CASSANDRA KNIGHTSHADE

Cassandra Knightshade is an MFA candidate in Creative Writing and an indie author who explores dark fiction, psychological tension, and the supernatural. Her work is influenced by her mixed heritage, including Native American roots, as well as her spiritual practice in paganism. She is particularly drawn to themes of transformation, identity, and the unseen forces that shape human experience.

After an archaeological excavation uncovers a sealed jade box, Allison Monroe’s life begins to unravel. What first appears to be a rare historical discovery quickly becomes something far more sinister when she hears her name whispered from within it—a voice no one else can hear.

As the days pass, Allison grows increasingly isolated, dismissed by her family and the university that once respected her work. The box’s presence lingers no matter where it is kept, bleeding into her dreams, her home, and her mind. Only her husband, Jack, remains by her side, determined to help her as her grip on reality begins to fracture.

When Allison learns the truth behind the artifact—that it was created to imprison a powerful and malevolent force, one that can only be released by the blood of a descendant—she realizes the connection is not a coincidence. The box did not find her by chance. It chose her.

As its influence tightens, the line between control and surrender begins to blur. Faced with the unbearable weight of its pull, Allison must decide whether to resist the darkness consuming her—or give in to it and face the consequences of what lies within.

Content Warning: This story includes depictions of self-harm, mental health struggles, and graphic supernatural imagery that may be unsettling for some readers.

The evening moon rose above the roof’s edge as I peered out the window. This attic had become home. I had a plan to escape through this window. The pull has been too strong for me. Scraping against the window from the tree limbs outside, with the caws of a raven sitting upon a larger branch above, seeped into my head like snakes.

Isolation had become a friend of mine. The jaded box wanted me to be alone, to feel trapped within it. I knew I needed to fight against it, and my husband did too.

My breath caught in my chest as I jumped when my husband knocked at the door. Jack came through with a tray of food. I hadn’t even realized it was dinnertime. He walked over and put it on the small table in the middle of the room.

“Here, I made some dinner. You need to eat, sweetheart. We’re going to figure this out, I promise.”

“My whole family disowned me because they think I’m crazy, and so does the stupid university. Ever since we found that box during the excavation, my life has gone to total shit!” I didn’t mean to snap at him.

I sat at the table to eat. Spices of basil, oregano, and garlic mixed with tomato filled my nose. The taste of the spaghetti was intoxicating. I didn’t realize how hungry I had been. It felt like I hadn’t eaten in weeks. “I’m sorry that I snapped at you.”

Jack ran his hand through his mossy brown hair, which hung in front of his glasses, as he sat down across from me. “It’s okay, I know the box has been affecting you a lot. I thought having it in the cellar would help. The university still refuses to take it at the moment. They need more time to prepare a special place for it.”

I rolled my eyes. “They just don’t want to deal with the mess we have gotten into.”

Jack adjusted his black-framed glasses. "I have to agree, even though I don't want to lose my faith in them. Despite how much we've done for them, you would think this discovery would have made them give us more respect."

We dedicated almost our entire lives to the university. Jack and I had both done our undergraduate work all the way into our Ph. D.s with them. That's how we met and fell in love.

I had always felt the darkness, but it was Jack who helped me realize. When he found my scars beautiful, it took my breath away when he kissed them. We found the right help for me, and it was magic.

Our love grew along with the connections we made, which included the head of the department. That's why we went on the excavation in the first place. It was our chance to prove ourselves. That's when the box started to call me. I remember it as if it were yesterday.

Darkness, except for my headlamp and a few others set up around me within the cave's humidity, was almost deafening. The only sounds were people dusting and digging at the ground and walls. We had been at this for hours.

The dirt that had been brown started to look almost green, like a mold had been growing. I slipped my hands into the fanny pack at my side and dug out some gloves. I slid them on and grabbed a small raking tool. It helped me shift the dirt around more until I felt something hard. I set aside my tool and used my hands to find something rectangular beneath the surface.

“Jack, get over here!” I yelled over my shoulder.

I slipped off my gloves and dusted off the sizable box. It wasn’t truly green—the wood was too dark, almost molded with age—but it held that color anyway. Not quite jade, not quite rot. The longer I looked, the darker it seemed to grow, and the surface… it didn’t feel entirely solid, as though something beneath it shifted, slow and quiet, like a breath pressed against the walls.

My hand brushed the rough surface of the box, and jade mist started to come out of the edges of the lid—tightness burned within my chest. The box dropped out of my hands as I fell onto my back.

