Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'There it is again!' Sebastian screamed in his head.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
The unnerving sounds were coming from above him. The repetition in the otherwise silent log cabin was harassing his calm. He squirmed beneath the covers.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'I think... it's right above me.' His panic was growing as the darkness of the room swallowed him whole. This might as well be a cave.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'I think something is upstairs. This was supposed to be a safe place. This was where we agreed to ride out the heat. We'd escape our past, the mistakes we've made. It was just supposed to be one last job. What Hell hound has found me? What demon threatens to steal my soul?!'
"I said I was sorry!" The screaming in his head manifested into a vocal volcano erupting at the entity above him.
Silence.
Sebastian exhaled the breath he had been holding for the last ten minutes.
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'Crap, I'm done.' He grabbed the top of the blankets covering all but the real estate north of his nose and made a hundred plans to throw off the sheets and run for the light switch, but the fear kept him cemented in the make believe safety of his flannel cocoon.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'Is it getting louder? Does that mean it's getting bigger or closer?'
'Is it coming through the ceiling? Is it coming for me? It's coming for me. It's coming for me. Oh my God. I'm so sorry. What was on that file to cause all this trouble?' His whimpers brought tears to his cheeks.
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He screamed a wailing cry in his head.
'What was that?' A familiar blue light flickered from the chair beside the bed like a lighthouse on a foggy night. 'My phone.' He thought.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'It's getting faster!' He threw back the covers and boosted his tired torso toward the chair a few feet away, his feet tangled in the sheets. Sebastian found the source of the light.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
His hands landed on his phone and the the cold steel of a German luger, both laying atop a duffel bag full of 250,000 dollars soaked in red droplets of blood.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
He flew back under the covers, both hands loaded.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
"Who are you?!!" The only answer to his cries was the same coded message from above.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
He brought up the dim light of the cell phone and checked the signal. 'Dammit, no service. Of course, I'm in the middle of nowhere; where no one would find me....'
"Except for this bloody monster!"
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'Is that a code? Think, boy scout. Did I learn that one? Who's up there?'
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
"Who's there?!!" He pierced the night with his scream.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.802Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqa6eAR4jjA
Faster even.
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'Only thirteen percent left.' The thoughts were beginning to jumble in his mind. He found the flashlight button in his settings menu and flicked it on blinding himself. He adjusted to the bright light and peeked out over the covers armed with the photonic beams. He scanned the ceiling like a search light looking for prison escapees.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
His eyes still burned, but he tried squinting to see if there was any visible threat from above. He saw nothing except rafters and floating spots.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'Where are you? WHAT are you?' He whispered in his head.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
"Just kill me!" The whimpers became sobbs.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
BLAM BLAM. BLAM BLAM BLAM. He shot wildly into the air. Dust and wood chips flew everywhere, some landing on his hands and some in his nose and eyes. The dust mixed with the snot and the tears causing him to sneeze and rub his eyes vigorously. Small abrasions formed on his eye lids, drops of blood mixing with the tears streaming down his cheek.
He laughed hysterically through the blood stained tears. "I got you! I got you, you mothe-"
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
It was even faster now. He flicked on the phone again. A beep signaled that he had under ten percent left. He was sobbing with no signal, staring at the screen of his phone. He watched the percent slowly dissipate.
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9%
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
8%
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
7%
He steeled himself and dried his eyes. He looked into the camera and pressed the record button.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
"There it is again," he said into the camera that was looking up his nose and at down-slanted eyes. "I don't know who or what it is, but it's coming for me and I don't have much time. I did it, and at first, I didn't care that I did it. I was angry and there was a lot going on! I just tried to get out of there."
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
He shivered, looking up in horror. He looked back down to the camera, you could see his mouth now as he relaxed his hands in defeat. "She just got in the way. I didn't mean to shoot her, but all she had to do was give me my cut! Why did she have t-"
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
"Dammit. Why'd she have to try to take the bag from me?" He cried uncontrollably. Through his tears he looked up and swore he saw something lowering itself from the ceiling.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'It's coming!'
"I can see it's... it's eyes!" They're coming for me!"
BLAM. He threw one more bullet to the rafters. Dust surrounded him in the frame of the camera. He lowered his eyes.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
BEEP. BEEP.
5%
"Whatever is on that file, whoever that Spectre chick was, i hope it was worth it. I'm sorry lover... I'm sorry."
The camera panned slowly to the ceiling as the phone released from Sebastian's grip and landed on his torso. Glistening movements could be made out above him in the first break of dawning light.
BLAM.
A momentary silence was rendered.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
From the ceiling above the dying body of the young thief, four pairs of eyes, eight legs, and two fangs delicately remade it's web across the bullet holes newly formed in the wood. 'These will make great traps,' the spider thought.
Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap. Tap tap swish.
'Stupid boy.'
<♤>
The greatest monster we have ever known is not one of the creatures prowling in the dark. It's not the monster snarling in the haunted woods. It's not even the ghosts from our past... it is the demons inside ourselves. The guilt that wills us awake and drives us mad. Our own mind that will not let go of our own souls until we are relieved of our own hauntings.
Tap tap.
I.
Tap tap tap. Tap. Tap.
S. E. E.
Tap tap swish.
U.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
