Chapter 8
414words
A cold gust of wind blew just then, making me shiver all over. My mind cleared up a little more.
I stared at the dark abyss before me and had second thoughts. However, since I'd already promised Arielle I'd do it, I couldn't possibly get cold feet and back away now. My ego would be hurt if I did that.
The only thing left that I could do was to grit my teeth and head downward anyway.
Since there was no light, I used the faint flashlight on the back of my phone to look around and locate the ladder to go down.
It took me quite some effort to finally descend the ladder. However, I immediately caught a whiff of a rotting smell.
That was weird. Was Arielle storing food in her basement?
It even smelled like blood.
I took a step forward and stepped into a puddle. On instinct, I shone my light onto the ground and immediately let out a blood-curdling scream. I staggered backward at once before freezing in place as huge droplets of sweat formed on my forehead.
It had been a puddle of blood!
I shivered hard as I shone my phone light ahead of me. I was immediately greeted with the sight of a bloody bed in the middle of the basement, with cast iron chains lying haphazardly on the ground.
"What the hell? What's all this?"
I looked up and screamed my lungs out. Without thinking any further, I turned back to the ladder to get back up, wanting to leave this creepy, godforsaken place as quickly as possible.
However, as soon as I'd finished screaming, the trapdoor slammed shut, cutting off the only source of light in the basement.
The sound of the trapdoor slamming shut reverberated across my entire being, causing my heart to sink to my stomach. I couldn't breathe. My heart was also beating rapidly against my ribcage.
I didn't stop to think anymore. I immediately turned in the direction of the ladder and ran toward it.
But before I could feel for the end of the ladder, someone suddenly hit me in the back of the head with a stick. A cold, loud cackle rang out in the darkness.
I lost all consciousness and fell to the ground in a dead faint.
I could feel someone dragging me somewhere. The ground was wet and sticky, making me sick to my stomach.
