Lucy
“The coming of this wicked one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” - 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
Lucy’s life had always been a rollercoaster of emotions, an ordinary young woman struggling to have fun while facing the torments of human existence. She sought to enjoy life like any teenager of her time, immersing herself in parties, travels, and casual relationships. However, on the dark night of October 23, 2024, something sinister seemed to loom over Lucy when she received the devastating news: her mother had met death.In that fateful moment, the realization of life’s transience took hold of her, plunging her into a spiral of restlessness. The notion that nothing was eternal seized her mind, sharpening her senses for an even darker purpose. Amidst her pain, she dared to murmur defiantly,
“Ha! I’m 23 years old, if I can live until 25 in this way, it’ll be fucking good!“ - Thought Lucy
However, she was about to discover that her words were not mere bravado thrown to the wind. Destiny held a terrifying fate for Lucy, a fate that would make her beg for mercy. One year had passed since that unfortunate declaration by Lucy. Now, she was celebrating her twenty-fourth birthday, and fate conspired for a terrible event to mark this special date. On that dark night, Lucy decided to celebrate at a bar, accompanied by her friends, Lana and Adriel. Yet, there was an eerie aura hanging over this trio.Lana, driven by her life of excess, had recently obtained a massive loan, taking advantage of her impeccable credit history. But her plan was not to repay the debt, only to enjoy the pleasures that money could provide until her existence was cut short. She had plunged into a self-destructive spiral, ignoring the consequences of her actions.Meanwhile, Adriel, enveloped in a fog of desolation, carried the burden of a broken relationship. He had recently abandoned Annie, his long-time partner, who ended up succumbing to despair and taking her own life. Adriel coldly spread among friends that she had committed such an act due to her supposed madness, ignoring any feelings of guilt or remorse.
On Lucy’s birthday, darkness seemed to draw closer to these lost souls. What they didn’t yet know was that their choices and actions were about to unleash a sequence of terrifying events, plunging them into an abyss of horror and despair. The grim fate awaiting them would test the limits of their sanity and force them to confront the horrors lurking within their own beings.The next day, Lucy woke up with a devastating hangover, suffocated by pulsating pain. She considered buying some medicine, but the mere thought of getting up was excruciating. Unable to bear the throbbing headache, she pleaded with Iara, her sister, to buy medication over the phone. As she dialed, Iara noticed something sinister: her phone displayed full signal, yet it was useless for making calls. The usually calm and automated voice of the operator now sounded deeply grave, uttering unintelligible words. Iara chose to keep it a secret, as Lucy’s birthday was the next day, and she didn’t want to alarm her. She decided to go to the pharmacy instead.Upon entering the establishment, an oppressive calmness dominated the place. Iara, enveloped in this unsettling atmosphere, tried to relax and set aside the strangeness. She greeted the cashier with a loud “good afternoon,” but noticed something was wrong. The employee asked her what she desired, but her voice sounded distorted, almost whispering. Ignoring the discomfort, Iara requested any medicine that could alleviate her sister’s torment. She made the purchase, paid the twelve fifty owed, and hurried to deliver the medication to Lucy.Upon entering the house, Iara felt a shiver run down her spine. The atmosphere seemed immersed in darkness, and an oppressive silence enveloped everything. She called her sister’s name, but received no response. A growing anxiety took hold of her as she quickly walked towards Lucy’s room. Walking down the seemingly endless hallway that dragged on for an eternity, she felt time stretch beyond normal.
Finally, she reached her sister’s room and was faced with a hellish sight, as if trapped in a vivid nightmare: Lucy was hanging by her own intestines, her tongue separated and bloody on the floor, blood gushing as if it were the beginning of her existence. Iara instantly fainted.When her eyes opened again, Iara realized she was submerged in a nightmare within another nightmare. Her sister continued to suffer from the cursed headache, a result of her life of excess. She repeated the ritual of going to the pharmacy, but this time, she found her sister well. However, this would be just the first brushstroke of doubt regarding what was real and what was a distorted illusion.Perplexed and shaken by the disturbing visions, Iara questioned her own sanity. The line between reality and nightmares seemed to fade, leaving her trapped in a whirlwind of fear and despair. Every time she closed her eyes, she was tormented by grotesque and sinister images, feeding her growing restlessness.As the day dragged on, strange and inexplicable events began to unfold around her. Shadows danced on the walls, eerie whispers echoed through the empty hallways of the house, and objects seemed to move on their own.
