Entry #6

I was stuck in that dark spot for what felt like an hour, occasionally peeking and listening to hear anything from outside or inside the building. I didn't want to move from that spot, but I knew the more time I remained cooped up there, I'd be no better than a sitting duck waiting for the alligator to strike. Many feelings were overtaking me. Despair, dread, and regret. The thought that I might never get out of here and see my little sister and my nephew again. The idea that I might die in what could only be described as hell made me want to break down. I was terrified to a point that I wanted to lay down weep and wait for certain death. As much as I wanted to scream, I couldn't bring myself to do it. To try and calm myself down and relax my heart, I started taking deep breaths for a minute. I had to calm down and think.

Calmly, I started to walk around the dark and abandoned home. As I expected, it was a gulf farmhouse. There was a doorway that led to where the farm animals are supposed to be. But all I was able to see was an empty yard with broken bones and skulls half buried in the ground. Some of them belonged to horses and cattle. What happened to them was anything else but pleasant. I walked around a bit and saw a chunk of the home was missing, like a hurricane came and ripped it apart. The same could be said about a majority of what's left of the old Börfink village. It wasn't just dragged into this hellish dimension, it was also destroyed. Why did that bloody hair-stained witch drag this village here of all places? Did she have a grudge against the Catholics that lived here? Was she trying to evade an ongoing hunt? Was she kidnapping children for sacrilegious intent? I don't know. And to this day, I still don't. And at this point, I'm not sure if I want to.

I had to be quick and silent while I investigated what's left of the village. Rundown stands for selling goods. Broken wagons usually for getting around town. And dried up wells with half of the bricks laying on the ground. Not a trace of life in sight. I had to lay low and hold my breath anytime I heard a breeze in the air because I knew that woman was probably nearby. I made sure to check if she was floating in the sky as well. I knew she wasn't there, because I couldn't see her eyes glowing like moonlight. When the coast was clear, I quietly walked further into the village and came across an average farm house with the right half of the building gone. Inside, up against the dirty wall, was a tipped over desk with a bunch of papers laying on the ground. They looked like they were about to fall apart with just a touch. I saw that one of them was fully filled out, and picked it up. Here's a rough translation of what it said::

"If by some holy miracle God will allow my final message to be heard, I want to make sure those who do can heed my warning to those who are unfortunate enough to have been the witch's next prey.

I was there when she was trying to take advantage of the young ones' trust. The deceiving wench promised to give us toys and fruits she purchased from a village in the northern parts of Luxembourg. I knew in her eyes that she wasn't here to bless us with her gifts. When she came to our village, she introduced herself as "Xenia von Schwarz III". She was wearing a dark purple colored dress. The damnable bitch smiled and looked down at us like we were cattle, and she said she wanted to be addressed as "Lady Xeunoeflaunz". As if it was a secret that the children won't be able to tell to anyone while they're alive. She was carrying a book with a disgusting cover. I was able to observe it for a swift moment, but I remember the book was manufactured with pieces of rotting cow flesh sewn together. On its cover was the spitting image of a hellish beast with three faces. It was clear she used to trap us in this hellish place. It was what we feared most. Witchcraft. A likely practitioner of maleficium, and user of many forms of renaissance magic. It's unknown whether or not she can be stopped with firearms alone, her speed is beyond what mortal men can comprehend. Trying to fight her is a death wish. Don't attempt to reason with her either. As she is only a pawn of the Devil. Save your strength. That book of hers may be your only way of escaping from here. Pray to the lord above that she will not catch you."

-- Alexander Zimmermann II

""Xenia von Schwarz III".. that's what her true name is?.." I said under my breath. I finally learned the true identity of the monster that is toying with me. All the pieces have finally fallen into place.

A new feeling was overtaking me after I finished reading Alexander's final message. Hope. There was a small shred of hope left for me. It was beyond risky, but if doing it meant I could see my little sister and my nephew again, then I'll do whatever it takes. I quickly checked my surroundings to make sure the coast was clear, then for a swift moment, I took my backpack off, unzipped it, and shoved the note in the bag, as well as many papers I could find lying nearby. I needed to gather as much evidence as possible otherwise I'll look like a crazy person if I get home. Then again, I guess it'll be a miracle I won't look like an unstable wreck If I do get out of here. With all the papers in the bag, I zipped it up and put the back on, and headed out of the building. Like before, I looked around with my night vision goggles to see if "Xenia" was still coursing the area. To my surprise, she was. but she was heading far to the east. When she was out of earshot and eyesight, I made my move immediately and headed north.

