Page 11 of Insatiable

“Yeah, but check the door,” Alex urged, moving toward it.

“No,” Katie said, her voice shaking. “We’re not checking it.”

But my feet moved on their own, following Alex. The door was thick and wooden, its scent musty, like old wood decaying from the inside. I flicked my light over it and squinted at the faded letters carved into its surface.

“Creatura Noctis,” I whispered, the words strange on my tongue.

Alex came up beside me, staring at the door. “It means creature of the night. It sounds familiar. Like I’ve read about it.”

He flipped through the book, trembling fingers stopping on a page. His face paled. “Look... the same words,Creatura Noctis. It says it feeds on humans once a year. They call it the Creeper.”

My blood ran cold at his words. What had we gotten ourselves into?

Katie spun on her heel, stepping onto the first stair. “I’m leaving. I didn’t sign up for this shit!”

We turned to leave, but the light from our phones caught something we hadn’t seen before. Deep claw marks covered the walls, the plaster torn and gouged, smeared with dried blood. My breath hitched, legs trembling. Something had been here—something not human.

“Guys! Don’t be stupid! Hurry up!” Katie’s voice cracked, close to tears.

"She’s right,” Alex stammered. “We need to leave, now!” He grabbed my hand, yanking me toward the stairs and tossed the book to the ground.

As we rushed back up, slamming the basement door behind us, my heart hammered feeling I’d have a heart attack. I knew it wasn’t over. Whatever was down there was coming for us and something awful was about to happen.

“We need to tell the others!” Katie gasped, her voice shaky and breathless.

We did. We really did.

Chapter Eight

Katie, Alex, and I stumbled into the living room, the cold air still clinging to us like a warning. The impact of everything we had seen pressing down on me. Brian didn’t even bother looking up, that smirk already forming on his lips.

“Let me guess,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Rose saw another ghost? Maybe the scarecrow moved again?”

Alex stepped forward, but Brian’s mocking cut him off.

“Blood, symbols, and what? Flies now?” Brian laughed. “Jesus, Rose. What are you trying to sell this time? You sound insane.”

Maya, swirling her wine beside him, giggled. “First the scarecrow, now this? Maybe you should sit down before it gets worse.”

My fists clenched, but I forced myself to stay calm. “We found a door. Behind it, there were flies buzzing, and the smell...” I shook my head, bile rising in my throat. “Something’s wrong down there.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “Yeah, ‘wrong.’ Old houses smell bad, Rose. That’s how it works.”

Katie’s voice broke in, shaky but determined. “There’s more. We found a book—some kind of evil book. This place isn’t normal.”

Maya sighed, her voice dripping with mock concern. “You mean like agrimoire or something? Seriously? All three of you sound like you’re off your meds.”

“Enough!” I snapped, my voice trembling. “You think I want this? There’s blood on the walls, and someone turned off the power on purpose.”

Brian sat up, his grin twitching, the cocaine making his eyes too bright. “Always a story with you, Rose. First, I was the abusive one in college, then Phoenix was the cheater. Now it’s a scarecrow and a smelly basement. Do you even hear yourself? You’re pathetic.”

I couldn’t help but scoff. “Wow, Brian, you’re still hung up on the college thing? Youwereabusive! Phoenixwascheating! And yeah, the scarecrow moved, and the basement is weird as hell!”

Alex stood frozen, his eyes darting between Brian and me, but he stayed silent, wilting under the force of Brian’s words.

I stepped closer, my anger bubbling over. “There’s something down there, Brian. Something real. But go ahead—keep laughing.” I made sure to hit every word, daring him to keep dismissing me.

Brian leaned back, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Oh, I will.”

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