Candlelight

Casey is safe so long as she stays in the light

Candlelight

Casey backed across the carpet using her good leg until she felt the cold, solid wall pressed against her back. The candlelight flickered, held in a shaking hand, reflecting off the wet white bone that jutted from her shin. The agony seemed distant compared to the nightmare that waited just beyond the feeble circle of candlelight. Its taunting, guttural voice floated in from the darkness.

"It will burn out soon," it said.

"Leave me alone," she said.

She could hear the pleading in her voice as she pressed harder against the wall. Hot wax dripped on her hand, the flame only inches from her tender skin. It was right. There wasn't much left of the candle. She peered around her, trying to make sense of her situation.

The Ouija board lay on the carpet. Its broken planchette lay shattered off to one side. A severed leg, attached to her friend only moments before, protruded from the darkness. The big toe poked through a hole in the blood-soaked sock, pointing at her in accusation.

It wasn't my fault

Her friend's shrill screams, abruptly silenced by the beast, still echoed in her head. She tried to help, but a mere swipe of its massive, hairy arm swept her aside like a nuisant fly, breaking her leg in the process.

The creature chuckled, throaty and deep. Sinister. Its mirth grew as if it could sense Casey’s thoughts.
How often had they played with the board? It was only a game. Not real, just a game!

Absently, she flicked the light switch, but it did nothing.

Through a window, lightning flashed a reminder of why, revealing the hulking shape for a heartbeat. It recoiled from the sudden flash but then resumed looming in the shadows when the room faded to darkness again.

Thunder rumbled, shaking the house.

"Why are you doing this?" she said, her voice trembling.

"You summoned me," it replied.

"Then I un-summon you!"

"It doesn't work that way. You play games without knowing the rules."

"What do you want?"

"Blow out the flame so we can be done with this," it said.

She forced herself up on her good leg. Her arms shot out to her side, keeping her balanced. She fumbled the candle but recovered it before it reached the floor. The creature lurched closer, its bestial snout sniffing the air, anticipating the coming darkness. She held onto it, and the waning light maintained its feeble glow. The beast leaned back on its haunches.

"Your friend screamed so sweetly. Will you?”

"Go away!" she screamed.

More wax dripped onto her fist, searing the fine hairs on the back of her hand. She ignored the pain as she lurched along the wall, taking care not to put weight on her broken leg.

Focusing on the vague shape beyond the candlelight, she bumped into an end table, knocking a magazine to the floor, nearly dropping the candle.

The beast leaned toward her eagerly. She thrust the candle out, and it shied away.

The candle was near its end, the heat becoming unbearable with each passing second as the flame devoured the tallow. The beast stood poised, like a leopard, ready to pounce the second the light failed.

Her shoulder brushed another wall…trapped in a corner.
The only exit teased her from the far side of the room.
Her breath quickened. Panicked, she watched the candle dwindle, helpless to stop it.

A thought occurred.
The magazine!

With shaking hands, she ripped out a page, thrusting it into the dying flame. But she was too late.
The room plunged into darkness.

The beast bellowed and charged. Its howl rattled in Casey’s ears. She braced herself against the onslaught. But just as the form reached for her with talon-like claws, the magazine page ignited.

The creature convulsed, then jerked back at the sudden illumination…its agonized howls spewed curses.

Casey dropped the burning page and quickly added more sheets. The flames grew, bathing the room in a bright glow. The monster, a grotesque mockery of nature, fled from the growing brilliance. Its rage-filled eyes searched for a retreat. The beast lurched toward the Ouija board.

The blaze spilled across the room, consuming the carpet and then the curtains.

Casey screamed defiantly.

The entity dove, becoming a streak of black smoke that disappeared into the board.
Yet, victory was short-lived.
Casey coughed, choking on the smoke that burned her lungs. She searched desperately for a way out, but soon realized there was none. The first flames licked at her feet, and Casey began to scream.