Mental Veil

“Fear, the one thing that can send the strongest person into a cowering state of panic.” The camera began recording, a profile perched in sight of the lens. Mallory clasped her palms together, kneading them to try and gather some fortitude.

She suspired, grasping to find error-free words to divulge the occurrence she had a few years back.

“I never told a soul what I saw.” She looked down, her leg quivering vaguely. “And I was a fool not to,” Mallory acknowledged brusquely. “As my fear grew, it grew.”

She glared over at a sheet of crumpled paper, it had a perceptible portrayal of a creature, a monstrosity.

“Don’t let it manifest,” Mallory recommenced in an unwavering tone. “It will seep into the real world and create a monster unlike anything you’ve seen. It feeds off of fear, it starves for it.” Her perception began to blear as she eyeballed the paper that was alongside her. “Deimos.”

Mallory briskly outstretched her hand and deactivated the camera, she sighed and rubbed her temple with her fingers. She lifted the crinkled paper and stared at the monster that had tormented her.

“I’ve faced you,” Mallory’s grip strengthened as she looked on attentively. “I just hope others don't have to.” She let her hand mollify, “I do not fear anymore.”

She stood in the desolate household. It was chillingly noiseless nonetheless the quietude was ear-splitting and unendurable.

The daylight was descending beyond the outstretched terra firma of houses and evergreen. Mallory sat near the window, the onset of distress swelling in the ever augmented chasm in her abdomen.

She always detested the tenebrous, the emotions of being in boundless twilight petrified her. The notion of it made her skin grovel, the shadows were always fond of trickery on the brain.

Her figure began to go frigid as the final fragments of sunlight dwindled from sight. Agitation arose at the thought of sleep, latterly it had been undoable, what once was tranquil slumber transformed into a ceaseless oblivion of harrowing purgatory.

Mallory pressured herself to go to her bedchamber and sleep. She plunged beneath the linen and shut her eyes, sleep was instantaneous.

Mallory opened her eyes to an elongated, tapered passageway. The walls were made of dilapidated cobblestone overgrown with clinging plants and moss. Stones protruded out from the crags, minaciously awaiting to nick anybody who attempted to trod through.

The ruinous hallway was caliginous, the only object irradiating the expanse was a lantern suspended overhead. The subdued brilliance although uplifting became a perturbation as it began to scintillate.

Her respiration became shallow, her heart began hammering as the reverberation of rupturing came into earshot.

A silhouette of a wearisome fiend, loomed from the tenebrous. Mallory perceived the raking of barriers as the being traversed nearer. She withdrew, her eyes widened with trepidation. Serrated stones protrude into Mallory’s backside.

It scraped along the ground as the blinking of the lantern became more merciless. Mallory observed as it grew closer and closer.

She peered into the vacant eyes that were now an inch from her face. Mallory noticed her mouth parch as a mighty hand arose into the air and struck downwards. Mallory let out a shrill shriek as her eyesight became void.

A voice reverberated around the blackened expanse. “Terror was sealed, but has now been peeled open. The dream is real, and the seal has been broken. Be weary when woken, for Deimos has spoken. He is real.”

Mallory leaped, she was back in her room. She breathed, rubbing her eyes as she quietly sat upright. Her respiration became burdensome as perspiration ran down the sides of her face.

Mallory observed the globe desist as a blaring grouse came from the exterior of her bedroom. She hauled the bed sheets close to her face, her heartbeat seeming to sound head-splitting as the seconds proceeded.

A creak of the floorboard oscillated, she stiffened and gradually rotated her head to the ajar entryway. Out from the dullness a lengthy hand with nails jutting from the fingertips wrapped around the door fixture.

The other appendage extended in and clawed the room divider. Mallory could feel her breathing terminate as it’s form struggled through the door.

It’s features became more evident, the head appeared to be like a disrobed skull before awareness of the paper-thin skin forcefully stretched over its body, the skin looked like it was going to rip open like fine paper.

Two horns jutted from the beast’s head that distorted upwards. It’s limbs were drawn-out, the torso showing each rib. Liquid protruded from its body, seeping slowly onto the floor. Each manoeuvre the creature made was almost unbearable to look at. Every limb moved in an unorthodox manner, every doddery step it took sounded like the splitting of cartilage.

It scoured the expanse with its eye sockets as if it could perceive. Slowly terror oozed into Mallory’s brain. The creature ceased its movements. Its head elevated as if it were smelling the air.

The demon snarled and cocked its head towards Mallory, Mallory felt actuality charge through her. She swiftly scurried from her bed just as the monster lunged scarcely evading her and raking air with its talons.

Mallory hurtled out the door, fortuitously slamming herself onto the wall. She propelled off as fragments of lumber were sent airborne. She turned her head to see her door half demolished and the monster breaking itself out into the corridor.

Splintering of wood could be perceived from behind her as she darted further down the hallway. Thudding and scratching of walls and the howling of a demon stirred from behind Mallory as she turned another corner.

An extensive staircase seemed to loom ahead, she turned around for a split second to see the monster collide into the wall behind her. She scaled the steps at a rapid pace, she paused halfway down. The quietude of the area made her feel agitated as she stared back up the steps.

A thunderous howl broke the silence as claws raked the air. Mallory felt flesh tear as the creature's claws dug through her leg. Mallory staggered back; she plummeted, landing at the bottom with a booming crash.

Mallory noticed crimson cascade from the giant gouge in her leg, and she bit back the urge to bellow in anguish. She heard the trudging from the stairs, she teetered to her feet, feeling the protrusion of throbbing and the pour of ichor.

She stumbled around, looking for a place to hide. She located the door to the garage and hobbled towards it. She fumbled with the handle and opened it briskly, she limped in and slammed it behind her.

Mallory seized her leg and blew in laboriously, she could feel ooze soak her hands and clothes. A loud thud came from the door. Mallory looked around, her eyes wild with disquiet.

Further in the garage a crowbar was lying on a table that had been pushed aside to make room for a car, a car that wasn’t there. She reached the table and picked the crowbar up with a trembling hand.

A loud grumble came from the door and before long the door was shattered. The creature blundered in, it’s hollow eye sockets directed at Mallory. Mallory felt her backbone shudder as she began to take unsteady steps backwards.

Mallory cowered desperately into the corner, the crowbar clutched in her hands firmly. She stared into the hollow sockets of terror as it falteringly approached her. Mallory’s mind began to race with the consciousness of the inescapable end.

It unhinged its jaw to show measureless successions of honed teeth and sprung advancing with a sonorous roar, Mallory wailed as she plunged the crowbar ahead of her.

A few seconds went past...