Residents of the Night

By ahmet yazici

Vladislav Lebedev, Isser Yatom, and Manya, who soon found themselves on Interpol's wanted list with a red notice, are now in a place where no one can find them for an extended period. However, this vast forest, which they see as a haven, is the home of woodland elves. Among the forest's inhabitants was a savage Ifrit tribe, too. It doesn't take long for them to draw the wrath of the Ifrit elves on themselves. Worse, they do not know how to fight these vengeful beings. Egis, who is imprisoned in a demon's headquarters, cannot respond to their cries for help. After days and weeks of fear, they decide that fighting the Ifrits is the only way to get rid of them, and they seek alliances.

 

This work is an excerpt from the first book in the "Rites in the Scorpion Sanctuary" series, especially for horror genre lovers (who don't want to read the entire series). 

• Language: English
• Publisher: ahmet yazici
• Release date: Feb 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215596975

ahmet yazici

Ahmet Yazici lives in Turkey with his parents and brother. He likes to write non-fiction Islamic works that prove the truths of faith in a rational way and fiction works (primarily fantasy fiction).

Book preview

One

Manya peered out, her gun barrel parting the curtain. There was no one visible outside or in front of the door. The front of the house was open, and a lake with a dock was only a two-minute walk away. She turned to face Isser Yatom, who was standing in front of the other window, which overlooked the side of the house. In that window, there was no curtain. The birch trees provided full shade during the day, but at night it looked like a black painting. Even if the lamp was turned off inside, it was nearly impossible to see anything outside.

Vladislav Lebedev sat in a chair, eating blueberries and raspberries he had picked from the forest while pointing his gun at the door. Manya was used to his reckless behavior. They hadn't spent much time together, though. But she knew Vladislav Lebedev well enough not to find his volatile demeanor strange.

Vladislav Lebedev began to laugh aloud. Manya didn't mind him at all. Isser Yatom was worried that whatever was outside of the house would spot them because of Vlad. In a quiet but effective tone, he yelled, Stop it! Rather than teach Isser Yatom his place, Vladislav Lebedev increased the dosage of laughter. So much so that he couldn't even hold his gun and had to set it down on the table.

Isser Yatom left Vlad alone. He put both hands on the glass and drew his face closer to it. He began to look around. In the forest, there was an eerie silence. There wasn't a soul in sight. Or, at the very least, they couldn't see it. Isser Yatom threw himself back after an invisible hand slammed into the glass. He collapsed to the ground on his back.

A palm print twice the size of a normal human hand appeared and faded on the glass. Isser Yatom suddenly remembered that terrible night he had spent in Diyarbakir. He crawled back and away from the window. Fear was evident in his eyes. Manya couldn't figure out why he was so terrified. Vladislav Lebedev, on the other hand, burst out laughing at every terrifying incident.

Vlad, cut it out! cried Manya.

Vladislav Lebedev suddenly became solemn. Well, Manya, let it be as you say. What are we going to do now? Do you have any suggestions for a solution? Put down your gun and take a seat to enjoy your final moments. There is no longer any hope for us after this point, he said.

Manya lowered her pistol. Accepted that the situation they were in was not at all suitable to be solved with a gun. She immediately ran to get the notebook from the inside pocket of her jacket hanging on the chair. Put her gun on the table. She took out her notebook from the inside pocket of her jacket. Opened the page with the sign drawn on the floor in the middle of the hall of the temple where the Knights Templar gathered in Istanbul. She could not remember the sign on the temple door and its side walls. And the mark on the notebook could not be drawn on the door. She had to draw that mark on the floor, leaving the djinn name blank. Thus, she would imprison the Ifrits inside the circle. At the very least, she hoped so.

She snatched a wood stain and a paintbrush from the bathroom. She started painting the wooden floor right in front of the door. When the paint was dry, she brought a few white sheets from the bedroom and covered the sign.

Vladislav Lebedev followed Manya's agitated demeanor with a mocking smile. Are you painting while the secret service agents who have sworn to kill us are after us? Probably even the Russians won't let us live. So you know why? The trickster Egis failed us. That half-witted genie called Adnan forgot our agent in the car. I still don't comprehend how he managed to do such a thing. The Russians will execute Pavel first and then come after us. Maybe Pavel is dead now. As if all that wasn't enough, demons came out.

I don't paint, Vlad. And keep quiet; they'll hear us. If you have a better idea, let us know and we'll do what you say.

Who cares! Let them hear. We've already reached the end of the road. You're not aware of it!

Look at the glass! cried Isser Yatom.

Dozens of palm prints appeared and faded on the glass.

They began pounding on the door and rattling the windows all of a sudden. The voices became more frequent and intense than ever before. It was so loud that you had to shout to communicate. Outside, dog howls, baby cries, terrifying growls, and eerie laughter could be heard.

Even Vladislav Lebedev was terrified and unable to speak up. They were all crouching in the middle of