SEVEN DAYS
583 Words
Darkness.
Complete darkness.
Alexa couldn't see her own hands.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
"Damien?"
No answer.
A freezing wind swept through the entrance hall, carrying the scent of wilted roses.
Then...
A match flared to life.
Damien stood a few feet away, shielding the tiny flame with his hand.
His face had gone pale.
"You saw her," Alexa whispered.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stared at the staircase.
"...She hasn't shown herself in years."
"So who is she?"
His jaw tightened.
"The reason no one in Black Hollow gets married."
---
Lightning flashed through the stained-glass windows.
For a heartbeat, the entire manor glowed blue.
The bride was gone.
Only the shattered chandelier remained.
Alexa swallowed hard.
"This isn't possible."
"No," Damien replied quietly.
"It's Black Hollow."
He bent down and picked something up from the broken glass.
A single white rose.
Fresh.
Its petals were stained with blood.
Alexa stared at it.
"That wasn't here before."
Damien looked troubled.
"She leaves one every time she chooses someone."
"...Chooses?"
His silence was answer enough.
---
The rain had eased by the time they stepped outside.
The air felt strangely warm.
Almost welcoming.
Alexa looked back at the manor.
One window on the second floor glowed faintly.
A figure stood behind the curtain.
Watching.
She blinked.
The figure disappeared.
"I want answers," Alexa said.
Damien nodded.
"Then we start at the chapel."
---
The abandoned chapel stood deep inside the forest.
Twisted trees surrounded it like silent guards.
Its wooden doors hung crooked on rusted hinges.
A cracked stone cross leaned to one side.
The place looked forgotten...
Yet fresh white flowers lay on the steps.
Someone had been here.
Recently.
Damien pushed the doors open.
They groaned loudly.
Inside, dust floated through pale shafts of moonlight.
Broken pews lined the aisle.
At the altar rested a wedding veil.
Untouched by time.
Alexa reached for it.
"Don't touch it!" Damien shouted.
Too late.
The moment her fingers brushed the lace...
The chapel vanished.
---
Music filled the air.
Soft.
Beautiful.
Wedding music.
The broken chapel had transformed into a magnificent church lit by hundreds of candles.
Guests smiled as they watched a bride walk slowly down the aisle.
She was breathtaking.
Young.
Radiant.
Her white dress shimmered beneath the candlelight.
She held a bouquet of red roses.
Everyone applauded.
At the altar stood a handsome young man waiting for her.
His smile faded.
The church doors slammed shut.
One by one...
The candles went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Then came a scream.
The bride looked down.
A dagger protruded from her chest.
Blood spread across her dress like crimson flowers.
She collapsed.
The guests didn't move.
They simply watched.
Their faces slowly twisted into hollow, lifeless smiles.
The dying bride lifted her head.
Her eyes locked onto Alexa.
Though her lips barely moved...
Alexa heard every word.
"Finish what he started."
---
"Alexa!"
Damien's voice shattered the vision.
She gasped and stumbled backward.
The chapel was abandoned once more.
The veil lay on the floor.
Only seconds had passed.
"What happened?" Damien asked.
Alexa struggled to breathe.
"I... I saw her die."
His face drained of color.
"You've begun seeing her memories."
"What does that mean?"
Before he could answer...
The old church bell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Damien looked toward the tower in horror.
"No..."
A shadow appeared at the top of the bell tower.
The ghostly bride.
She was no longer pointing at Alexa.
She was smiling.
- Writer
