THE EERIE ROOM

KAYLA.

With trembling hands, I pushed the door open, ignoring the cold, eerie air that hit me right on the face. The room was dark, with no windows or source of light, and I squinted my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. I could hear my breaths in the quietness, and the creaking of the wooden floorboards under my feet. It felt like a thousand eyes were watching me, and every shadow seemed to hide a monster waiting to pounce and tear me into shreds.

I walked gingerly around the room, supporting myself with the couch and the small ray of light that seeped in through a crack in the wall.

“Argh!” I groaned in muffled tones as I hit my foot on an object and stumbled slightly. I quickly covered my mouth. I couldn't afford to be caught– I would be food for the bears if I'm caught in here. I looked down to see an old rug, covered in dust and cobwebs. The room was a mess. The furniture was draped in sheets and spiderwebs, as if no one had been in here for years. I slowly made my way around the room, feeling like I was in a haunted house.

There was something strange about this room, and mere thoughts of it intensified my fear. The Alpha king had placed a ban on the room and declared that no one enters into it. This happened right after my mother’s death and was something worth questioning. However, I had no courage to question his decision…

I was going against the rule, but since it concerned my mother, I was willing to do it.

The air was musty and stale, I had to cover my mouth and nose with my sleeve to avoid breathing in the dust. I took in deep breaths at intervals, and it made me choke.

The silence was deafening, and every sound I made seemed to echo and reverberate through the room. I was scared, but also curious, wondering what secrets my mother told me this room held.

I sat down on the edge of a broken couch for a bit. I looked around the room, my eyes accustomed to the darkness. For a moment, I scanned through the room but didn’t find anything tangible and In line with the theme of my search.

I was just about to give up and leave, to find a new life elsewhere when my eyes hit a wooden cabinet in the corner of the room. It was big and strong. Hastily, I got up and made my way towards it and that was when I realized that there was something off about the cabinet– it seemed to bear a mystery, like it was the bearer of the message mother had for me.

I rummaged my hands through it as I got to it, just then I remembered I put a flashlight inside my backpack while packing. I reached for it and pulled it out… I flashed the torch on the cabinet, it had gold inscription embossed on it and although it was old with scuff marks, the chest stood rigid.

The chest was locked, I tried searching the room for the key, but it was futile, time was running out, and I had to think of something to do as quickly as possible. Almost immediately, my flashlight hit a shiny object on the table, in the middle of the room, it was a scrap metal. I quickly rushed back to the cabinet and tried to force the lock open. After trying for some time, the lock clicked.

My heart raced, and I hesitated before I slowly opened it, a cloud of dust flew out, making me cough and sneeze. Inside the chest, there were old books, clothes and some strange books with Latin inscriptions I couldn't identify. Just then I saw a small box tucked away in the corner of the chest, I reached for it. It was locked, but I found the key inside the chest.

As I unlocked the box and lifted the lid, I gasped in surprise. Inside the box, there was a letter that was written by my mother to me.

“My dear Kayla, if you're reading this, it means I am no longer with you. But I want you to know that I love you and that you are strong enough to make it on your own. I'm sure by now, you'd be subjected into so much torture that you'd be contemplating whether to leave or stay… Kay, this is not the end of the road for you, They're not whom you think they are, for my sake and importantly, for your destiny, Stand and fight

Love, Mom "

I didn't realize how much of an effect the letter had on me until tears dropped on it. It felt like mother was there close to me. I closed my eyes as I placed the letter on my chest. For what seemed like ages, I sobbed silently and after a while, I dried my tears. Even though she had encouraged me to stay put in this hell of a pack, fear filled my heart. My mother had never mentioned anything about this to me before. What was this secret she was keeping from me? I couldn't wrap my head around it.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and I jumped in fear. I quickly stood up, and started walking towards the door, but before I could take a step, the quadruplets barged in. My heart sank as I tried to hide the letter away from them.

Jason raised his brows, “Kayla, what are you doing here?” he asked, with suspicion written all over his face.

“Uh, nothing”, I said, trying to keep my racing heart in check.

Jason looked at me intently with his gray eyes, “Nothing, huh? I'm sure you're aware, Kayla that nobody enters into this room,” he said between gritted teeth.

I bowed my head slightly, waiting for the worst to happen. Suddenly, I felt a strong hand that gripped my hand and dragged me along…

“Jas…” I tried to plead with him, but he cut me off.

“You should channel your explanation to the Alpha,” he said, his words barely above a whisper.

Jason dragged me towards the pack house, my heart beating fast. When we got to the Alpha's office, Jason pushed me in, I lost my balance and fell to the floor.

“Father, I found her in the banned compartment,” Jason said, his voice laced with anger.

The Alpha looked at me with surprise, and then his face turned into a scowl. “What gave you the guts to enter into the banned room?” he shouted, his voice echoing in the room.

I opened my mouth to say something in my defense, but the Alpha cut me off, “You would be severely punished for breaking the rules”.