Chapter Thirty-Seven

Lucianne stood before the tower opposite hers, the rain pouring down on her raincoat. She stared up at the tower through her long eyelashes, droplets of water from the top of her raincoat falling into her eyes. She blinked the water away, her heart still pounding in her chest.

She had to find out what happened. It could somehow be linked to the entire thing with the Hex Beast…

She wrapped her hand around the handle and shook it. But it did not budge. She gave it another hard yank, and the entire handle separated from the door. She held it in her hand, then tossed it to the bush at the side.

She would have to kick the door in.

She raised her leg up high, ready to kick it in when slowly, the door creaked inwards. She put her feet back down, staring at the door as it shuddered in and out along to the wind. She pushed it open, and darkness glared back at her.

Her camera firmly in her hand, she put a brick in front of the door to hold it open. Then she summoned courage and stepped into the tower.

It was much like hers and she knew the blueprint would be the same. She was soon plunged into darkness. Her hand felt the wall beside her as she ascended the stairs slowly, her feet trying to feel the step in front of each step. She climbed and climbed, until a gust of wind hit her in the face.

She was at the top of the stairs and the window there was open, like hers was when she first arrived. The layout was indeed similar. That meant that there was also a room next to the window…

She felt her way around, until finally, her hand touched wood. It was the room door. She took the handle into her hands and opened the door. And she stepped in.

She couldn't see anything. But she knew she had one way to see what was before her.

She lifted her camera to her chest and held it at the room. Then she clicked the shutter.

The room lit up like a flash of lightning had passed by.

In that split second, she saw metal shelf after metal shelf lining the room. It was some kind of storage room, and… she lifted her camera up again.

Hit the shutter.

The room lit up once.

The metal shelves were filled with jars that seemed to contain animals, or foetuses inside. What the hell did they keep in here? She was about to take a step forward when she remembered the photos she had just taken. She removed them from the front of the polaroid camera and held it in her hand. Thank god she purchased a polaroid camera when she was last at the shop…

Then she hit the shutter to light up the photos.

Flash.

She saw something! There was white - White on the film! Something - Someone was right there with her -

Her hand shook in fear as she pointed the camera in front of her.

And she hit the shutter again.

A face.

She screamed.

It came from beside her! A face covered in long, black hair. Blue skin! Bloodshot eyes!

She ran from her spot, and collided into a metal shelf. It groaned and she heard glass shattering to the ground. A piece of glass cut her and she yanked her leg away. Stepping aside, her shoes clicked on the shards of glass as she escaped down the aisle.

She turned around. And hit the shutter again.

The woman was still there!

She swallowed har again. And hit the shutter repeatedly. The room was lit up in flood after flood of light.

But with each flash, the woman lifted her head and approached her, step by cursed step.