The Haunting at Blackwood Mansion

As my first encounter with the paranormal began to spiral out of control, I found myself pinned down in a way I never imagined—by a ghost-possessed woman. Emily's body, or whatever was left of her, had become a grotesque version of herself, her pale face contorted in a sinister grin. Saliva dripped from her lips, splattering onto my face as her cold hands wrapped tightly around my neck, making it impossible to breathe. My mind raced, fighting to focus through the panic.

Her grip was like ice—cold and unrelenting, chilling me to the core. No matter how much I thrashed, her hands wouldn't budge, squeezing tighter with every breath I tried to take. This wasn't a nightmare; it was my brutal reality.

In a frantic last effort, I swung the piece of sacred wood I still had clutched in my hand. The branch grazed Emily's arm, and a wisp of white smoke rose from where it made contact. Her shrill scream echoed through the room, and her grasp loosened just enough for me to gulp down precious air.

"Help!" I managed to yell towards the door, where Liam and Lucas stood frozen. Their wide-eyed expressions said it all—they were terrified.

With a pitiful sound, they both bolted from the room as fast as they could, leaving me behind. "Some fans you are!" I muttered bitterly. It was hard not to feel betrayed as I struggled alone, fighting to pry Emily's hands from my throat.

But before I could catch a proper breath, her fingers tightened again, more forcefully this time. She leaned in closer, her soulless eyes staring into mine as if she wanted to crush the life out of me. Why do ghosts always go for the throat? I thought darkly.

Running on sheer desperation, I dropped the wooden branch and used both hands to pry her fingers away from my neck. Somehow, adrenaline granted me the strength to force her grip apart, and I jabbed the red-tipped chopsticks I had in my other hand between her fingers.

"Take this!" I shouted, my voice hoarse.

There was a sickening crack as I bent her fingers back unnaturally. Emily staggered away from me, her body convulsing violently as a pale figure shot out of her with the force of a bullet. I barely managed to roll out of the way as she collapsed to the floor.

I thought it was over. But before I could even stand, the room filled with a sinister chill. A white blur moved toward me with alarming speed, the same entity that had just been exorcised from Emily. It wasn't gone—it was coming back.

The yellow talisman on my belt glowed faintly, and the ghost veered off its course at the last second, spiraling back into Emily's body. Just as she was about to hit the ground, her frame locked up unnaturally, freezing mid-fall.

She stood motionless, her body contorted in an unnatural pose, staring at me with a chilling grin that made my stomach turn. It was as if she found this all amusing, as if she knew I couldn't stop her. The cold, malevolent energy emanating from her seemed to intensify with each passing moment.

Frantically, I threw the red chopsticks at her in a desperate bid to buy time. Emily's possessed form dodged easily, but I didn't waste the opportunity. I bolted for the door, not looking back.

"Help! Nathan! She's back!" I shouted into the hall, my voice cracking with fear. But the eerie silence of the mansion offered no comfort. Where was Ethan? He was supposed to have my back. Of course, the one time I need him the most...

I grabbed for another talisman as I dashed toward the exit, but before I could reach the door, Emily came after me with terrifying speed. I barely had time to react as she tore at my shirt, the crimson fabric ripping away in her hands. My heart raced as a sudden chill ran down my spine, and I heard her let out a sharp scream.

The red-inked wards on my shirt had saved me this time, but the fight wasn't over. Her strength was beyond anything human, and despite the small victory, I knew I was outmatched. I turned and ran again, trying to get as much distance between us as possible, but the tight confines of the mansion left me nowhere to hide.

Suddenly, I slammed into someone.

"Nick?!" I gasped, looking up to see my fellow teammate standing in front of me, his face twisted in an unnatural grimace. His eyes were wide, bulging in their sockets, and his posture was all wrong, stiff and aggressive. A sinking realization hit me—Nick was possessed too.

Panic surged through me as Nick lunged forward, his voice distorted with rage. "You slept with my wife!" he screamed, the words strange and garbled, as if they didn't belong to him at all.

"I—I don't even know your wife!" I stammered, backpedaling as fast as I could. But it didn't matter. Nick was coming at me with all the force of a rabid animal.

I backed into the wall, cornered. "Wait! Wait!" I shouted, hoping to stall. To my surprise, Nick paused, his ghostly-possessed form tilting his head, listening.

I could feel the cold sweat running down my back as I desperately tried to think of something to say. "I'm a disciple of the local guardian spirit, trained to exorcise beings like you!" I bluffed. "If you don't leave now, I'll summon the full power of the gods to smite you!"

I had no idea if it would work, but it was all I had. Nick's possessed form stared at me for a long, uncomfortable moment. Then, just as I thought I'd bought myself a lifeline, his face twisted into a grotesque snarl, and he launched himself at me again.

I bolted, dodging to the side just as Nick slammed into the wall where I'd been standing. My heart raced. This was a losing battle—no matter what I did, I was only delaying the inevitable.

As I sprinted toward the door again, I felt the familiar cold gust of wind behind me. Nick's possessed form was right on my tail, ready to strike. I didn't have time to think, only react. With one swift motion, I grabbed two more talismans from my belt, turning around just as he reached for me.

In one desperate move, I slapped both talismans onto his forehead. The result was instantaneous. Nick's body seized up, frozen by the power of the sacred symbols. A golden glow burst forth from the paper charms, filling the room with a blinding light. For a moment, I thought it was over.

But instead of crumpling to the floor, Nick's possessed form was pushed back into me with such force that I stumbled, slamming into the opposite wall. Pain shot through my back as I hit the hard surface, my vision going dark for a split second.

I couldn't let myself pass out—not now. If I lost consciousness, I was dead. Forcing myself to stay alert, I shoved Nick's body away from me, breathing heavily as he crumpled to the ground.

I barely had time to register what had happened before a sharp pain struck the back of my head. Nick, now free of the talisman's power, was back on his feet and angrier than ever. Before I could react, he kicked me hard in the back, sending me crashing to the ground.

The room spun around me as I lay face-down on the floor, pain shooting through every part of my body. I could feel Nick's cold hands around my neck, squeezing tighter and tighter with each passing second.

"This is it," I thought. "I'm done for."

Just as my vision started to fade, a familiar voice rang out from the doorway.

"Ethan!"

It was Nathan, bursting into the room, a red rope in his hand. He swung it forward, sending the possessed Nick flying backward with a powerful strike.

With a gasp, I scrambled to my feet, my throat burning from the attack.