Every night I fall to sleep, where I spy corpses at my feet.
The moon was already halfway up the hazy winter sky when at last the little carriage reached its lonely destination. The white haired butler jumped elegantly down from his seat to open the door as Cain Hargreaves stepped out into the crisp night air. Already, a frost was forming underfoot as he alighted on the ground, and he regarded Riff with serious, aurulent eyes.
"Come, Riff... Inside..."
Riff nodded at the noble's words, and they moved silently towards the door of the inn. An old, respectable inn; The Final Cadence had sheltered many travellers roving through this remote vale over the years, and now it was a welcome place to stop from the night for both men, tired by a long, bitter day on the road.
A chill draught followed them inside, and Cain looked around suspiciously as the door groaned closed. Shadows blanketed the bar in darkness, and in the corners of the room were mantled with cobwebs, strung sullenly from rafter to rafter. He shivered. This wasn't the resting place he'd imagined at all.
But the most striking thing about the room was its total lack of people.
Riff regarded the room critically, his already serious face creasing into a deep, dissatisfied frown. "Oh..." he murmured, wandering further inside and wiping his fingertip across the dust on the counter, regarding the long line he'd left disdainfully. "...Where is everyone, I wonder?"
Cain shook his head, bemused, and slipped quietly after Riff. For some reason he couldn't quite place, he didn't want to be at all far away from his larger, more powerful butler for even a second more than was necessary.
"This is most odd..." Riff continued softly, gazing around, as if expecting the residents of the inn to suddenly materialise all around them. He looked to his master apologetically. "Begging your pardon, Master Cain... I assure you that this inn is supposed to be a fine place..."
Cain waved a hand dismissively. "No matter, Riff. We can still rest here, even if..." He tailed off, and both of them surveyed their surroundings again, almost nervously. The silence hung for several long moments, before Riff cut in awkwardly.
"But, milord... There's nobody here at all... Is it really ok to spend the night in such a place..?"
"I'm sure the absence of people is perfectly justifiable," Cain said intrepidly, removing his top hat and fiddling with the rim of it, in rather sharp contrast to his bold expression. "And there is nothing at all to stop us resting here, even if there is nobody around..."
Riff shifted uncomfortably. "But, milord-"
Cain tilted his head to the side, glancing at Riff through glowing eyes, his lips twisted in a small smirk. "What is it, Riff? Are you scared?" He leaned closer to his manservant, any malice in his tone suddenly disappearing. "Remember Riff, there's no such thing as monsters."
Riff paused, and narrowed his eyes determinedly. "No, milord, I'm not scared." Cain nodded approvingly, smiling. "That's good. It really is only logical that we stay, Riff... We couldn't continue all night, especially in this horrible cold... Now, perhaps we should proceed to a room..?"
Riff nodded, starting towards a flight of wooden stairs. "Whatever my lord wishes, of course..."
They ascended through the gloom in silence, footsteps seeming unnecessarily loud as they echoed down the stairwell. Small spiders scurried in and out of the tiny cracks and crevices marring the walls as they passed, and Cain shuddered, despite his earlier resoluteness. He gave an uneasy chuckle. "I suppose... It is kind of creepy..."
The upstairs hallway was, unsurprisingly, just as deserted as the common room, and just as dusty. Riff sighed, seeming troubled. "I really am sorry, Lord Cain, that we had to come here... It's not at all the pleasant inn I had heard about..."
Cain considered Riff kindly, walking slowly down the corridor towards the first of the rooms. "Please don't be distressed. I have no objections to staying here, none whatsoever. Please don't worry." He flashed Riff a captivating smile, and, ignoring his unconvinced expression, went to attempt to open the door of the first room.
To his surprise, it wasn't locked; the door yawned open with little more than a slight creak of protest, revealing a small, unimpressive room. But before he could take in any more of the details of the room, his nose was suddenly assailed by the horrific, nausea-inspiring stench of death flooding out of it. He backed away impulsively, fighting the instinct to retch, slamming the door shut with superfluous force.
"Master Cain! What's wrong?" Riff asked urgently, instantly right beside Cain, touching his forearm worriedly. "Is something the matter..?"
Cain coughed violently for a couple of moments, sagging slightly as the bout of sickness passed, looking dizzily, but incredulously, at his butler, one hand gripping Riff's arm anxiously. "Didn't you..? Didn't you smell it..?"
Riff's frown deepened, and he stared distractedly into the young earl's face. "Smell what? Does the room smell bad?"
Cain quivered, trying to take deep breaths, still clutching Riff. "Of death, Riff... That room stinks of decay!"
Riff looked genuinely alarmed, and glanced briefly towards the door, then let his gaze flicker back to Cain, still trembling from head to foot. "...Deep breaths, Lord Cain... Are you sure... You couldn't have been imagining it?"
Cain shook his head wildly, his eyes bright and frightened. "I wasn't imagining things!" he insisted, rather more loudly than he'd intended. "It smells like a charnel house..!"
Riff merely nodded, not wanting to upset the younger boy. "All right, milord... You don't have to sleep in there, so don't worry... Why don't we try another room..?"
Cain looked dubious, and moved reluctantly with Riff as he attempted to open the second door down the corridor. The door opened just as easily as the first had, and no disturbing reek of putrefying flesh greeted either of them. Slowly, Riff led his young master inside, and sat him down on one of the two beds. He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way, and went over to the dresser to light a candle.
"There... Will this room be all right, milord?" he asked quietly, lighting the candle and closing the door. Coupled with the faint moonlight streaming in through the grimy little window, the candlelight flickering on the walls was much more eerie than it should've been. Cain attempted to ignore this, and nodded. "It'll be fine..." he mumbled, his eyes flicking around fearfully, as if expecting some kind of horrific entity to jump out from the shadows.
