through the window helped him see.
Finally! Found her!
Approaching the girl, he placed his fingers on her wrist to feel if she was alive.
She's just sleeping… thank goodness.
"My son just wanted to have a meal… why couldn't you be content with being food for him?"
The voice came from the other side of the room.