When I reached the edge of the village, I saw something above the trees that looked off. I almost thought the tree was on fire. But after I pushed through the bushes, I uncovered something that left me speechless. It was a "house", seemingly made from parts of village homes that the witch trapped here. She wasn't just trapping those people here, she was making it her new home. Possibly to evade the ongoing witch hunts during the 16th century. Despite its cryptic amalgamate-like presentation, it still looked more lively than every other part of the village. With the nearby torches lighting the area up, as well as the smoke coming out of the abominable home.

I walked around the home a bit and suddenly I smelt a disgusting odor coming from the windows. It smelt like cooked roadkill. I got up close to it and got a better look. What I saw made me throw up in my mouth a bit. The scent was coming from a plate with half eaten cooked animal corpses. A bird with its wings torn off. A squirrel with its head gone. A Raccoon with chunks of its torso ripped off. And a deer's leg laying next to the plate with visible bite marks. I remembered back to the dead dear I came across in the woods and I was getting the bigger picture. She was hunting for food for hundreds of years.

I only had minutes to spare, and the minute I heard any wind blowing, I was running like hell. So, I cautiously opened the door and invited myself in. It was what you'd expect from a witch. Decrypt, gothic, old-fashioned. It smelled of decay. There were only 5 rooms. And the one I was in appeared to be where the dinner table was. A "dining room" if you could call it that. I'll try to recall what I saw in the other rooms because I was only there for a few minutes. There were lanterns lighting up the rooms. I grabbed one of them so I could see better.

The bedroom had a mirror on a drawer facing the bed, along with an old wooden chair nearby it, accompanied by a window with covers made with the skin of a horse.

The bathroom was beyond unsanitary. It looked like the inside of a slaughterhouse. There was a single wooden bucket on the floor, and a tub filled with nothing but blood. I wasn't able to tell if it was animal blood or human blood, but at this point It's best that I don't know. There were barely visible footprints near the doorway. It wouldn't surprise me if rituals were performed here.

There was a room with a fireplace and a desk with multiple books present. On the wall was a half broken upside down glass stained window of Jesus Christ himself that appeared to have belonged to a church. At the far right edge of the room was a cauldron next to a table with potions and animal limbs.

If there's one room I'm sure will never leave my nightmares, it's the doll room. There were shelves upon shelves of dolls and toys made for children that looked broken or decaying for years. Some of them were even made in the 21st century. I couldn't even fathom to imagine the state of the young souls trapped within them. It's a common claim when it came to spiritual inhabiting that If the vessel is completely destroyed, the soul will be freed. And that's what I intended to do.

With my remaining borrowed time, I dug through the books and was able to find what I was looking for thanks to the description Alexander wrote down. There was no mistaking it. It was the same material. The stitches were visible there too. I opened the book and flipped through the pages until I saw something that I needed most. My ticket out. The page I found had a picture of a spiral surrounded within a large ring with the words "Porta In Terra Viventum." She must have been using this to travel between realms. For all I know, she more than likely sacrificed a lot of those people to the devil for power. Just holding this book made me sense a weird presence, some sort of energy going through me that made me feel like I wasn't alone. I turned around and saw no one there. It was obvious the book has supernatural influence on those who come into contact with it. A sense of relief was about to come over me, until I heard noises coming from outside. She was coming.

I was unfortunate enough to see what she looked like under it. Her eyes were black with purple pupils. Her hair was long, and messy, reaching down to her back. She was barefoot and wearing nothing but burlap fabric covering her body. Much like her face, her skin was pale, wrinkly, and almost thin enough that you could see her bones. Her teeth looked to be grossly crooked, yellow, and blackened. And her nose was disturbingly big with visible moles.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of laughing coming from her, as her frown turned slowly into a grin. She then looked back at her burning hut and raised her hand. With a flick of her wrist, the flames that were burning her home were sucked out through the window as well as her door, and now floating above her palm. I saw she was analyzing the area, looking for me. she spoke up, now definitely aware of me being responsible for this.

