AkumaQuil

He inches closer, a single finger roaming her heated skin. Breath mingling with breath. 

A loud bang vibrates through the room, so thunderous as if god himself was furious.

Slowly he looks up staring out the large glass windows to the backyard, 

"You have a visitor." His rasps calmly.

"Who?" Rose quickly fires, feigning ignorance. She knew well enough who it was. Her nightly visitor has arrived.

Surprising, He only visits when she is alone.

"One who comes out at night. Lurking in the shadows, in the darkness... just like its intensions."

He looks down still leaning on top her, once more pinning her with his intense gaze.

"Are you afraid?" His voice dead serious, eyes going back to look outside.

And Rose lied, "No." 

But is it a lie when her fear was never really rooting enough to make her run the other way but instead often getting mixed with exhilaration.

"You should be."  

He leaves her staring wide eyed on the sofa and goes to stand before the glass panes.

"It's not happy to see me here. I can see the raging pits of fire in it's gaze. Ready to burn me right where I stand." he chuckled, sounding most sinister, "It definitely wants to rip my innards out."

"You should take off your shirt." He suggests casually.

"Excuse me?"

"Let's see if it riles him up even more to shatter instead of just slamming the windows like a wuss." He rouses under his breath, his excited provocative tone not escaping Rose's attention. 

What the hell is he up to?

"This isn't funny." Rose sputters out, standing up from the couch.

"I'm not trying to be." He faces her again, sporting a deadpan face. 

"Whatever. You think I'm one of your stupid fan girls to take my shirt off just because you want to rile someone up? Besides, there's probably no one outside and you're only making it up to see my boobs like a pervert."

His eyes roams her from top to bottom, there was distaste evident in his gaze.

"When he comes at night and leaves a little something for you, maybe then you take off your clothes for him... like a slut." Rome stared into her eyes with nothing behind those icy orbs to show for a lack of meaning behind his words. Because he means every single thing he says to her.

"Get. Out. Now!" Rose boomed furiously. 

"Whatever, I was leaving anyway. This has become boring." He walks towards her front door.

"Wait. How do you know he comes at night and leaves something?" her eyes narrow.

"Because I've seen it before."

"You saw him? It is a real guy?" Rose wanted to confirm, for some reason she thought otherwise.

"I never said I saw him. I've only seen it happening to someone else." 

"Whom?" 

"You don't need to know." He closes off.

"Then at least tell me what happened to her? Can I meet this person?" 

"You can't." Refusing calmly he was almost out the door when Rose pleads against hope.

"Please."

"You can't because she disappeared." Those were the words that finally did it. Brought her racing heart and buzzing head to a sudden halt. "Never to be seen again." 

 "When he stops visiting, that's when you should be most afraid." His words rang like a siren in the silence of her mind as he left.

Now she felt true fear for the first time.

==

In the embrace of her ancestral town, Rose seeks refuge from the echoes of her past. 

Little does she know, her return to her roots will awaken dormant shadows, shattering ordinary her existence. 

For when the darkness falls over the town, from the pitch black rises a shadowy figure that haunt her nights. 

In the darkness he sweeps her off the ground in terrible fear and the allure of sinister intrigue.

And once the sun comes, a man with a god awful attitude, haunts her in the broad day light. Causing her to swell with pure disdain. 

With each passing night, it draws closer to Rose, casting a chilling spell that both terrifies and exhilarates her.

Thrust into a labyrinth of mysteries can she navigate the treacherous path laid before her, or will her nightly visitor consume her whole?

He Comes At Night

A lone blooming rose as red as blood laid alone and almost shining over the log under the last rays of sunshine.

Nothing grow around here. My eyes sifted through the tree as far back as I could see, yet not a single flowering plant, not a mere color present.

And in the dull green and brown of the surrounding, the red rose stark vibrant and proud. It was taunting me, beckoning me to come forth and touch it.

My finger fell forward and just like the dream, the razor sharp thorn pricked my finger drawing blood. Instantly it fell through my fingers.

I looked at the blood the dripped over the rose and faded into it's red, tainting it. Another drop tainting the vibrant green of it's leaf and stem.

I half expected the pain to begin, just like my dream but it never came. I was watching the rose and when I blinked something changed.

The rose laid still in its place but the vibrant red was now shifted to an enchanting maroon.

I realized, it was dark. The moon was full in the sky and the night has fallen.

But- it was not even twilight just a moment ago.

How long was I standing here staring at it?

My skin began feeling the oncoming of the goosebumps as my palms became clammy even under the cold breeze, with an ominous feeling settling deep in my chest. With one last look at the rose that laid unmoving I turned and beelined to my house.

If this keeps up, I might even have to see a shrink.

I made sure to lock the doors and windows in the living room like it was necessary. Was I scared? Kind of. From whom? At this point; of myself.

I washed my hand watching the trail of blood mixing in swirls with water. I looked up in the mirror of my bathroom. The coming of dark circles under my eyes a reminder of the feelings growing heavy in my chest.

Confusion, uncertainty. Helplessness. I sighed turning the lights out and leaving the bathroom.

The moment I was in my bed, I heard a knock. An unmistaken rap of knuckles gently coming from down below.

Was Jake back? But he has the keys to the house.

Another knock came. It was very calm, too gentle like the calm from the storm. As if the person on the other side was in no hurry and no expectations at all.

I was almost with mind to ignore it when the knock sounded again and my rationality returned.

May be it's someone asking for help. Perhaps it's the neighbors, telling me to put my car on the driveway for street cleaning tomorrow.

It could be any number of things that are perfectly normal reasons for people to knock over your door, Rose. Why am I being so paranoid?

Throwing the sheets off, I went down. I was standing in front of the door and waited for it to knock again. But it never came.

Normal Rose would. I shrugged and opened the front door to our house. The porch was empty. No one there.

Shaking my head at myself I and turned around making sure to lock before I walked away.

I was about to go back up the stairs when I saw the light to the backyard still on. And being a good citizen and caring for the earth, I groaned and flopped my way to turn it off.

Unfortunately the switch for the outside lights are conveniently also placed outside.

I had opened the door to the backyard and was about to step out when I looked down. My step halted mid air my mouth gaping.

The red taunting me with it's crimson once again.

Blooming red and tainted with my blood.

The things in the shadows are not just moving in my mind anymore, is it?

70. The Night has Fallen