Authors note:

A fun, yet tricky chapter to write. There were multiple things to juggle to write in this chapter. Multiple worlds, character reactions to desperate circumstances, and more. I think people will enjoy this chapter and feel emotions through it too. I am excited for peoples reactions.

ALEC ROBSON

Author Bio:

Name: Alec Robson
Occupation: Award-Winning Horror Writer
Location: London, UK
Genre: Horror, Psychological Thriller

Biography: Alec Robson is an acclaimed horror author hailing from London, UK. In his mid-forties, Alec has become a prominent name in modern horror fiction, known for his unique ability to blend psychological tension with supernatural dread. His books often explore the fragility of the human mind, pushing the boundaries between reality and nightmare, earning him a loyal following of readers who appreciate his chilling, atmospheric style.

THE WORDS OF ELEVEN

CHAPTER 6.

The Final Blow.

Anna's eyes sting. Strained from writing, and with a tired sigh, she rubs them. Her backache is a nagging distraction from the gentle rhythm of her key strikes.

“Time for a break,” she tells herself, pulling away from the laptop. As she strolls over to the crooked window, she watches the snow glide from the grey sky and settle onto the ground. The forest stands tall and proud, the rugged branches sag under the weight of the snow that clings to it. Anna studies its charm, feeling warm and cosy inside. A rabbit hopping peacefully below distracts her and pulls her gaze towards it. The rabbit stops, folds its ear over as it scratches. Anna smiles, amused at its tiny prints left behind. It sniffs around a wide indentation in the snow. Anna strains her eyes on the shape and a print of a much larger animal emerges. She studies it, staring into the space as her eyes glaze over. The feeling of calm disperses, and the hairs on the back of her neck rise, the warmth inside has fled. Her spine tingles and the notion of someone behind her steals the attention. Her stomach flutters and she turns. Making eye contact with her bedroom door as it slams shut. Startled, she screams.

Anna stares at the door. “Hello?” She calls, making no sense of what made the door slam. She edges towards the door. “Hello?” she calls again, louder this time, but the silence remains.

She steps closer, her fingers shaking as she reaches out for the handle. The cold metal sends a shiver up her arm. She hesitates, staring at the door as if waiting for something to happen, for any sign to reveall that she’s not alone.

But all she hears is the faint wind outside, howling through the cracks of the old building.

She pulls the handle down and cracks the door open. She stares through the gap, watching. There is only stillness. As she steps out onto the landing, frantic footsteps lead down the hallway and the staircase, an explosion of noise. Fear rushes over her. She scurries quickly to the impressive bannister and glances down. There is nothing there, yet a surge of air rushes past her. Something unseen and unexplainable. She spins and runs to Judy’s room.

Judy leaps from her armchair, awoken in a panic as Anna enters unannounced, slamming the door behind her.

“What’s going on Anna? You startled me!” Judy demands answers from Anna, who is now peering through the peephole.

“Something is going on! Something strange! I felt there was, I don’t know, something is out there?!”

“Settle down Anna, speak clearly,” Judy responds in a calm and reassuring manner.

“I’ve been feeling uneasy, and I just turned around to watch my door slam shut, right in front of me. Then on the landing, I heard someone running down the stairs.” Anna wipes the tears from her face and remembers to breathe. “There wasn’t anyone there. Something rushed past me. I don’t know what it was. Ive never been so afraid.”

Judy embraces Anna, “Shh, shh, it’s ok. You‘re safe, I have you.”

In room thirteen, Alec throws a glass bottle across the room, narrowly missing Mario. It explodes into a thousand pieces against the wall.

“What the fuck was that? You could have got us killed and now where the fuck is Sidney?!”

“You left him out t-there?” Ross reacts.

“We didn’t have a choice,” Mario snaps.

“A choice. You’re damn right we had a choice. Until you changed the fucking game plan!” Alec feels his blood boil and his rage bubbles within. He squats down and squeezes his eyes shut, focusing on his family. He draws a few deep breaths. “Think,” he says out loud, addressing himself. Seconds later, he rises, standing tall and steady. “All right, we don’t know where Sid is right now, and as far as we know, Anna didn’t hear shit. We get back into this story and find out how we get out of this damn shit hole. Are there any objections to that plan, Mario?”

