Moon Date

The thickness of the night is so blinding that Mary Brown can’t find her way around the woods. She’s been lost since she got separated from her fellow peers who went camping. The leaves crunch underneath her feet. The wind whistles through the trees. The only smell that settles deep down in her soul is the smell of damp wood after rainfall.

“Hello!"

She glances around continuously. Clammy sweat seeps from her pores. All she could feel was fear in the hair on the back of her neck. She isn’t a camping type. She hates nature and nature hates her.

“Hello… Simon… Jack… Lucy, anyone there?!”

She continued calling the names of her peers she came with but there was no response. The only response she could hear was the spooking sound of the woods.

“Oh my God,” she gags automatically. “I am lost.” A soft sob escapes her lips.

Her phone is stashed inside her camping backpack. Had she known, she would have taken it wherever she went. It could have paid a good dividend this moment by serving as a source of light, and she could call for help.

Mary pants as she places her hand on a fig tree. She’s suddenly losing her breath to fear. Beads of tears streamed down her eyes, ruining her makeup. Fear has overwhelmed her. Her heart raced faster than normal.

When she feels like she has caught her breath, she leans up and glances around.

“Simon, Jack!” she calls out once more.

No idea where she is in the woods and with no means to figure that out. As the spooky sound of the woods continues to grow louder in her ears, her fear grows stronger as if an invisible hand is running along her spine.

“Lucy…” she barely squeezes out. Her courage has been betrayed.

Her eyes gleam with horror. The thick darkness overshadows her like she is the one taking refuge in the shadows of darkness.

She resumed her panting and shambled down the snaky path. No moon to guide her path or stars to light her path. All she did was trust her instincts as she continued to shamble down the snaky path.

Her heart is heavy with deep sorrowful groans that her mouth couldn’t utter. The situation she has gotten herself into has locked her in with fear. She was already feeling feeble but didn’t stop.

Chicago isn’t a place for the weak. She has heard rumors of creepy things that moved at night looking for innocent victims to prey on. Something she has never heard from her parents.

It’s as if those rumors are about to become a glimpse of reality. She could feel it. There’s something strange about this night. Fear runs down her veins like blood. She can’t get hold of herself anymore. With her trembling hands crossed over her chest, she continued on her way hoping to find someone.

She yelled out the names of her fellow peers from time to time and each time she yelled, there won’t be any response.

“Hello…”

A whisper howled toward her.

She flicked around with fear. The whisper sounded so close and very creepy. To her greatest surprise, there was no sign of anyone. Her skin crawled and her bones rattled as she trembled. Her weary soul screamed of the horror unseen.

“Who is there?” she let out a sharp question that was filled with fear. For a moment, she turned continuously in search of the one whose whisper she heard. “Show yourself!”

Her voice was distorted with a lack of courage that can even be noticed.

“I will help you if you help me first.”

The voice came again in the form of a slow whisper.

The unknown whispering voice gave her the creeps. She pants deeply, trying to get hold of herself first before she could query further.

“Why not show yourself?” she finally spoke.

“I can’t. You have to come to me.” The voice howls toward her once more like a wind. “I will guide your path, I promise.”

She isn’t buying it. Her eyes rolled in response to fear. The stories she has heard about Chicago are creepy. Whoever it is, she can’t trust him.

“And why will I trust you if you don’t want to show yourself?” she queried with haste. There was desperation in her voice. Any help she could get right now will do, but, not from an unseen invisible man that continued to whisper to her.

“Because I will tell you secrets you don’t know about yourself,” the voice came again. This time, it sounded soothing and more refined. “You are a powerful gypsy but your parents have hidden that from you.”

Mary’s eyes widened and narrowed into slits. “How did you know my parents?” she queried once more.

“I will tell you everything you need to know. I promise. But first, follow the almond tree on your left, walk down the sloppy path and you will see a heavy rock on your right. Behind the heavy rock is a step that leads to where I am. I am waiting.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Mary lashed out. She couldn’t believe the unknown voice was trying to get her to come to him. “Why not tell me you want me as your dinner rather than to trick me in that manner to come to you?” she lashed out.

Part of the stories she has heard are focused on the vampires and the werewolves. She doesn’t know if it’s true or just a myth and fiction just like in the movies. Each time she asked her parents, they would swiftly change the topic.

“There’s no time. The day will soon dawn. Please, come and save me.”

“I can’t!” She said without hesitation. “I have trust issues with people.”

“Then, tonight must be your lucky night. I am not just a person. Come find me, my dear.”

Mary puffed out a cold air. She shook her head slowly as her mind flew into deep thought. She’s always a curious and desperate kind of girl when it comes to mysteries. Hearing someone speak without seeing the person is part of the mysteries she has been searching for answers to.

Her mind is made up. Curiosity has gripped her firmly. She tilted her head up quizzically and made a left turn toward the almond tree. “I am coming to you,” she mumbled.

Mary stood behind the heavy rock and narrowed her eyes down the step which was shrouded in darkness.

“You must be kidding me,” she grunted.

“Don’t give up now, please,” the voice came again with a whisper behind her.

The voice sounded so close that she couldn’t help but flick around in fear. But there was still no sign of anyone around her.

