[b]DAY 1: DUBIOUS WINE – HAVE A DRINK WITH ME[/b]

For a moment Sacho stood in the courtyard of a mansion, staring with fearful eyes at the dark and unsettling building that stood before him. It was the home of lady Beladion, who happened to be one of the richest people around these parts. But just like her mansion, she too enjoyed the reputation of being an unsettling one, and although there wasn't really any evidence of her doing vile deeds behind the closed doors, she was still feared. It was one of those things you could understand only by meeting her in person. And now, such was Sacho's business right here, right now. He was dreading the moment when he would have to get devoured by the mansion's mouth. He didn't want to be here. But he had to.

The light of the setting sun seemed to make the building look even darker than usual. The whole place reeked hostility. With uncertain steps, Sacho walked toward the great double doors that served as the entrance. He knocked on the dark wood, his heart trembling. He waited for a response. And soon it came; one of the doors slowly creaked open and a hooded figure peeked out. Sacho couldn't see any facial features because of the shadow that was cast onto the person's face; it almost seemed like there was only darkness. Their hand that pushed the door open was completely wrapped in dirty bandages.

“Yes…?” the person asked with a horribly raspy voice; it gave Sacho the chills.

“Uh, umm… I'm here to meet lady Beladion”, Sacho said nervously.

The entity in front of him seemed to investigate him with their hidden eyes. “Of course. Lady is waiting for you in the parlor.”

Lady Beladion's odd servant moved out of the way so Sacho could get inside. As the door closed behind him, he felt like he had just stepped away from the world and entered some nightmarish realm instead, even though the interior seemed relatively normal. Sacho wasn't sure what he had expected, but the normalcy surprised him a little. Lady Beladion seemed to have exquisite taste in art and wherever Sacho looked, there would be pieces of art to be admired, whether they were paintings, sculptures, precious vases and other ornamental objects.

“Come with me”, the servant said as he began to guide Sacho through the mansion.

Quietly and nicely he followed behind. The mansion felt strangely quiet; it almost seemed like a mausoleum. Sacho let his gaze wander around the many pieces of art they came across as they moved further into the building. All the stationary eyes felt like they were giving him a warning; like some of them looked sad, some straight threatening and some downright deranged. Somehow it made Sacho feel uncomfortable in his own skin.

After passing a couple of corridors, they came to a set of double doors, both of them beautifully engraved with decorative plants. The servant knocked on the door.

“Come in”, said the voice from inside.

So the servant opened the doors. Behind them was a beautiful room, clearly meant to entertain guests. There were many comfortable places to sit; beautiful sofas and armchairs and they were accompanied by tables here and there. A gorgeous piano was standing on a little elevated stage. A fireplace would keep the room warm and even at that moment there was a flame dancing in its confined place. Large windows let in plenty of natural light, being framed by stunning curtains, although there were a couple of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to ensure that there was illumination when it was dark outside.

Lady Beladion was currently sitting in one of the armchairs that was placed near the fireplace. She was staring at Sacho with her beautiful, but very unsettling dark eyes. They seemed to be able to pierce through him, see straight into his very soul. It made Sacho incredibly uncomfortable, but he tried not to look away as it could be interpreted as being rude. Like many would expect, the lady was a pretty woman with fair skin and dark long hair. But there was some unusual power radiating from her, something that made you feel as a lesser being, like a worm in front of her.

“Thank you, Inmor”, lady Beladion said to her servant, then gestured to Sacho to sit on an armchair that was also near the fireplace. “Please, take a seat. Sacho, was it?”

“Y-yes, madam”, Sacho responded anxiously as he awkwardly sat down on the chair pointed for him.

Lady Beladion snapped her fingers. “Inmor, wine please.”

The servant bowed and skulked away. Lady Beladion's full focus was now on Sacho and there was a slight smile on her face.

“So, care to tell me, Sacho, what happened to the goods I ordered?” she asked with an intent stare.

It made Sacho feel like a helpless animal. “W-well… The treasures you wanted were… um, they were lost and we don't know where they are now. You see, it was bandits. Th-they attacked the caravan and… and…”

Inmor appeared once more, silently like a shadow. They were carrying a silver tray with a wine bottle and two wine glasses on it. They poured the liquid on both glasses and then they backed away, to disappear into the background. Lady Beladion snatched a glass and took a sip. Feeling that it would be impolite to decline the drink, Sacho carefully picked up the other glass.

