HA...! HA...!
Fear...Horror...
It was creeping, like hands around my throat.
HA...! HA...!
Like the monsters in the lake...
HA...! HA...!
Like the Ravenous Tree...
HA...! HA...!
Like the horde of Tree Trolls...
HA...! HA...!
Like my recent identity crisis...
HA...! HA...!
I gripped my shoulders with my hands and arched forward, sweat gathering on my face, my legs quivering.
Fear...
It was everywhere.
"HA...! HA...!", I panted heavily as I looked around, my eyes bloodshot.
The once homely abode of the cottage had taken on an eerie change.
The air inside the cottage felt colder than before. The corners seemed darker. The patterns ominous and the candle lights eerie. The knocking had stopped, but that only made the silence far worse.
An unnatural chill creeping up my spine as I stood frozen by the front door. My breath came in slow, measured gasps, each one controlled to keep me from making a sound.
I wanted to scream but sealed my mouth. If there was someone else in this house, then I dare not make a sound.
GULP!
I swallowed hard, my gaze still locked on the front door.
Come on...Vicki...move...
I forced myself to move, inching away from the door, my eyes flicking to the corners of the living room. The flickering candlelight cast shadows that danced eerily across the walls, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw movement from the stairwell.
HA-?!
My head immediately shot in the direction of the stairwell, my eyes wide with alarm.
C-calm down...Vicki...i-its just your mind...your mind's playing tricks on you...
H-HO-OO...F-FWOO...
I took a shaky breath, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart.
HOO...FWOO...
Think...where did the sound come from...?
I tried to recall the memory of the last knock, but I failed. My mind and heart were too shaken with fear.
Calm down! Stay rational! Think!
I willed my mind to calm, forcing it to recall the direction of the sound.
I-it...had come from somewhere lower...
My gaze turned in a certain direction, perpendicular to the stairwell. In that direction lied a staircase, one that lead downwards...to a certain door.
A door that I had been too afraid to enter.
"Oh...God..."
In this cottage, there were two places that scared me. One was the plain room on the top floor and the other was the strange door at the bottom floor.
Top...Bottom...funny...huh...
I had avoided that door since the first day I arrived, a quiet dread keeping me away. Something about it felt... wrong.
Like a wound that had festered beneath the floorboards.
Marta's memories had given me some insight, but her final words lingered, chilling me to the bone.
"He went mad."
If that place had belonged to Galter...
And he had gone mad...
Then...
Stop! Don't think about it...!
HA...! HA...!
I bit my lip, stifling the whimper that threatened to escape. My body remained frozen in place, every nerve on high alert.
The door to the basement loomed in the dim candlelight, an oppressive presence at the edge of my vision.
GULP.
I swallowed hard, my dry throat aching. I had ignored that door for days. I had walked past it, pretending it wasn't there, letting the rational part of my mind convince me that it was better left untouched.
But now...
KNOCK. KNOCK.
A sharp jolt ran through my spine.
The knocking came again. Louder. More forceful.
My breath hitched. My eyes darted to the wooden frame. This time, there was no doubt. It came from there.
I clenched my fists, trying to control the violent shivering of my body. My mind screamed at me to run, to hide, to pretend I never heard it.
But the silence that followed was worse.
A void. A deep, suffocating void that wrapped itself around the room, swallowing every noise except the pounding of my heart.
I-I think...I should run...
Every instinct in me screamed to run. I was unarmed. Alone. Vulnerable.
But I couldn't.
Something deep inside me kept me rooted in place. Maybe it was because I knew. Knew that if I ran, I would never be able to sleep again. Knew that if I ignored it, the knocking wouldn't stop.
God...why...?
I bit my lip.
Why does this game.... keep tormenting me?
I clenched my teeth as my gaze went dark, my head still fixated on the door.
I remained still and silent, simply staring at the door before reaching out for the nearest candle.
TINK!
My fingers wrapped around its holder tightly, gripping it close to my chest as though it could serve as some pathetic weapon.
TMP. TMP.
One step. Two steps.
I steadily approached the door, with slow measured steps before coming to a halt a few meters away from it.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
Another sound.
I froze for a moment, simply staring at the door with a shaky expression before opening my mouth, and in a shaky, coarse voice,
"W-who's there?"
Silence.
For a long time, there was nothing but silence.
Fear began to grip my heart; my blood began to run cold as several questions began to cloud my mind.
What was behind the door?
Was it a human?
Was it a monster?
Or...was it something far more dreadful?
My questions went unanswered, simply lingering in the air before I heard a sound,
SLUMP!
I shifted.
W-what was that? It sounded like something fell-
Then I heard a voice, a familiar voice and one filled with so much relief,
"It's me...Vicki...It's me...Dave..."
Dave?
My heart stopped, a strange mix of varying emotions began to stir up within me – disbelief, relief, fear, happiness, joy.
"Vicki? C-can you hear me? It's me Dave..."
I froze for a moment before opening my mouth, "D-dave... is that you?"
"Yes...it's me, Vicki..."
Emotions began to swirl within me, tears welling up at my eyes.
SNIFF! SNIFF!
All the fear I was previously feeling began to fade, replaced by joy.
"Dave..."
CLATTER!
The candlestick fell out of my hand as I dashed towards the door, eager to see Dave.
My hand reached out to the door and gripped the handle, I was about to bring it down when suddenly I stopped.
My expression turned cold and I spoke in a condescending tone, "How did you get in the basement?"
"Unhh..."
The voice seemed startled for a second before saying,
"Who are you?"