Heyyyy everyone. I am terribly sorry for the late update. I was dying to publish this for you guys and I really hope you all like it. The spooky meter shall now be tested hehe. Please vote and comment if you like the chapter. It realllyyy makes my day 💛

I ran. I ran like my life depended on it. I came across mom and dad's room, knocking frantically.

"Please. Please let me in. H-He won't let me live. Mom?!" I banged the door desperately, out of breath. I could feel the shadows closing in on me, wrapping me in their cold embrace. I leaned against the door, panting, and almost fell into the room. The door was.... unlocked? The door creaked whilst I pushed it, slowly revealing...... nothing. The room was bare, all trace of life gone, as if no one had lived there for an exceptionally long time. I checked the cupboards, the cabinets; Empty. What happened? Did they leave me?

No. They couldn't. Denial clouding my vision, I searched the house. With each hour passing by, my desperation increased bit by bit, and yet I was unsuccessful.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!!!" Tears pricked my eyes, my strength slowly fading away into a shadow of nothingness. I couldn't stand, couldn't breathe. Blinking, I looked around in hopes that they would be there, instead, I saw the door leading to the basement opening slowly. A crash followed soon after, startling me out of my misery.

"Honey where are you? We are here." A ghost of a smile appeared on my face. They were here. They were with me. I couldn't be happier. But why were they in the basement? Based on the number of shitty incidents I passed in my life, I should know better than to fall for the whispers of the dark.

"Honey we found some old pictures. Do you not want to spend some time with us? We miss you." That did it for me. Ten years and they never said that, ten years they avoided me. How could I say no to that? "I'm coming mom." I walked towards the door, only hesitating slightly before walking inside.

The room had no lights. The windows were perhaps closed, restricting the moonlight to enter. "Mom? Dad?"

"Come closer honey."

"Where are you dad?"

"Come closer my child. The lights are right beside you." I was scared but these are my parents. I could trust them, right? Holding my breath, I blindly pressed the wall beside me, in search of the light switch. The lights flickered.

"NO!" My mom was hanging on the ceiling fan, her eyes wide open. My dad was on the ground, his neck baring an angry red cut. "No no please no. PLEASE NO!" I rushed towards my mom, slowly freeing her from the rope's grasp. I hoped she was joking around, playing a sick prank on me but try as I might, she didn't move even the slightest. I brought my father's head on my lap, ruffling his hair just the way he liked it. I wanted to see him smile; I wanted him to tell me that he was there for me, like he promised. I wanted both of them to keep their promise. They can't leave me like this. They won't!

"Mom I-I can't please. I don't have the s-strength. P-please don't leave me."

I used to think I was lonely before but today, I understood the true meaning of loneliness. Every colour that I grew to knew, every shade that I loved, slowly faded away into the grey clouds of agony. All those memories, my mom teaching me how to bake, my dad teaching me how to drive, started to slowly shatter due to an invisible force I couldn't grasp. I saw myself smiling in the past. I was happy. Will I ever be happy again? Will I? I couldn't hold on to the memories; I looked at their faces, one which I haven't been able to hold for a long time. Even in death they looked frightened, tired and extremely pained. It couldn't have been suicide could it?

"Who did this to you?" I whispered into the air, tears blurring my sight.

"Y.O.U." I froze. What? I looked around, frightened to the core. Who the fuck thought playing hide and seek right now was convenient? I hurriedly wiped away my tears.

"W-who's t-there?" I hated that my scenario was as cliché as every actress in the horror movies.

"Behind you."

"M-mom?"

It couldn't be. Eyes which I grew to care for slowly formed into the darkest pits that I feared for so many years. Those lovely eyes, that taught me to love, where were they?

"Hello dearie." With bare hands, she twisted her head to the left, sadistically grinning in the process. I screamed, backing towards a wall.

"Boo."

RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIFE ALAINA!

I rushed towards the door and slammed it behind me. 'You're hallucinating, wake up. Wake up. Wake the fuck up damn it!'

"Oh, you aren't dreaming. Look into my eyes. I know you missed me, didn't you?

"He isn't your dad." Look at me

"He isn't your dad." LOOK at me

"He ISN'T your dad." LOOK AT ME

"NO!" I screamed in plea, whirling around. No one was there? Am I going crazy?

"

We suffer for your tainted soul, and now prepare you for the ceremony."

"Mom? Dad?" Their eyes were hollow; No emotion, no colour, only.... eternal darkness. They put on white hoods, muttering words in a foreign language. They weren't walking.... They were limping; skin hanging from various parts of their body. Bloody hell, this couldn't be them. My mom and dad weren't living corpses.

"We suffer in blood for you child. We suffer in agony,

We suffer for your tainted soul, and now prepare you for the ceremony."

"What are you guys talking about? Please stop. Who are you? What are you? I want them back please. T-they are all I have. HAVE MERCY!" I cried crawling away from the creatures.

We suffer in blood for you child. We suffer in agony,

We suffer for your tainted soul, and now prepare you for the ceremony."

"AHHHHHHH" I fell to the ground with a shriek. The pain was unbearable. My mark glowed in the darkness, illuminating the shadows enclosing on me. Everyone laughed, everyone clapped at my misery whilst I cried helpless.

"What did I ever do to deserve this?" I couldn't help but whisper. Was I so terrible of a person? No one was there for me, no one will ever be there for me. I was worthless. The only light from my source of agony, the only source of hope was my punishment?

I could feel the pain slowly decreasing, which could only mean one thing: No light. I tightly gripped my hand and pressed on the mark, hoping to somehow ignite the light. I didn't care if I burned. The dark terrorized me. I needed the light, no matter the consequences.

"Poor Alaina, thinking you can actually survive without my protection. Tsk Tsk. Poor little bird. Trapped in a dark cage, your wings clipped, how lovely." He cackled in the distance. It was all his doing, all his fucking doing.

"Does it hurt?" The sentence came out more taunting than its words. I refused to answer.

"No response?"

"Piss off." I growled out in a mixture of pent-up pain and anger. He giggled and looked at me darkly.

"As you wish." He snapped his fingers and the light slowly started to dim from the mark.

"No. No no no no no. No please!" I reached out towards his figure, regretting my previous words.

"Please NOT THE DARK." I cried out. His lips formed an everlasting grin, dooming my existence. At the last moment I closed my eyes, not wanting to see my last glimmer of hope die down, instead it stayed. I looked up and saw his thumb, moving up and down. He wanted to tease me like the sick asshole he was.

"Should I?" He giggled again in excitement, my terrified face giving him immense joy.

He stopped giggling and looked at me in the strangest way possible. I didn't know what to make off it. I didn't have time to.

"Lights off little bird."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"