She turned and focused her gaze on the concrete stairs that ran down through the shadows of darkness. “Why not you come up to me instead of me walking down there?”

Her best guess is the stairs lead to an underground. Even though she’s curious in matters of mystery, this right before her is giving her creeps that she doesn’t have any courage to take a step closer to the step.

“I can’t. I am stuck. That’s why I need your help.”

“Stuck?” Mary’s eyes widened with disbelief. “How come I can hear you from afar while you are not even here?” Her mind raced with thoughts. She wonders about the possibility of hearing the voice of the person she has not yet seen.

“That’s because you possess a unique amount of power. In simplified terms, you are special.”

“Come on!” she gnawed. “Why is it that you always have a perfect word to say to make me change my mind.” She knew it was a trick to get her down the step but she didn’t have the power to resist. After all, she wants to see to the end and figure out what type of person could whisper to her from afar.

“Please, my dear. There’s no time. The day will soon dawn.”

At these words, Mary couldn’t resist anymore. She can’t shirk off this curiosity that has overwhelmed her.

Raising her leg, she threw her first step on the concrete stairs. Immediately her feet touch it, flaming torches that run down the walls come to life, lighting up her path.

“Wow!” she exclaimed. Her cheeks flushed with excitement. “This is magic.” She stares at the flaming torches. Her fear suddenly disappeared. It’s as if the flaming torches have lit up her courage along with her path.

She sighed with relief and continued on her way down the stairs. Reaching the feet of the step, she stopped and peered at something. It was a heart scribed to the wall. Next to the heart was a vicious wolf.

Her thought went deep wondering what that could mean. As she was about to draw closer to the scribed drawings on the wall, the whisper came to her again. “There’s no time for sightseeing. Take your left and walk down a bit.”

Without disputing with the voice, she did as she was told. With each step she took to the parts of the place shrouded in darkness, the more flaming torches on the walls came to life, lighting up her path. Walking down a bit, she finally came to a halt in front of a round stone that looked like an ancient tombstone.

“Are you kidding me?” She grumbled. “How am I supposed to move this stone?”

“It’s not as heavy as you think. Roll it away.”

“Seriously?” Mary furrows her brows. “If it’s that simple, why not you come the hell out and do it yourself?” she blurted out.

“I can’t, I am stuck. You have to stand on the right and push it to the left.”

“Hmmm.”

She moved closer and stood by the right of the stone. Like she was told, she gave a push to the stone. The stone rolled toward the left side and strolled down a bit before crashing to the concrete floor.

She breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s simple.”

“Yes, it is.”

“So, can you now come out?”

“No, I can’t. I am still stuck.”

“What do you mean?” she lashed out in frustration. “I just pushed the stone away.”

“I know you did but I am still stuck,” he said. “Please, if you don’t mind, step into the opening before you and please watch your head.”

Mary mumbled in frustration. She’s tired already but doesn’t feel like stopping her unknown quest without making a finding. Beyond the opening is also shrouded in darkness.

She proceeded forward. Bending her head a bit, she walked through the opening. Immediately the flaming torches came to life, lighting up the scene like magic, it became clear to her, that she just stepped into an underground tomb.

“What?” she gaped with surprise. There’s a closed casket before her. The casket was sitting on a table rock. She couldn’t believe her eyes. “Did you bring me here to show me an underground tomb?” she queried with hate in her voice as her eyes widened with furious.

That was the only casket around. It’s a dead end. There’s an awful smell. It’s not just an ordinary smell but the stench of death.

“You have made it this far,” the voice whispered once more. “It’s time for you to complete the task at hand.”

Mary doesn’t look happy. Her countenance has changed. Her face was consorted with rage as she clenched her hands. “I am done. I am leaving,” she blurted out.

As she was about to turn to leave, the flaming torches burned with rage, startling her to a stop.

“What do you want from me?!” she yelled. Her fear just came back. She glanced around swiftly and finally focused her gaze on the casket.

“I want you to approach. Open the casket and remove the daemon dagger buried in my chest.”

“What?” She looks shocked. Unable to make sense of what she just heard, she fired volumes of questions. “Are you dead? Are you a ghost? Am I talking to a ghost all these while?”

She looks subdued and stupid for not inquiring about the voice earlier before she ventured into the unknown quest.

“I am neither. Just finish your task.” The whisper this time was a bit harsh.

She noticed the tone but ignored it. Slowly she drew closer to the casket. “Oh, no. I hate this.” She grunts.

Placing her hand on the casket, she quickly slammed it open, revealing its content to be a desiccated man with a daemon dagger buried in his chest.

Fear pushed her back as she tilted backward on her heels. “Oh, my God!” she cried out. She peered at the desiccated man with fear in her eyes. “Err… What’s…”

Her words were suddenly pushed back to her dry throat. “Don’t let the look deceive you,” a whisper came next to her. “Just pull out the daemon dagger and you will see how charming I look.”

Fear couldn’t keep her away much longer. She summoned courage and proceeded toward the casket. With both hands, she held the daemon dagger and pulled it out from the desiccated man.

Immediately the daemon dagger left the man’s chest, and his eyes opened and glowed like wildfire.