A Parish Darker: A Victorian Suspense Novella by Rhys Ermire Read Free Book Online Page A

I could only assume its demise was the result of something sadistic and torturous.
     
    As unsettling a sight as it was, I did not have long with which to ponder the rat's mortality. Instead, I was soon faced with the question of my own longevity.
     
    A violent, unstable expulsion of air chilled the room at my back. Turning, I was confronted with a scene for which my mind had never been prepared. That rhythmic and determined breathing pattern continued audibly, drowning out even the storm outside.
     
    I looked forward, ahead, beyond in the darkness. A silhouette was emerging into the light, slowly but at a steady pace. The void began to be filled with the sight of a human figure as it merged from dark to light with revealing subtlety.
     
    I first took note of the long coat, leather in make and dark in color, clinging to a sizable frame. It had been a male, his hair unkempt and long and down to his shoulders. Those long tangles obscured much of his face and eyes, but it was evident he had not taken to shaving in some time.
     
    The more I saw in those early seconds, the more I assumed this to be a vagrant. His head had been bowed downward, only looking to me with a forward stare at an unusual angle. I soon noticed the whites of his eyes had been drowned by wide but dilated pupils. I saw nothing in them that indicated humanity.
     
    His unusual appearance, from the leather coat that reached his knees to his uncharacteristically dark complexion had me questioning whether any communication was possible.
     
    “Can I help you?” I gestured an open hand, moving slightly toward him but halting in place as his posture tightened as if to take a defensive position.
     
    I decided to speak more slowly in the event English was not his first language. “Can you hear me?” I was not sure of his age nor his ethnicity and not even his reason for standing in that doorway. What became evident, however, was that he had no intention of moving unassisted.
     
    As I took a step closer, I cleared my throat to get his attention. He braced himself, hand behind him at his back, with his head still facing forward as it had been.
     
    No matter the action on my part, he still uttered no sound save for his heavy breathing. Belted breaths escaped him with full exertion, allowing his lungs to expel all air at their disposal. These were followed by deep inhalations, with the pattern shortly thereafter repeating itself.
     
    Some utterances escaped me, asking for his name and reason for being in the castle. “Why are you here?” and “Is there something you want?” were among them. I began surveying my surroundings and quickly realized the only way out was through the doorway in which he stood.
     
    For the first time, his head raised, but not to make eye contact. His teeth came down on the bottom of his mouth, causing a noticeable impression in the skin. Elsewhere on the body, it may have drawn blood.
     
    The air of aggression was disturbing. I backed away slowly, glancing to the table behind me. “What is it you want?” I asked the man as I rummaged lightly on the desk, searching for anything metallic to take up in defense. The wall of ornamental weapons were in his reach, not my own.
     
    For just an instant, his incessant breathing turned to a groaning sound that bellowed into a growl by the time it finished. The conversation came to an end when he brought his hand forward, removing something attached to his belt and bringing it forward—its sharp end pointed in my direction.
     
    The knife being wielded in his hand was one made for hunting, and likely large game at that. The serrated teeth on the blade had seen some sort of action—that much was clear. Rust had settled over the tip, with portions of teeth to the blade missing from lack of care—or perhaps constant use.
     
    Without averting my eyes, I came across what seemed to be the protractor on the desk. Wrapping my hand around the device, I attempted to control my heart rate and