Hellfire

Prologue

  “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”  

 - Stephen King

           The street was silent and dimly lit. Old street lights flickered and storm drains flooded over onto the pavement. Charlie Myles was heading home after a tiring shift at the nightclub and bar he owned. He pulled the collar of his jacket up roughly as the rain came down heavier. His usually floppy fringe stuck thickly to his forehead. He reached the front door of his flat when he heard a noise coming from the alleyway beside him.

  He looked quickly down the alleyway and noticed the skip has been knocked from its usual place against the back wall. He shrugged assuming it was Ms Pinchwell's cat chasing another one of the rats that over-populate this area of London. However turning back to the lock he heard the noise again, it was louder and clearer this time and most definitely human. Curiosity gripped him like a vice.

This is the part of the movie where everyone shouts at the character 'No! Don't go down there!' This isn't a movie though and things like axe murders jumping out at you are not real Charlie. Be brave for once in your life.

 "Hello?" He called out quietly in the darkness. Summoning every ounce of courage in him he walked slowly down the dark alley, the keys in his hand clinked together as as his hands shook slightly, but he continued to venture further inwards. He reached the skip and that's when he saw the figure.

 The figure was a female, slumped against the skip with her chin resting on the wall. Legs out in front of her, slightly bent at the knees. She didn't seem aware of anything, yet she was mumbling something incoherent. Her scarlet red dress was hitched up past her knee. He kneeled down beside her to get a better look, the light from his phone was just enough to help him see in the darkness.

 Charlie stretched out his arm and shook her lightly, trying to wake her. He noticed a large gash on the inside of her arm with blood trickling down to her wrist. It had dried to a black crust that appeared glossy in the phones light. While he was examining the rest of her she began to stir. He looked back up at her face and jumped back out of shock. Her eyes were completely black, not just the pupil and iris but the entire eye.

With a menacing grin on her face she gave a low inhuman chuckle. She pulled herself into a crouching position, her dark hair falling over her face and casting it into shadow. Her knees and elbows jutted out at weird angles, making her look gargoyle in appearance.

 "What are you?" Charlie mumbled with horror, as she pounced on him like a panther. He fell backwards, striking his head upon the concrete wall and falling into complete blackness.