Cursed ✔️

17. The Next Victim

The sky turned into a mixed shade of pink, orange, and yellow and then the clouds began gathering and turned black in no time. They covered the entire town and it was as if the whole town was engulfed in the darkness. John saw the shadow disappeared when the library illuminated for a second as the lightning struck and its sound echoed through the library and outside.

The lights flickered for a moment and then came back on.

"I think we should go now," Hannah suggested looking at the weather through the windows.

"Let's go," John replied picking up his backpack from the side of the table and slung it with one strap on one shoulder.

When the trio stepped their foot outside, it was already drizzling. The streetlights were on whose light gave the idea of the speed of the rain. The trees were swaying from side to side as if they were dancing to the cold breeze that was blowing. The speed at which the winds were flowing appeared to be picking up every minute.

"Amm Guys? How are we supposed to go? We don't have raincoats or umbrellas?" Emily asked looking at the weather.

"Good thing I saw the weather forecast before leaving though," John said proudly taking out the umbrellas from his backpack.

"Oh, great John! What can we ever do without you? Thank you, brother." Hannah teased him.

John rolled his eyes and giggled.

On the street, people were running to find shelter or to head home fast, the car lights were blinking, indicating their rush to head home. The shops were beginning to close down. Everyone was in a hurry to go home or to a safe place before the weather turns from bad to worst.

The trio was walking on the sidewalk. On their way back, Hannah was nudging John which caught Emily's attention.

"Something wrong?" Emily asked seeing the brother-sister whispering.

"Nothing." John casually replied looking down. Through the lights from the street lamps, he saw the water was all over his white Nike shoes which were getting dirty from the mud.

"John!" Hannah whispered and poked John. She wanted to let Emily know about all the happenings too but John was reluctant to tell.

"But you have to. She is our friend. She has to know too."

"I can't. No." John looked to another side.

"Is there something you want to say?" Emily asked Hannah turning her head and holding her umbrella with both her hands as the winds were getting strong. Their whispering had started to bother her.

"Emily, we wanted to share something with you." Hannah started.

"Go on."

And then, Hannah and John told her every single unearthly event that had happened so far connecting everything with the stone.

When they had finished, Hannah didn't see the surprise-really-can't believe-eyes popping reaction she was hoping for. Rather she saw a face which was shocked for sure but quiet. Strangely quiet.

"Amm...I have to tell you something too." Emily confessed and began to whisper. " Well, I had also encountered this mysterious event once too." A shiver ran through her spine, not because of the chilling winds but going into the flashback remembering the uncanny event.

"When?" Hannah asked. She could see that whatever was the event, it had definitely made an impact on Emily but not in a good way.

"Last night, when I was getting ready to go to bed. When I had come out of the bathroom after having washed my face and got into my pajamas, I was wiping my face and then I heard someone whisper my name. I looked around but no one was there. I asked my mom if she called me, but she didn't. I thought I misheard. But then after some time, I heard it again. This time it sounded as if the source of the sound was closer to me. I searched my room again but nothing. I thought I was going insane."

"What was the whispering sound like?" John interrupted. He feared that maybe it could be the sound of the girl which Harry & he heard and whose shadow he saw.

"It was an unsettling sound of a little girl."

John gulped a knot of saliva hearing this.

"Do you think-" Hannah looked towards John.

"I'm afraid so, yes."

"Then what happened?" Hannah looked back at Emily.

"Well, then I sat on the dressing chair, combing my hairs, and then, suddenly, I saw two glowing eyes which reflected on my mirror which kept staring at me. The whole background was dark and those eyes were the only thing which was there. For a moment, it caused my heart to stop for a second. It was so frightening. But I didn't see anyone there. Only a pair of eyes which were glowing."

"Were they red?" John asked as he imagined the eyes when he saw them in Harry's house.

"Yes. They were. I was so terrified. I heard my mom calling for me but I just couldn't move. I just froze. The eyes never blinked. Not even once. And then all of a sudden, two hands cupped near the eyes and then banged on the window glass. No, body. Only the eyes and the hands. I was too scared to turn around. After a while, when my mom entered my room, it vanished all of a sudden. I went outside to see if there was someone who was pulling a prank or something, but I found nothing that could confirm what I was thinking. No footprints, no tampering with the bushes, no nothing but only the white handprints on the glass which disappeared in thin air after a while."