The liquid looked and smelled odd. It seemed thicker than wine should be and had a weird purple color. But the odor was the worst part of it. It smelled like mold. Sacho found the drink very repulsive and wasn't sure if he wanted to consume this "wine".

Of course, lady Beladion noticed his hesitation. “Please, take a drink.”

It was disguised as a request, but in reality, it was a command. Sacho gulped and took a sip from the liquid. It tasted horrible, almost like a mix of ash and some medicinal herb. But lady Beladion seemed to be pleased by this, so he continued to drink.

She was making a movement with her hand that made the wine in her glass swirl around. “So, you say bandits took my property… Why weren't there enough guards, hm?”

“Well… I admit it was a mistake on our part… But if we can somehow compensate, we're willing to do that.”

“Oh, dear boy, this isn't about money”, lady Beladion said with an unnerving smile on her face. “Oh, no, it's about the fact that you weren't able to keep your word. You broke my trust. You made me look like a fool.”

Sacho was feeling strangely more anxious, although he didn't completely understand what the woman was implying. “I… I am not sure I follow…”

“You don't have to understand. I have already claimed my atonement.”

Sacho's bewilderment was soon replaced by a horrible anguish. His stomach started to hurt really bad, it was like his insides were on fire. He dropped his wine glass and the leftover drink spilled on the floor. He groaned from pain and he bent over. His heart started to beat really fast and he became sweaty. Never before had he felt this intense pain and nausea, he hoped he could vomit out whatever was killing him from the inside, but he couldn't.

“It will get better soon, I promise.”

The contents of Sacho's stomach had started to eat away abdomen. It was like acid, destroying his tissue. Sacho was utterly horrified when it finally eroded through his flesh and skin, making a gaping hole in his stomach. The wine and blood were flowing out of him onto the floor, much to his horror. His body soon collapsed on the floor and he was laying on the substances of his broken body. He wished for his death, but it didn't come.

“Don't worry. We'll take care of you.”



[b]DAY 2: UNINTELLIGIBLE WHISPERS – NO ESCAPE[/b]

This can't be happening. Why am I here? What cruel trick by fate is this? In panic, I'm glancing around my surroundings, trying to make sense of my situation. The building I'm in is in a sorry state, but I can still recognize it, I still remember its layout. The walls around me are black as if they've been burned by a hellish fire; such misfortune wouldn't surprise me a bit. Some objects are still hanging from the wall, desperately clinging onto their life, their purpose; but the clock isn't ticking anymore, the mirrors are all shattered and unable to reflect anything, and the few photos now remain mysterious as the faces of everyone are smeared and can't be identified anymore. Yes, this house used to be a home. Or at least it was disguised as one. I only remember the pain.

I don't want to be here. Frantically I start to move around, walking along the hall. This place used to be well furnished, but now there's barely anything left, only charred remains. What made this house such a terrible place to live wasn't because of the building itself, it was because of the people that lived under its roof. But now, there's no trace of them. And honestly, I'm so happy about that. I don't want to see them ever again in my life. I'm left to wonder, however, just when did they abandon the house. Did it happen before or after the fire? I'll probably never know. It doesn't matter, though, I just want to get out of here.

I make an alarming observation as I check the rooms I haven't seen in years: there are claw marks and blood splatters in a few spots on the walls. Maybe one of the monsters they grew became too violent and unable to be contained. I thought that monster would be me. These marks are speaking about something horrible nonetheless, though many bad things happened in this house; I've been both witness and victim. I never wanted to come back here, not since I claimed my freedom and fled. Even though it seems like the building is currently devoid of life, I feel anxiety grasping my heart. I want to get out, but the doors I remember aren't here anymore, just charred wood all around. The windows are still in their places, but the glass… It's so thick and I can't see through it. I probably can't break any of them, not with the fragile objects that are the only ones around.

I pace throughout the house, over and over again. Is this a nightmare? But it feels too real. The sound of my lone steps seems to echo through the emptiness; it's the only noise I can hear in this eerie silence. Or so I first thought. Something starts to join my desperate mission of getting out of this hellhole, so slowly that I didn't really sense it at first. Whispers. I thought it was all in my head, but gradually they became louder and I couldn't unhear them anymore. There's so many of them, coming from all directions; no matter which room I entered, they would be there. What do they want from me? I can't understand a single thing they say. Are they angry at me? Do they feel sorry for me? Are they threatening me or guiding me? I just don't know. They're starting to hurt my head.

