Hermit’s Horror story 3 – Door Handle

DISCLAIMER: This story is rather NSFW, with numerous scenes of violence, blood, and gore. Any semblance to locations and or names is purely coincidental. Read of your own accord!

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“Well?” I speak in a soft but menacing tone “Are you ready? Then allow me to show you this story of mine! You are I now…” I begin my tale. You feel strange, dizzy, and within a blink of an eye, you find yourself where I describe. “He awoke in his bed, I awoke in my bed. Something awoke me, an all too familiar sound of a window banging against its frame.” 

I grunted and sat up in bed. A sigh escaped my lips as I got up. “Darling? What’s wrong?” a quiet shuffle under the blanket, and then a sweet tone of my wife’s voice catches my attention. I yawn and reply mid yawn – “Don’t w-aaaawwwnn-worry- about it, it’s nothing, I just… forgot to close the window it would seem” 

She lets out a sigh and turns to the other side – “Be quick then, I might get cold without you” I nod and head down the stairs, avoiding the creaky steps until I reach the bottom of the staircase. I plant my foot on the cold tile floor and let out a shriek – “aghh! C..cold!” remembering my wife’s warm embrace and the comfort of my bed, I hastily make my way over the cold tile floor onto the wooden floor of the living room, walking calmly now towards the open window. 

As I reach for the handle of the open window fluttering in the wind to pull it shut, something catches my eye. I look down onto the street, shrouded in mist and rain, a figure stands there, looking at me, or so I think, I can’t quite tell. Its face seemingly doesn’t exist. I slam the window shut and lock it, dismissing the strange figure, which seemed like a shadow standing in the rain. 

I take a step back, a chilling sensation freezes my body in place, a voice echoes behind me, or in my head, I can’t quite tell. “Come with me” says the voice, and obediently my body follows its command. I open my eyes to the bright light shining through the blinds. Lifting myself off the cold stone floor, I gasp as I look around – “where the hells am I?” my gaze darts around the room, I’m in a kitchen… an old school kitchen, I look down my body, I’m practically naked, wearing only underpants, and blood. 

I shriek in fright as I run my hands through the blood. I feel no pain, only the coldness of the stone floor beneath my feet. The blood, it isn’t mine.. What happened last night? Where am I? Surely it’s but a nightmare! I try to convince myself and pinch my forearm, hoping to wake up. The pinch smears blood from my blood-covered fingers onto the forearm, which was clean before. Pain, but nothing else. I whimper – “no.. this can’t be real!” I look around the room.

I see no bodies or traces of any kind of struggle.  “Did I? No way! Maybe it was an animal? Or self-defense?” I glance around the room once more. Nothing but dust catches my eyes. This kitchen, it’s old-styled and covered in a layer of dust. It has not been used in years. Bloodied footprints leading into the kitchen. I curiously look at my feet, yap, covered in blood. 

My heart is pounding. I can feel my own heartbeat in my throat. I must find the exit and help! I leave the kitchen, following the bloody footprints leading out. As I exit out of the kitchen and dining room onto the hallway, I glance around. My own bloody footprints are coming from the left, but a staircase leading down to the main lounge is to my right. 

I am standing on the 2nd floor. Old, dust-covered railings are the only thing that separates me from a 5-meter drop onto the main lounge. Cautiously approaching the old railing I lean against them with care and look down onto the abandoned castle lounge before me. Grand hall before me, plush red carpets decorating the hall and stairs. Railings and pillars are made from rosewood. I hear a creak, my eyes widen, my body freezes… 

The creak is coming from behind me, like someone standing on a squeaking floorboard, playfully bouncing on it. I swallow hard, my instincts telling me to jump. I gaze down onto the massive drop, my body is telling me to jump, my logic is telling me that broken legs and injured spine won’t allow me to get far. I let out a frightened whimper, turning my head slowly and reluctantly towards the direction of the creak, not knowing what to expect. To my surprise, I see nothing before me. 

