"In the stillness of the night, beneath the star's soft glow, I see you, dear sister, in dreams that gently flow. Your laughter, like a melody, dances in the air, and in your eyes, I find a reflection of care."
Jessica felt herself wandering through her sub-conscious mind. The melody sounded familiar to her, but she couldn't recall it, as if it were lost somewhere beneath the dark abyss of her memory. Her ears strained to hear more, defying her mind's compulsion to let go and save her energy, which was dripping from each and every minute.
As each water droplet hit her forehead, her mind seemed too heavy for her body to handle. Her eyes were adamant not to open, and the only organs that were supporting her defying spirit were her clamoring heart and the dark recesses of her sub-conscious memory.
"In your laughter, I hear the melody of grace. In your tears, I see the sorrow I'd embrace. Through every trial, I'll be your steadfast guide. With arms open wide, I'll stay by your side."
Jessica's voice quivered as the long-forgotten song clawed its way back from the depths of her memories. She struggled to speak, the words tasting bitter on her tongue. "In the tapestry of time, our bond is woven deep. In your dreams, may you find the promises to keep. For in me, dear sister, you'll always find a friend. With a love that's unyielding, that knows no end."
Suddenly, the earpiece cracked back to life, deafening her ears with an enormous, echoing laughter. "Aah! So you do remember the song, huh? And I must say I'm quite impressed to find you still alive, as you too should breathe your last along with this filthy population!"
Jessica's nerves wracked within her, anger stemming up like a volcano that was about to erupt. "How do you know this song? Jayden sang-" Her voice faltered as tears seemed to drench her vocal chords. Jayden sang this song to me when we were young!
Once again, laughter echoed throughout, ecstasy laced in its tone as if it were enjoying each and every minute. "Hmm, let me think... where exactly did I hear this song?" He gave a dramatic pause, clearly enjoying the whimpering cries heard through the other end. "Aah! Yes! Your brother sang this as his body was engulfed in flames when I burned him!"
Jessica kicked the water beneath her feet, ignoring the surging pain of the cilice cutting deep into her hands. She cried aloud, her voice resonating throughout the enclosed dome-like structure. "Why did you do that? You are so brutal! I wish you die a-" Before she could finish, her body dozed back to sleep.
Eighty-five miles away, the neighborhood of Graciá seemed peaceful and quite as usual, except for the house of the new tenant. The man slumped back on his chair, his stomach pleading within him to stop laughing. He looked at the screen before him and shook his head. "Stupid girl! Why waste your energy, darling?"
As he rose from his seat, he heard a small whimper behind his window sill. Fear surged throughout his body, sweat dripping off his forehead. He grabbed a small penknife from the table and moved towards the window. With trembling hands, he opened the window, but as soon as he saw who it was, he exhaled deeply and rolled his eyes. A puppy?
He picked the small Welsh Corgi into his arms and ruffled its soft fur. "Now, what are you doing here?" He peered down the window sill and saw a garbage can right beneath the window. So that's how you ended up here!
He put the puppy down and moved towards the seat when a rumbling noise erupted from his tummy. He shut down the screen and took the puppy in his arms. "Let's make some lunch, shall we?"
He moved downstairs to the kitchen, which gave off an antic aura. He put down the puppy, opened the fridge, and took out some vegetables. His eyes rummaged throughout the fridge to find some meat, but to his dismay, he didn't find any. It's not safe for me to go outside to buy something.
His eyes darted throughout the kitchen to find something but failed. Looks like I'll have to adjust with these vegetables. Grunting to himself, he took a pan from beneath the drawer and heated it. Suddenly, his eyes darted to the small Corgi, who was now happily circling around him. He observed it intently, and a malicious smile crept across his lips. Or maybe not!
Outside the house, a man in his fifties was desperately trying to find his dog. "Leo, where are you?" He rang up all the houses in the neighborhood but came up empty-handed. Suddenly, his eyes took in the house at the far end of the street. Aah the new tenant!
He ran up to the house and rang the doorbell. His nose took in the exhilarating scent of what smelled like a yummy lunch. The door opened to reveal an exuberant young man who flashed a wide smile. "How may I help you?"
"Hey, I'm Agustin, and I live just a few houses farther. My dog went missing, and I have been desperately trying to find him for the past fifteen minutes. Have you happened to see him? He's a Welsh Corgi, by the way, about six weeks old."
The man gave out a small laugh and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I haven't seen any puppies around my house. Now, if you may excuse me, my soup is boiling and I'm starving; I haven't had lunch, you see."
Agustin's smile dropped, but he was curious to know more about the new tenant. "Mind if I join you for lunch? Haven't had mine too." He saw that the man was fumbling nervously, but he shook away his thoughts. He's probably nervous.
As he entered the house, he saw the portraits of famous atheists and was wonderstruck. "Beautiful portraits! Oh, my bad, I didn't catch your name." To his surprise, he found that the man was searching through thin air as if he didn't know his name.
"Oh, uh-uhm, it's Co-Cilio!" The man gave an awkward laugh and walked towards the kitchen. Agustin followed behind him, his senses taking in the strange yet eerie atmosphere of the home. The hall smelled of brewing soup, and on cue, his stomach grumbled with it. He took a seat at the small, round dining table and waited for his lunch to be served.
The man watched Agustin from the glass shelf beside the stove. I'd better send him away; the longer he stays, the tougher it will be for me. He grabbed a bowl, poured in a handful of the soup, and placed it before his guest. "Enjoy!"
Agustin took a sip of the soup and marveled at the taste. "Wow! It tastes amazing. What meat is it, by the way?" The meat felt like marshmallows in his mouth, and he had a hard time differentiating the texture.
The man smirked and began to drink his own soup. "I'm not sure. Local beef, I suppose."
Agustin slurped the last bit of the soup and dabbed his mouth with the edges of his handkerchief. "By the way, do you know anything about the journalist and her son who live beside your house? Haven't seen them in days."
A sudden, exhilarating vigor reverberated inside the man as his mind recalled the shrills and shrieks of the woman and her son inside the acid barrel. "I'm not quite sure. I'm not quite an extroverted person and tend to keep to myself."
Agustín smiled and got up from his seat. He took the bowl and moved towards the sink when he heard the man call behind him. "I could do that myself, you know."
Agustin shook his head and opened the tap. "That's alright. I love to clean up after I eat." Suddenly, he felt his body go rigid when his eyes picked up some fur beside the sink. With trembling hands, he picked up the fur and felt it with his fingers. His eyes bulged out as his stomach wanted to belch what he had eaten. Leo!
Suddenly, he heard the main door getting locked, and an eerie song filled the halls. "In the heat of the day, beneath the sun's hot stare, you stumbled upon my lair, unaware. Through twisted halls, you dared to roam, now trapped in darkness, far from home."
Agustin gulped, his neck drenched with sweat. As he turned, a sharp pain surged through his head, and he fell into oblivion. The man placed the hammer on the table and drank the last bit of his soup. "So surrender now to the cold embrace; in this haunting realm, you've found your place. For in the echoes of your final breath, you'll understand the meaning of your death."
Eighty-five miles away, HydraHepA ticked like an inferno to twelve hours, its ominous countdown echoing the relentless march towards catastrophe.
YOU ARE READING
Dungeon
Mystery / Thriller{Featured ×4} In the heart-pounding world of 2082, where laws bend and twist like shadows in the night, seventeen-year-old Bryan Adams is thrust into a whirlwind of mystery and danger. Tormented by relentless nightmares of his father's tragic demise...
