The Creatures That Dance In The Darkness

A luminescent stray of moonlight painted the walls of Gina’s room. She lay dormant in bed, wishing only to fall asleep. The clock had now ticked well over 2:00AM; she was still up. Staring gravely at the roof, she heard a knock. She bolted upright and surveyed her surroundings. Slightly terrified, she tossed her blanket to the side and flicked the light on—Nothing. Annoyed, she returned. Gina habitually found herself hearing things late into the night; this was nothing different from before. Now she lay in her bed once more. Her inability to drift off irked her very much. She shut her eyes to fall asleep, but nothing she tried worked. Now she watched the shadow of the willow tree outside sway on her wall. She contemplated—should she remain awake or again try to sleep? She could not draw a conclusion though. Her head snapped to the door—was someone knocking? Once more that peculiar noise rang from the door. Now completely terrified, she froze. Her gaze remained fixed on the door. Cautiously she rose. Stepping closer to the door with bravado, she feared what lay behind. Her hand gripped the cold handle. Gradually, she turned it. The door flew to the side; she was not surprised to discover that again, nothing was there. Relieved, she walked out of her room then into the kitchen. The tiny wall light danced as Gina poured herself a glass of water. Ominous creatures thrived in the glow of the wall light. Those creatures were the shadows of the food items that rested on the bench. The darkness that repleted the house was omnipresent. It, too, mimicked those little creatures. Well, at least in Gina’s eyes. She observed many nebulous creatures in the dark. Some tall, others thin and minute. It was another idiosyncrasy of Gina’s that happened at midnight. But, tonight those creatures felt somewhat strange. As if they were glaring directly at her. As if they were getting closer…? Were they getting closer? Gina peered at the shadows, she could not tell. Not until she felt an agonising sensation trickle through her body—instantly she broke into a cold sweat. She felt a glacial being grip her shoulder tightly; her body tensed and shut off. Standing dormant, the glass finally slipped through her hand and shattered on the ground. From what little vision remained, she observed the hoards of creatures charging toward her. She felt coldness creep through her eyes. Her inner body froze abruptly. Gina had completely lost her soul to the creatures. She was now a vessel for them.

Gina’s consciousness swayed. She lay in a place completely unknown to her. She looked at what lay around her. She was enclosed in what seemed to be a large salmon-coloured box. In front of her sat a lone desk with chairs. That was it. That was all that filled the room. Though the box was enclosed, it was well-lit. Suddenly the wall flashed. It was a screen of some sort. Now she studied the screen intently for it displayed her vision back at home—in her own body. Was she within her mind? Gina did not panic, she simply sat down and watched. The creatures now controlled her body. They went about her day, doing all her normal activities—morning routine, school, homework, netball. It had become tiresome hastily. She now studied the pink walls. They felt like cardboard; she could not destroy them though. She had attempted by hacking at it with the chair—victory did not follow. She switched to bashing the screen with it. Still, nothing. But as she bashed it, a little screwdriver had flown out of the chair leg. She picked it up and analysed it. ‘How peculiar’ she thought. Carefully deconstructing the table, she examined each piece for another tool—she didn’t find one. Frustrated, she returned to the wall and pierced it with the screwdriver. She smiled dangerously. Gliding it across the rough surface, a large tear had formed. Gina grabbed the large bench part that lay on the floor. She dragged it towards the wall where the tear was. Gripping it forcefully, she raised it up onto her shoulder. The weight pressed down on her intensely; she persevered through it. With all her force, she angled the bench and hurled it through the tear. She marvelled at the world that sat in front of her. She stepped out of the box and into the open. Dark clouds rumbled above, ghouls ran rampant and thunder crashed violently. Gina had no idea what the outside land would look like; it was definitely not this. She had no clue of where to go now—she was lost. Danger was prevalent here, Gina needed to find shelter quickly. She turned around to discover that the box had vanished. All that remained was an odd looking van. It was coated in a deep green and sported a weird symbol. Rushedly, she jumped into the van. Though she could not drive, it was her only option. She pressed down on the pedal and accelerated forward. Mere minutes had passed driving; the environment hadn’t changed at all. She continued forward in the harsh weather. The further she drove, the stronger her intuition grew; somehow, she knew exactly where to go. After a while, something seemed to be pulling on the vehicle—guiding it. The van continued forward in the exact direction Gina had been driving. Then it sped up. In seconds, it was going its fastest. Many ghouls were crushed by the van as it zoomed forwards. Gina screamed fearfully, terrified of what would happen next. Without warning, the van was thrown straight off a cliff. It plopped into the ocean below. The vehicle glided through the water. Forward lay something truly beautiful—a portal. Glowing white, it blinded Gina as the van disappeared into it.

She inhaled viciously, returning to her body. Breathing heavily, Gina now stood in the kitchen again, days later. The sun gleamed within the house, fighting off the darkness. For that, she was thankful.