At a very late evening, I was walking on the road with my dog, Blu. On both side of the road, big trees with their dark green leaves were hovering above as if they were ready to grab you quickly. Their leaves were falling from them and flying away through the sky and some them fell onto the ground. The wind caused the leaves making a brushing sound while the birds chirped their way flying. Slowly, the sun that was once golden yellow was now turning into a bloody red sunset. In which everything around me was getting dark and the atmosphere started to feel darker. The sound of the birds went silent including the daylight animals went to sleep. Now it was time for night time animals to rise and hunt on their preys. I hurried myself to reach home but Blu started running through the trees. “Blu! No!” I chased after him and shouted his names multiple times. While running, I could hear him barking, so I followed his sound but then I stopped. I froze as I stared at it. I thought to myself that why this place? Why does it have to be this one? I could still hear Blu’s barking inside that building. That building was once an old mental asylum that were full of psychopaths, sociopaths, crazy persons with bizarre mental disorders. Even it was said that some serial killers were actually admitted there. But only one escaped. Jacob Cornelius. He was the most famous serial killer in our town in the 80s. If Jacob Cornelius found you walking in the middle of the night, he would kill you until you gave him a reason why were you walking at this time. But if you were walking exactly at 3am, definitely he would kill you. Reason? Ever since he was inspired by the histories of witches, demons, spirits, dangerous cults, sinister and horrifying events. He decided to banish them from the world. By killing innocent people whom he thought they were evil. Jacob would throw large amount of salt at the victim and then stab in the chest three times and pull the heart out and rip it in half. He though he was ‘cleansing’ the victim. He went completely mad and killed more than 30 people. Finally, when he was caught and admitted into the asylum, it became way worst. He almost scratched the eyes of a nurse and killed two doctors and a psychologist. Legend has it he even pulled a heart from a sleeping patient. With his bare hands. After two years, he escaped from the asylum and never has been found. When I saw his picture, it gave me the creeps when he gave a creepy smile with his eyes as if hewas lookinh at you directly. It gets more creepy becauae of large crescent moon scar on the side of his face. In 1999, the building was left abandoned because of many problems they were facing in the area. Some people say Jacob Cornelius returned to the building and lived his whole life and never killed anyone anymore. For that many youtubers came here to this building to find him but some came out alive but....some didn’t. All of this in my head, is making me spin. I couldn’t breath that very well and my heart started pounding. I pulled my phone and looked for Blu with his tracker on his collar. I could see through the camera that he was running around. I breathed slowly and started walking towards the building. I went under the fence, and walked through the large doors and went inside. “Man, I really should stop watching horror movies. This place literally creeps me out. BLU! BLU!” I shouted and my voice echoed. Hopefully he could hear. I turned on torch light of my phone and looked around. The place was a mess. Papers were all scattered on the floor, hospital beds were lying around, broken chairs and there was this smell that was making me feeling sick. I opened the app and saw Blu was sitting still. I called out his name and he moved. I was feeling happy and called him multiple times and the he started running to my voice and I could hear him baking. I was feeling happy until I was a man was standing infront of him. I gulped and kept thinking what was going to happen to my dog. The strange man started attacking my Blu and I could hear his shrieking throughout the building. I cried intensely and kept screaming his name. The video became blurred and I lost the signal. I screamed at the top of my lungs and cried like hell. I held my hair tightly and stomped on the floor multiple times. I sat down on the floor and cried. My Best Friend since I was a kid. Who helped me through many hard times. As I sobbed, suddenly I heard a bark. I sniffled and looked up and saw Blu was running towards me. I hugged him tight and he licked my face. I nuzzled onto his soft fur and started at his blue eyes. “Oh Blu, I though I lost you.” I cried happily and hugged him tight. However, I saw something on the video. I looked at it and it was displaying us. My body started shaking and looked at the glowing colour beeping collar in the dark. I threw some light in the dark and saw man smiling creepily. I gulped and I gasped when he said, “As you have come here at night, you shall be banished from the world for your own good, you devil worshiper.” My eyes widened and couldn’t believe it. It was none other than Jacob Cornelius, The Banisher. He said those very words to his victims. He raised his large knife and laughed histerically. Blu growled at him and barked loudly as if he was ready to attack. I screamed, took Blu and started running. I could hear him laughing and running after me. I ran through the trees but then I tripped and I feel on the ground hitting my head. I held my head to stop the bleeding and Jacob started throwing salt at me. “Oooww, my head.” And he grabbed me by the throat and held me high. I looked at his old figure face with his dark eyes. He asked me, “Any last words, you witch!” I cried for help and he held my throat tighter. I couldn’t breath and I could hear my smart watch beeping, alerting me that my heart rate was going slower. I could feel his knife slowly pressuring into my chest. I screamed and started scratching his hands until Blu bit him on the leg. He screamed and let me go. I held my chest and started running. Blu was running with me and barked for help. I started loosing my balance and my vision was blurry. Once I reached to a safe place, I saw a couple walking so I shouted at them and I was glad they heard me. They ran towards me and asked what happened to me. I tried to speak but then we heard shouting. “Where are you, you filthy mortal? Aah, there I found you and of course two more, heh? Well, you shall also be banished. Aaaaaahhhh!!!!!” He came running towards us but then he was punched to the ground and became unconscious. On the other side, the lady held me tight and laid my head on her lap and called an ambulance and the police. I was hugging her tightly including Blu while she was calming me down. “Dont worry, you’re safe with us. Ok? Sssshh, its ok. You are going to be fine.” I could hear sirens and I could geel the man was lifting me up in his arms and ran towards the ambulance. My vision started becoming blurry and I became unconscious. In my sleep, I saw him again, smiling and laughing evily. I screamed when he stabbed me in the chest.” I woke up screaming on the hospital bed and cried for help. A doctor and a nurse calmed me down, and I saw my grandma and she hugged me immediately and I cried and sniffled on her chest, I heard a bark and saw Blu jumped on the bed and I immediately hugged him too. Then there came two police officers and asked me some questions. After that session, I asked, “Was that really Jacob Cornelius whom I saw?” They were really hesitant to answer and said, “Yes dear, it was him. We thought he died long time but we had no clue that he would be living in that mental asylum that was still there.” I asked again, “If he was still living in that building, why didn’t he kill anyone in those years until now? What happend to the people or the youtubers who disappeared?" They both looked at each other and one them replied, "People didn't actually disappeared. They just pretended for fun, you know for fame. But we have no answer for why he started the killing now. Now get some rest.” I closed my eyes and inhaled and exhaled. I was safe now with my grandma and my hero, Blu.
But at the same time I kept thinking why after many years of waiting. Why killing now? Was Jacob Cornelius waiting for the right time. No one ever knew the reason.

© Afreeda Lutful