Faith

"Just hand me the damn crucifix!" Heimileria urged me. 

"I'm sorry! Here, take it. Hurry!" I yelped, scared.

10:28 PM - realisation

Jack found the lock pick from a precarious pile of junk and frantically ran up to the door with it; he picked out the lock in a flash. The ominous, unholy breaths surrounding me made my stomach churn in a knot. Heimileria stared at me. As white as a ghost. She groaned as her skin began to wrinkle unpleasantly. I was stunned at what I was witnessing; the hotel was filled with eeriness. Was there anyone out here? Is something possessing Heimileria? I apprehensively gaped at Jack straight away. He expressed a worried look on his face. Heimileria fell down to the ground and started wheezing. She continued to develop wrinkles all over her body. Heimileria’s beautiful blue eyes turned into a blood red shine. Her soft small hands tightened into powerful fists. She continued to huff and puff. Somehow, the breath sounded so familiar. Wait… 

 9:00 PM - FLASHBACK 

Heimileria could hear it too. The shallow panting of something unknown. Jack gave us a vexed look. The next door had an almost illegible piece of writing on it. I just managed to make out what it said: UNHOLY CREATURES ARE THINGS YOU WILL PERCEIVE. A PLACE EVEN WORSE THAN WHAT YOU CAN BELIEVE. YOU CANNOT TRUST ANYONE FROM THIS DOOR. IF YOU’RE TOGETHER YOU CREATE WAR. YOU DARE TO STAY. KEEP YOUR CHOICES AT BAY. SEEK NORTH. HAVE FAITH.  Stavrós…

The breaths kept getting more tumultuous. My heartbeat was the only thing I could hear apart from it. Some omniscient thing could hear us, see us, feel us in this desolate place. Whatever this nightmare was, I couldn't figure out what to do. I glanced at the word Stavrós. The words together obtained a cruel feeling to it. The door swung wide open and showed us 3 pathways. I looked at my mates. Jack pushed Heimileria into the first one and the magical pathway fades its entrance into nothing. I looked at Jack and he nodded. I nodded.

10:37 PM - possessed 

Jack took cover in a wardrobe. I ducked under the bed and breathed as quietly as possible. The pitch black darkness lured into my brain. My ears were my only sane sense. Heimileria, or should I say ‘the apparition’, sluggishly moved around the room with an appalling dark face and neon red eyes. Dun, dun, dun. My heartbeat reached 200pm, and I started hallucinating. Get out, get out, GET OUT! Blood red words in my head. Dun, dun. Dun, dun. Is it my heartbeat or Heimileria? I moved my head as slow as a sloth waking up from its nap. Unfortunately, my skull cracked from the air compressing and I immediately stopped. Heimileria turned around with her petrifying face. My brain went numb. She stepped to the cart of the bed. I saw her wonky legs bending down. Her eyes haunted me with its evil red colour. She smiled with her crooked teeth and I felt her hand grab at me. 

11 o’clock PM - death

Jack hung next to me on a strong elastic band. His leg bled as a huge nail pierced it through the wall. His arm red from the elastic band, blocking his blood circulation. The ghastly Heimileria stood in front of him and said, “Stavrós… Crux… Cruce. Kill… kill.” Heimileria leaped onto Jack and bit his neck. 

Jack screamed in agony as he tried to fight her off. But Heimiler wasn’t a normal person anymore. It was susceptible to an unholy ghost that had taken control of her. It was hell in a handbasket. Seeing this before my eyes was even worse than a train crash. Before Jack’s soul left his body, I saw him word out something with his lips. Cruelscifc? I wasn’t able to understand what he tried to say. Before I could reply, the only thing that remained was his pierced leg on the wall. I got ready for a similar faith. I thought about a solution that I could’ve tried to escape this horrid destiny. Cruelscifc, Jack had given me another hint. That vexed look. How do I figure this out? Curelvex, crooked. Stavrós… a German word. Crucifix. I looked up with my weak and dazed head and discerned out a cross. I cascaded my eyes to Heimileria. She looked perfectly fine now. I wasn’t dead! The only difference I saw on me was a deep laceration on my arm.

“What are you doing up there?” she asked me.

“Just waiting to die,” I said back. 

She gave me a bewildered look and set me free. 

“W..w..where’s Jack?” Heimileria stuttered. 

“In a safer world…” I mumbled.

A moment of silence rose upon us. We shared our condolences for Jack's faith and made up a quick encomium for him. I explained to Heimileria what we had to do.

11:11 PM - optimistic hope

I grabbed the holy spirit. Then, we vacated the room and ventured forth. The predominant plan was to find an exit from this hell. Heimileria took the lead and kept a maternal eye on me. All of a sudden, a glow disturbed the peace we had. And it followed us. I began to get worried. Then the worst happened, a shallow pant was heard. Then a deeper one. Heimileria and I dashed forward as fast as we could. The hype music filled my head. It was a do or die situation. My head was filled with thousands of thoughts that I nearly bashed into a closed door. I had to be cautious. Crazy enough though, we came across an elevator. This unique elevator had a familiar symbol. Jesus Christ. 

"Hand me the crucifix," Heimileria told me.

“No, I’ll do it. I know what to say,” I replied back.

“So do I! You can do the last part,” she screamed. 

"Ok I trust you, take it. Hurry!" I yelped, scared.

She chanted a saying:

‘Stavrós, by holy Jesus, I beg you to take forth. Give us a way and show us north. I hereby ask you to take our anxiety away; as you care about us. All our faith relies thus. I hope you grant us and show us the light. And show us peace and adequate daylight. 

The crucifix lit up and elegantly rose high. It moved back and created a force shield. 

“Oh, evil spirits go away! Unholy spirits stop your way. By our own wounds, we grow strong and heal. This bloody scare is now covered with seal,” I strongly address. 

Safe - 12:00 AM

Heimileria looked at me. I looked back at her.

“Hold up. How did we get there again?” she cheerfully asked.

I laughed. It was a time to celebrate; however, despite being safe and having broken loose from our haunted adventure, it devastated us that Jack wasn’t here with us. Even though I didn’t tell Heimileria how he passed away, I could tell by her face that she already knew. 

“Well, faith couldn’t save all of us. Jack will still be close to us,” I comforted.

“Thanks Prudence,” she smiled.

“How did you have knowledge of the chant?” I questioned inquisitively.

“Remember when I was acting like a monster? I still had my actual soul stuck in it. I tried to fight it, but the haunted thing pushed me back. While I was waiting for it to leave. I also tried to work out that difficult problem, looks like we both got the same answer!” Heimileria replied.

“I knew you were my friend,” I laughed.

Heimileria gave me a grin and hugged me. What a thrill. Life is really an quest with grief and delight.