The Cries of Shadows

After a long and grueling climb, Victoria Cain and her close friend Anthony Libton had finally reached the top of Kob Hill, high above the quiet town of Renfrew. As they paused in the moonlight to catch their breath, the slender dark-haired girl bent down to adjust the irons on her skis, then quickly descended into the clearing. "We'll never have another great night of skiing like this," she said regretfully. "It's getting warmer by the minute." Anthony, a Junior Reporter for the Renfrew Star, nodded as he scanned the snow-covered slope, unmarked except for the herringbone marks of his skis. He was tall, muscular, and several years older than Victoria, who was still attending high school. The corners of his mouth were slightly turned up and he was giving that look a person gives as if they are watching the world around them with partial amusement. "Tony, it's already late," she reminded him. "Tonight will be our last run. Are you ready?" ``Okay, let's go to the valley together!'' he challenged. "I'm ready, let's go!" They flew down the slope despite the random sticks and debris poking through the snow as a result of the prior afternoon's warm temperatures. At first together, Victoria quickly progressed and moved gracefully in unison with her handsome friend whom she couldn't help but feel a desire to impress and keep pace with. It wasn't long until her competitive nature took over, and she began to speed up ahead of him as if in an unspoken race that neither had previously agreed to. Under the gentle moon, snowflakes sparkled in the light. Every pine tree was filled with glowing icicles. Victoria felt the wind on her cheek and took a deep breath. In that moment, she was glad to be alive. She swung her hips effortlessly and made her way towards the sharp curve between the trees. When she finally reached a clearing, she made a nice jump turn and waited for Tony, who was right behind her but careful to keep his own speed in check. He knew that he could easily take the lead if he truly wanted to. He decided that he much preferred to stay behind as he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked as light gusts of wind blew her hair gently away from her rosy cheeks while the sparkling mists of snow surrounded her curved body kicked up as her ski blades pulled her faster and faster down the hillside. “You get faster every time we do this!” he praised. "I don't even stand a chance!" Victoria laughed, hooking his arm and sliding towards the fire where a noisy group of young people were frying sausages and making coffee. ``It's time for you to come back!'' announced Amy Potter, a petite girl in a heavy red wool snowsuit. She knelt in the snow and fed hickory chips to the cherry-red fire. Amy considered Victoria her best friend. Although she wouldn't admit it, she had a tendency to get green-eyed whenever someone else caught her friend's attention. Even if that "someone" happened to be the hottest guy in town. The guy that could make any girl faint if he were to glance her way twice. "Hmm! It smells like coffee!" Victoria exclaimed, sniffing at the scent lingering in the air. "I'm hungry too!" She and Tony made themselves sandwiches and poured hot drinks. After they finished eating, the reporter suggested they climb Kob Hill one last time. "It's almost midnight," Amy said before Victoria could accept. “Why not figure out something else that you can do at home if you are not ready to call it a night yet?” There was soon a chorus of protests from other party members. Victoria looked at her watch sadly. “I hate breaking up parties,” she said. "But I promised my dad I'd arrive pretty early tonight. Amy and I have to head back, but the rest of you can stay if you want." ``If you have to go, I'll give you a ride home,'' Tony offered. "Oh, Vic has her own car," Amy said quickly. "It's on the side of the road over at the other end of the hill." "Yeah," Victoria added. "I'll ski over there and be home in no time. Sweet of you to offer though." ``Aren't you afraid of going alone?'' Anthony asked teasingly. "Am I worried?" The question surprised her. "Why would I be worried about a silly thing like that?" "To get to the car, you have to pass through the abandoned old Church. It's scary at night!" Victoria stood up and put his wrist through the loop of the ski pole. "Don't put any ideas in our heads now!" she laughed. "It's just a building." ``Are you sure you don't want to come with me?'' he urged. "Of course not! Amy and I can handle any ghosts we encounter tonight! Besides, it's not like we haven't passed through there, like, a million times before anyway. I think someone is letting all of those late-night movies get to his head. Trust me, there is nothing to worry about but if you are ever too scared to get to your car? Let me know and I will come and help you out" she remarked with a wink and a light punch to his shoulder. The girls said a final goodnight to the guys and glided away, stopping at the top of the hill to say goodbye one last time to their friends. From there, they went down the hill and shot a path through a deep pine forest. It wasn't long before the decrepit old Monastery loomed ahead of them in the shadows of the night. Slowly, they approached the walls of moldy old stone and scattered debris. Surrounded by high brick walls on the historical and rumored haunted property was an old cemetery to the right, with many white stones set boldly at an angle. Over half were barely legible with many dated well over one hundred years ago. Victoria looked at the building curiously, waiting for Amy to catch up. Built generations ago, the grounds were first used by the Black Brotherhood, bound by vows of obedience and total silence as far as their beliefs and customs were concerned. Nobody beyond the Oath Takers would ever know the secrets and real the truth as to what their intentions were or what their practices entailed. Once you pledge yourself to the Cult, not only do you live by the Oath. You die by it as well. The convent was