Mario shakes his head while guilt washes over him.

Ross hands out unstructured pieces of paper. It takes time to skim each page, filtering through lines of messy writing, some stained pages, some damaged, some both. Darkness creeps into every corner of the castle as the world outside grows colder. The wind picks up and creaking walls and floorboards leave Ross twitching with paranoia. It somehow gets darker for each hour that passes until the moon breaks the clouds and shines brightly, highlighting the eerie trees outside their window. The night has come. More slow hours pass and Alec lets his eyes rest. He stares through the frosted glass, trying to distract his frantic mind. He returns to the story, preferring the distraction of the task than focusing on the shadows outside. Hour after hour, the piles of paper dwindle down to a small stack, and it’s Ross who breaks the silence.

“I have it,” Ross says plainly.

Mario glances at Alec before looking back at Ross. “Well?”

“He speaks of apotropaic magic.”

“What the fuck is that?” Mario asks.

“Apparently it is some G-Greek mythology ritual that wards off evil s-spirits. It is a custom practiced in places like temples and c-castles.”

“Fucking brilliant,” Alec interrupts.

“There’s more,” Ross says. “A way to reverse it.”

“Well… are you going to make us fucking guess, Ross?” Alec says impatiently.

“Oh, boy,” Ross says with a sigh and looks up.

“Go on!” Snaps Alec.

“Three m-members. Must r-replicate the Evil eye. Well, that’s l-lucky. Three m-must mix blood together and draw an eye on a wooden surface.”

“What the fuck?” Alec interrupts.

“Shhh,” Mario responds. “Carry on Ross.”

“After drawing the eye on a w-wooden surface, they m-must place eleven vessels of w-water around it.”

“Is that it?” Alec says.

“Let me f-finish Alec!” Ross says with annoyance in his voice. “They must then place a m-mirror on top of the eye, facing d-downward. You must then knock the w-wood with the vessels once each only. Eleven times only in the exact order as outlined, then s-smash the mirror in place. Failure to complete this process correctly will welcome more spirits to your world.”

Alec laughs. “That doesn’t sound like a fix. It sounds like maybe Kingsley did this in the first place and brought that fucking stalker here!”

“How Alec, on his own? You heard the story. He needed three.” Mario takes the pages from Ross and reads. Feeling the need to see it himself.

Alec storms over to the minibar and pulls out more miniature bottles of whisky. He cracks the top and, after one gulp, tosses the bottle into the corner of the room before moving to the next. All the while muttering to himself. They spend the next hour quietly thinking. Alec slumps against the sofa. Ross sits on the bed rocking, while Mario sits at the desk, studying the rest of the story as his leg energetically jigs up and down.

“I don’t think we have any other choice,” Mario says to no reply. Ross and Alec glance at him through tired, sandy eyes as the early morning approaches. “There is nothing else we can do. Venturing out there is suicide. We don’t know where the others are or what they’re doing, or if they’re even safe. They could create worse things by writing more if we stay here doing nothing. We need to act now. If the damn ritual doesn’t work, then we aren’t any worse off, are we?”

There is a moment of silence. “Fuck!” Alec shouts, clambering to his feet.

“So we d-do this,” Ross says, picking up a piece of shattered glass from the floor.

“We need to prepare for the ritual,” Mario says as the wind roars through the window with impeccable timing.

Mario dismantles the bathroom cabinet while Alec collects the bottles of water from the fridge. Ross tries his best to push the sofa across the room. Surprised by how much he struggles, Alec reluctantly helps.

“Ross, here, grab this,” Alec says as he wraps his hands around the edge of the carpet, pulling it up enough for them both to take hold. “On three, we pull.” He stares at Ross, making sure the information sinks in. Ross nods. “OK. One, two, three!”

Alec drives his legs into the ground, arches his back and pulls. The pins that hold the carpet down pop around the edges and the carpet comes away. Revealing well preserved wooden floorboards.

Ross tumbles backward, having lost his grip. “Shit,” he yells.

