‘I saw the devil’

By Ananya Benjwal

The road to Halvoh Bridge was always deserted, except for one night. A shadowy figure of Claire Walter dragged her bruised and scraped body across the road, trying her best not to fall. Her head hurt, and every step felt like fire spreading through her body. But she had to run; she couldn’t stop, not yet.

It all started a few weeks ago when Claire’s close friend lost her sister in an accident. Her friend called the entire friend circle, including Claire, in an attempt to communicate with her deceased sister, as she believed it wasn’t just an accident. Two friends left as they had bad feelings about it, but Claire stayed, wanting to support her friend. Little did she know what horrors awaited her.

As the Ouija board session began, strange things happened. Claire started hearing eerie voices, scrapings, and scratching sounds. She felt a presence near her, someone breathing against her skin rhythmically. The fear overwhelmed her, and she abruptly decided to leave, ignoring her friend’s protests about breaking the ritual, fearing something demonic could be unleashed.

The next day, Claire didn’t hear from her friend or the others involved in the session. Something felt off, and she began to suspect that they were missing, but nobody else seemed to notice their absence. Even Kai, Jenna, and Bekah’s calm faces didn’t raise any alarms. It was as if they had vanished from existence.

Living away from the city noise, Claire heard the same eerie sounds in her house one night. When she investigated, she saw a horrifying sight—a figure identical to her, but with a
blood-curling smile and black, moon-like pupils in her eyes. Frightened, Claire grabbed a baseball bat and fled the house, running aimlessly into the dark night.

As she ran, Claire found herself in a desolate place surrounded by black forests. Fear and exhaustion weighed heavily on her as she heard the sounds of wild animals in pursuit. Suddenly, she sensed the evil presence approaching, and before she knew it, her evil doppelganger was upon her, wielding a knife with that sinister smile. Claire tried to keep her distance, but her strength failed her, and the devilish version of herself struck the knife into her heart, ending her life.