Page 33 of House of Horrors

I raise a ringed finger and point at the blight. “You’re dying tonight.”

The monster shakes its head, and its mouth opens again, teeth chattering as if trying to speak. Slowly, I move closer, keeping my gaze firmly fixed.

“Don’t be scared. I’m only going to bash your brains in and then eat you for breakfast.” I chuckle. “It’s breakfast time somewhere in the world.”

For a moment, something human flashes in the creature’s eyes before it shifts toward the door, hand outstretched, then quickly runs.

A maniacal laugh bursts free, a predator’s mask is an easy disguise, and I chase after it. “You can run, but when I catch you, I’m going to send you back to the rotten hell you crawled out from.” It squeezes through the open door, but I’m right behind it.

At first, darkness swallows the room, with only flickering light from scattered candles. Once my eyes adjust, I snicker. We’ve walked straight into an occult chamber. It’s fate that we’re here, like this is the start of something new. I look around. Thick red symbols are messily scrawled across the walls in smeared blood. In the center, an altar sits shackled in heavy chains. Grim tapestries hang from the walls, each more unsettling than the last with disturbing imagery of death and sacrifice.

“Nice,” I murmur, wondering where they found such decor; honestly, it’d be a perfect fit for my own room, but now is not the time for shopping. I can’t get distracted.

I move towards the middle of the room, my eyes locked onto the blight as it edges away from me with wary steps. On the altar, I see a dagger with a bone-carved handle. It glows on display like a mystical offering. My fingers grasp the hilt, and I send a silent thank you to the voice for providing it. At least now I have something to defend myself with.

The door bursts open, causing the whole room to shake.

“Daisy?”

The chainsaw roars in response.

I whip my head up just in time to see a giant blight looming in the doorway, its yellow eyes burning like lanterns in the dark.

“Fuck.” This is bad.

Weapon in hand, I hover behind the table, my eyes darting between the creatures, searching for a sign of their next move. One blight seems more intimidating than the other. The smaller one tempts me with its promise of an easier fight, yet memories of my blonde-haired sister drift through my mind. I can’t leave this big fucker for her. Shit. Is this what falling in love feels like?

The hulking monster lumbers into the room, its gaze sweeping the shadows before locking onto me.

My arms tremble and I grip the dagger tighter. Fucking come on, Jason, don’t be a giant pussy. But who wouldn’t be terrified, staring down a colossal monster wielding a fucking chainsaw while armed with nothing but a dagger? If I fail, the creature will be free to find Daisy, and I can’t let that nightmare come true.

“Come on, big guy,” I mutter, “let’s dance.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the other blight slipping away into the shadows and vanishing. That monster is a coward, but at least it allows me to focus entirely on the one in front of me.

I prowl around the altar, knife still gripped tight, every muscle tensed to strike. My heart pounds like a war drum while I march towards victory. Or my doom.

The monster’s chainsaw roars, and I can hardly believe I’m facing such madness.

Smoke coils through the air, stinging my eyes. Sweat trickles down my face and I take a deep breath, slowing my racing pulse before darting forward.

The blade flashes in the candlelight, slicing into the creature’s arm. It snarls and swings, the chainsaw buzzing close as I twist away.

Moving fast, I circle around to outmaneuver this massive terror.

I dive in again, aiming for its hand, hoping a wound will loosen its hold on the chainsaw. The blight raises his arms, and I miss.

“Fuck.”

The monster grins, its teeth gleaming as it prepares to strike again. It moves faster than I expect and I spot the attack just in time, lunging out of reach. The vibrations raise the hair on my arms. That was too fucking close.

With a guttural snarl, the blight throws the chainsaw away, frustration etched across its face. My shoulders slump forward.

That moment of relief is my mistake.

Muscles rippling, it charges forward, and this time, I’m too slow.

I crash to the ground, groaning, my back slamming against the tiled floor while I’m pinned beneath the blight’s crushing weight, each breath ripped from my lungs in frantic gasps.