“Allison!!” Jack’s voice seemed distant, but his hands touched my face.

My chest started to release as I was able to catch my breath. Jack helped me slowly sit back up. “What happened?” His voice was shaky.

I took a deep breath. “I brushed the box with my bare hands like an idiot, and this weird mist came out of it.”

Jack looked over at the box. He grabbed a pair of gloves out of his pocket. Then, I went over and carefully picked up the box. He tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. “Maybe it’s triggered by touch somehow.” Jack took off one glove and tried to open it again. Still, nothing happened.

Allison…a creepy voice in a strange language echoed. How did I understand that? “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” He looked back at me.

“Something just said my name.”

“Baby, I didn’t hear anything.” Jack sat down at the box. “Are you okay?”

I shook off the chill that had made its way down my spine. My blood ran cold as though I was never going to feel joy again. “Yeah. It must have been nothing. Let’s pack this up and get out of here.”

“Hey, are you alright?” Jack said as I snapped out of my daze.

“Yeah, I was just thinking about when we found that damn box.”

Jack’s hand was warm as he placed it on top of mine. “Look at me.” He tilted my chin up. His warm brown eyes showed through his black-lined glasses. “Everything is going to be okay. Do you want to try to sleep in bed tonight? It will be nicer than an old cot.”

A grin danced across my face as I nodded. I didn’t want to tell him that I was hesitant. “I was thinking back on when we first came across the legend of that damn box.”

“Oh yeah,” Jack huffed. “We couldn’t have known you were some old priest’s descendant.”

I lowered my head. “Yeah, that’s true, I just wish we could have had a warning beforehand.”

Jack grabbed my hand. “Babe, we could have never guessed that the legend was true.”

That legend was etched in my mind. In ancient Syria, a box was made by an elder priest of the jade goddess to contain an evil priest who had taken advantage of the goddess. He wanted to become a god himself. The blood of the elder priest would be the only way to open the box. It became lost over the years, and it’s said that it is looking for a descendant of the priest. Then it found me.

Back in our bedroom, cuddled on our soft bed, it was nice to lie in Jack’s arms. We watched a light-hearted movie before we fell asleep. Sleep felt like a prison despite being in the comfort of my room. Cold sweat peeled down my skin as I thrashed against the cotton sheets. The sinister box even haunted my dreams. Warm crimson blood slid down my arms. My chest started to become tight as my breathing became rapid. I felt a scream release from my throat as I jerked myself awake.

Terrified, I looked down at my arms. Only scars of the past, with no blood, were on them. I rubbed them, remembering that it was all in the past. My breath started to calm as I looked over to see my husband’s eyes.

Jack was awake. He placed his hand on the side of my face. “Another nightmare?”

He felt every move I made within the bed. I shook my head yes. “Yeah, I think I just need a drink of water.” That’s when I decided to get up and go to the kitchen downstairs.

As I descended toward the living room, the wooden steps felt icy and unyielding under my feet. Heavy apprehension settled within my chest. It became more excessive with each step. A hum filled the air. I turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs. My heart wanted to stop. On my dark wooden coffee table, just a few feet away from me, was the same daunting green box from that hot and humid day. The jaded mist that haunted me seeped from its open mouth.

Dread washed over me. My heart skipped and became rapid as my breathing became more accelerated. It felt like my chest was going to implode. I needed to breathe. My feet felt like cinder blocks. They couldn’t budge.

Allison…it’s voice felt like a thousand tiny needles piercing my skin. A cold, raspy, ancient voice echoed from within it. It kept calling my name in its native tongue to draw me closer. My breath started to condense as the temperature dropped.

You know what I require…it hissed the words like tiny snakes into my ears.

“No, I won’t do it. You can’t make me. I must do it willingly, or else it doesn’t count.” I kept wiggling as though invisible ropes tied my legs.

You think you’re so sly, but you are the decedent I’ve been waiting for.…its words slithered all over my skin.

I wanted to scream so badly. I closed my eyes to try to block it out. My knees buckled under me, and I wrapped my arms around them and just held myself.

Loud thunderous footsteps went past me. I opened my eyes to see Jack throwing a cover over the box. Instantly, I fell backward onto the floor. My body went slack, as though something inside me had gone quiet all at once. Jack ran over to me and scooped me up in his arms. He gently laid me down on the couch. I tried to keep my eyes open, but darkness found me anyway.

