Hello all! This is for my Keeper, Ash(AshesGleamAndGlow) on the Wasps team. Me and Carol (Carolare Scarletus) worked on it, but I'm posting it. This is for the QLFC round 11, a horror themed round. The Keeper's prompt was the movie The Orphanage. Carol came up with this idea, so I hope you all like it!
Just so you know, this is a Tom Riddle AU! You'll see why at the end.
Word Count: 1045
The dark, foreboding cave didn't look the least bit interesting in Tom's opinion. The dark aura that emanated from its cavernous depths was enough to make Dennis Bishop uneasy. Beside him, Amy Benson shivered. It was a cold November evening when the orphanage Matron took them for an outing by the sea. Of course, Tom had to explore the caves that rose hundreds of feet high into the salt air. It wasn't long before he found the cave and ushered them to join him.
"Do you want to see something extraordinary?" Tom asked them. It was obvious to Dennis that Amy didn't want anything to do with it, but there was a voice that whispered, Yes, you do. Come with us.
Before either of them could confirm their answer, Tom brought his hand up and tugged on Dennis' sleeve.
As the decision was made, something unrecognizable flashed before his eyes. In an instant, all the power that had filled his body began to dissipate. It left his body in a swirl of purple and onyx, fluttering dangerously around Dennis. He did not move from his place but continued to watch as the substance finally dispersed. The surrounding area was silent. The same hushed voices sounded from within the cave, whispering things to him. Dennis listened. The voices were calm and compliant. He could scarcely make out what they were saying when he looked at Tom. They vanished as if he hadn't heard a thing.
How long had he been standing there? Certainly long enough to be fully absorbed by the sensational whispers that were coming from the cave. No matter how appealing it was, Dennis was anxious to know what was waiting for them before he was fully immersed into the unknown.
"You'll come with me, won't you?" His charming demeanor was able to crack the toughest of people. Dennis bit his lip and looked around warily.
"What're you gonna show us?"
"I told you," he said simply as if the answer was in plain sight. "Something extraordinary." Then he smiled, and it was the most sinister thing Dennis ever saw. "Now, follow me."
Tom showed them the way, still holding onto Dennis' sleeve as if it were a life jacket. Although Dennis should be nervous about what he wanted to show him, he couldn't shake the feeling that he might actually know what he was talking about. During their short time at the orphanage, he'd learned a thing or two about his mysterious friend. The first was to never expect anything less than marvelous. The tricks Tom could do with his hands scared the others; even Amy was a little mystified by what he could do. Late at night, screams filled his solitary room. In the morning, they were left to wonder what was going on inside that closed-off emporium of the mystery that was him. Gradually, he began to recollect the previous events that guided him to the predicament they found themselves in. He knew for certain that he had been following someone he did not know, someone that could easily kill them.
"This is a strange place," Dennis commented briefly. The light at the opening of the cave was growing weaker and dimmer. He looked over his shoulder at Amy. She looked at him, cowering and whimpering as if she secretly knew where Tom was leading them.
The terror in her eyes said it all. They shouldn't have followed him.
"Have you shown the others?"
"You are the first."
"We're honored," he lied tightly. "Surely, as extraordinary as you've described it, you would want to share it with the rest of the world."
"Perhaps," Tom said slowly, tilting his head. Dennis could scarcely see the sinister curl of his lips. "If it goes well tonight, I will."
"What do you mean?" Dennis questioned. "What are you planning on doing?"
"Enough talking, I do not want you upsetting them," he said to him in a strained tone.
Tom continued to forge onward. During their seemingly long journey into the cave, the light of entrance grew dimmer. Before long, they were treading in pure darkness. Dennis felt Amy tug onto the back of his jacket, silently voicing her discomfort. Tom had finally let go of his sleeve, which freed him to comfort Amy as they walked. While he did, strange voices began to dance down the length of the murky channel. At first, he couldn't distinguish what they were saying.
Blood...must have...blood…
"Just a little further," Tom informed them, not bothering to look if they were following him.
The winding channel curved dangerously, before straightening out and revealing the glamorous light of day once again.
Dennis stopped altogether, standing beside Amy.
The energy radiating off of her was enough to spark the fire within his veins once again.
They watched until Tom reached the other side of the cave, where the light of day was once again seen. His alabaster skin almost glimmered in the light of the cave. Dennis waited with fascination as the voice began to sound again in his mind, their words harsh and unforgiving. They wanted him to kill. He could feel their corruptive power seeping into his pores, chilling him to the bone. He looked to Amy, who was completely oblivious to the turmoil brewing within him. Tom was doing this to them, he knew it.
Gradually, he began to recollect the previous events that guided him to the predicament they found themselves in. He knew for certain that he had been following someone he did not know, someone that could easily kill them. "We're almost there…"
"I would stay back if I were you." Dennis and Amy said in unison. They inched closer, watching him carefully. "You weren't meant to get this far."
"What are you two going on about?" He asked.
"Turn around and we'll show you."
The second he neared the entrance again, Tom turned around and screamed.
Dennis and Amy, their eyes gouged from their sockets, advanced toward him. They swallowed him as if he was whole, unaware of the blood splattering the cave's walls. No one would find him for quite some time, and the mystery of what happened to Tom Riddle would remain a subject of police discussion for many years.