A tingling?
That matters
Maybe a ringing
Or batter
Death's rattle
I battle
Evils herald
Summoned beneath
By a word?
Or action's repeat
Upward ever
Downward never
Recall this on that certain time
This may just be
What saves your life's shine

October 1972, Bendel state.

She lay supine on her rickety bunk below feeling the claustrophobia of the enclosed room. Through the faint moonlight seeping through the window, she made out several outlines of sister bunks and bags containing items belonging to her roommates. The room, jam-packed with several people, and drowned by the bugging noise of heavy snorers added to misery of the dilapidated building. And the heat! God it felt like the interior of the brazen bull she had learnt of in her history classes. Looking outside through the vent, at the shadows cast by the willow tree gave her a creeping sensation_an eerie sense of foreboding. Beads of sweat engulfed her. She was filled with an overwhelming anxiety, worsened by the hoot of owls on the distant palm trees. Still she lay in the dimness awaiting the signal she expected every night.
Ever since she arrived at the campus grounds, she felt a sense of detachment from herself. She just couldn't relate with all the European stuff being taught in school. That dulled her interest severely. She gradually grew to hate the place. In the mornings, she'd go for prep and then classes but it felt like a literal hell. She hated school, she hated her parents for bringing her here and even herself for letting herself come. She'd be damned if she spent one more night in this cursed place. Her tightened brow loosened as her anger got replaced by remorse. She quietly muttered a repentant prayer and the sign of the cross at her insulting thoughts to the noble institute named after saint percival. She calmly thought on the wisdom of her actions. Was it a good idea? Was she not endangering her soul?
She had to do it. "If thine right eye causes you to sin, cast it out"
Instead of commiting the sin of wrath always, she'd do anything to avert it. No matter what it takes.
Drifting deeper into her thoughts, she recalled the previous week and it's escapades.
She sat in class as usual sighing in total boredom spinning her pen on the table repeatedly, eventually catching the attention of her class teacher, a young nun.
"Marion! Stop that this minute!"
"I'm sorry Sister Erica", she grudgingly obliged , rolling her eyes rebelliously.
She listened to the history lectures of napoleon the crusades_ Head in palms and barely hearing a thing, until an interesting piece of information filtered in.
"Here is a manuscript used by a certain ruler during the crusades. History had it that in order to preserve his own life from the Christian's siege, he consulted a shaman from a neighboring clan. It was a cowardly act of course but he was desperate to save himself. So he pleaded and asked for a means to duplicate his form and escape from his impending death. He was then given a scroll and asked to read its contents and repeatedly demonstrate his common actions for three days and leave for wherever he intends to go. Of course there is no way to confirm the validity of this claims. All we have are the manuscripts recovered by the christian knights, passed down through generations and is now safely stored in the archives of the vatican. However, saint percival catholic school has acquired the typed manuscript for research and teaching purposes. That would be all on the crusades today."
Jackpot! If that was real, marion saw it as an escape from her miserable life. At the close of day, she spoke with her friend and bunk mate, who looked at her like she had gone bonkers.
"Marion, that's stupid. It was just a tale used in our history lesson, nothing more. Speaking of which, it was more like a legend lesson not history. There was nothing historical about that lesson."
"Please Linda. I know how it sounds but what if it is real?"
"So if it's real you make some incantations and you get another you. How does that sound?
Marion saw the futility in convincing Linda so she set out on a drastic mission. Looking through the window, she saw Sister Erica afar and got struck with an idea. She left her school bag with Linda and ran after her only slowing down to fast paced as she approached the teacher.
"Let me help you Sister Erica"
Erica smiled in appreciation and handed the books to her.
As she received the books, she slowed her steps, lagging behind and giving herself the time to take mental notes of the mysterious manuscript
"By the words of my mouth
By my perpetual action
I take a fleeing route
I give hold to the reaper's invention
Blood of my blood
Flesh of my flesh
With our spirit's bond
May I start afresh"
Although her belief in the truth of the story was faint but she'd rather try than do nothing. Getting to the staff room. She put down the books and left hearing the fervent blessings of sister Erica. She anxiously left to put it into practice.
The crowing rooster snapped her out of memory lane. That very morning, she leaves to live her life to the fullest, free from obligations, free from her parents and the school. If it works though. She slowly descended from her bunk and opened the door a fraction. Seeing no one, she glanced back at her friend and let herself out.
The sunlight shone upon Linda's face snapping her out her slumber. She stretched and yawned and glanced beneath her bed at the lower bunk. She smiled as she saw marion sleeping soundly. She cautiously leapt down and shook marion awake.
They got to the business of preparing for another uneventful day at school.
Uneventful. Correct as it was. They went through the assembly and lectures and usual itinerary for each day and retired to the hostel during the late afternoon. Linda lay on her bed studying into the night. Slowly, she was overcome by fatigue. She yawned and put her books away and looked beneath her. She saw marion sleeping soundly. Heartwarming but strange. They didn't engage in their usual chit chat because she had been asleep since they returned from classes. She shrugged and let her be lying down herself to have some rest.
Linda flung her eyes open and looked around wildly. She stayed as quiet as possible and strained her ears, listening for the sound that woke her up. Looking on the ground, she saw a shadow. She thought it to be her own shadow but with every second, it was evident that the shadow wasn't hers. She picked up her flashlight, and shone it at the clock, it was a little bit after 1am. She broke into a cold sweat and felt a sudden jolt. Her bunk began rattling wildly and stopping. When she was at the verge of regaining her composure, the bunk would violently shake. She called on marion but got no reply. She looked at her roommates who slept soundly. Was it possible they didn't hear the sound. That's impossible but it seemed be so. In desperate prayer, she made the sign of the cross and looked down. Her eyes widened in horror as she let out a shriek. Wraith like fingers curled around, her forcing her down to the ground. She screamed and thrashed violently until she felt the grip lose. She opened her eyes, curled on the floor and whimpering in fear. She rose up and quickly scrambled up the ladder only coming to face a creature of nightmare. A contorted phantom with slit eyes and a snaky tongue, protruding from the needle like tooth also revealing an open mouth like neck, filled with alternating rows of teeth. Letting out another blood curling shout, she slipped twisting her ankle. Crying in horror and pain. She turned to make an attempt to call the others but to her utter consternation, the room was empty. She shuddered and went into spasms. Looking around her she saw multiple manifestation of the deathly monster. It lowered it's face upon hers sinking it's tooth into her eyes. She screeched in unfathomable pain jabbed and kicked but failed to escape from the hellish grip. Her body twisted and turned in agony as the ghoul sank it's claws into her ankle and dragged her beneath the bed, her cries fading into the darkness.

nice one

SeeAfrica:
nice one

thanks bro