The darkness compacted Lilly from all sides as if the night herself was alive. Her heartbeat quickened; a cold chill of sweat appeared on her body and she fought for a steady breath. She wasn't just seeing this vision; she was inside it, had lived it. The threshold between reality and the past was blurred out of recognition.
The black lifted, and Lilly was standing in a huge clearing commercially known as West Wood Cemetery. It is an eerie place in the silver glow of the moon. Grass crossed by long shadows. Her breath fogged the air in front of her as the cold of the night seeped into her bones. But it wasn't just the chill of the weather-there was something unnatural in the air, a coldness derived from the presence of that dark entity she had seen before.
Automatically, Lilly's gaze fell upon the center of the clearing, where one would find the Grey family in a circle, illuminated by the flickering light of a fire.
Thomas Grey was at the center, holding an ancient book in his hands; the worn leather cover was marked with strange symbols that Lilly couldn't recognize. His voice echoed through the clearing in a low guttural chant in a language that made Lilly's skin crawl. It was different from any she had ever heard, a language simply not of this world. The rest of the Grey family just stood there, stock-still. Their heads bowed, as if in deep contemplation of something. Lilly could feel the power building in the air, swirling around the circle, some sort of invisible storm It crackled with dark energy, and it yelled at her common sense to run, to withdraw from this place as far away as possible. But she couldn't move. Her feet seemed pinned to the spot, her body frozen with the ritual unfolding in front of her.
As the chanting got louder, the fire in the middle of the circle flared upwards, casting an eerie shadow across the faces of the Greys. Lilly's heart was pounding in her chest as she watched in horror. It felt as if the air around her was thick and weighted down with the weight of the ritual's power.
She could feel the air thickening with the spirits of the cemetery, fluttering toward the ritual like moths to a flame, feeding restlessly into the dark magic the Greys were summoning.
Thomas Grey suddenly raised his hands, and his chanting ceased. The unnatural silence, other than the fire crackling, seized the clearing. Nothing happened for a couple of moments as Lilly held her breath, her heart drumming cruelly against her ribs.
Then, without warning, the ground beneath her feet began to shake. Lilly gasped as the earth bucked violently as if something was trying to tear its way up from beneath the surface. The fire flared even higher, and a gust of cold wind swept through the clearing, carrying with it a deep, guttural growl that sent chills down Lilly's spine.
At the circle's center, the air began to writhe and distort, like waves of heat rising off the pavement on a really hot day. But this wasn't heat. It was darkness, swirling and twisting into a form that made Lilly's blood run cold. The same shadowy entity she had seen before was taking shape, its body flickering in and out of existence as it clawed its way into the physical world.
The first things Lilly saw were its eyes orbs of light that seemed to glow malevolently as they fixed with an intensity on the Greys that twisted her stomach. Its body was shrouded in shadow, its form constantly shifting as if it could not fully manifest in the world of the living. But even in its incomplete state, its power was undeniable, and Lilly could feel it pressing down upon her, an overwhelming force that threatened to crush her beneath its weight.
With the entity strengthening, Thomas Grey stepped forward, his face pale but resolute. He held up the ancient tome high, his voice firm as he spoke directly to the creature. "We summon you in the name of the Grey bloodline," he said coldly, authoritatively. "You are bound to us, to our will. You will grant us the power we seek."
The thing's eyes flickered, and for a fleeting instant, Lilly saw something there-contempt, perhaps? Or was it amusement? Whatever it was, it was gone in an instant, and the creature whipped its gaze at Thomas, narrowing its eyes. "You think you control me, mortal?" it hissed, rustling like dead leaves in the wind. "You think your bloodline gives you power over death? Lilly's pulse quickened. It was talking, not to her from across the divide of time but to her in direct speech. Its presence was inside her mind it felt like reaching across time to make sure she understood its power. Her words reverberated inside her, cold and sharp-like shards of ice pressed into her skin. Thomas didn't flinch. He spoke in an unwavering voice, continuing the rite. "By ancient rite, thou art bound to us," he intoned, his eyes fixed on the creature. "You'll grant us immortality. You'll give us mastery over death.
The entity emitted a low rumbling laugh, its form of shadow flickering unevenly in the firelight. "You are fools," it said softly, its voice dripping with malice. "You meddle in forces you do not understand. I am not your servant, Grey. I am your doom.
Lilly's breath caught in her throat as she watched the scene unfold.
The air was heavy with tension, the power of the ritual surging around her in a dark storm-type fashion. She could feel the fear emanating from the other members of the Grey family, the blood drained from their faces as they realized the danger they were in.
But Thomas would not budge; his eyes narrowed, he continued to chant the words of the ritual, determined that if at all possible, the entity would be forced to bend to his will.
But the organization was not going to be dictated to.
In one swift and decisive moment, dark energy exploded around the creature, sending a jagged wave throughout the clearing that sent flying members of the Grey family into the ground. Lilly stumbled backward in a stumble, her heart racing as she watched on in terror. The being's form solidified, its body of shadow taking on more substance, more reality. It rose high above the Greys as its eyes, glowing like embers, landed on Thomas.
You will pay for your arrogance," the being hissed, in low and menacing tones. "You seek power over death, but death is not yours to command. It is mine.
Color fled from Thomas's face as he realized the ritual had failed. The entity was no longer under his control as it ever had been. The other Grey family members scrambled to their feet, eyes wide with fear, as they backed away from the creature, but Thomas stood stock-still, hands shaking like leaves as the book slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The entity moved closer, a dark form looming over Thomas as if it had been a storm cloud. Lilly watched, powerless to act as her heart pounded against her chest. She wanted to scream, to tell him to run, but no sound came from her throat.
The whole entity flung him with the flick of the hand through the air, his body resounding with a nauseating thud into one of the gravestones nearby. The others in the Grey family screamed then, trying to retreat, but the entity was faster than any of them had expected. It cut through the circle like a storm, affecting its wake with destruction.
Lilly's breathing came in short, ragged gasps as she watched the scene before her. It was unstoppable, the power so overwhelming. She could feel its anger, its hunger for vengeance against those who had dared summon it. The spirits of the cemetery were wailing in agony as the entity fed on their energy, growing more powerful with each passing moment.
And then the world around Lilly began to shift once more. The vision was pulling her away, but this time, it wasn't going to let her go without a fight. She could feel the entity in her mind, its voice in her thoughts. "You cannot stop what has already begun," it whispered, the words crawling over her mind like chains. "The dead are mine.