later taken over by an order of nuns, but the premises were abandoned as the buildings fell into disrepair. It remained unoccupied for 100 years. Or so it had been assumed. "An ugly old place!" Amy cried as she caught her breath and stopped next to her friend. "All the windows are broken and boarded up. It's strange!" "What?" Victoria demanded. "The windows are not broken! They are just old and rickety is all. The owner probably did it to protect his property from complete devastation would be my guess." "And ruin. Amy added. "Who exactly owns the house? ” “Last I heard, it was sold at public auction for taxes. I think the real estate agent bought it for its historical value and must have paid mere pennies for it, no doubt. In that case, he may be planning on renting it out or selling it," Victoria pointed out. "But who would want to live in this old shell? It's a place that gives me goosebumps, I have to admit!" Amy stared at the upper floor window of a distant building. "Vic!" she yelled. “I just saw a moving light!” "Where?" Amy pointed to a high window in the stone wall of the Monastery. "I can't see anything," Victoria replied. "I'm sure you were imagining it." "I wasn't. The light is gone now. But I could see it clearly. It could have been from a lantern. Someone was walking from room to room!" "Maybe it was a reflection of the moonlight or something.'' Victoria simply replied. Now that they had made it to the cobble stone walking path, the girls began removing their skis and equipment. Amy carefully bound the blades together and threw them over her left shoulder. In the distant town of Renfrew the tower clock began to strike midnight. "Vic!" Amy insisted, half whispering. "I saw a light! Maybe there's a ghost in the old monastery..." "Quiet now!" Victoria shushed her. "What are you trying to do? Prepare a lawsuit?" "but-" ``Get your boots on darling.'' Victoria advised as she hurried away along the path towards the main road where she had parked her car earlier. "It's already too late. We need to pick up the pace here or my dad is literally going to kill me." "Wait for me!" Amy hollered as she fiddled frantically with the iron on her ski. "Don't leave me alone out here!" "Then stop talking about ghosts!" scolded Victoria. She then slowed down and waited patiently until her friend had gathered her equipment and was ready to walk the rest of the way to the vehicle. The two girls then quickly headed to the side of the road where the car was parked. They could no longer see friendly campfires in the valley. As they move away from the Monastery, towering pine trees blocked out the moonlight giving the atmosphere an even creepier vibe than the one before. The old stone buildings had attracted their eyes like a powerful magnet. Deep snow, glistening with an eerie blue light, lay heavily on the high boundary wall. Even in the deserted garden behind the gatehouse, several statues were covered with soft white cloth. Amy held her friend's hand and urged her to go faster. Then the girls suddenly stopped. In front of them at the main entry point of the Monastery's old guardhouse stood the large rusty gate that had always been chained shut. This time, it was slightly open! "It's open!" Amy whispered. "Why, I've never seen this gate unlocked!" Victoria also felt a little uncomfortable for a moment. But she answered calmly: "Maybe someone moved in." Amy watched anxiously as her friend headed towards the gate and touched a rusty chain hanging in the snow. Then she bravely pushed the gate further open. "Don't go in there!" Amy warned, her voice sharp with fear. "Please get the hell away from there and leave it alone!" Amy's please fell on deaf ears, as Victoria couldn't help but let her curiosity get the better of her. As she looked back at the trail of her footprints leading back to where her terrified friend now stood shaking in paranoia and fear of the unknown, she mad the decision to at least take a quick look around just to see if there could be a logical reason for such strange circumstances to occur in the first place. "One sec! I just want to take a quick peak and we're out of here ok? I promise. Just stay right there and I will be back before you even realize that I was gone." Slowly, she pushed the gate open until the old rusted metal hinges let out a loud shriek that could no doubt be heard for miles on this calm, serene, and deathly quiet winter night. Once inside, she proceeded to trudge through the undisturbed mounds of snow that still had managed to linger along an old muddy path that was now slightly frozen and slushy due to the changing of the seasons. It led to a round stone gatehouse just a few meters away from where she was now standing. She then looked down and noticed something that made her stomach jump into her throat. The mark was very large and was made by a heavy man's boot. "Am-" she started, but the words froze on her lips. A shrill, piercing scream was then heard from inside the Monastery. Victoria jumped so high that she almost lost her footing and had to grab hold of a hanging tree branch that had been hanging lifelessly along the path. Once she had regained her balance, she heard Amy yelling at her to run. "Get the HELL OUT OF THERE VIC! OH MY GOD GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW THIS PLACE IS MESSED UP!!" Amy screamed. And this time, Victoria didn't waste a second arguing. She swirled around and ran as fast as her legs could carry her as the ghostly screams from something unseen continued to surround her. As she got further away from that rusted old gate and closer to where her terrified and panicked best friend now stood, finally the noise slowly started fading away. Unfortunately, what came next was even worse than what Victoria had endured only moments prior. Something sinister lurked in the shadows. Nothing could be seen, but it sure could be felt. Suddenly, things had become even more terrifying as a heavy and ominous silence fell over the scene. A silence that nobody could have ever prepared for.