1055

Akena stood frozen in the hallway, her heart pounding against her ribcage. "Shit… is this actually happening?" The corridor loomed before her, wide and intimidating, draped in a red carpet that felt more like a trap than a passageway. Maroon wallpaper adorned the walls, pristine and unnerving, enhancing her sense of isolation. Five doors lined the corridor, but none bore the number etched on her mother's keys. Anxiety wrapped around her like a suffocating blanket.

She glanced toward both ends of the hallway, weighing her options. Each direction promised potential confrontation, and the looming presence of her mother's suite was a weight on her chest. The thought of crossing paths with her sent a shiver down her spine. With a deep breath, she chose the right staircase, desperate to avoid any encounter. "Let's just get this over with," she muttered, quickening her pace.

With each step, her mantra echoed in her mind: "Everything is going to be alright, we'll just get pass the second floor quick and get to the lobby to get the spare. that's it" The words felt hollow, barely holding back the tide of panic threatening to overwhelm her. She kept her gaze glued to the floor, her feet moving faster than her racing thoughts. She realized she had managed to descend her floor's steps which now positioned her at the second floor. The floor she'd rather avoid. She quickened her steps all the way more, striding instead to avoid the sound of her running footsteps. It wasn't until she reached the end of the hallway of the second floor that she realized her mistake—there was no staircase leading to the first floor.

Panic surged through her. She had meant to escape, to find safety, but now she felt trapped. The real source of her anxiety wasn't merely her mother's inevitable wrath; it was the ominous knocking resonating from behind her door. The sound seemed to echo her growing dread, an insistent reminder that she was not alone.

Her only option now was the elevator, which stood waiting at the ground floor. Akena pressed the button with urgency, her heart pounding louder in her ears, praying that the lift would arrive without incident.

Ding. The elevator door opened, a moment of potential relief, but Akena hesitated. A sound—a murmur—pulled her back. Curiosity warred with dread as she approached the door numbered 1055, drawn in by the ominous chant that flowed from within. She placed her palms against the cool wood, leaning closer to hear.

"Tu es Deus noster, tu es creator noster. Tibi animam debemus, tibi corpus debemus. Satanas invocamus te ad reddere maledictionem quam falsus deus nobis imposuit!"

The Latin words washed over her like ice water, chilling her to the bone. They were spoken with a fervor that made her skin crawl. Instinctively, she stepped back, the urgency of flight overtaking her reason. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to run. Heart racing, she fled to her own room, her sanctuary, and locked the door behind her, securing each bolt as if it could shield her from the horror she had just witnessed.

Breathless and trembling, Akena sank onto her bed, the familiar weight of her surroundings momentarily grounding her. She poured a glass of water from the bedside table, her hands shaking as she tried to steady herself. Gulping it down, she felt the cool liquid barely quench the sudden, fierce thirst. Her mind raced, replaying the Latin phrases she had studied in school, words now laden with dread and meaning she had never fully understood.

She exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, but her heartbeat still thudded in her ears, an unrelenting reminder of her fear. The tranquility of her room felt fragile, as if the walls themselves could shatter under the weight of what was happening outside. The world beyond her door had become a landscape of nightmares, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was unfolding just out of sight.

Just then, a sharp crack echoed through the hallway—glass shattering. Akena jolted upright, her face draining of color. The sound sliced through her like a blade, sending her instincts into overdrive. "Who… unlocked the door?" she whispered, dread pooling in her stomach.

In that moment, the fragile safety of her locked door felt like a flimsy barrier against the unknown. Akena froze, her breath hitching in her throat. A figure emerged, shadowed and indistinct, but she could feel its gaze boring into her. The chanting began again, louder now, reverberating through the walls, drowning her thoughts. Akena pressed her palms against her ears, trying to block out the sound, but it seeped into her consciousness, twisting her reality. She was trapped in a nightmare from which there was no escape.

And deep down, she understood: this was only the beginning.

NOTE:

"Tu es Deus noster, tu es creator noster. Tibi animam debemus, tibi corpus debemus. Satanas invocamus te ad reddere maledictionem quam falsus deus nobis imposuit"

Translation:

"You are our God, you are our creator. We owe you our soul, we owe you our body. We call upon you, Satan, to repay the curse which the false god has laid upon us"