In Search of the Unknown Chaptered Version

Part 5

Today was quite different for the group. They are getting ready for their first time traveling somewhere to film.

Dalen told them that he wanted to visit New Byzantium to investigate the story more and make a video updating on the story. David was readying the Camera, and Trevor offered to be the mic guy, and Dalen was making questions ready for if they meet anyone there.

Clara was getting comfortable with being the only person to be around for a bit, so she was still looking through different accounts of the paranormal. She has found a few that interest her but decided to wait for when everyone else is done with their trips.

It is a bit irritating that she must do all the chores while she is done, but it's not that much since now it's only her making any mess.

Once they left, she sighed in relief and got to her studies.

It felt nice to hang out with the building empty. The absolute quiet was a nice change of pace. She listened to some music and read through the testimonies of people who claimed to see things that lurk in the dark. The building sometimes felt too big for her, the shadows too stark and she felt tiny, but there was a quaintness to everything. She even had a nice view to look at the wildlife, which was nice to look at with a warm cup of coffee.

She sometimes sat in the back, where she would have some fresh air, and listen to birds chirping. She like David was enthralled with the beam in the clearing. She seemed to see more though than all of them. The shadow of the strange pole looks almost like a person. The shadow always stayed in one place and never seemed to change, never moving with the sun. This detail was hard to recognize, but unforgettable once seen.

After an hour of staring at it, she decided to go look at it herself. She walked towards it. The fall leaves crunching before her, and the cold air as crisp as the leaves. Once she got close to it, she saw the climbing red lines for what they truly were. They were smaller red symbols packed close together, distance obscured this detail from everyone else. The symbols were different, many of them unique, like snowflakes. It took her a while before she saw the same one.

She touched it, and her body stopped. A chill whirled from the palm of her hand and up to her head. It felt almost like a shock. She felt paralyzed, every muscle tensed then rest. Images played in her head, ideas and thoughts not her own, confusion and soon panic.

"May I ask your name?" A voice came behind her.

The voice was unnatural, almost sounding like sandpaper against a wooden board. Something gave Clara the feeling that it already knew a lot about her.

"I have... the sense you already know" Clara responds, trying to push words out of her chest.

The voice gave a haunting laugh "Well no, I prefer to hear it from the person, to be formal, the rest is a free game, well what I can reach for at least"

Clara felt weird like she and the universe around her was changing. The world around her seemed more abstract. It felt like she was in a painting. The air was thicker, and everything was slower and moved in more jagged ways. Everything around her looked like a Van Gogh painting.

She then wondered in her head if this will be the place she will die.

As if answering what she thought, the voice said "Don't be absurd, there's no fun in that, why spread death and chaos so directly, getting my hands dirty is not my style" Clara could feel the thing smiling "I would like to see if I could make a deal with you".

"How can I make a deal if I can't see you face to face?".

"I see no point in showing my form if you're at the end not interested"