The Present: One year later
Krista and Jason had just gotten engaged and wanted to celebrate with Ash and me, so we decided to rent a cabin a few hours away from our sleepy college town. It was a beautiful one storey bungalow with three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.
Krista and Jason shared one bedroom, Ash and I shared another, and the last one was used as my temporary study so I could work on my thesis on Ancient Greece.
That first night, we sat around a bonfire, enjoying the crisp autumn air and full moon.
"I couldn't have imagined a better way to celebrate our happiness" Jason said, the fire flickering in his blue eyes "I just love the outdoors"
"We definitely picked the right time to go" I agreed, enjoying the chilly night air "It gives me time to catch up on my thesis on Ancient Greek Mythology"
Jason and Krista exchanged amused glances before bursting out laughing.
"Hey, listen to you" Ash said, pulling me close "You've worked so hard on that thesis. Take this long weekend to relax. It might be one of those cherished moments that cannot be taken from you in the face of adversity"
Ash always had a cryptic way with words when it came to me. My guess is that the death of his girlfriend before me, Linda, had him paranoid that something would happen to me too. Maybe that's what kept me attracted to him.
"I know what will liven the mood even more" Jason said excitedly "Let's tell scary stories"
With that, he went first, telling us the classic urban legend of a killer hiding in the backseat of an unsuspecting woman's car.
Krista went next, telling a familiar tale of a man who encounters a wolf-like beast in the woods before becoming like him after being bitten.
Always in the mood, I went next, telling them about the Mesopotamian legend of Gilgamesh, in his fight against the forest guardian demon Huwawa. With each gory detail I recited from memory, I managed to make Jason and Krista look extremely scared from beginning to end.
When I finally finished, the three of us turned to look at the only person left. Ash.
Ash looked uncertain of whether or not to share a story, but knowing Jason wouldn't let it go, he did it anyways.
"A year or so back, my girlfriend Linda and I rented a cabin in the backwoods of Tennessee. An archaeologist and his wife had been in the place before us. He had made some kind of discovery at some castle and came here to translate and recite his findings"
"What findings?" Krista demanded, arching an eyebrow.
"It was the Necromonicon, a book bound by human flesh. It originated in Ancient Samaria—"
"It was written in blood in Ancient Sumerian text" I finished for him. He nodded, smiling grimly at me before continuing.
"He had recorded his translations and Linda and I played the recording. Unfortunately for us, we did not know the ramifications. The Necromonicon was a book filled with funerary incantations, bizarre incantations, and rituals to resurrect demons"
"Ash" Jason interrupted, holding up his hands in disgust "There's no such thing as demons"
"Let him continue" Krista exclaimed, playfully punching her fiancée on the shoulder, making him become silent.
"Go on, Ash" I urged, squeezing his arm.