Michaela's Monster

Chapter 4: Malicious Intent

Reaching the bottom of the spiral staircase, Michaela found herself in a hallway, not unlike the one at her school, yet something about it just didn't feel right.

Fluorescent lights were mounted above her, surrounded by corkboard ceiling tiles, most of which were stained brown from moisture. While many of the lights were out, those that remained somewhat functional were flickering erratically, as though they were on their last legs.

The strobe effect from the faulty lighting almost made the warped linoleum floors below look like they were twitching, especially in the parts where the ground had become so uneven that the top layer had cracked to reveal the dark moldy concrete beneath.

Turning her attention to the bulletin board on her left, Michaela saw a series of children's drawings; all crayon depictions of Jesus on the cross. While the smiling stick men gave Michaela a much-needed feeling of momentary normality, she couldn't help but notice how errantly the images had been mounted to the wall.

While each individual picture held a certain feeling of innocence and happiness, they had been stapled to the bulletin board at odd angles, sometimes two or three in a twisting stack, as though whomever had been tasked with this display was doing so on an impossible timeline.

While everything about her surroundings told her that this must be the Sunday School of the Church, she still couldn't shake the odd feeling that was being generated by the dim lighting, and generally neglected condition of everything around her.

Taking a moment to peer into one of the classrooms at the side of the hallway, Michaela could barely see anything aside from the edge of the small desk closest to the door.

Whether it was the complete absence of natural light from the outside world, the sudden ache in her gut, or the alarm bells going off in the back of her mind, something about this room felt too dark, almost like it was consciously hiding something from her.

Finally giving in to her sharper instincts, Michaela took one last glance down the hallway in front of her, shaking her head in protest as she simply said, "Nope."

Turning around to head back upstairs, Michaela almost walked into the solid concrete wall that had suddenly appeared behind her, showing no signs of the staircase that had led her down here in the first place.

As a wave of panic surged within her, Michaela started pounding her open hands on the wall, certain that it must be an illusion of her exhausted mind, but the wall held firm, refuting her silent claim.

Just as Michaela finally gave up on her hopes of returning to the Chapel, she suddenly heard the sound of the crying child become audible once again, from somewhere down the hall.

With no other options, Michaela hesitantly followed the noise down the mysterious corridor, hearing the faint sounds of the Reception Room pass above her prompting her to think, well at least I'm still in the Church.

A little further down the dim, flickering hallway, Michaela followed a forced ninety-degree right turn only to come upon a forked path moments later, presenting the option of two directions. The one on the right led further along the dimly lit path she was already on, whereas the one on her left led into pure darkness.

Even just glancing down the darker hallway brought chills to Michaela's spine, and in that moment she couldn't help but feel as though something within the darkness was watching her, assessing her, waiting for its moment to strike.

While Michaela's instincts were screaming at her to flee, she already knew there was nowhere to go except for one of these two directions before her. Perhaps that's why she felt a slight wave of relief when the crying starting up again, coming from the semi-lit path on her right.