I look down onto the floor to see a floorboard moving up and down, seemingly on its own. Instincts kick in as a chilling voice echoes in my head “run”. I obey and burst into a sprint, following my own bloody footprints on the floor, I care not where I run, I care not for who just spoke to me, all I know is that I’m experiencing searing pain, pain? What pain? “AAAGHHH!” I scream out of sharp, searing pain as claw tears through the skin on my back. Skin is torn open, blood spills out. 

The claws reached my bones. I could hear the squeak of claws as they scratched my vertebrae. I whimper, tears pouring out, my heart beating so fast I feel like I could die. My lungs are burning, but my legs won’t stop moving. I struggle to stay standing for a moment, but the adrenaline is quick to numb the pain and send me sprinting even fast than before. An inhumane growl follows me, low rumbling, but I hear no steps. ‘There’s nothing behind me’ tell me the logic! 

‘Run you fool’ tell me my instincts. I extend my left hand and grab onto the doorframe, throwing myself inside the room and kicking the door shut right behind me, I fall, land on my back, pain? There’s no pain but I whimper anyway! Scattering away and crawling, further from the door, I find myself hidden behind a sofa. My knees in my arms, my jaw trembles as I try to hold back crying. 

My body shakes, my heart still racing. My throat dry, my mouth thirsts. I wait and wait, seconds, minutes? Maybe hours passed, I know not, i care not. Nothing. The door remains closed. At last, I relax a little and reach over to feel for the wound on my back. There’s nothing but blood, but not my own blood. The pain is gone. 

Did I imagine it? The claws? The pain? That was no imagination. I felt it in every fiber of my being, the primal fear that engulfed me in that moment, the fear of being hunted. I stand back up to my feet, my knees trembling, gazing around the room I see 3 doors, one that I came through, and 2 others at the opposite walls. This room appears to be a library of sorts, a reading room, got a single sofa, a large bookshelf, a window, and a campfire! “WINDOW!” I exclaim.

Practically jumping towards it, I find myself staring out at nothing. Before me fog, dense as milk. I can see a bit of cobble road leading up to the castle I’m trapped inside. This window is far too high. Jumping is not an option. I clench my fist and turn around, starting at the campfire. To the side of it, I see a broken apart chair. The crackling of the fire makes me get lost in thought for a moment before snapping back to reality. I walk past it, staring at it as I walk away. 

Something feels off, something is unnatural about it.. “Safe journey, stranger” speaks a voice coming from the direction of the campfire. My eyes widen, my throat dries out, I see a shape now sitting beside it. In crude, rusted armor sits a man, smiling a threatening smile at me, the rest of his face is a blur. I dare not stare at him any longer, I grab a handle and twist it, the door swings open and I leap through it, slamming it shut behind me. 

I run and run and run, from room to room, my legs tirelessly carrying me through this strange castle. I slam another door shut behind me and lean against it, panting hard. My gaze is caught by an altar, atop of which lies a body, a set of barefoot bloody footprints leading out through the door which I just came through, the body on the altar looks familiar. 

My eyes widen, my knees give way. I fall to the floor a trembling mess. My hands cover my own mouth as I shiver and whimper, and then I puke. My stomach burning my throat as I throw up nothing but my own stomach acid. “No no no no no!” 

I whimper, slamming my fist on the floor as I slowly raise my head to look at the body on the altar once more, it is her, Sophia, my wife. Tears running down my cheeks, my body shakes as I cling to my head, shaking it uncontrollably “No no no no no no! This isn’t real! This can’t be real” Before me on the altar, lies Sophia’s cold, motionless body. Her stomach was cut open, her guts hanging off the altar. 

I press my head firmly against the floor, slamming my forehead against it a few times “Wake up you fool! WAKE UP! THIS IS NOT REAL!” but nothing, I do not wake up, the pain only reminds me of the fact that this is, in fact, real. I hear something, coiling of a spring ‘ting…ting…ting..’ The doorhandle behind me is turning slowly, so slowly in fact that each ‘ting’ makes my heart sink. 

