Chapter 1

When I was 13, my friend Sarah and I often had sleepovers at each other’s houses. We preferred staying at my place because my parents had built a little house for me in the backyard. It was great both in summer and winter. There were a few trees around it, so when the sun was blazing, they provided some shade. We had electricity inside, but we didn’t want to bring a TV in there. We thought it made the place feel more mysterious that way. We had tried summoning ghosts several times, but nothing had ever happened. We tried to convince ourselves that maybe the flickering lights or a sudden gust of wind had something to do with it, but the truth was, they didn’t.

One afternoon, we went shopping for clothes in the neighboring town. When we were about to head to the bus stop with our bags, we spotted a shop tucked away in an alley. It had a flickering sign that read: “Want to be scared? Then come inside.” There were various horror movie figures displayed around the shop. Sarah and I looked at each other, and we didn’t even need to say anything. We both headed straight inside.

When we entered, instead of the usual jingle of a bell, a witch-like laugh echoed through the shop. We both laughed. An older guy was standing behind the counter. He looked like he was around forty.

“Good afternoon, ladies. Are you looking for something specific, or do you just want to have a look around?”

Sarah and I answered almost at the same time.

“Just looking around.”

The guy nodded and went back to whatever he was doing behind the counter. We walked around the shop, looking at various props from horror movies. There were cobwebs everywhere, and the whole place looked creepy. There were some figures we didn’t even recognize. There was also a shelf full of board games covered in a layer of dust. We looked at them for a while, wondering if we should take one home, but then I noticed Sarah staring intently at something.

I walked over to her and understood what had caught her attention. She was staring at a book. It was black and made of leather, with strange symbols carved into it. Pieces of bone were glued to its cover.

My eyes lit up. I wanted to open it, but suddenly, a voice spoke behind us. We both jumped.

“Ladies, if you want this book, I guarantee you’ll have an experience you’ll never forget. I’m almost certain it’s exactly what you’re looking for. But unfortunately, this book has rules of its own. You’re not allowed to open it here. You have to wait until you get home.”

We looked at each other, disappointed.

“How much does it cost?”

We didn’t have much money left. We had spent most of it in the other shops.

The guy smiled.

“It’s not for sale. If you want it, I can lend it to you.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised. “And when will you want it back?”

He gave us a mysterious look.

“The book will decide when it wants to come back to me.”

“Okay. And do you want us to sign something? Or give you our names?”

He laughed again.

“That won’t be necessary.”

We left the shop feeling confused. Sarah looked at me.

“I don’t understand how he expects to make any money like that. Maybe we should give him something when we bring the book back.”

“Yeah, I agree. With an attitude like that, he’s going to go bankrupt,” I replied.

We didn’t get home until it was already starting to get dark. My parents were waiting for us at the door.

“Can you explain where you two have been all this time?”

I looked at my parents apologetically and explained that we had been shopping for clothes and had come across an amazing, creepy little shop.

Mom shook her head.

“You two and your obsession with this kind of stuff.”

My mom had always dreamed of having a little girl who would wear pink dresses, play with dolls, and be a classic little princess. Unfortunately, that didn’t exactly happen. Even my name, Lili, didn’t really suit me.

Dad laughed.

“Actually, I’m glad my daughter isn’t like everyone else.”

“You just had to encourage her, didn’t you?” Mom snapped. “Come on, let’s get to the table. I made dinner.”

We sat down at the table and started eating. It was Mom’s legendary chicken with stuffing, which everyone loved.

“Girls, tomorrow I’m picking up that new horror movie from the video store. I hope you’ll watch it with me.”

Our eyes lit up.

“You’re kidding! How did you manage that? It was impossible to rent. Practically the whole town wanted to see it.”

“Well, let’s just say I used my charm.”

Mom shot him a look.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m not supposed to encourage them,” he said with a laugh.

After dinner, Sarah and I said goodnight to my parents and went to the little house in the backyard. We talked for a while when Sarah suddenly froze.

“The book! Oh shit, that’s right. We completely forgot about it.”

She reached into her backpack and pulled out the book. Then she handed it to me.

“What? Are you scared?” I laughed.

“No, not really. It’s just… you’re braver than me.”

