The Dare

Chapter 15

Salem walks us down a series of halls for what feels like forever, each hall is just as dark and crowded as the last. This hall is especially dark, the walls feeling like they are closing with each step we take down it. A door slams immediately to my left, making me throw my body to the right to avoid being attacked. Nothing comes out of the door and after a few moments, I allow myself to breathe again.

"I hate this place," Grayson says bluntly and I just nod in agreement. I've had enough of it for sure, and I hope Salem is right when she says she's found a way out.

"We're never going to get out of here if you guys keep screwing around." Salem snaps at us and I don't even retort, I know it's not worth it. Communication with Salem is impossible, but it's ok. I've accepted the fact my sister and I have a shit relationship now, after the accident.

"Are we almost there?" Hazel says softly, her voice ragged from her tears. I peer back at her, she walks quietly behind Grayson, and my heart pangs for her.

In her flushed skin and red eyes I'm reminded of how within moments she learned her cousin was dead and then her girlfriend died. It was noble of Teagan to take the blame so Hazel could live without that guilt, but it's sad to think about their last moments.

"I'm sure we're close," I tell her and force my gaze away from her, it breaks my heart to even look at her. "Are we close?" I ask my sister, who still plows ahead of us fearlessly into the darkness.

My sister stops suddenly, causing me to almost bump into her. The drastic change of pace makes Avery inhale sharply beside me and she grabs my wrist tightly, I spare a glance at her and her face is covered in tight-knit fear.

"What is it?" I ask, stepping to my sister. Avery still holds me tight and won't budge, so she's forced forwards with me. She whimpers, the grip on my arm growing somehow tighter. I can't see what they are seeing, I stare into the darkness searching for what they're staring at.

"Y-you don't see it?" Avery whimpers, angling her body behind my arm.

"No? What is it?" My voice is shrill, I can't see what they see. But then I do, and I wish I couldn't. There's a white being crouched in the corner of the hall, blocking the safe entrance to the stairway leading to the basement.

All I can see is its back, it's a pasty white almost gray color; the knots in its spine protrude so sharply that it tightens the skin around it. I hear gnawing, chewing sounds coming from the being. It's eating something, its long spindly arms tearing its meal apart.

"Travis?" My sister whimpers and my eyes focus on looking past the being to what it was eating. I see the varsity jacket. "It's eating Travis.." My sister is crying, tears streaming rapidly. The all-white creature bites down hard and throws a bone to the side. Salem screams, Grayson lunges forward and covers her mouth fast; but it's not fast enough.

The creature whirls around, nausea launches to my throat at the sight of it. Deep black eye sockets stare at us, hungry. There are no features, like a nose, but a large dark mouth opens too wide and lets out an ear-piercing scream. It yowls at us and stands, it's body moves disjointedly.

It lets out another scream and jumps onto the wall, its abnormally long fingers clawing into the wall allowing it to climb from the wall to the ceiling.

"Oh shit!" I yell covering Avery with my arms and frantically trying to keep my eye on the creature that crawls on the ceiling.

"Run, Run!" Grayson yells, pushing Salem towards the stairs but she won't move; her legs not working. "Fucking move!" Finally, she moves, she starts running forward on wobbly legs. Grayson grabs Hazel who just stares blankly at the wailing white creature and starts pulling her towards the stairs.