Nightmares were a common occurrence during the quiet hours of the night. Tendrils of shadow clawed at the mind, wrapping around memories and noises that threatened to disrupt the recess of sleep, incorporating them into the dream world. Tonight, was no exception.
An echo rang out towards the little house at the edge of the woods, cooing the person that lay inside as their mind swirled around, restless though deep in sleep. The house was not a home, though. It was where three friends were staying on a Halloween holiday, a break from the cold reality of the city and trading it for the whistling wind of the countryside in Ireland. A woodland cottage. It seemed quite appealing at the time.
A high-pitched scream rang out, curling itself into the dreams of Riley as it manoeuvred closer to the little isolated home. She grabbed at the covers, wrapping them further around her as though it would protect her from the apparition that appeared into the home, its slender, bony, grey finger pointing at her curled-up body under the blankets. It seemed to vanish for a moment before wandering through the wall on the upper floor from the ground.
With its gawping mouth that pulled at the edges of the old hag's skin, the wrinkles and crinkles wound grooves into the face like that of a statue. Milky white eyes were magnetised to Riley's lonesome figure, the black tendrils of hair flowing around as though the old woman were suspended in water. The sockets were pulled down, big brown bruises lying under those colourless eyes. She looked like death itself.
The scream made a crescendo to its climax, finally rousing Riley from her sleep, enough for her to catch a glimpse of the being that she had heard so much about in the nearest town. Wide eyed with fear, Riley could not take her eyes off the creature that disappeared the way it came. Her voice was lost in the back of her throat as she looked at the spectre before it vanished.
Once it was gone, her voice came back, wracking the room that she was staying in. Sweat clung to her forehead, soaking the brown curls into her skin.
Shoving the door open, the loud creak was drowned out by it slamming against the wall, Luke barging in the room followed by two shadows that stood in the darkness of the hallway. The scream that shook Riley's vocal cords caught in her throat, breaking through the silence that lay between them in the room.
Luke, being the first person in the room, raced to the window where Riley continued to stare, ignoring the rest of the party that began to file into the room, slowly. Looking out, Luke found nothing but the fog, darkness and a moonless sky surrounded by a dense thicket of trees. Nothing was out of the ordinary from what he could see.
Turning around on his heel, his feet causing a squeak against the wooden flooring, his chocolate brown eyes surveying Riley who shook under the covers. Groaning, stretching his arms above his head whilst his joints clicked into place, Luke shook his head at her.
"Honestly, Riles, you're going to wake the dead screaming at nothing like that," he muttered through his yawn.
A light chuckle came from the corner of the room, the young woman looking almost the twin to Riley apart from the blue streaks at the bottom of her hair. "I swear, if you make this a common occurrence, I'll not be sleeping in the same room with you." The laughter in her voice was barely disguised.
Whipping her head around, Riley glared at her sister, Becca, then turned around to Luke, not staring at the other visitor to the scene. "I didn't scream at nothing and I don't need you, of all people, to stay in the same room as me. We're not ten," she snapped.
"Riles, what happened?" A voice broke through the jeering and mocking that came from Luke and Becca, calm and collected.
Everyone turned around to stare at Kyle who stood with his arms folded, leaning against the wall. He was the only one with Irish blood running through his veins, fuelled by alcohol and a need to swear as much as possible whilst cracking anecdotes with a punchline. Not in this moment, though. For the first time since they had arrived, Kyle was being the serious one when that was normally Luke's role amongst the friends.
Taking a deep inhalation of breath, a cloud of the warmth of Riley's breath mixing with the cold of the room, she stared as levelly as she could at Kyle without her lips quivering. "A scream from one of the local..." Her voice trailed off, the sounds caught in her throat.
"The banshee," he said, looking around ominously at the rest of the group.
Becca shook her head whilst Luke thumped his fist against the wall.
"Not this nonsense again," Luke muttered under his breath, hoping that no one had heard him.
"I know what we have to do," Kyle said, making his way out of the room. No one needed an invitation to follow him.
Downstairs, Kyle stood by the fireplace, lighting five candles with a stick. His gaze drifted to Riley who stood in the furthest corner of the room, shrouded in the shadows away from everyone else who sat themselves down on the couch, waiting.
Sighing, Kyle began speaking slowly in the ancient language of Gaelic, the sounds soft as they passed his lips. Clenching his eyes closed, the words rang around the room, echoing until the screaming came back with a vengeance. The scream swirled until it was consumed by the flames, dying in the cackling of flames that spat sparks out.
Once everything became calm, the four friends looked at each other, Kyle smiling at Riley, bowing his head at her.
Luke looked around, shaking his head. "I still think it's all nonsense."
Word count = 999
Written for the Ambassador's UK prompt for the Halloween Vault 3D.
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Spookerella | Horror Short Stories
Horror- Created for the purpose of the Halloween Vault - On Halloween night, things always go bump in the night in the lonely pages of Spookerella. Whilst the dead wander the earth, haunting those who are still among the living, Spookerella waits for a fo...