I don't understand. Can't you just leave me alone? I want out, I want out! My head hurts so bad, like if a fat maggot was eating my brain. And my ears, the whispers are hurting my ears. I try to cover them as I run aimlessly within my confined space, just wanting to get away from it all. My ears start to bleed and the blood stains my hands.

“Please stop!” I yell at the whispers, but they won't listen.

And still, I can't understand a word they say. My ears are bleeding, I collapse on the floor and I scream, but even that won't fade away the whispers.

Why is this happening? Just… why? Is this my own personal hell? What have I done to deserve this?

I don't want to exist anymore. Somebody help me, an angel or a devil, I don't care! Claim my soul, set me free!



[b]DAY 3: RABID ANIMAL – RETALIATION[/b]

The boy cried in the corner, helpless tears staining his young face. A dog was yelping from pain as Thomas sunk a knife deeper and deeper into the animal's neck. The dog tried its best to struggle against the man, but his grasp was firm. Eventually the canine lost its strength to fight back and its body hit the floor, now tarnished by blood. But the man wasn't done yet, his anger was still burning hot. Thomas started to forcefully stomp on the animal's head, over and over again. The skull cracked open with a horrible crunch; a sound that would haunt the boy for years to come. Part of the dog's face got damaged so badly that an eye popped out, dangling from its nerve. The poor animal had done nothing to deserve such cruelty. Thomas just was a horrible vile man.

“See? This is what happens when you disobey me”, Thomas said as he finally left the dog's body alone. “It's your fault that the dog died.”

But the boy couldn't respond, he was sobbing so hard at the loss of his best friend. Thomas heaved the body of the dead dog from the floor and started to carry it. He took it out of the house and headed down the hill in the backyard. A river flowed there and during such a dark evening the water almost looked black. Indifferently, Thomas tossed the dog carcass into the river, letting it be swept away by the waters. Then he headed back to the house. This should have been an effective punishment. Maybe Logan would now think twice before acting against his will.

In fact, after this incident, the boy became a lot quieter. Logan kept to himself and didn't really show emotions. He was just apathetic. Not that Thomas would care, as long as the boy stayed quiet and stayed out of his way, he was pretty satisfied. Maybe he had finally managed to get some discipline through Logan's thick skull. Maybe Thomas should have killed the damn dog a lot sooner, it's not like the animal had done anything useful in the house to begin with, it was just distracting Logan.

Although Logan was now behaving like Thomas wanted, he became soon dissatisfied again. He was cranky all the time and ready to lash out on anyone, especially on his son. Thomas simply was that type of person who held anger inside them constantly, ready to burst. And often it was those close to him who would have to pay the price. But sooner or later, people like him get what they deserve.

One dark evening, Thomas was driving back home from work. He was extremely irritated since it had been a long day, and he just wanted to go home and rest. He was about a five-minute drive away from home when his car started to act out weirdly. It suddenly just came to a stop.

“Fucking hell”, Thomas muttered to himself.

But no matter what he did, the car just wouldn't move, even though it was still on. The man hopped out of his vehicle to take a better look at the engine. But as soon as he had left the safety of his car, he suddenly heard a strange sound. It was like an eerie howl. But Thomas didn't really think much of it, it probably was just a coyote or stray dog or something like that. As he approached the front of the vehicle, he then spotted movement ahead of him. He peered into the darkness, something was definitely there, moving at the edge of the headlights. It didn't seem to be large. He just stood there waiting for the figure to get closer.

His blood ran cold in an instant. It was that damn dog Logan had loved so much. All the damage Thomas had personally inflicted on the animal's body was still there. The bloody stabbing wound in the neck, the cracked skull, the dangling eye… This couldn't possibly be real. That animal was supposed to be dead. And yet, here it was, a mad gleam in its dead dark eyes. The dog started to growl as it slowly approached him. There was some foam around the dog's mouth. At that moment Thomas knew that he was staring death in the eyes.