Alec laughs and tugs the carpet back enough for Mario to prepare the circle. As he does so, Ross stares out of the window, brushing himself down. The dim exterior lights occasionally expose swaying drifts of snow, lighting the thick flakes as they dance in unison past. Alec kneels down, sliding the mirror to one side, leaving a sufficient size of flooring to work in. Ross joins him in kneeling, as does Mario. Each of them roll their sleeves of their right arm high enough to expose their forearms and Ross presents a bowl.

“Is that everything?” Ross asks.

“I think so,” Mario says, having one last look around him.

“Who’s going first?” Alec asks.

“Fine, I’ll go first.” Mario grits his teeth and grunts at the sharp sting of glass biting into his skin. With steady, painful precision, he drags the shard down his arm, the blood now flowing into the bowl below. His jaw clenches tighter as he fights the growing pain.

“Fuck,” Ross says, looking away.

After Mario gathers what he assumes is enough blood, he passes the bowl to Alec. Mario wraps a hand towel around his cut and glances over the instructions once more, unphased by the cut flesh. Alec sucks in a deep breath and, without hesitation, drives the glass into his skin. He takes a no fuss approach and within no time he fills the bowl. There is just one more needed for the ritual to proceed.

Mario and Alec look at Ross, his face now a lighter shade than it was a few minutes ago.

Alec places the bowl down in front of Ross, who stares at it, holding a long piece of fractured glass with a trembling hand, he takes a few seconds and a deep breath, then hopelessly says, “I, c-can’t do it.”

“Ross, this is no time to fuck around. The longer we wait, the more danger we are in. Sidney too.” Mario says. Offering a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Ross looks back at his arm and moves the glass closer. The glass shakes back and forth and it touches his skin. “I c-can’t do it!” he shouts.

“Fuck this,” Alec says as he grips Ross’s arm. “Mario, hold him!” He yells.

Alec grabs Ross’s arm while Mario holds him in place. Alec plunges the glass into Ross’s arm as he screams out. The blood pools and pours, just as it did with the others. It runs down his arm and over his clothes. Alec moves the bowl below, catching the blood before they finally let him go.

“See, that wasn’t too bad, was it?” Alec says, playfully slapping Ross’ pale face.

Ross retreats out of the way as the others draw. Using a towel from the bathroom, Mario dips a corner into the blood, which spoils the soft white cotton. He creates a thin outline of an eye before dipping once more. This time thickening the eye and adding a pupil. Soon enough, there sat a bloody eye on the floor.

Alec scoffs. “Fuck Mario. My blind cousin could draw better than that.”

“Well, let’s hope the ritual gods don’t take artistic ability into account,” Mario says while discarding the towel. He passes out the bottles of water.

Each bottle is placed deliberately, as instructed, one by one, with precision.

“Happy?” Alec looks to Mario for confirmation, who nods.

“Are we ready for this?” Mario asks.

“If it even works.” Alec responds.

“Well, we will see,” Mario says, placing his hands on the bottles before him. “I will start here, then Alec, then you, Ross. OK? No fucking about. One second each, clockwise, then I will stamp on the mirror. Understood?” They nod, each kneeling towards the circle, trembling hands waiting to start the sequence. They share one final nervous look before Mario begins the ritual.

“Three, Two, One,” Mario lifts the first bottle and taps it down on the floor, then the second, then the third. All timed one second apart.

He takes a deep breath and looks to Alec, who continues the process. It passes Ross and back to Mario; the circle is complete. Mario rises to his feet as Ross and Alec scurry away. He stands over the mirror and, with one large stamp of his boot, fractures the mirror into a thousand pieces.

They gather around the circle. Mario looks around, expecting to see something different. Ross breathes faster as he scratches his palms and Alec looks unsurprised by the lack of energy around the room.

“Nothing but a load of…” Alec says as he backs away from the circle.

“Wait!” Mario interrupts. Alec turns.

The temperature drops as a strong and crisp breeze flows through the room. Ross holds his arms to his chest. An unusual hum accompanies the flow of air. They all feel it. The breeze circles them and passes through their bodies. A sense of claustrophobia grips them all, the atmosphere changes drastically. It soon begins draining them of energy. Each of them feel their strength ooze out of their bodies as the wind and noise increase their intensity. The windows and doors rattle violently, the curtains cling on, and the pages of Kingsley’s story circle around them overhead. They can hear a haunting and intimidating scream beyond the wind, something sinister, something dark, something not of this world. The strength of the wind forces them to their knees. They brace themselves for the unknown, for something evil.

