BETRAYED

Chapter THREE

Jana couldn't shake the thoughts of Ben from her mind. No matter what she did or where she went, he was always there, lingering in her thoughts. She secretly held a deep affection for him, but she made sure to keep feelings hidden. She would never let him catch even a glimpse of her true emotions.

The memory of their first encounter came flooding back to her. On Christmas Eve, her family gathered at Grandma's house to celebrate the holidays together. Ever since their grandfather's disappearance, their beloved grandmother underwent a profound change. Once known for sweet, kind, and loving nature, Grandma became a shadow of her former self - a woman plagued by fear and paranoia. The once cozy and welcoming home now echoed with her frequent complaints of eerie noises that seemed to haunt every corner. Night after night, she would awaken trembling to the presence of dark figures looming around her bed. The terrifying experience had left her broken, her spirit shaken, yet she clung fiercely to the familiar walls that held a lifetime of memories.

It was late at night and the entire house was fast asleep, except for Jana. Restless and uncomfortable, she felt a persistent itching and dryness in her throat. Determined to find relief, she went to the kitchen. With a gentle creak, Jana opened the refrigerator door, the cool air escaping to greet her. Her eyes settled on a bottle of tomato juice and she poured herself a refreshing glass. Unexpectedly, the glass toppled over. A cascade of crimson liquid spilled onto the pristine kitchen counter and trickled down onto the tiled floor. She hurriedly grabbed a sponge from the sink to clean up the mess. As she knelt down to scrub away the sticky residue, she was baffled to see the word attic written in tomato juice on the tile.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was shattered by the sound of heavy, thunderous footsteps echoing from above. Back and forth, back and forth, the distinct noise reverberated from the attic. Her heart raced and a chill ran down her spine. The commotion was so loud and unsettling, yet it seemed to go unnoticed by the slumbering family members in the house. Jana shook her head in disbelief, her eyes fixated on the spilled tomato juice. Suddenly, her jaw dropped as the writing the on the floor vanished before her eyes, only to be replaced by a chilling message. GO THERE!

Jana's fear consumed her, sending a surge of adrenaline through her veins. The tomato juice seemed to come alive as it swirled and splashed onto her legs, causing a searing pain shot through her and left her in agony. It was a horrifying incident that rattled her to the very depths of her being. She quickly made her escape from the kitchen. Although her instinct urged her to retreat to the safety of her room and lock the door, she found herself unable to do so.

She found herself inexplicably caught in the grip of an unseen force which propelled her with an alarming violence towards the attic. As her body flung through the air, she noticed that the door to the attic was already pulled down as if beckoning her to enter. Ominous thoughts squirmed at the back of her mind as she cautiously ascended the creaking stairs.

The lack of light in the attic intensified the eerie atmosphere and made the hairs on the back of her neck stir. Desperately searching for a source of light, her trembling hand fumbled in the darkness until she found a switch. The sudden burst of illumination revealed a disheveled figure huddled in the corner, his head buried in his arms. Her heart pounded in her ears as she realized an intruder had taken refuge in the attic, threatening the safety of her family.

Summoning her courage, Jana confronted the intruder and demanded an explanation for his presence. The young man introduced himself as Ben. His body trembled as he confessed that his initial intention had been to rob the place and make a quick escape. He had no intention of causing harm to anyone residing there. However, he revealed something terrible had occurred to him within these walls.

Ben recounted his harrowing experience, explaining that an invisible hand had seized him by his clothes and dragged him into the attic against his will. For hours, he had been held captive by an evil presence. The trauma etched on his face served as a testament to the horrors he had endured.