Still, he tried to save his wretched skin and tried to run away as fast as he could. But he wasn't in a good shape and a dog could easily catch him. He felt how jaws snapped around his right leg and made him fall onto the asphalt. He rolled over to face his assailant, but didn't realize soon enough how vulnerable he currently was. The dead dog came over him and sunk its fangs on his exposed neck and trashed violently. Thomas screamed from pain and tried to push the dog away, but didn't succeed in this. The animal tore open his neck and Thomas was gurgling as the blood was flowing from his damaged throat. And right there, the dog watched him bleed to death, being the last thing he would see in this life.

Eyes wide open, Thomas eventually passed away, lying in a pool of his own blood. The dog walked away from the scene, its purpose now fulfilled; it had delivered the revenge. No one would ever know what happened to the man, but a lot of people would be happier now that he was dead.



[b]DAY 4: EXCENTRIC SALESMAN – ENCOUNTER IN THE MOUNTAIN ROAD[/b]

The road was widely known as "The vein of darkness". For a reason no one was sure about, beings like evil spirits and demons often flocked around this mountain path. Maybe the whole mountain was cursed. It was advised that travelers should never wander alone and proceed with caution. Zenru wasn't new to these parts and he was an excellent swordman, so he had the necessary bravery and skill to journey alone through this infamous mountain road.

It was a strangely dark day; it should have been noon but the sun was missing from the sky, causing unnatural darkness to veil the road. Things like this didn't surprise Zenru or anyone who had experience with the road. Zenru knew that he had to remain more vigilant than usual, for the absence of sunlight created perfect opportunities for the evil beings to ambush on travelers.

A howling wind was grasping Zenru's cloak and toyed with it, but it also brought noises for him to hear. It sounded like somebody was in distress ahead. His hand wandered to the handle of his sword and he started to hurry forward, running with the wind. If he could make it in time, he would be able to save somebody's life. The road suddenly slithered downwards and a little bit further ahead, Zenru spotted a group of figures. Three demons and some poor unfortunate soul they were harassing. As far as Zenru could tell, they were lesser demons so they shouldn't be too hard to deal with. The person they had ambushed was screaming from terror, trying to escape, but the demons weren't willing to let him go. Zenru hurried towards the scene and drew his sword. It would taste evil blood once more.

The demons looked almost like grey children with withered skin and small bat-like wings on the back. Their heads were bigger than they should have and their faces were deformed and hideous. There was malice gleaming in their black eyes. They were gripping and pulling the clothes of their victims with their claws, cackling while doing this. But eventually they heard the steps of Zenru coming towards them and they turned their ugly heads to look at him. It didn't take long for them to register that the approaching man wasn't vulnerable prey like the one they had just assailed. They shrieked and let go of their victim, attacking Zenru head on. But Zenru was an experienced swordman, they were no match for him. One by one their ugly heads were cut off from their bodies, rolling onto the barren ground, their black blood staining the soil.

Zenru put his weapon back to its sheath and faced the individual he had just rescued. He was still stumbled on the ground, looking quite baffled, probably not yet realizing that he had got saved. He was an odd-looking man with a chubby body and scarred and slightly disfigured face, making especially his right eye bulgy. He had only a tuft of dirty brown hair growing from his head.

“Oh. Oh! What's this? The old Bafio isn't monster food yet?” The strange man heaved his body from the ground and checked that the huge bag he had been carrying was still in good shape. He then looked at Zenru. “You there! You gracious man! You saved Bafio's stinky old hide!”

“The pleasure is mine”, Zenru simply responded.

“Well, I think a reward is yours!” Bafio said. “Come, look, I have fine wares you won't find just about anywhere!”

“I don't think there's a need for that”, Zenru voiced his opinion, but the odd man had already started to take things out of his bag.

Bafio laid out a sheet of purple cloth and placed a few strange items on it. “Look! Look! Take what you want!”

Zenru eyed the objects offered to him and was actually quite impressed. They weren't anything ordinary. One was a claw of a tiger-like legendary beast. One was a horn from a rare equine-like being that had purifying properties. Then there was a backbone of a devil, crafted into some sort of vile instrument. Another odd one was the eyes of a twin-headed eagle. And lastly, there was the black heart of a vengeful spirit, still beating.

“No wonder that the demons attacked you, these are very powerful items”, Zenru pointed out.

“And I have more!” Bafio said proudly. “Take! Take! What do you like most?”

Zenru shook his head. “I don't need anything from you.”

“Bah! So be it!” Bafio started to collect his goods back to his bag. He was done soon and then looked at his savior one more time. “But I thank you! Now I may live a bit longer and sell my goods! Farwell, good sir!”