I’d be lying if I said that didn’t flatter me.

I opened the book. Something was attached to the hard inside cover. When I looked closer, I realized it was some kind of old dagger.

“Holy shit, that’s so cool,” Sarah whispered, looking over my shoulder.

I turned the page, and there was already text written on it.

“It’s not too late to close the book. If you continue reading, there will be no going back. Are you prepared to sacrifice something, or would you rather give in to your fear?”

“I’m glad I didn’t take one of those board games,” I said to Sarah. “This looks much more interesting. So, are we going to keep reading?”

Sarah grinned.

“What are you waiting for? Keep going.”

Then I started reading the words.

No, I’m not going to write them here. I don’t want to risk them working this way too.

After I finished reading the words, thunder started rumbling outside. The wind began blowing so hard that it started slamming against the door of our little house. I quickly ran over and locked it.

The walls of the house were covered with pictures Sarah and I had drawn since we were little. They all started flying off the walls. The glasses we had on the table suddenly flew toward the wall and shattered on the floor.

I didn’t hear the voice in the room. I heard it inside my head. It was so terrifying, so hoarse.

“You belong to me now.”

After those words, Sarah and I were thrown against the walls. Each of us was hurled in a different direction. My hand slammed against the wall, bending it at an unnatural angle. I fell directly onto the broken glass. My arms and legs were covered in cuts. . Sarah was curled up in the corner, crying.

I didn’t know what to do, but then I saw the book. I ran toward it and frantically flipped through the pages until I reached the very end. There it was:

“You can stop it, but it will require a sacrifice. Are you willing to make it?”

“Fuck yes, I am.”

I quickly read on. There were instructions. I had to cut my hand and let my blood drip onto the pages while reciting another passage.

I turned toward the broken glass, intending to grab a piece, but the book suddenly began flipping through its own pages. It stopped at the beginning, where the dagger was.

“Okay. Fine.”

I picked it up and cut my palm. I recited the words, and to my surprise, silence filled the room.

Sarah ran over to me and hugged me. She was crying hysterically. Thankfully, unlike me, she only had a few scrapes.

“We need to get you to a hospital.”

“Yeah. But first, we should call our parents.”

I picked up my phone and tried calling them. No one answered. That was normal. My parents had been asleep for hours, and they always turned their phones to silent at night.

“Sarah… I’d rather wait until it gets light.”

“Me too. I don’t want to find out if there’s something outside.”

For several hours, we just sat next to each other, trembling with fear. Neither of us had the courage to talk about what had just happened. The little house was completely destroyed. Broken glass covered the floor, our drawings were scattered everywhere, and the smell of blood still lingered in the air.

Then it started raining.

The first drop hit the roof.

Drip.

A moment later, another.

Drip. Drip.

We were both silent, listening to the sound. After everything that had happened, it was almost comforting. As if nothing had happened outside. As if it were just an ordinary summer night.

When the sky finally started to brighten, Sarah looked at me.

“It’s almost morning.”

I nodded.

Slowly, we approached the door. We stood there for a moment, neither of us daring to touch the handle.

Finally, I grabbed it.

We stepped outside.

The first thing I felt was the fresh air. For a moment, I breathed a sigh of relief.

We had made it.

It was over.

Then I heard Sarah let out a terrible scream.

That sound is something I will remember for the rest of my life.

I turned around.

Sarah was standing several feet away from me, staring toward the house.

Then I looked too.

And I saw them.

My parents.

They were hanging from the trees above our little house. Their throats had been cut, and blood was dripping from them onto the roof.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Suddenly, I realized what we had been listening to all night.

It hadn't been rain.

It had been my parents' blood.

I collapsed to the ground.

The police later tried to find whoever had done it, but they never found the killer. They couldn't. No one believed our version of what had happened that night.

And the book?

It was gone.

It wasn't where we'd left it.

We never found the shop again either. When we showed the police where it had been, there was nothing there. According to every record, there had never been a shop like that there.

To this day, I don't know what we woke up that night.

But if you ever see a small shop with a flickering sign that says:

“Want to be scared? Then come inside.”

Please, don't go inside.

Just leave me a comment telling me where you saw it. I've been trying to find it again for several years.