The atmosphere became dense and oppressive, plunging Iara into a constant state of paranoia.As darkness engulfed Iara more and more, she found herself facing her greatest challenge: resisting the abyss of terror and maintaining her sanity. For, at the heart of this terrifying plot, lay the inevitable question: what is real and what is nothing more than a distorted creation of the mind?Her sister’s birthday finally arrived, and they went to celebrate at a bar. Iara recalled that Lucy had told her about her remark.
- You’re all healthy! You still have at least another 20 years, huh. *Laughs*
- That’s what you think. That headache nearly killed me yesterday. I’ve lived enough, but every day that goes by, I’ll try to enjoy even more as if the world were ending tomorrow!
- Hey! Don’t say that, the world will never end. Those damn things they say out there are just bullshit they make up to drive you crazy and invite you to some kind of cult, ritual, or whatever they want.
- Yeah, regardless, it’s my birthday today. Where are your friends? Aren’t they coming? That annoying friend of yours, what’s his name?
- I don’t know who you’re talking about. If it’s who I think it is, he’s just religious and takes it seriously. You’re the one who doesn’t take anything seriously and spends the whole day being crazy. I think you should go back to work, it would be a disaster to lose you so young, you know?
Suddenly, a deafening crash echoed through the city as a car violently collided in front of the bar where they were. The chilling sound filled the air, resembling a macabre symphony of profound horror and pure fear. The scream struck Lucy’s ears like a convulsion, impossible to endure. And then, suddenly, silence returned as if it had been ripped from their souls.The two women approached to check what was happening when a desperate individual ran past them as if being chased by death itself. Before they could react, a bullet pierced the man’s skull, making his blood spurt at first but then slowly trickle down like a sinister fountain that was emptying itself. Terror made Lucy and Iara run towards the bar, seeking refuge. They begged the owner to close it immediately, allowing everyone to hide.At that moment, only the three of them were in the bar, enveloped in an atmosphere of despair and uncertainty. Incessant screams could be heard from outside, as if a torrent of lava was sweeping through the city, consuming everything in its path. People burned in flames, cried out, and wept in agony. A putrid odor permeated the air, intensifying Lucy and Iara’s desperation.Iara, in a mix of panic and hope, pleaded for all of it to be just a nightmare, praying with all her might to wake up. She looked at her sister, tears filling her eyes, and whispered,“What the hell is this?“Iara looked at her sister and saw her gaze upward, pleading in despair. Her trembling lips emitted only an almost inaudible murmur, but Iara could distinguish the following whispered words:
- Lord, take me away from here, take me anywhere, I can’t stand this anymore. I’ve been here for 30 minutes, and it feels like an eternity. I can’t bear to stay in this shit for another day.
-What the hell are you doing, Lucy? You never believed in anything. Stop talking nonsense and let’s try to survive here. Focus on what’s important, okay?
- I understand...
- Why are you so sad? This must be just a group of lunatics who decided to invade the streets. Stay calm there; everything will be fine, alright?
- Okay...
- Why the hell are you talking like that? Stop it! It’s like you suddenly got depressed. Come with me; let’s get out through there.
Suddenly, Iara heard a heavy step behind her. It was the man who was initially in the bar. He took such a deep breath that it seemed like his body weighed over four hundred kilograms. The air around him was so chilling that it was visible. He jumped on Lucy and began to undress her. Iara started screaming desperately, begging him to stop, hitting him with all her strength, but he wouldn’t stop. He removed piece by piece of clothing until Iara had the idea of grabbing a bottle and smashing it on his head. Before she could do so, something bizarre happened. A man dressed entirely in black with a cross entered the room and started reciting mysterious words in another language. The man began to moan, howl, neigh, snort, and unleash the most horrendous animalistic screams. He started levitating, his soul begging for forgiveness from the man in black.
- You accursed insolent being, cease now! We are an indomitable legion, a terrifying manifestation of hell itself, an evil force that will sweep you into eternal annihilation, a fate doomed to suffer alongside us in the darkest and most torturous penance!
The man didn’t listen.
- You wretched pig, I will return to hunt you down to the deepest dunes of the earth. I will devour your flesh with all the heads of a hydra, and I will make you weep as you watch your family being killed and violated by all the demons of hell. Black masses will be performed with the bodies of your family, the virgins’ skin will be reassembled, and you will perish. You can remove me from this body, but you can’t remove me from this world.
He fell lifeless to the ground.
*Beep... beep... beep...*
