26 May 2012
Darkness. I had never liked it, and this place was filled to the brim with it. Upon lighting my torch, I was relieved to see some of the church after the blackness that had previously been there. A slight wind slowly travelled through the ancient building. As I slowly turned my head towards the front of the vast room, I noticed a pile of books upon a shelf. I decided that some sign of human life or existence would ease my anxiety and calm me down. There were many books, all very bulky, and I picked up one of the books nearer to the top of the pile. I studied it and noticed that it was a Latin to English translator. Most likely for translating the Latin Bible to English. Regardless of that, I looked up the phrase that I had noticed on the fountain earlier: ‘Cave malo cubilia’. I slowly found all of the words: ‘Cave’ I found to mean ‘beware’; ‘malo’ I found to mean ‘evil’; ‘cubilia’ I found to be ‘lair’. I was confused for a moment: Beware evil lair? That didn’t make any sense. Then I realised what it meant: Beware the lair of evil. I laughed to myself. Not really a believer in superstitions or mythical happenings, I shrugged it off and moved on. Suddenly, the great marble doors which I had carelessly left open slammed with a huge deafening noise behind me. I quickly turned, my heart pumping at a thousand miles an hour. In the shock that had just shaken my whole body, I dropped my torch, slipped on to the floor, and felt the stone collide against my skin... Once again, darkness conquered the church, and engulfed me in its shadows. I fumbled on the floor, searching for my reassuring beacon of light. Just as I grabbed it, I heard footsteps behind me. In my haste, I pulled out my shotgun and pumped it, cautiously lighting the torch and looking around. Nothing was there. I breathed a sigh of relief as my heartbeat steadily decreased. I looked around the vast structure of this magnificent building. The roof, cracked in many places, looked as if it were about to collapse in on itself at any moment. The walls, cold as ice, stood supporting the ceiling. Crystal chandeliers dangled from the roof, swaying to and fro in time with the oncoming gusts of wind. Beautiful stained glass windows covered the walls. The many wooden pews in the church were all beautifully polished, as though they had been treated regularly every day. Cobwebs clung on to the many corners of the building, attempting to trap anything that would stumble upon it. Thunder echoed through my ears. As I edged towards the eastern side of the church, I stumbled upon a grand, golden door. It had the notorious danger sign, the skull and crossbones, engraved into it. Nevertheless, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to venture into the mysteries beyond the door. As I cautiously pushed open the door, as if a huge burst of energy had just burst through the church, the whole place zapped into life. All the torches on the walls and the chandeliers lit up, and the organ in the corner of the church started playing loud, meaningless notes. Even the walls seemed to be slowly vibrating, as if in struggle to burst out of their inanimate state and explode into life. Seconds later, everything fell silent again. The church once more became a cold and isolated place. The only noise that I could hear was my heart slowly pumping. I carefully and quickly slipped through the gold door and it sealed itself behind me. There was no turning back now...
If you liked this, please like and repost, to show your support. Part #3 will come out soon!
Beware Of The Lair - #2 • Opuss № I