I crawl away from the door, my hand lands on something soft, I grab onto it before at last realizing what it is I’m holding onto! I turn my hand, scream and scatter away into the opposite corner of the room, bringing my knees to my chest I sit in the corner, my hands covering my head “please.. No please please please” I cry as the door handle turns more. A click, and then the door opens, I dare not look at what stands in the doorway. 

A familiar voice comes from the direction of the doorway “Dear oh dear what have you done?” My eyes widen, the crying stops, the soothing voice of my wife sends my mind into a spiral of disarray and confusion. There lies her body on the altar, guts spilled out, and there stands something in the doorway that sounds just like her. Through teary eyes I look at the door, and see in it a shape that not in any way resembles my wife. 

The shape in the doorway it tall and slender, arms longer than they should be, neck too. It grins a smile at me “Oh dear oh dear, come to me” The figure beckons me and opens its arms up. I shriek, I squeal, I scream, I cry “NOOO!” something warm runs down my legs and soaks my underwear, my body, completely frozen in fear, my gaze fixated on this creature that stands in doorway. 

Dizzy, I am dizzy, so tired, so.. Very.. tired… I collapse, the last thing I remember is a loud ‘thud’. Bringing myself up from the cold marble floor, memories of what had happened and what I had seen. I instantly gaze at the door, which is still wide open. There is no one there. My body, I’m still fine, except pulsating pain through my head. I lift my hand up and feel the bump on my temple. A bit of blood now covers my face. Hesitantly, I turn to look at the altar. 

I gasp as I jump up to my feet. I approach the altar and place my hand on the clean, white stone top that had my wife’s body on it just a moment ago. Not a trace of blood, not a single trace of anything I had seen before “w..what?” I shake my head in disbelief “but.. She was right here, I … felt her guts..”

I slap myself with both my hands – “Alright, come on.. Think.. You’re in an abandoned castle, covered in blood, you see things that don’t exist, feel things that do not happen. Illusion! This is clearly an illusion” I convince myself and after a while of doing so, I bravely open the door, the other door, the 1 that still remains closed, I close it as quickly as I open it after seeing before my a beast no less than 2 meters tall. 

The beast’s fur was covered in blood, its saliva dripped from its fangs, its doglike snout smelled of my fear, and snarly eyes that pierced my soul. It was the beast that scratched my back. My legs began to move on their own as I burst into another full on sprint in the opposite direction. Through the open door and out the other, I gasped and stopped, catching my breath and listening for sounds of pursuit, nothing… “of course.. It’s an illusion you moron” 

I mustered my courage and opened a door that should lead me back out onto the main hall of the 2nd floor. Before me, to my surprise, was nothing and no one. Taking a cautious step through the door, I look around and spot no threats. “I.. I beat it! Knowing that it’s an illusion, you will be able to b..” I stop talking nonsense as I feel a hand on my shoulder, following by burning, no, a chilling sensation. 

Ah, yes, a frostbite. I know what a frostbite feels like, my mind is calm for some reason, but my shoulder feels a frostbite. It burns, it stings, but my body doesn’t budge. My lips open and move, but no sound comes out of my throat. Breath, I can see my own breath, it’s cold, so cold, why is it so cold? 

I feel the hand on my shoulder tighten its grip, a breath tickles my ear, a hiss is all I hear. IT, whatever it is, that stands behind me, I’m sure it’s telling me to run, but I can’t even scream. Completely frozen in place, all my muscles tense, so tense I can hear the creaking of my own joints. My heart pounds so loudly that big ben would be jealous of the drumming beats. My eyes dart from side to side. 

In peripheral vision I can see a hand on my shoulder, a bony, thin fingered hand, shrouded in shadows. Its grip tightened again, its cold breath and hiss turn my mind blank. I try to gasp, but my body won’t obey my own commands. I hear a gentle sound of something cracking. Ice cracking. My frozen shoulder cracking. Eyes wide, my left arm is numb, I can’t feel my left arm, panic engulfs me, but then a bone chilling voice distracts me from the panic “illusion?” 

