I shiver as I hear his voice. In the past four months I’ve been living in this house, I’ve heard the evilness of the world. There are things that many humans aren’t exposed to in their daily life; I, however, am one of the unlucky chosen ones.

It started out as just a few little incidents that had previously been dismissed as my overactive imagination: dreams of people being brutally murdered, the faces of demons swirling around in my mind when I closed my eyes, and so forth. Only three months into my living here, the voices started. Typically they were pleasant; they would speak to me about my past life, or about events that occurred throughout my day. Yet, after I decided to experiment with a ouija board, I found that the voices became more grim; especially the most frequent one.

He is always calling to me, beckoning me to do his will and “prove myself to him” as he so often says. There have been many times-especially lately-that I’ve found myself thinking of him, even when he isn’t communicating with me. The worst part is that the thoughts I have of him have started becoming more of adoration than of the hate I had hitherto.

A black bird hops across the yard, and I notice something is not quite right about it. The bird’s eyes are a deep, glowing shade of red. A vision begins to manifest in my mind. I slowly slip into a trance, but all at once I’m pulled back into reality by the sound of Jezzabelle barking.

Jezzabelle, my year old wolf pup, and only companion, runs to me with her tail wagging when I call her name. I grab her leash from beside the door, and hook it onto her collar.

Animals have always been a very big part of my life. In fact, since the mere age of five, I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian and help myriads of animals. I have always possessed a very special connection with all animals, especially Jezzabelle.

I open the door, and the warm summer breeze drifts past me. It’s already seven o’clock here, but the sun shines bright and hot in the sky. I love summertime!

For four whole months I’ve been confined to my house and the surrounding area; never before have I mustered up the nerve to venture into the unknown of the woods, that is, until today. The voices-while still cordial-had warned me of it.

Once in the woods, I set out on a dirt path with Jezzabelle by my side. We walk for a while, and she never attempts to run off, only to stop and take in various smells.

Something sparkly in the distance catches my attention. As I draw nearer to it, my gaze is set upon a beautiful pond. Gold speckled water trickles from a lovely waterfall. There’s a multicolored patch of mushrooms adorning the edge of the pond; they form a shape much like a chair, and when I test them under my wait, I’m surprised to find that they support me.

As I sit, I begin to notice something bizarre about the pond: the water, no matter how much is added to the pond, never flows over the bank. This is a truly extraordinary place.

A tingling sensation begins to spread throughout my body; first over my mind and continuing down until my feet are fuzzy. It’s as if I’m floating on a cloud high in the sky, but at the same time as if I’m swimming. I have a feeling of complete bliss, until the bad thoughts come to me once again. I think of the ghastly crimes being committed throughout the entire world. My mind is reeling with gruesome images and ideas.

I must have been deeper in thought than I knew, because when I finally do return to reality, the light is shifting to darkness. When I look around, I see that Jezzabelle is nowhere in sight; I’m automatically panicstricken. The leash must have slipped from my grasp while I was in the daze.

Thirty minutes pass before I stumble across a rickety old cabin in the middle of the woods. I really should have paid more attention to where we were walking earlier. Finding my way home without Jezzabelle is going to be no easy task; not to mention the fact that my cellphone is dead. I’m very uneasy about the whole idea of my wolf being gone; she never leaves my side.

I clutch the covers I’d found on a bed in ancient looking bedroom in the cabin to my chest, and shiver. As soon as my head touches the decrepit pillow, I’m asleep.

Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. I’m having to will myself to run; my legs ache more than they ever have before. It’s dark, and I can’t really see what my surroundings are. Nonetheless, I know I’m in a forest. This is a forest that I’ve been in more than once; I feel it...

The crunching sound coming from behind me is getting louder. There’s  a new voice in my head telling me to “run, run, run!!”. The voice is pleasant, but it doesn’t do much to calm my nerves.

I break through a barrier of trees and find myself standing in a clearing. The sun is shining brightly in the beautiful blue sky. The voice is gone, and the atmosphere has changed. I’m no longer scared; instead, a sense of tranquility is lingering in the air. It’s gone as suddenly as it came.

“You will be mine! You can’t run forever, my dear.”

I spin around and see a figure with eyes a deep, glowing shade of red, lurking in the shadows… It was Lucifer who had been after me the whole time.