Stay in the Light: Horror Activity

            They broke through the door into a long hall. At the end of the hall a door waited for them with the promise of escape. The light of the day slipped through the cracks of the frame. The light above them began to creak and shake as the shadows wound their way around the cords. The pair jumped out of the way as the light fixture crashed to the floor and its light twitched in the darkness. Next the shadows attacked another light.

            “Run! Come, on.” Caleb commanded, “We have to run.”

            This monster had already murdered the others and now had its sights on the only two that remained. It inflicted the same pain it felt as it died in alone and terrified, in the building’s boiler room. When the creature’s victim walked into the shadows he struck, first making the person deaf to all sound, even their own screams, then blinding them. And just as the panic became too much to bear, their bodies began to seize and the life was shaken out of them. It was the same horrible death Jeffery Leipzig had suffered. Trapped in the old building’s boiler room because of a cruel prank, he had suffered an attack from the illness he had long been battling. The boy screamed for help and banged on the boiler room door, but when he fell into a seizure there was no one there to help him. The minutes before his death were terrifying and years later his souls still seeks to makes others feel his horror. In his fits of convulsions the his skull had cracked on the concrete floor. That dead boy became the creature of shadows that hunted the pair now. It’s only

            The falling lights cascaded down behind them as they ran. The shadow of a boy trailed slowly behind them, his outline just barley visible in the darkness.

            One of the falling lights struck the Caleb’s back as he ran, knocking him to the floor. Jemma scrambled to push the light off and pull him to his feet. The ran sprinted down the corridor, the creature and his darkness never far behind. Then the light directly in their path is severed from its cord and the pair is trapped in an island of light. The shadows immediately build between them and the path of light not ten feet away that leads to the door. Still the outline of the boy approaches from behind.

            Jemma looks at the door. “We can make it.”

            “Jemma, no. Hallie said to stick together and stay in the light. It can’t get to us in the light.”

            “I’m fast, I can make it.”

            “No, Jemma, you can’t.” He held on tighter to her hand.

            “Then how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?”

            “We’ll figure something else out. Just stay with me. Don’t let go, alright?”

            She nodded reluctantly.

            “Good, okay.” They watched the light above them flicker. “The matches, Jemma. Give them to me.”

            Her shaking hands pulled the matchbox from her jean pockets. “There’s only one left.” She sobbed, “Caleb, there’s only one left.”

            “I know! Just give it to me.” He snapped.

            The light directly behind them smashed to the ground and Jemma sobbed.

            Caleb was so focused on striking the match that he didn’t have time to catch her hand before she dashed into the shadows towards the door.

            “No! Jemma, don’t!” he cried.

There was just enough light to watch Kelly being knocked to the ground. Just like all the others, her world went silent. She would never hear her own screams. Blinded, she crawled forward in desperation. But she couldn’t make it to the light before she collapsed into a fit of convulsions.

            Caleb stood on the edge of the light and watched her die. There was no way to get to her. Jemma’s screams of fear echoed down the long corridor. The boy of shadows hovered over her twitching being. And when finally her screams ceased and her limbs lay still it turn its gaze of Caleb.

            The single light that was left above him began to flicker and tendrils of shadow wrapped their way around the wires.

            “No, no, no,” Caleb muttered as he desperately tried to strike the last match.

            The flittering light of the match illuminated a face woven from shadows that crept closer. It was kept at bay by the pathetic glow of the last match. There was nothing Caleb could do but watch the flame burn its way to the bottom of the match until there was nothing left to burn. And as the flame died out the creature moved closer.

            Then it all went dark.