The Man In The Dark
Dipayan Chatterjee
As she regained consciousness,
Anneliese struggled to adjust her eyes to the darkness prevalent in the dimly
lit room. The vile stench was so strong that it became extremely hard to
breathe. As she had been losing her senses more frequently than before, it has
become increasingly difficult for her to keep her memories intact. As far as
she could remember, Anneliese was trapped in this dark, damp room since the
last time she was conscious.
As the buzzing inside her head
started to die down, Anneliese realized where she was and what was going on. Her
memories were now slowly coming back...bit by bit. Just as she felt the
firmness of the slithering rope around her wrist, it became clear that she was
still tied to the antique wood chair.
Anneliese made a few futile attempts to get her hands free, but they
were securely tied behind her back. She even tried to move the heavy chair with
all her might, but she was too weak by now. It felt as if her entire body was
breaking down due the fever which gave her a terrible headache. Her head felt
so heavy that she couldn't even afford to lift it up.
She slowly licked her dry yet
still pretty lips, but her dehydrated mouth failed to offer even a drop of
saliva. Her parched throat felt like as if a thousand splinters were slowly
needling inside her flesh. With squinted eyes, Anneliese finally lifted her
head up and started to look around the dimly lit room. It was then she saw the
man in the dark...standing quietly in one corner...silently observing her every
move. Although she couldn't see his face clearly due to the darkness, she
realized who it was and why he was standing motionless in one corner of the
room.
She tried to speak up, but her
dry mouth did not allow her to produce any audible words. Realizing that she
had failed miserably to speak even a single word, Anneliese tried even harder,
but only a gush of warm breath came out. Knowing what was about to happen now,
tears started flowing down her heavy eyes, reminding her of the pain which she
was about to feel. All this was undoubtedly too much for a sixteen year old
girl to bear.
She took a deep breath and
finally spoke up- “Please! Please...I can't take it anymore! I can't tolerate
this pain anymore!”
The man, dressed completely in
black, still stood motionless in the corner of the room. Hearing her plea for
mercy, the man in the dark felt an immense hatred inside his heart. He started
to grind his teeth and tightened his jaw. His eyes focused on the feeble and
weak Anneliese, who was tied to a wooden chair in the middle of the room. He
clenched his fist, firmly grasping the small metal object in his hand.
“Please...please let me go! I
don't wanna die! Please! I don't wanna die like this!” - Anneliese cried out.
Her voice was so low that it appeared she was speaking only to herself. She
felt so weak that it took all the strength inside her to speak just a few
words. But she was determined to get out of her predicament. She slowly lifted
her head and spoke again, but it only sounded like loud whisper.
After making another futile
attempt at licking her dry lips, Anneliese cried out, “I beg you...please let
me go! Please...just...leave me alone!”
The man in the dark kept staring
at Anneliese, trying hard to listen to the murmur. He slowly turned around and
locked the door. He knew it was now time to do what he has to. Even though he
had done this several times by now, but every time he felt the same nervousness
that he felt the first time. His heart pounded fast. Sweat was starting to form
up on his forehead. A hundred things rushed inside his mind. He knew he has to
get it right as there was simply no scope for error. After all it was a matter
of life and death. He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. But the
nervousness was still there. His heart was still pounding fast. But he was
ready.
Anneliese realized that it was
time again. She would pray to God for help, but it appeared that God had
abandoned her. As she tasted the salinity of the tear drops that rolled by her
lips, she licked the corner of her lips in a desperate attempt to wet her dry mouth.
But even that didn't seem to work. She was tired, weak and exhausted beyond her
limit. But she still had the will to live.
Finding no other way out,
Anneliese begged again, “I don't wanna die here. Please...please...I wanna
live! I beg you...please...let me go! Please.”
“NEVER!!” - Suddenly Anneliese
screamed out in a deep demonic voice. Her face instantly turned pale and dark
thick blood began to ooze out of her mouth. A sinister smile formed on her lips
as she turned her head in an odd angle.
She looked straight at the man
standing in the dark corner and screamed out loud, only this time the demonic
voice was intolerably loud. The man started to cough as the vile stench of her
breath suffocated him. She laughed dastardly at the man and then suddenly
stopped to cough out lumps of thick dark clogged blood.
She stared deep into the eyes of
the man and spoke in a coarse crazed voice, “You think you can save her? No!!
She is MINE now! I will NEVER leave...even if this body rots to hell!!”
The man stood silently, taking
deep breaths and trying to control his anxiety. The last thing he wanted to do
was show fear. Finally, he stepped out of the corner and took out The Bible
from his bag. The priest, dressed completely in black, was now ready to do what
he has to. Even though he had performed several exorcisms, but still he felt
the same nervousness that he felt the first time.
Hearing the incessant curses of
the demon, the priest felt an immense hatred inside his heart. But he remained
focused, clenching his fist and firmly grasping the small metal bottle that
contained Holy Water. He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders. His
heart was still pounding fast. But he couldn't afford to show even an ounce of
fear.
The priest slowly went and stood
in front of the possessed Anneliese and spoke out confidently, “In the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to leave this body!”
END.
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