Tunnel of Blood

One day, a traveling amusement park came to the town I was visiting. I lived 300 meters from the empty grassy area where the park was located, so my friends and I could closely observe the attractions being set up and assembled. Workers worked on the area throughout the first day, and by 6 p.m., they had managed to install three rides and two coasters. After that, nothing happened, as if the entire park staff had gone off somewhere and weren't planning on returning. And so it went until evening. Suddenly,

in the middle of the night, I was awakened by a terrifying howl, like a wolf howling at the moon, except that night it was obscured by clouds. My roommates woke up too.

"Did you hear what I heard?" Zuzia asked. She was a small, plump thirteen-year-old with short auburn hair and hazel eyes.

"Yeah, that dog woke me up too..." Now Iza, a slim and very energetic sixteen-year-old, Zuzia's older sister, spoke up with a yawn. "But since he's not howling anymore, come to sleep, or you'll be late for breakfast again." And she fell asleep immediately.

"Iza, I'm scared," Zuzia said in a tearful voice, to which Iza snored loudly.

At that moment, the howling began again, robbing me of the last remnants of sleep. I sighed.

"Another sleepless night..." I muttered and went to the window. Surprisingly, it was quite bright outside, despite the lack of moonlight or any artificial lighting. Around our campsite was a dark, mixed forest.

Suddenly, I noticed a movement just beyond the tree line. I went out onto the balcony to see what it could be, and two dark shapes slowly crept along the edge of the forest. I live on the first floor, so I could get a relatively good look at the figures. As a result of these observations, I realized that one of them must be a dog, as it was walking on all fours and wagging its tail. Apparently, there's nothing unusual about someone patrolling the grounds of the resort with a dog at night, but something seemed off. The larger figure, moving vertically, was wearing a black hooded cloak with blood-red patches and trim. I wasn't sure if it was a woman or a man, but I was leaning more toward a man.

I stood on the balcony for a moment longer, watching the figures move away toward the square where the Amusement Park was to be built, then went into my room. Zuzia was already asleep. I lay down too and checked my watch. It was 3:33.

I don't even know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up, the alarm clock showed just after 7:00. Breakfast wasn't until 8:30, and I didn't want to wake Iza and Zuzia, so I lay in bed until 7:30, then went to take a shower. When I got back, my sisters were passing each other clothes and having a yawning contest.

"Hello," I said with a smile. In response, Iza and Zuzia yawned in unison and smiled back. "Do you want to eat me?" Iza giggled. "

Maybe another time. But right now we have to go to the meeting."

After breakfast, there were two hours of so-called free time, which consisted of everyone sitting in their rooms and pretending to clean. I had cleaned up earlier, so I could do something. I decided to walk to the square to see how the work on the amusement park was progressing.

As I was leaving the room, I bumped into Łukasz, who was my neighbor at home and at camp.

"Hey, Aga. Where are you running off to?" he asked with a smile.

"Hey. I'm going to go to that amusement park or whatever it is. Are you coming with me?"

"Oh, Aga, Aga... It won't be an amusement park, it's an amusement park," he said, perfectly imitating one of my teachers. "But I'd love to go."

We walked, laughing and joking the entire way. However, what we saw there exceeded all expectations. Not only were all the attractions already set up, but right in the middle was a cleverly camouflaged door, nestled in the enormous maw of a vampire with incredibly long fangs.

"Wow..." Łukasz sighed. "That's awesome! I absolutely have to go there!" he exclaimed and ran in that direction. I didn't want to be alone, so I followed him. However, one thing intrigued me: yesterday, almost nothing was in its proper place, and today all the attractions were already set up... And yet, no one was around at night... No one, except for a mysterious figure with a dog... Lost in thought, I joined a small group of people waiting to enter the "Tunnel of Blood," as it was called.

After about five minutes, I received my ticket, and a staff member dressed as a vampire showed me the way to the "Tunnel." I entered the spacious tunnel. The interior was dimly lit, heightening the sense of dread I'd felt earlier after seeing the artificial (but was it really?) human bones, hair, and various body parts covered in skin, suspended by threads from the ceiling. At the back of the room were 13 single-person carriages, painted with ghosts, ghouls, and vampires, with a heavy dose of scarlet. The first five were already occupied, so I boarded the sixth and fastened my seat belt.

While waiting for the rest of the passengers, I pondered how they managed to erect such a large structure in a single night, and underground at that. I couldn't think of anything sensible, so after a while I started talking to Łukasz, who was sitting in front of me. At one point, he said:

"Everyone's here, we can get going..." I glanced back and saw that the remaining carriages were indeed already occupied by young people awaiting their incredible experiences. I wanted to respond, but a voice that must have been playing simultaneously from several speakers, as it came from all directions at once, drowned me out. "

Welcome to the Tunnel of Blood..." a pause for demonic laughter. "What you'll see here isn't for the faint of heart, however, it's too late to back out now, I wish you the best..." another eerie laugh. "What, are you still here? Well, let's goaaaaaahahahaha!" the megaphone shouted, drawing out the last letter of the word "go" and adding a maddening sound of laughter. In that same second, the train set off straight into the darkness...

