The gates were as black as night—the darkest she had ever seen. Their inky surface stirred her curiosity, making her wonder how she had never noticed such a vast, haunting, opulent property at the end of her estate's street. Rain began to fall again, and with each drop, her lateness grew; she was already three hours late to work. Yet, clutching her umbrella, she pressed on, questioning her purpose and the strange pull that brought her here.
Her mind churned with the thought that the graveyard freak had somehow stolen her work ID—a ploy to lure her into his den for unspeakable purposes. Perhaps he planned to have unrestrained fun with her all day, exploiting her vulnerability as she unwittingly passed through these sinister gates. The idea chilled her, and yet she felt compelled to confront the situation.
She had come alone; taking Haley, who was pregnant, would have endangered them both. Calling the police might have been wiser, but that thought only deepened her dread. Instead, she steeled herself to confront the creature directly, determined to make it clear that her fragile life was not an invitation for his twisted fantasies. He should find someone else to subject to his demented games.
Wish sighed deeply as the cold bit at her skin. Her eyes betrayed the stress of the moment, reluctant to draw attention by involving the authorities. She wanted nothing more than to confront this creep, to drive the point home that she had a crumbling life to salvage and no time for his ridiculous fantasies. He must seek another victim for his games.
Her determination to end this madness propelled her forward. She reached the gates and tugged them, surprised to find them unlocked—as if someone had expected her arrival. Foolishly, she stepped through, unaware that she was walking into a trap. With each step along the gravel path toward the front door, the rumbling sky echoed her rising apprehension. Although her umbrella shielded her from the rain, it could not dispel the sense of looming dread.
As she advanced, a shadowy figure observed her from two storeys above, its dark eyes fixed upon her every move. The gaze seemed to claim, "She is beautiful. She is all mine." Wish hesitated, torn between the impulse to knock and the fierce desire to assert herself. In her mind, she rehearsed a plan to deliver a resounding slap across his face, demand her card back, and warn him that any further disturbance would result in police intervention. Resolute, she set her umbrella aside, pulled down the cap of her hoodie, and raised her hand to knock on the ebony door.
Before her knuckles could meet the door, it swung open. A hooded figure stood in the entrance, exuding a demonic aura as though he belonged to an occult cult. His lips curled into an unnerving smile, and he stepped aside, silently inviting her in. "Hell no," she thought, her eyes widening in panic as she retreated a few hesitant steps from the threshold.
The hooded figure maintained his eerie smile, his skeletal hands hanging limply by his sides. In a voice that seemed to come from another realm, he declared, "His Majesty has been waiting all morning to receive you." Shocked, Wish's disbelief grew, but the words that followed left her trembling. "Please, come in and let me lead you to him," he said, his tone both inviting and ominous.
Every cautious step backward sent her heart pounding with the urge to escape. "Hell—no!" she murmured, questioning how she had become entangled in this twisted trap. The ensuing silence was overwhelming, leaving her shivering as though caught in a violent storm. She stared at the creature, whose towering presence rivaled that of the mysterious figure he mentioned, deepening her terror.
Then the creature spoke again in a voice that sent shivers down her spine: "His Majesty hates delays. Please, hold my hand…" At the mere mention of his hand, Wish recoiled in horror. The hand, a jumble of poorly wrapped phalanges beneath synthetic skin, filled her with mistrust. "And I will take you to him now," he finished. In that moment, her desire to confront him gave way to a single, overpowering need: to escape this eerie nightmare with every part of her intact, and to let the authorities sort out the aftermath.
"No... I'm kind of busy right now, so I'll leave and come back later," she stammered, nodding weakly in a futile attempt to stall. But before she could retreat, the creature lunged, seizing her hands and drawing her close, his breath hissing near her face. "His Majesty wishes to see you now, and he will," he pronounced. In that instant, terror overwhelmed her, and she whispered, "Oh, fuck." Her heart pounded with a mixture of defiance and terror as she realized her fate was sealed in this cursed encounter, and there was no turning back.