Candlelight

834 words



Casey backed across the carpet using her good leg until she felt the cold, solid wall pressed against her back. The candlelight flickered, held in a shaking hand, reflecting off the stark white bone that protruded from her shin. The agony seemed distant compared to the nightmare that threatened to strip her of her sanity. It waited just beyond the feeble circle of candlelight. Its taunting, guttural voice floated in from the darkness.

"It will burn out soon," it said.

"Leave me alone," she said.

She could hear the pleading in her voice as she pressed harder against the wall. Hot wax dripped on her hand, the flame only inches from her tender skin. It was right. There wasn't much left of the candle. She peered around her, trying to make sense of her situation.

The Ouija board lay on the carpet. Its broken planchette lay shattered off to one side. A severed leg, only moments ago still attached to her friend, protruded from the darkness. The big toe poked through a hole in the blood-soaked sock, pointing at her in accusation.

'It wasn't my fault,' she though.

Her friend's shrill screams, abruptly silenced by the beast's savage attack, still echoed in her head. She tried to help, but a mere swipe of its massive, hairy arm swept her aside like a nuisant fly, breaking her leg in the process.

The creature's mirth seemed to grow as if it could sense her thoughts. It emitted a deep, throaty chuckle.

How often had they played with the board? It was only a game. Not real, just a game!

Absently, she flicked the light switch, but it did nothing.

Through a window, lightning flashed a reminder of why, revealing the hulking shape for a heartbeat. It recoiled from the sudden flash but resumed to loom in the shadow when the room faded to darkness again.

Thunder rumbled, shaking the house.

"Why are you doing this?" she said.

She couldn't control the trembling in her voice.

"You summoned me," it replied.

"Then I un-summon you!"

"It doesn't work that way. You play games without knowing the rules."

"What do you want?"

"Blow out the flame so we can be done with this," it said.

She forced herself up on her good leg. Her arms pistoned out to her sides to keep her balance. The candle nearly escaped her grip. The creature lurched closer, its bestial snout sniffing the air, anticipating the coming darkness. She held onto it, and the wain light maintained its feeble glow. The beast leaned back on its haunches.

"Your friend was delicious. I can only hope you will taste as sweet," it said.

Its voice took on a taunting sneer.

"Go away!" she screamed.

More wax dripped onto her fist, searing the fine hairs on the back of her hand. She ignored the pain as she lurched along the wall, taking care not to put weight on her broken leg.

Focusing on the vague shape beyond the candlelight, she bumped into an end table, knocking a magazine to the floor, nearly dropping the candle.

The beast leaned toward her eagerly. She thrust the candle out. The creature shied away.

The candle was near its end, the heat becoming increasingly unbearable with each passing second as the flame devoured the tallow. The beast stood poised, like a leopard, ready to pounce the second the light failed.

Her shoulder brushed another wall -- trapped in a corner with no way out. The only exit teased her from the far side of the room. Her breath quickened as panic set in. She watched helplessly as the candle dwindled towards its end.

An idea popped into her mind. The magazine!

With frantic hands, she tore out a page, crumpled it, and thrust it into the dying flame. But the candle burned out, plunging the room into darkness.

The beast bellowed a triumphant roar. It rushed forward. Its victorious howl reverberated in Casey’s ears. She braced herself against the impending onslaught. But just as the hulking form reached for her with talon-like claws ready to flay her skin and a muzzle filled with razor-sharp teeth eager to taste her flesh, the magazine page ignited.

The creature jerked back convulsively from the sudden illumination, its howls of victory changing to curses of agony.

Casey dropped the burning page, quickly feeding the fire with more sheets. The flames grew, casting the room in a bright glow and revealing the grotesque monster. It fled from the growing brightness, its rage-filled eyes searching for a retreat. The beast lurched toward the Ouija board.

The blaze spread, consuming the carpet and furniture and rapidly engulfing the curtains.

Casey screamed in defiance, watching as the entity became a streak of black smoke that fled back into the board.

Yet her victory was short-lived. The entire room was in flames. Frantically searching for a way out, she soon realized there was none. Tears of resignation streamed down Casey’s cheeks as she realized she had no escape.