We rode for a while without any significant events, when suddenly we reached a significant widening of the track, enough for 13 carriages to ride side by side.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of sudden braking, and all the carriages stopped. In the next second, a hooded figure in a long coat flashed past me. Thirteen metallic sounds accompanied its presence, accompanied by the sound of a latch being pulled from the hinges connecting the carriages. Then each carriage slid onto its own track and entered a narrow tunnel, capable of accommodating only one carriage at a time. The entrance behind me closed with a resounding clatter. From that moment on, I saw nothing in the complete darkness. I was incredibly scared, but I also felt a twinkle of curiosity about what would happen next.

Fortunately, the adventure didn't take long. After about five minutes of riding, I spotted a small light in the distance. At first, I thought it was the tunnel's exit, but I quickly realized my suspicions were false. I had reached a kind of hollow in the rock where the railway tracks ended. "

Hello again, Angelika," I heard a chilling whisper just above my ear. It could have been a woman. I turned quickly, but saw no one.

"Surprised?" – This time the voice came from the completely opposite direction. But I didn't see anyone there either.

"Ha ha ha... Apparently I'm faster..." – another voice behind me. This time, however, I didn't turn around. I was going to check if it was just a microphone attached to the trolley or if someone was actually playing cat and mouse with me. I didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"I know what you're thinking... You're hoping you're alone here and my voice is coming from a tape... Well. I'll disappoint you. I really am here."

"But who are you?" I asked, still sitting with my back to the person.

Suddenly, a woman appeared before my eyes. It happened so quickly I didn't even notice. She wasn't there, and a split second later, she was. I jumped back as if scalded, sinking into the soft backrest. The woman was wearing the exact same cloak as the hooded figure last night! Only now, she had no hood, and her blond hair flowed in soft waves over her covered shoulders.

"Don't you remember me?" she asked, a mysterious glint in her crimson eyes. As she spoke, I glimpsed long, white fangs that were much longer than normal.

"Do you..." I began timidly.

"Yes, I was under your windows yesterday," she said, as if answering my thoughts. "With Fluffy," she added, pointing to a huge wolf I hadn't noticed before, lying across the tracks. It had incredibly silver fur. Looking at it, I realized I had no escape. I glanced nervously toward the exit, which was already closed, then returned my gaze to the mysterious woman.

"Who exactly are you?" I asked slowly. "

I am the one people and animals fear. The one who inspires fear among witches. The one who kills innocents when she feels the hunger for blood." She laughed briefly, then continued. "I am the daughter of the Moon, the bride of the stars..." She paused again. "I am a vampire, the queen of the night, the princess of evil." She smiled, revealing her long and probably very sharp fangs.

"Why are you bothering me? You want to kill me too?" I asked, almost certain of the answer. However, she only laughed and spoke only after a long pause.

"No. I won't kill you. At least not yet. You see, there's something you don't know... This will probably come as a huge shock to you... But you are a vampire." I was speechless.

"No, that can't be true!

" "Yes?" So you don't like sitting in the window at night and looking at the sky? Don't you see very well in the dark, either? – she asked, pacing along the basin. Only now did I realize that the room was completely dark, and I could see everything perfectly… The latter was also true…

"But I don't have fangs," I offered this argument because I couldn't think of anything else. But she just laughed again and looked at me gently, if that's what you could call the look in her blood-red eyes.

"Don't worry about that. They only grow after initiation. So, in a few minutes." – another shock.

"But I don't want to be a vampire," I lied. "I really wanted to! But…"

"I know you want to. Now get out of that wheelchair and follow me." I obediently climbed out of my seat and followed the woman. She walked to the wall, placed her hand on it, and whispered something. At that moment, the wall parted, creating a passage. She stepped forward, and I followed. Fluffy also ran into the tunnel, clearly leading the way.

After a moment, we reached a hexagonal room. In the center stood a hexagonal table, and beside it were six velvet-upholstered armchairs. Three of them were occupied by a woman and two men. I didn't know them, but I felt they knew me all too well.

"Well, well, well. You're welcome, Angelika," said a man in the same coat as the woman who had brought me here. I walked to the table and took the vacant chair. My companion sat down next to him, and Fluffy sat down in the last chair with the grace of a wolf. "Let

's begin." It's starting to get dark, and I'm getting hungry," said the man sitting next to Fluffy.

"Okay. Angelika, give me your right hand," said the woman on my right. I did as she told me, and she sank her teeth into my vein. At first, I felt pain, but then nothing. Only peace and relief. Then, one by one, the members of the congregation, including Fluffy, approached me, each sucking a little of my blood. Then one of the men drew a dagger and cut himself lightly, and the blood began to drip slowly into a small crystal cup. Once everyone had given blood, the cup was handed to me, and I drank its contents. It tasted sweet.

At that moment, an incredible pain shot through me, similar to the sensation of death, or of all the bones breaking at once. I screamed loudly and leaned back. It lasted no more than six seconds, then everything passed, and I calmly looked around the room.

"I see the transformation went without a hitch..." the woman on my left, the one who had led me, remarked, then handed me a mirror. My eyes turned crimson, and I grew long, snow-white fangs. I touched them with my tongue. Sharp. Deadly sharp. I smiled to myself.

"It's time," said the man sitting across from me, standing up. Everyone did the same, and we headed for the exit. I felt invincible. Immortal. I felt like a goddess. My first hunt had begun...