The Rune

Darkness. Void.

I don't live here. Why am I here? Where is here?

I looked around to get my bearings, but nothing. I was surrounded by darkness and enveloped by the smell of old oak.

The message

Like a lightbulb going off in my head, it came to me.

Bring the rune. The message read. The old Rothman house on 19th, come alone.

I remember approaching the doorway but that was it.And now I'm here, is this still the house? Am I dreaming? All I hear is the humming of the rune, vibrating with more intensity than it has the last few months. I get up to reach for a wall but to no avail. The humming continues to intensify, like a crescendo. I feel a sharp pain coursing through my whole body, filling every inch of my body and mind until I feel my consciousness slip away. Then nothing.

Darkness. Void.