<the.encounter>
Nick lay in the darkness of his large bedroom. A fire was crackling in the far-left corner. Nick lay beneath the silk sheets and warm white comforter. A comfort indeed in the cold castle like home. His head rested with his golden hair on a feather pillow covered with a silk and lace pillowcase.
Nick hummed quietly to himself trying to block out the sound that had been going on continuously for the past hour. The noise sounded like chains banging harshly off rocks. He began to wonder if he was the only one that heard it.
He tried putting the noise as his imagination, but he knew that it was more than just that. He lifted his watch to his tired blue eyes and read what it displayed upon him, 11:45 p.m.
Nick got up carefully, so as not to creak the bed. Even though he knew that the bed would not creak, he probably would have felt better if it did, the silence was the scary part.
Nick opened the as quietly as it would let him, and peered out into the dimly lit hall. The lights that were no more than 15 watts were strung from thin cable lines that looked ready to break. They were hung on the carved stone ceilings about 10 feet away from each other.
He turned first to his right, towards Aaron and Angel's room, then towards his left to the locked door he tried opening earlier. A crack of light peeked through the opening of the now unlocked door.
Curiosity summoned Nick like he was a leopard going after its prey. As he got closer the hair on his body began to stand on end, sweat beaded his forehead and began to roll down in little trickles. The fear and anticipation was eating him alive.
A foul smell greeted his nose as he crept inches closer. His nose was inches away from the door and its frame. Nick's breathing was in heavy labored breaths. His whole body was trembling, afraid of what he might find in the room. As he reached the point where it was as far as he could go, the stench began overwhelming. The rotting sourness almost choking him, and filling his lungs with what seemed like a poison gas.
Nick closed his eyes and tried to breathe in a fresh breath of air. After his attempt failed he opened his eyes and could clearly see what looked like to be the left wall of the room.
It was splattered with red paint, the whole thing looked like some one sprayed it from far away with a red spray paint bottle. Nick peered closer, some of it was rolling down the wall in little streaks, freshly done. He knew then and by a weak groan from inside, that it was not paint, it was blood.
Nick lifted his trembling fingers to the doorknob and prepared himself to pull open the door and look and maybe save what ever was inside.
Just as the tips of his fingers touched the round knob, something or someone pulled him back quickly, knocking him to the freshly waxed wooden floors.
Nick shook with fear as he peered up to the creature that scared him half to death. He felt like everyone in the hallways and in the house could hear his heart widely thumping. As his eyes reached the top of the pale slender form, them came to eyes of pure ice.
"God Sammy you scared me"
Sammy stayed completely still, letting the dim lighting cast shadows across her eerie features. "I thought I told you to stay out of there." she growled. Then she took a skeleton key from her hunter green old-fashioned dress pocket. "S-sorry" he whispered, standing up so that he towered over her a good three inches. He watched Samantha slam and lock the door beside them. She pointed one of her long fingers tipped off with fresh red nail polished nails, into his face.
"You stay away from the locked doors Nick, you're going to pay for not listening to me once."
Nick nodded quickly and watched as she backed away, not once letting her evil glare leave his eyes. She turned her heel and walked briskly down the hallway letting her black shoes click and be heard even after she was out of view.
Nick closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, he knew that if anyone walked by they would notice him shaking.
Slowly without leaving the wall or opening his eyes he moved towards his room, almost falling into it. Once inside he closed the door and slid his back down it, letting himself hug his knees trying to calm his heart.
He thought about what Samantha said. Maybe the things behind closed doors, was just something he didn't want to bother with or know about. He thought some more, what did she mean by pay? What was Nick going to pay with?
He remembered her eyes. He remembered her dress, the blood... there was blood stains on her dress, and her hands, and...
He remembered something else, a necklace, no an amulet. An oval green crystal surrounded by a gold frame, when did she get that? The carving in the middle was the same as the carving he had seen on the inside of the door. He didn't get a close enough look on either of them to know what they were, but he knew they were the same.
All of this was scaring Nick something fierce. Slowly he walked to his bed and climbed in pulling the covers up around his neck. And wished for sleep.
.
.