Page 1 of Their Darkest Desire

Prologue

There are bloody trails on the ground, leading towards an old shed.

The human’s body shakes with soft sobs as it tries to claw the pins out of the wooden planks. Skin breaks and nails rip out of their beds. Blood starts dripping down on the grass below, leaving a puddle behind, but the human doesn’t seem affected by it as it keeps clawing through the wood.

After a while of clawing and pulling, the boards start to crack into pieces causing the human to become more frantic, pulling hard on the wood and breaking them off until finally, the last board splinters, parts of it flying around and falling down.

Bloodstained fingerprints are left behind on the door handle as it slowly creaks open, and shadows start to grow darker and wider as if there is something or someone in there.

The human walks inside over the pins and splinters barefooted. Once it sets its last step inside, the door slams shut, and loud screaming rings through the air.

Part One: The Entanglement

Chapter 1

Evelyn

An ominous feeling rakes through my body as we walk towards the old mansion Brittany’s aunt owns. I shouldn't even be here, but she's been begging me to come and help her out. Ever since her uncle died a couple of years ago, her aunt has been meaning to clean up his stuff since just looking at it is too painful for her. But why do I have to come and help? I need to learn to say no more often, that's for sure!

And let’s not forget that Felix–Brittany’s eleven years older brother–is here to help out too, since, according to their aunt, women are, and I quote, ‘too weak to lift the heavy items.’

I’m still surprised he went through with it; he can be such a jerk sometimes… Well, let's be honest, all the time.

“Thanks for coming, Evy, I hate going there alone. This house and my aunt honestly give me the creeps. I’m so glad to have a friend here with me!”

Brittany stares up at me with a big smile on her face. She’s that typically beautiful carefree twenty-five-year-old who has the world on its knees for her, with beautiful greyish-blue eyes, straight mid-length blonde hair, and a heart-shaped face. While I look like I spent my evening sleeping in a gas station, with mymessy curls and two-days-old clothes. Well, I mean, I did. I was too tired to keep driving and there were still four hours left on the way, but still.

“Yeah, it’s no problem. At least we’ll have a week's worth of girls' nights.”

Britt giggles as she starts to run towards the door her brother is keeping open for her. Once she's inside and I get to the door, he slams it closed right in my face.Please tell mewhy I agreed to come again.“Ugh,”I groan. God, I hate that manchild! It’s like even though his body definitely got the memo of growing up, his mentality still got stuck at the age of twelve. And when I talk about his body, I mean his six-foot-five tall inked, and very masculine body, sculpted like a god of death’s.Why is it always the pretty ones that end up being the biggest assholes?

Opening the door, I walk into a very old, antique-looking hallway. The first thing I notice is the large wooden staircase curving to the left, each step covered with an old red rug, and it’s giving meThe Conjuringvibes. And I mean that in the creepiest way possible. The room is filled with antique furniture: old golden sconces hanging on the walls, a dusty mirror with a golden frame, and a huge grandfather clock near the door. It looks like a house owned by old rich people, only they never really kept it maintained as pieces of paint peel off the walls and the furniture has scratches all over it.

Maybe they have a dog? I hope not.

I walk into the kitchen and get greeted by a smiling Britt and a scowling Felix. Not that I care what he thinks, I’m only here to help Britt anyway. At least he’s good on the eye with his sharp jawline, mid-length dark hair, and scruffy, short beard. Not to forget the man is thirty-six years old and I might have a thing for older men. This sucks! Why does he have to be such a dick?

His hazel eyes are boring into me like he hates me. Why? I have no idea. I doubt that he even has a reason; from the first moment I saw him he has been cold and rude to me.

“You look like shit, not that that's new for you… though it's worse than usual,” he says.

I scoff at the stupid smile that's appearing on his face. “I drove twelve hours to get here and had to sleep in the car. What's your excuse?”

His smile immediately turns into a scowl. I hear him mumbling something similar to “bitch”while I walk over to where Brittany went to sit down and plop onto the couch, dust flying around. I release a sigh of pure content. I wasn’t lying–I really did have to drive for twelve hours and everything just aches. I don’t even care that I’m allergic to dust, all I want is to just sit down in peace.

“Do you want a tour of the house or would you like to get your stuff in your room?” Britt is already getting up and I sigh again, only this time it's in sadness. I really don't want to get up again,ugh.

“Um, yeah, let’s just get it all upstairs and then maybe I could rest a bit too?” I look up to Britt as I silently hope she will accept my plea.

“Oh – yeah, no, sorry. I get it, it was a long drive for you.” She looks a bit disappointed but I'm too tired to care about it for now. I grab my suitcase and start stumbling on the stairs with it.

“Dammit, I should've packed lightly,” I mutter under my breath. A sudden laugh stops me in my tracks and I turn around to see Felix standing below, mockingly smiling at me. He has small dimples appearing on his cheeks and his white shirt is tight around his muscles, his tattoos visible through the thin fabric, and, oh, how I wish he wasn’t wearing the shirt at all. Nope, get your shit together! He’s the worst choice possible.

“If you’re going to just stand there, at least you could try to be useful and help me.”

His lips turn into a tight line and he locks his jaw as his expression grows more serious, but to my surprise, he walks up and takes the suitcase from my hand, lifts it back up, and walks past me. While going up the stairs, I notice that there are old framed pictures half hanging off on the walls, and one of them even has a crack in the glass.Huh, weird, why has no one fixed it yet?

I finally reach the top of the stairs and it's making me feel like I just ran a marathon.I really need to work out more.

---