Moving Shadows

I woke again freezing to death,

my legs numb from hours of restrictive movement in this small space.

I pulled my jacket over my legs,

hugging my knees to my chest as I tried to look out the window, but the cold rain had caused a thick fog to form over the windows during the night.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I placed my hand over the window, the cold glass biting at my already frozen hand, it felt numb at this point.

I couldn't stay out any longer, I didn't want to come off as more cowardly than I already felt even to the 'ghosts'.

Gathering my self and my thoughts one last time, I stepped out of the car, the cold morning air harsh against my skin,

however the contrast in temperature barely noticeable.

"I need to do something once and for all" I needed to go back into that place.

I stopped in my tracks as the large structure of the mansion towered over me,

looming like a shadow, for some reason appearing larger and more intimidating this morning.

I shook my head as the doubts started to resurface again, taking quick strides towards my destination.

Upon entering, my eyes skimmed my surroundings for any unusuality.

It was quiet this morning, I couldn't even hear the rustling of the leaves or the birds chirping, too calm for my liking.

I decided not to overthink as I headed upstairs in a hurry, one thought repeating in my mind "I need to face my fears already".

The floor began to creak as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other in nervousness, my eyes skimming over the iron vault.

"Now or never, Evelyn, now or never" I mumbled under my breath as I pulled it open,

already expecting something to pop out as my heart jumped in anticipation.

I swallowed hard, biting the inside of my cheek in the process, slowly peeking inside.

The inside was still very dark yet the bright light streaming through the windows in the room helped ease my nervousness a little.

Yet I still felt on the verge of mental breakdown, my hands shaking as I held the candle in front of me, carefully making my way down again.

The smallest creaks making my soul almost leave my body, every second I was anticipating something I wasn't quite sure of.

I still couldn't see much but I immediately felt the familiar shift in the energy and atmosphere,

unlike the rest of the house this place always felt alive.

I shivered as I pushed the candle in front of me holding my other hand close to my body for comfort,

surprisingly I didn't feel cold at all as I carefully walked forward.

Again, I was staring into the dark void, this time standing a little closer.

I nervously bit the inside of my cheek again until I tasted blood.

"Maybe thiss isn't a goodd idea afterall" I stuttered, my mind a jumbled mess.

'What am I doing here?' the lack of sleep must be making me insane for me to do this in the first place.

"Fuck it" I decided in a heartbeat, I was going back.

As I hurriedly turned around taking quick strides towards the small exit,

I was suddenly paralyzed with the booming sound of the heavy vault falling close, leaving me in total darkness.

I stood frozen, tears blurring my eyes while I watched the flickering light create moving shadows on the walls, the hot wax dripped on my hand, but I couldn't feel the pain.

I noticed one shadow in particular was more defined than the rest, almost shaped like a person, in the corner of my eye I saw it moving closer.

"Am I going insane or is it creeping up on me?" I mumbled in horror, stepping back very slowly.

To not draw any attention to myself I held my breath as I took another step back.

It had the opposite effect it seemed; it moved closer.

I could hear the faint sound of scratching in the background, it was mixed with the sound of the blood flow rushing to my ears.

I took two more steps, and it mimicked my actions, it was too close now, I could almost imagine a sinister smirk on its featureless face.

I observed it in dread, feeling like prey finally corned, I was ready to surrender and so I closed my eyes as tightly as possible before I stepped back one last time.

Expecting to hit the hard wall, I shrieked in panic when I felt myself falling, a light flickering through my closed eyelids.

I tried to gasp for air, but it was too dense to breathe in.

An increasing pressure was building in my head, and it wasn't long before I felt my body plunged into cold water.