Riff smiled. "That's good... Would you like me to fetch your nightclothes, then, Master Cain?"
Cain shook his head firmly, slowly slipping his shoes off and placing them at the foot of his bed. "No thank you, Riff. I don't want to change clothes in this place..." Riff frowned slightly, but allowed Cain to continue. "It feels dirty, and I'd feel even more vulnerable if I were to take my clothes off..."
Riff regarded him pitifully, and sat down on the other bed with a little huff. "Milord... You said yourself, there's no such thing as monsters..."
Cain nodded. "Indeed there isn't, but..." He sighed, looking slightly embarrassed. "The events of the last few minutes have shaken me somewhat. Even if I can't explain why, I feel ill at ease."
Riff sighed, knowing nothing he said would be able to sway his stubborn charge. "Will you be all right alone, Master Cain? Should I go and find another room now that you're settled?"
Cain's head whipped up in instant, although his voice remained quiet and soft. "No. If you would... Stay in this room with me tonight, Riff..."
Riff nodded dutifully, removing his own shoes and his jacket, hanging it on the back of the door. "Of course, milord. That's fine..."
He yanked the sheets up and slipped under them, still fully clothed, and looked over at Cain, who tentatively followed suit. He smiled sympathetically at his young lord and laid his head on the pillow, giving a heavy sigh. "Try to sleep easy, my lord... I promise you, there's no reason for you to be afraid..."
Cain nodded uncertainly, wriggling a little further under the sheets, his molten eyes fixated on the candle. "I hope you're right..." he whispered, shivering a little as his pillow scratched at his pallid cheek. Riff nodded once more, then shut his eyes and fell silent, clearly hoping Cain might do the same.
Cain sighed, rolling onto his back and gazing up at the discoloured ceiling with edgy eyes. Soon enough, he heard the gentle snuffles signifying that Riff was unconscious now, and groaned under his breath, irritated with himself.
"Grow up," he whispered through gritted teeth, his fists clenching as he tried to make himself obey his own words. "You're only frightening yourself..."
The minutes dragged by, the silence only broken every once in a while by one of the horses outside, nickering softly to itself as they waited for dawn, and for their masters to return. Cain rolled back and forth, sheer exhaustion beginning to overpower him. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and eventually they closed; and his mind began to swirl...
Cain stood, to his surprise, at the entrance of the inn again. It was daytime now, and the air buzzed with conversation, and as he looked around, he saw the people making the noise; many of them, sitting down at the bar and pulling on long drinks, laughing together.
Nervously, Cain walked a little further inside, regarding the scene with considerable confusion. Was he dreaming..? Or was it morning, and had everyone come back..? He severely hoped for the latter.
As he watched however, the merry situation began to change. One by one, the dwellers of the inn fell into a forbidding silence. For a moment, he didn't understand; but as the deathly calm continued, he heard something else quite apart from voices; a soft, haunting moaning, slowly growing louder and louder. As one, everyone's heads swivelled to the door, all expressions the fearful same.
The ghostly sounds continued for several more seconds, then ceased abruptly. Silence hung for a couple of tense moments, before being ferociously shattered as the door of the inn was suddenly torn from its hinges as a gigantic, bat-like shadow flung itself recklessly into the room.
Screams erupted from everyone as several more of the shadowy masses entered the room, emitting unearthly shrieks and wails. Cain watched in horror, unable to move an inch, as everyone else scrambled around pathetically for weapons or defence of some variety.
The huge beasts in the doorway remained still for several moments, watching what was surely their prey through their curious eyes, like rubies set into their skulls. Their shadowy bodies continued to billow ominously for a little while longer, until suddenly their leader gave a bone-jarring cry and lunged forwards. A great hole gaped open in its face, filled with knifelike fangs, and before anyone could react at all, the full force of its jaws came crashing down upon the barkeeper. He gave a terrible scream, twitching frenziedly as blood soaked his clothes, the creature shaking him about like a ragdoll.
He fell limp, and just as another chorus of terrified yells began to rise, the other monsters rushed forwards over the people, like a blanket of despair, engulfing them all in a ball of blackness. From within, there came sick snaps and ripping sounds, as the unfortunate, defenceless humans were shredded like paper. Some of the foul entities darted for the stairs, and shortly the same cries of agony echoed from upstairs as well. Still, Cain remained where he was, unable to flee, unable to intervene; no more than a spectator to the massacre.
Eventually, the shadows rose, and revulsion clenched Cain's stomach as he saw, much too clearly, the remains of what had been people just seconds ago. Disembodied limbs were spread all across the room, along with disembowelled torsos, oozing a thick crimson liquid. Blood spatters from the chaos had even marked the walls and ceiling, and broken shards of bone were scattered around in a horribly casual fashion.
He watched in disgust and dismay as the bizarre things continued to move around slowly, much more calm now, swallowing all the debris they had created, erasing all traces of their presence. The room soon looked just the same as it had before, and, apparently content, the beasts quietly swept away, rustling softly as they exited. The door moaned shut behind them, and they were gone.
Nausea bubbled up inside Cain, and he felt weakness crash over him as he suddenly felt the realisation dawning on him as to what it was he'd seen.
The people of The Final Cadence hadn't just left. They'd been wiped out.
And, alone on a bitter night, what chance would he and Riff stand, if they should choose to come back? If those manifestations of darkness itself grew a craving for the flesh of humans again... And if they smelled prey again, in the same place as before...
Their fate would be sealed.
He awoke with a cry to wake the dead.