I woke up the following day to find that Jack had fallen asleep on the other couch across from me. The box was gone. I slugged my way to the bathroom after I took care of myself, and I went to the kitchen.

I made some coffee, reached for a jar of pickles on the top shelf, and felt a hand on my hand. Jack had his glasses off, but he still helped me grab the jar. He walked over to the coffee and made himself a cup. I tried to open the pickles myself, but the lid wouldn’t budge.

“Jack, can you open this for me?” I tried to open this jar of pickles several times with no luck.

He walked over, and his eyes seemed to be sunken into his head. I handed him the jar. He popped the lid open without care and handed it back to me.

I touched his shoulder. “Honey, you haven’t been sleeping again, have you?”

Jack shrugged me off, “I’m okay, I promise. I found it just that damn box…when you had your night terrors last night. The damn thing was sitting on the coffee table like it never left. I had to take it back to another location last night.”

I set the pickle jar down and hugged him. “I’m so sorry you’re having to fight this. I mean, if it wasn’t for my stupid bloodline. That stupid box wouldn’t have found me.”

Jack hugged me back, “I know, but it’s not your fault. I’m gonna go and try to take a nap.” He kissed the top of my head and left the kitchen. I turned to get some pickles and felt a chill go down my spine. Allison…

I set the pickles on the counter and went out the back door. My eyes squinted in the brightness. It was as though the sun avoided me for decades. My skin seemed to glow despite being tanned at one time. The beautiful beige color had faded into an ivory tint.

I followed the stone path that was shadowed by trees in the backyard. An invisible pull tugged me toward our wooden outdoor shed. The door creaked as I opened it. My eyes became cloudy.

My movements became not my own. The muscles within my legs tense with solid movements. I felt my hands reach out to feel the cold metal of the tools that stayed on the workbench. There were different types of wrenches, a hammer, and something sharp. My fingers curled around whatever was sharp on the table.

I closed my eyes, afraid to look down, as I felt my feet start to move again. The cold steel of a blade touched my skin. My hand went to move, but I started to fight. I strained my eyes open again. The blade was right at the scars I had previously placed upon myself over the years. I hadn’t cut in years…I couldn’t relapse.

I started to fight harder as I dropped to my knees. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the same green mist I had become accustomed to. I took a deep breath and started to pull the knife away from my skin.

My mind swirled with darkness. I couldn’t tell what my thoughts were or what the box was. The knife was still unopened in my hand. It dropped to the ground because I couldn’t keep a grip on it.

One little cut and I’ll be open. Don’t you want to know what’s inside? The sinister words echoed within my mind.

I kicked the knife away from me. I pulled my legs up to my chest as I pushed myself tighter against the wall. Shadows danced across the wall as green light seemed to chase them. The box glowed as I tried to ignore it. Maybe it would make me go blind?

The door to the shed started to shake. I heard Jack on the other side. His voice echoed from the distance to let him inside. Every part of my body wanted to move, but I couldn’t. My body was screaming.

Jack’s foot slammed on the other side of the handle. The box was just too strong. It held an invisible barrier against the door. I knew how to stop it, just take the blade across my skin and allow the blood to drop onto the box.

I closed my eyes and started to hum. I needed to shut it out. The room started to get louder, but to me, all I could hear was my own humming. The knife wasn’t too far away.

Darkness encased my mind, making it feel as if the walls felt smaller. It called me, but no one else. Why did it choose me to haunt? It promised me an escape, but the bars inside my mind showed me differently. The pit of despair was too deep. All the colors seem to fade to gray. The hot, salty liquid that slid from my hazel eyes made my face feel like it was on fire.

My thoughts started to wander…what would I unleash from the Jade Box? That dark priest couldn’t be alive, but there was only one way to find out. I needed to cut myself and let it spill.

I quickly moved to grab the knife. Before I allowed myself to question my own sanity. The knife’s sharp blade sliced my skin below my palm. Crimson started to flow from the cut. I stood up and walked over to the box. The blood dripped only a couple of drops before a blast of dark green light exploded from it.

A tall man in a dark green robe now stood before me. Jack was standing now in the doorway. The ominous grin that danced across the man’s face sent chills down my spine. What have I done?

“Nonne es pulchellus parum?” The strange man said. It sounded like Latin, but I knew it wasn’t. His skin was dark like his hair, but it was all ashy. His eyes glowed green as he looked at me with an evil grin.

The End…for now.