It’s not, I know it’s not… my eyes well up, the tears freeze instantly in my eyes, sending pain through my body. A loud crash, somebody fell and broke, I dare not look at what it was, deep inside, I know what it was and I wish I didn’t. On the bright side, I feel not a grasp on my any longer, ‘there’s nothing left to grasp’ tells me logic, a hysterical laughter escapes my lips, I run forth

I jump, my feet landing on a dusty rosewood railing, the dust is slippery. I slip. Falling down, hitting my spine on the thick railing, I sigh as the air is knocked out of my lungs. I’m falling, plummeting to my potential death down from the 2nd floor. I scream, at last a scream scapes my throat as my body impacts something soft. A puff of dust fills my vision, obstructing the shadow shrouded figure looking down at me from above. 

I struggle up to my feet. It’s difficult with only the right arm. At least there is no pain, only confusion and discomfort. I instinctively grasp onto my missing arm and part of shoulder. The flesh is cold and prickly, it’s frozen solid. Shards of ice prickle my hand, I whimper, I cry, I laugh, I run, all at the same time. My legs carry me towards what I assume to be the front door. I reach for it with my left hand. Nothing happens. 

Another laughter, I chuckle as tears and snot run down my face at the realization of my missing arm – “hah.. There’s nothing!” I grab the handle with my right hand instead, twisting it… I pull the door open, through the tear obstructed vision I see before me only fog! Doesn’t matter, run, I must run! I run. Dashing right into the dense fog, I hear a howl, I hear footsteps, I hear growls, and then I hear her voice once more. “Dear oh dear, are you lost”?

I shake my head in disbelief “no no no no no!” I can’t tell where the voice is coming from, I hear breathing behind me, I burst into a sprint, dashing forward into the nothingness, just dense for before me. I run until my feet start bleeding, my legs scratched up and covered in thorns as I sprinted through the first. I collapse onto the ground, fire, a campfire! “Help me!” I cry out, crawling towards a stranger sitting by the fire. 

The stranger doesn’t turn his head, he just beckons me to come over “Please! I Beg of you! Help me” I crawl towards him. It’s difficult to crawl with just 1 arm, but I do so anyway. I gasp as my gaze meets his. 

Before me sits a creature that can hardly be called a man. His body vaguely resembles human, but his boney figure is closer to skeleton than human. His hood is made of shadows, a grin of a thousand sharp fangs greets me. Eyes like two pits of void, face resembling a skull with a rotten skin stretched over it. “Welcome to death” speaks the stranger to me. 

Sharp pain pierces my back, my heart aches “AGGH!!” I cry out with the last bits of energy I have, rolling slowly to my side, I see spear sticking out of my chest, my gaze returns to the creature before me, its expression doesn’t change, my vision slowly fades as cold feeling and numbness take over my body “he..” last breath, I die, my hand clinging to its robes. 

I jump up in my bed, screaming from fear, clenching my chest where my heart had been pierced a moment ago. I am in my bed.. My gaze darts instantly to the right where my wife is sitting with a frightened expression. “Dear? W..what’s wrong?” Her concerned face tells me she thinks I’m having a heart attack. I breathe heavily, I check my arms, both are there, I’m … fine.. 

I try to catch my breath, speaking as I breathe heavily “It..it’s fine… I.. Just a bad nightmare” I swallow hard, my eyes filled with tears and fear.  She scoots over towards me and embraces me tightly, pulling me in to her, to rest my head on her shoulder. Her soothing, gentle touch, a loving stroke through my hair, I am quick to relax.

I take a deep, sobbing breath, my jaw shaking, my eyes filled with tears “I’m… fine” she smiles, not letting go of me just yet “I know dear, I know” As we lay back down and cuddle, my eyes widen as I hold my breath. ‘Ting…ting…ting..’ the coiling of the spring in the door’s handle sends shivers through my body. Both hers and my own gaze are fixated on the door.