"Dummes mädchen... hast du wirklich geglaubt, ich lasse dich zerstören, was ich beansprucht habe?"

She laughed even harder.

"Nun denn, ich glaube, du hast etwas, das mir gehört... gib es zurück... oder du wirst verbrennen!"

And with one swipe, she blasted the flames towards the woods, with it scattering and spreading instantly. I jumped back, got back on my feet, and ran like hell. I didn't think. I didn't scream. I just ran. I used every bit of muscle power and stamina in my body to get the hell away from the fire. I held on tight to the one weapon I have. If there's one thing I didn't want at this very moment, it's to be in her reign of sight. If those flames got close enough, she'd have a clear view of me. She may not be blind, but I wasn't ruling out the idea that she could sniff me out. I pointed my pistol in the direction of where her screeches were coming from. For a second, It did drive her away, but all it did was give off where I was. I heard the sound of wind and branches breaking and falling around me after the first few shots. Was she running circles around me trying to weed me out?

I saw the village up ahead and made a run for the barn, throwing myself inside and slamming the plank down to keep it locked. But it didn't take long for the sound of the village falling and being destroyed even more by the angered hex. She was out for my blood. Even if doing this could potentially curse me, I had to take that chance. I had to hurry up too, the banshee-like screaming was getting closer and I didn't want to find out what would happen if she found me. I stood my ground and readied myself. Calming down and chanting the words on the page:

"Spiritus, audi vocationem meam
Animae mortalis meae dona ianuam, quae me tradet ad regnum, quod volo ambulare.
Abice me ad mundum cogitatione et memoria electum.
Et vagari me terras quaerentes terras, quas mihi video aptas".

Nothing. The barn was starting to collapse. The fire must have reached the barn! Again, I chanted it louder.

"Spiritus, audi vocationem meam!
Animae mortalis meae dona ianuam, quae me tradet ad regnum, quod volo ambulare!
Abice me ad mundum cogitatione et memoria electum!
Et vagari me terras quaerentes terras, quas mihi video aptas!"

There was sudden sound of screeching and banging that made me drop the book. Everything was falling apart! The door was starting to break. I didn't have any time left to waste. She was here. I picked it and quickly skimmed back to the page I was on. One last time I prayed to god for a miracle and belted out:

"SPIRITUS, AUDI VOCATIONEM MEAM!
ANIMAE MORTALIS MEAE DONA IANUAM, QUAE ME TRADET AD REGNUM, QUOD VOLO AMBULARE!
ABICE ME AD MUNDUM COGITATIONE ET MEMORIA ELECTUM!
ET VAGARI ME TERRAS QUAERENTES TERRAS, QUAS MIHI VIDEO APTAS!"

After a few seconds, the floor started to shake. It was like an earthquake was happening instantaneously. The ground broke apart and fell into the abyss, a bright light started to form below, accompanied by a vortex. It looked like I was looking down into the inside of a solar powered tornado. It was done. I was about to approach the portal, until I heard a screech in my ear and all of a sudden, a wrinkly pale arm broke through the door and grabbed me by the wrist. The witch's grip on me was immense. Her nails were digging into my skin. I had to think fast as I started to feel my life force being drained like a spider drinking blood from a spider. It took every bit of my remaining strength, but I reached for my pistol and blasted her in the arm, causing her to let go of me and scream in agony. All traces of fear were now replaced with seething anger. I saw her eye peaking through, looking pissed. I looked her in the eye through the broken door and I yelled:

"You think I'm going to let myself end up like the people you dragged into this hellish place, like Alexander and the rest of poor kids you trapped in toys!? You want your book back, "Xeunoeflaunz," you disgusting witch?!

I picked the book up and yelled:

"Then come get it!"