As the wind rages and the room rattles violently, Ross cries out. Alec fights to get back to his feet as the wind batters him back down. He struggles to get one foot on the floor. He drives, using all the energy he has left to get up. Stuck against the invisible force, he leans forward at an impossible angle. Chaos is all around them. The pressure is intense, and it feels as if the walls are about to be pulled apart. Then suddenly, everything stops. The wind returns to outside the room. The noise becomes eerily quiet, and Alec falls. His face slams into the floor before he could place his hands. His nose explodes against the wood, leaving a bloody splatter across his cheeks. “Fuck!” He yells out.

“Holy shit,” Ross shouts, “it worked!”

“Alec, are you ok?” Mario asks as he helps him up to his feet.

“What the fuck. Ross, grab me a towel!” Alec shouts while his nose pours with blood.

Ross hands him a towel. “So?” Alec responds. “Did it work?”

They look at each other, acknowledging that they felt something real.

Ross creeps to the door and opens it, taking time to avoid the remains of Kingsley. He inches his head out to see the corridor, just as it was before. It is dark, eerie, and smells like another world, an old world. Despite the morning light peeking in from the small window at the end of the corridor, it offers no help to illuminate the hall, the patterned carpet still cast in shadow. The creepy pictures still hang on the wall, showing nothing but pale longing faces from within the darkness. The air still lingers, suspended, still.

Ross steps out, and the others follow. They try their best to remain quiet as they head towards Anna’s room one by one. As they approach the stairs, Mario peers down, hoping to see Sidney walking around. There is nothing but steps leading into darkness. Alec reaches Anna’s door first. He takes a deep breath, then opens it.

Mario checks over his shoulder as Alec enters the room. “Stay here,” He says, heading inside.

Alec scans the room, finding it empty. Anna’s laptop sits on the desk with A Song of Ice and Fire screensaver, keeping the screen active and the room illuminated with a pale blue glow. He notices the half full glass on the desk and the unmade bed. The bathroom door hangs open. That too is empty. Alec returns to the others, shaking his head. Mario huffs and tilts his head towards the next room and leads off.

As Ross tries the handle, it gives way with a faint click. He steps in cautiously, the heavy curtains drawn, casting the room in thick shadow. Mario follows closely behind, his eyes scanning the dim space until they land on a figure beneath the bedding. He glances at Ross, exchanging a silent look, before creeping toward the bed.

Reaching out with trembling fingers, Mario pinches the edge of the blanket and, with a swift tug, pulls it back.

Suddenly, the figure bolts upright, releasing a piercing scream that shatters the silence.

“Holy fuck!” Mario stumbles backward, his breath caught in his throat. He scrambles away, heart racing, but stops when he realises who it is. Anya, sitting there wide-eyed.

His panic subsides just enough for him to rush back to her, pressing a hand over her mouth to stifle any more noise. With his other hand, he raises a finger to his lips. “Shhh,” he whispers, leaning in close. “Come with us. Quietly.”

“What the hell is going on?” she shouts as the three of them stand closley by with fearful expressions on their faces.

“Shhhh, be fucking quiet!” Mario responds. “Why are you in here? Where is Judy?”

“She’s in bed.” Anna looks over to see the bed is empty. “Judy?” She calls out. Looking to the bathroom where the lights remain off.

Ross walks over to the large curtains and throws them open as the breeze from the window chills him. As he leans forward to close it something demands his attention. “G-guys.”

“What is it Ross?” Mario says as he walks over to the window. “Fuck. Is that her?”

They gather to see Judy walking across the moonlit snow towards the forests edge.

“Judy!” Anna calls out of the window.

“Jesus fucking Christ. Keep quiet. You could get us killed!” Alec says, who’s met with a bemused look.

They look back down to see Judy staring up at them with vacant eyes. She smiles and turns back, continuing to the edge of the forest. She shines a torch forward, following someone. As she re-discovers the footsteps ahead of her, she raises the torch. It reveals a young girl who is wearing a white, ankle-length nightgown. They all gasp at the sight.

“Jesus, she looks l-like you,” Ross says to Anna.

