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

The way he said *Room of Rumors* made it sound like some sacred, mythical chamber rather than a bunch of students whispering nonsense in the hallways.

His theatrics made me snort. "Oh, please. It's just students making stuff up because they have nothing better to do."

He feigned a gasp, placing a hand over his heart. "Blasphemy! You underestimate the power of the *Room of Rumors*."

I grinned, playing along. "Fine, enlighten me. What exactly does your sacred room have to say about poor Mr. John?"

Leo leaned in again, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Alright, but you have to promise to keep it a secret."

He fluttered his lashes and dramatically flicked his nonexistent bangs, his voice dropping into a breathy, gossipy tone.

I burst into laughter. "Would you stop acting like a reality TV housewife and just tell me?"

Leo smirked but finally gave in. "Alright, alright. So—first theory: Apparently, he was some kind of perv and tried to grab a couple of the female staff members in the lounge."

My mouth fell open. "Are you serious?"

He shrugged. "That's what the rumor says. Now, do I believe it? Eh, I don't know. He never *seemed* like the type, but then again, neither do half the creeps out there."

I sat back, digesting this new piece of information.

I tried to recall every interaction I'd had with him, every lecture, every offhand comment. He always seemed professional, if a little awkward, but never anything *weird*.

"He didn't *look* like it at all," I muttered, still trying to process.

"Yeah, well, neither did Ted Bundy," Leo pointed out, taking a sip from his shake.

I shot him a look. "Wow. Way to make it *so* much worse."

He chuckled. "Hey, I'm just saying. You never *really* know people."

And that? That was probably the truest thing he had said all day.

As we sat there, the rush buzzed around us, students moving in and out, laughter spilling from different corners.

Yet, for some reason, I felt a strange sense of unease settle over me.

Maybe it was just the thought of Mr. John being someone other than what he appeared to be.

Something lurking just beneath the surface of my consciousness, waiting.

"If you're surprised by the first theory, you really won't like the next one," Leo continued, lowering his voice as if the walls themselves were listening.

Ironically, there were no walls around us.

"It's just a more fucked-up version of the first—word is, he tried to force himself on a few girls after luring them to his office after hours."

A cold shiver trickled down my spine.

My fingers clenched involuntarily around the edge of my tray as my stomach twisted. "What?" My voice barely registered over the hum of the pupil.

Leo shrugged, swirling his protein shake bottle lazily in his grip. "That's what people are saying."

The atmosphere felt oddly colder all of a sudden, the voices around me fading into a dull blur.

My thoughts reeled, flipping through every interaction I'd ever had with Mr. John, every moment I'd caught him staring in class.

Had I brushed it off too easily? Had his gaze lingered too long?

The idea alone made my skin crawl.

74. The Room of Rumors (Part 2)