Behind The Locks || ONC 2024

Chapter 9: Acquainted Stalker

Zack was equally enthralled, except he was familiar with the keys. How? Ian and Jade.

During the early nineties, Creekbox valley, which was the name of Twelve Locks Valley before it was changed, was attacked by ghosts, or so Ian and Jade narrated. 

Nobody knew where they came from, but whispers had it that the library's signs and Egyptian symbols brimming the marbled walls and wooden shelves were glowing that night. 

Fog befell the valley like a noose, and out of the blues appeared the foes.

The ghosts murdered to pay tribute to a superior entity. An entity that could only be assumed had power over them and controlled them like puppets.

One by one they got the lives of two hundred and seventy four people, which was like half the population back then.

Few that tried to escape learned it the hard way that they had been turned into slaves of the unknown. Also, the ones that tried to man up were killed brutally in front of men, women, and children to serve as a severe warning.

It went on, door to door; innocent dying, brutal sacrifices, unnecessary murders, suicide, tears, and anguish, till the people of Creekbox could not stand them any longer.

They say fight fire with fire. The people of Creekbox made twelve keys to summon twelve spirits of the dead.

Sadly, after that episode there was no other. Ian and Jade enigmatically vanished.

If Arielline’s guesses counted, someone or people were trying to cover up for their dirty secrets.

January 15 1992, Ian and Jade were found laying lifeless in the heart of the valley’s forest, Claw forest, uninjured, after a good one week after disappearing.

Mysteriously dead as of their vanishing, people said.

Scientists from Coldtooth Lake town, a rather developed town, did all sorts of bisecting and trisecting their cause of death, but the results were crystal clear; they died naturally, they said.

The odds were all against it, but if they weren't killed physically, could it have been a spiritual battle?

Could the same path be the one Arielline is racing down?

°*°

Arielline woke up to the same noisy environment; her neighbor attempting to murder her ears with hard rock.

Every beat from his rowdy speakers shook everything in her room, which was the main reason why most of her things stayed on the floor, including her bed.

Unlike other days, when she jumped out of the rocking bed and sprinted for work, the beat felt tamer and all she wanted was to spend more time on the bed.

Watching a whole fifteen episodes of Ian and Jade series overnight turned out not to be the best idea.

Her eyelids spurned lifting their curtains to the invading sunshine.

She felt like a heavy rock had been placed on her back preventing her from moving, except it was amazing whenever it stayed there, it bought her a few more seconds in her warm cozy duvet.

Two more seconds, she convinced herself, shutting her half-ajar eyes once again. It wouldn't hurt taking two more. Two more please.

Two more seconds turned into hours and before she knew it it was ten a.m. 

Still, Mr Sleep had gotten the gist of her.

She twirled and tumbled to the floor like an overweighting sack of bricks, her duvet wrapped around her like a cream roll.

Eyes half closed she slouched to her bathroom and pelt cold water on her face. Just then did her senses thrust back like a flung stone.

Looking at the keys to the giant library door, she was left to wonder why the smoke did not appear the previous day. Not like she wanted it to attack her, again, but it could mean something, right?

What if the keys she found had something to do with the recent ghost smoke? Could it be a reincarnation of the same ghosts from the dead past?

Thinking of it only drew blood splashes in her mind, but if it were them why heal her while they had a chance to make her tribute to their superior entity?

Furthermore, in all fifteen episodes the ghosts were enemies not cronies, they killed not healed. Whatever was happening was a twist of a plot she couldn't quite figure the next chapter.

After a quick warm shower, she changed into a sporty attire; black striped sweatpants, a casual pink tank top, a coat, and white sneakers to top up the outfit.

Anything could happen, and the best way to get away from it was by running. At least it almost saved her the last time. All blame on her heels for the athletic loss.

She combed her bird's-nest like hair into something less shaggy and leaped out of her room racing for the door.

She took a burger and some milk on her way out, yanking the door open and jumping out. 

At the corner of her eye, surreptitiously, there was a vigor of movement. She spun her head like a top catching only the edge of a black coat disappearing at the corner of their house.

She couldn't help but scurry towards the direction, only to view the man in an oversized hat metaphorically known as Jeepers Creepers, scuttling away.

Her heart cut loose of its wires and cascaded into her stomach, hauling everything it came across.

Jeepers Creepers was stalking her, and she wasn't going to let him go even if it meant risking her gig. If he knew something, he was going to share it.