As Judy ventures into the shadows of the woodland, a dark creature appears behind her. Sniffing the ground, tracking her path. Its eyes glow, its large muscular shoulders rotate like that of a leopard, and its back muscles bulge as it moves. It growls and snarls as it pursues Judy while saliva hangs from its jagged teeth and mouth.

“Oh fuck, oh f-f-fuck, fuck!” Ross calls out into the room.

Anna looks to the group, terrified. “What is going on?” she says, with tears in her eyes.

Before she can get an answer, a loud, piercing scream halts them, but not from outside, from down the stairs. They run into the corridor and look over the balcony to find Alice and Brooke in a panic and proceed downstairs to meet them.

“Oh, yeah, that’s Kingsley’s head,” Alec says casually.

“What! What the fuck is going on here?” Brooke yells out as Alice stares at Kingsley’s head.

“Seriously, will everyone keep the fucking noise down? Come in here and I’ll tell you, but be fucking quiet.” Mario leads them all into the dining hall.

“Oh, my God...” Brooke says, her hands tightly wrapped around her mouth, having spotted Ida on the floor.

Mario squats down and the rest gather around, while some still can’t pull their gaze away from Ida’s stiff, bloodied body. “This will sound absolutely crazy, but you have to believe that what we are about to tell you is true.” Mario looks around and makes eye contact with each of them before proceeding. “OK. Listen. There has been some insane stuff happening to us since yesterday. We somehow crossed into a darker version of our world. A world that Ross created in his story, a story he wrote when we got here. His story became a reality.”

They met his announcement with shock and disbelief.

“Ross created this thing called the shadow stalker, and that thing killed Ida.”

Anna interrupts with a cry.

“Anna, you must be quiet,” Ross Mario says before proceeding. “The stalker killed Ida, Kingsleys’ head bounced down the stairs. Sidney and Kris are missing.

More muffled cries ring out.

“Plus, we just watched Judy walk off into the woods after some ghost girl while she was being stalked by my evil werewolf thing.”

“Wait? Fuck. I wrote that!?” Alice said, shocked.

“No, that werewolf was my creation,” Mario replies.

“Not the werewolf. I wrote about the ghost in the woods, the young girl. It was because of the rituals they mentioned in the castle’s history.” Alice sighs as she rubs her forehead.

“You see. We are telling the truth. The only positive is that in Kingsley’s story allowed us to complete a ritual so that we could get back to our world, to you. Which clearly worked because, hello, you can see us.”

“Shit,” Alice says. “Brooke, what did you write?”

“Me? I got nothing evil written yet?” She replies.

“OK. That’s good, and Anna, what about you?”

“I didn’t get there either. I just started writing when someone freaked me out. That’s why I was in Judy’s room. I thought I saw a ghost.” Anna tears up as she thinks of Judy.

“Yeah, that was us, sorry. We had to warn you. So that means we have Mario’s beast outside with Alice’s ghost. Leaving us the slasher guy and the shadow stalker to deal with until our transport arrives in... around... thirty-six hours.” Mario says, checking his watch.

“Fuck,” Alice says, gripping Brooke’s hand. “I can’t believe this.”

“I know it’s hard to understand. The first thing we should do is look for Sidney, then Judy, and the figure out how to get out of this fucking nightmare. Does anyone have any ideas?” Mario asks.

He looks around at shocked faces and before anyone can answer, the noise of heavy, composed and determined footsteps pound the staircase. Alice squeezes Brooke’s hand even tighter while Mario directs the flashlight towards the doorway. The light barley shows Kingsley’s head and only just illuminates the bannisters leading down beyond. Anna trembles as the mystery figure treads closer. Appearing in the light are two large boots. Tatty and dirty trousers come next as the figure descends. A hand appears, carrying a long blade that swings back and forth, synchronised with each step. He lifts the blade and drags is down the bannister. The noise rings through the Castle’s halls and Anna squeals in fear. She tries to catch the noise before it leaves her mouth.

“Go, all of you! I will stay. I’ll fight him...” Mario whispers.

Alice, Brooke, and Anna shimmy down the corridor without a second invitation. Running into the darkness while Alec and Ross decide to stay behind.