“Farewell”, Zenru responded.

With that, Bafio began to hop away. Oddly energetic he was. Though, all around he was one very weird little man. But you meet all kinds of colorful characters in your journey. After this thought, Zenru continued his own travels as well.



[b]DAY 5: ANONYMOUS CALL – UNFAIR END[/b]

Sophia had been aware that the apartment she moved in was old. But the rent was fair and it was close to her new workplace, so she thought she had got lucky. As soon as she got settled in her new home, strange things started to occur. At first it had been just noises. She could hear weird banging and wailing, but Sophia had instantly dismissed them as old building just setting. It was also possible that the sounds came from neighboring apartments. So she didn't really pay much attention to those noises. But they didn't end there and things started to get more weird as the time passed on.

One day she talked with one of her neighbors, an old lady. And the old woman told her that many strange deaths had happened within the walls of the building during all these decades. It was said that a lot of restless spirits still lingered here, unable to pass on for whatever reason. Sophia was a skeptic and didn't really believe the old woman's words and had left her alone with her superstitiousness. Soon after this, however, it occurred that maybe she should have taken the old lady's words more seriously.

She could hear scratching noises from inside the walls. They were probably just mice or rats. Sometimes the lights in Sophia's apartment flickered eerily and she could feel cold air brushing against her skin. Maybe there was some electrical problem and the chill was just draft. But as the days went by, things started to get more and more strange and Sophia couldn't find an explanation for them. One evening she heard a woman scream. At first she had thought it was one of the neighbors, but then she realized that the horrible voice was coming from her bathroom. She went to investigate, but as soon as she got there and opened the door, the screaming stopped. And there was no one to be seen. It was a very weird experience. Sophia just shrugged it off and just resumed watching television.

But she couldn't keep ignoring all the oddities that were happening around her home. There were knocking on the doors, random screams, blood-stained handprints appearing on the walls, objects breaking or moving by themselves and heavy breathing she could hear next to her when she was trying to sleep. She started to believe that her apartment was indeed haunted. She started to plan moving out as soon as possible – although for her, it was already too late.

It was late in the evening and she was watching television. It had been a relatively normal day in her nightmare apartment, which she found a little odd, but she just accepted it. Suddenly she heard her phone ringing. She picked it up and looked at who was calling her at such a late hour. Weirdly, the caller's number appeared glitched. She pondered for a moment should she answer it as she was getting creepy vibes from it. In the end, she decided to answer.

“Hello?” Sophia said quietly.

For a moment there was nothing but silence.

“Red… will get you. You die… tonight. You will be… with us.”

Sophia immediately hung up the call. Freaked out, she started to run towards the door of her apartment, to get out. But the door wouldn't open. She violently yanked the handle and tried to turn the lock, but nothing worked.

“Help! Help!” Sophia yelled as she pounded against the door.

There was no answer. And the door remained as an unmovable obstacle on her way. She turned around, trying to think in her panic state how to get out. Then the light bulbs exploded and broken glass shards rained on the floor. The screen of the television went completely static. Sophia was getting more and more afraid by the second. Then she saw how something red started to ooze from the ceiling. At first it looked like blood, but then its form was getting more solid, like slime. It kept spreading and some red vines started to grow from it. And they kept growing and growing, until they were long enough to touch anything in the apartment.

Sophia gave one more desperate attempt to get out through the door, but it wouldn't let her go. She then faced the red thing again, only to notice that the vines were already starting to wrap around her limbs. She tried to struggle against them, but in vain. They captured her, holding her firmly in her place, as one more vine approached her and forcefully invaded her mouth and from there, her throat. It went all the way down to her stomach and from there, it suddenly burst through her belly, spilling blood everywhere. The vine kept wiggling around in her stomach, causing terrible pain, and then it started to lift her body while still being partly inside her. The vines around her limbs let go so the one within her could raise her towards the ceiling. A horrifying mouth with sharp fangs formed into the ceiling. Still alive, Sophia could only watch in horror how she was getting closer to her own demise. The vine brought her into the mouth and she was crushed. It devoured her whole body, chewed and not a single morsel was left.

All the horrors of Sophia's apartment just retreated back into their own realm. Nothing was left behind. Nobody knew what happened to the young woman who moved in just a while ago.