The True winner, Silence!

Dhruv was overjoyed when he successfully cast a spell. He couldn't contain his happiness and began shouting and jumping all around, like a mad scientist who had just completed his experiment.

Hhehehheehe…

The empty prison hall echoed with his shouts and jumps, creating a continuous noise of excitement. The sound filled the air, making the once quiet place come alive with the energy of his celebration.

~~~

Tap! Tap! Tap!

As the guard's footsteps echoed through the dimly lit corridor, a chilling silence hung in the air, which was only disturbed by the y the distant sound of the unknown laughter. 

Their fingers tightened around the cold metal of their guns. The flickering of the blub creates an eerie dance of shadows on the wall. The two men who both looked the same age and were in their middle twenties exchanged glances.

Just from exchanging glances, they both sighed a relief. Thanking, god they continue their steps…

After walking for a while they reached a corner and made an abrupt halt. Looking at the darkness ahead both of them met their gazes once again

This time it wasn't to confirm their liveliness, No, this time both of them were begging and silently telling each other that they lacked the courage to venture further. 

They instinctively knew what lay beyond that corner was something they shouldn't see, yet they also knew that they had to face it.

Cough!

One of the guards coughed up to clean his throat and spoke, 

"I-If you are this afraid, why don't we forget about this and go back? Man! In all the movies this is exactly the type of situation where the side characters movies die. You know we shouldn't be  chasing after some sinister laugh, right?" 

He gave a lengthy reason why they shouldn't go any further…

"I know, but we have the order to check whatever is making this sound," the other guard replied. Deep down, he knew they had to confront this, no matter how terrifying it might be.

"Why don't we just go and tell them that one of the prisoners lost his mind due to the recent events?" he suggested with a smile. 

His friend's eyes widened and he also smiled, 

"That's a good idea. We could tell the warden this," he murmured...

"Yeah! And we'll let him know that we're unable to prevent him from laughing." He whispered…. but destiny had other plans.

Before he could finish his words they realized that whatever was laughing had suddenly stopped, and now a chilling silence had enveloped the air. The silence was even more horrifying than the laughter. 

Each strand of hair on their bodies stood on end as a wave of unease washed over them. 

With trembling hands, they slowly turned their heads around the corner, desperately trying to understand why the laughter had stopped so suddenly.

But all their eyes met was darkness, an abyss where there wasn't even a strand of light that could guide their vision. They began to get uncomfortable the more they looked at the horrifying darkness. 

"C-Chris, f…flash the torch," one of them whispered, the words barely escaping their lips. 

The sound barely reached the ear of Chris, yet he instinctively understood the urgency in his friend's voice. He reached for the flashlight, his fingers trembling.

With a shaky hand, Chris gripped his gun tightly, ready to defend himself against any looming threat. The flashlight quivered in his other hand as he aimed it toward the unknown, the beam cutting through the darkness like a lifeline. 

Time seemed to slow down as the light pierced the Abyss, revealing a horrifying creature before them.

Chris's heart skipped a beat, and a cold shiver ran down his spine as the horrific sight unfolded before his eyes. 

The one who was standing in front of him, looked inhuman, No.. Devil. 

Long, matted brown hair concealed its face, preventing anyone from looking into it's eyes. Its tattered clothes were drenched in blood, a chilling proof of the horror he had done.

In its hand, a wickedly sharp spear dripped with blood, Creating eerie or disturbing shadows on the walls.

Chris's mind raced as he desperately tried to piece together what even was this thing. Was it human? Was it a monster? Or was it something far more sinister and otherworldly?

Paralyzed in terror, he couldn't even react until, a split second later, the thunderous sound of his friend's gunfire shattered the silence.

Bang! Bang! Bang!.....

Relief washed over him, thinking this was the end, but it was short-lived as his widened eyes beheld a horrifying sight. None of the bullets managed to penetrate deep enough to kill the abomination in front of them.

Waking up from the shock he too unleashed a relentless barrage, emptying all his magazines in a desperate attempt to end the creature's life.

Yet like a devil the entity in front of him remained alive.

The abomination twisted its body, assuming a battle posture, its blood-stained spear held menacingly in front.

Dread gripped Chris' heart as a chilling realization took hold—he had no choice but to escape before it was too late. He turned his gaze towards his friend, intending to convey the same message to him as well.

When he looked at his friend, his words caught in his throat, for there wasn't his friend beside him. Instead, a headless corpse lay on the blood-soaked ground. 

With his insane display of inhuman speed, the monstrous entity had closed the distance of at least three meters in a mere instant.

Panic consumed Chris as he saw his fate. Instead of protecting himself, he began to think about how had everything escalated so rapidly?

Before he could even understand anything, a searing pain lanced through his chest. Gasping for breath, he instinctively glanced downward, only to be met with a sight that defied reason. 

Where his chest should have been, there was nothing but a gaping hole, a grotesque void where his lungs once lived.

The realization struck him faster than the speed of light—he was doomed, there was no escape. Darkness encroached upon his vision, and his consciousness began to fade.

With a chuckle, he thought, 'So this is how I die,' 

But slowly his smile began to fade as he remembered the beautiful, memories of his beloved family.

The image of his beautiful daughter, her cute laugh, and her innocent eyes illuminated his fading thoughts. The thought of his son who was frail but resilient, filled him with pride and a tinge of sorrow for the moments they would never share again. 

Then the picture of his wife surfaced the love of his life. She hugged him with a warm smile and said with teary eyes…

"I had told you not to go, right."

"You were right as always. Sorry Maya f…" he whispered as the flow of tears increased. 

The silence once again returned to its place and became the sole winner.