Mario hands Ross the flashlight. “Hold this and keep it on him, in his eyes, if you can?” Ross nods. “Where are you going?” Mario whispers as Alec disappears into the darkness, blowing out the remaining candles, one by one.

Mario swallows hard and readies himself. Preparing for the fight of his life. Alec interrupts his focus as he returns to his side. “What’s this?” Mario asks.

“It’s a bottle of port. It’s better than nothing,” Alec says as he swigs away before screwing the lid back on.

The beastly man is now in the hallway, kicking Kingsley’s head out of the way as he proceeds towards them. Ross trembles. The light from the torch bounces around the room. Mario manoeuvres around to the side of the doorway with a bottle readied to strike down on the man who appears taller than both Mario and Alec.

The figure enters through the doorway, almost filling the frame. Mario can smell his stench before he sees him, a grotesque, rancid stench. Ross shines the light up and down on its face in an attempt to distract him. Mario crashes the bottle down on its head and it shatters, spewing the deep red port everywhere. The beast rocks back, stunned, and Mario wastes no time plunging the broken bottle into the side of its neck. Crimson blood sprays out and Mario feels its warmth run down his face. The slasher grips Mario, who lashes out to little effect. Mario is forced into the corner as the figure pins him there. He can’t escape and the slasher throws him up onto the wall with one hand around his neck. Mario’s feet dangle inches from the ground as the tips of his shoes scrape the floor. He desperately tries to knock the hand away from his throat while his windpipe compresses. He tries hard to draw breath, yet his body shudders as it demands oxygen.

Alec swings a dining chair, breaking it apart on the back of the slasher’s head. It knocks him sideways. Mario falls to the floor, gasping for air.

Ross stands helplessly, straining to see who is winning the fight. The light flickers and bounces from side to side as he tries to track the commotion. He finds them once again, in the darkness. Large heavy blows land onto Marios’ back as the killer growls with a deep, deathly roar. Blood pours from the glass bottle like an endless flow of red wine. Alec stands to his side and slams another chair into it.

The large figure stumbles to his left, swinging the blade as he falls. Mario watches as the killer lands on his side. He wastes no time rushing to it and thrusting the bottle deeper into its neck. It squeals out in pain as the blood pools around Mario’s feet. Mario grabs a wooden chair leg and snaps it across his knee. He stands over the killer with the man-made steak and he drives it deep into the side of its head. The squealing stops instantly. Mario roars in his glory. He stands over it panting, soaked in blood. The feeling of relief and joy wash over him, the pain he suffered registers too. Suddenly, he hears a whimper. Ross moves the flashlight towards it to see Alec laying on the floor, holding a cut on the side of his neck while blood pumps from it.

“Alec, no!” Mario kneels down over him and removes Alec’s hand to inspect the damage. The blood shoots out across the room. He presses his hand back. “Fuck!” Mario shouts. “I’m so sorry Alec. So, so sorry.”

Alec curls a weak smile and grips Mario’s hand, his expression oddly calm, almost relieved, as though accepting that the fight is over. He seems happy to have won in the end, even if at such a cost. Mario watches helplessly as Alec’s breath becomes ragged, choking on blood, his life slipping away. But then, without warning, Alec’s eyes widen in panic, a sudden surge of energy flooding his face.

Mario feels it too, the change in the air. Alec’s gaze darts past him, focusing on something behind. Pale blue eyes light up in the darkness, and a grotesque, demonic grin stretches wider. Mario barely has time to turn before a low growl fills his ears. Pain erupts in his back, sharp and relentless, as the Stalker plunges its blade into him again and again.

Ross bolts, stumbling out of the room in terror, his flashlight slipping from his hand. It spins wildly on the blood-soaked floor, casting erratic beams of light over the scene. The flashes briefly show Mario’s lifeless body, slumped on-top of Alec, both defeated by the horror that stalks them.

As this chapter closes, the tension only continues to build. The horrors have only just begun, and there are still many dark corners left to explore. But fear not, the story is far from over.

Next up, we’ll uncover the fate of Judy—a character whose journey is about to take a chilling turn. What lies ahead for her in this nightmare? You’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

Thanks for sticking with me through this chapter, and I can't wait to share what happens next! Keep your eyes open for more twists, turns, and unexpected frights in the chapters to come!

Stay Spooky! CJ Aggett.

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