With the book held close to my chest, I gave her the finger and jumped into the hole. The sound of her yells became less audible. All I could see and hear at that moment was wind, thunder, and the whispering of many voices coming from every direction. My heart was beating so fast. I thought at any second I was going to see nothing but fire and suffering in my last moments. I closed my eyes and prepared for what awaited me at the end of the line. I saw a bright light and after that, it all went black for me. I thought I was dead. I thought I was surrounded by nothing but darkness. A cold empty void. The worst type of hell imaginable. But I started to feel something on my body. Something wet and dripping down and softly coming into contact with me. It was raining. I slowly opened my eyes and saw I was back at the tree where the dolls were. I was back in the real world. Rhineland. I remembered that I had the spell book with me. I looked around and saw it a few feet away from me, getting soggy from the downpour, only barely shielded by the trees above. I didn't feel like was in danger this time. I felt relieved. I took this moment to look down at the toys laying against the tree bark and think about the horrors that woman put them through. I decided to do what's right for them. Putting the book in my bag, I took my jacket off and used it as a temporary bag to carry the dolls out of the forest.

When I arrived back at the hotel, I went to go grab my lighter I left on the table. I went behind the building, put the dolls in an empty metal garbage bin, and dropped them in, along with my lighter. I watched the dolls go up in flames with a smile, knowing the children's souls have been freed to pass on. I may not have been able to save them all, but I did what I could. And if there is a God, I hope he will grant all of them freedom very soon. I went back inside to rest for a few hours before packing everything and checking out. I remembered I still had that sonic plushie back in the woods and thought for a minute if it as well had the soul of a child trapped inside. I decided to stuff him in my suitcase and him home. If something was wrong with it, I'll just burn it like the others. While I was driving back to the airport I dropped by a museum and donated the book to them to put on display. I didn't say too much, I lied and told them I found it buried in the forest. I was hesitant about telling them the full story. I implored them to keep it secured behind glass because "it's ancient and should be preserved". They agreed to do so, and we parted ways.

I gave the notes to close workers of mine to look into further while I went on a temporary vacation to spend some time with my family back in Scotland. I made sure to to tell them to heed the young man's warning if any of them were to consider going to that forest in Rhineland. I told them that the urban legend wasn't just a fairytale after all, and showed them the marks on my wrist to show I wasn't bluffing. If I didn’t have those papers on me, I'm sure they probably would have thought I was insane.

It's been over a month now since this all happened. I stopped smoking and spent some time helping my big sister take care of Dylan. Yes, I did give him the Sonic plushie. I made sure to wash it beforehand. I'm cautious around that thing for obvious reasons, but nothing supernatural has happened for a while now, or so I hope. One evening, Katie told me to go make Dylan get ready for bed. I rolled my eyes and did just that, feeling slightly annoyed, and saw him playing Tails Sky Patrol on Sonic Origins. I remembered playing this game back in the day and thought it was complete bullshit, and somehow my own nephew got to Metal Island. I was amazed and proud of him for getting that far, especially with the unfair one-hit-death gimmick. I spoke up and told him:

"Alright, gamer boy time to pack it up. Mama doesn't want to hear this all night and it's a school night."

Dylan whined and told me, "Come onnn just a few more minutes aunt Jaimeee!"

I chuckled and told him he has to turn it off when he gets a game over. It didn't really take that long for lose all his lives. I brought him up to his feet and was about to tell him to go brush his teeth, until I saw bags under his eyes. It looked like he hasn't been able to sleep for sometime now. I kneeled down on one knee and asked him:

"What's wrong, Dylan? Have you been staying up after bed? Are you having trouble sleeping lately?"

For a few seconds, he looked away from me and back at the TV. The intro with Tails going after Witchcart and her thug trio. I turned the system off and asked him again. He answered me in a confused tone.

"I've been too scared to go to bed lately, Aunt Jaime.."

"Why?"

"Because every time I go to bed I have nightmares!"

"What kind of nightmares, bud? You can tell me. Don't worry, I'll make sure you sleep next to one of us tonight if it will help you feel better.."

Dylan's expression changed a bit to look like he had just seen a ghost. He spoke up, trying to hold back tears:

"Every night I see a creepy old lady in my dreams. I sometimes see her holding a sonic plushie similar to the one you gave me. In one of them, she tried to approach me and give me some candy.."

"Did this old lady have a name?"

He nodded and said "she told me her name was Xenia".