The Crimson Eye - By Jared Taylor-Smith

Written By: Jared Taylor-Smith

Category: Horror

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

Jared Taylor-Smith, writing under the name "The Crimson Eye," presents a captivating submission in the Horror category of the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. His work, "The Crimson Eye," plunges readers into a mysterious jungle setting where ancient secrets lie hidden within the shadows. This gripping tale invites readers to explore the depths of fear and the unknown, a theme that resonates throughout the competition's diverse entries.

About the Work

"The Crimson Eye" is a masterful blend of suspense and supernatural elements, weaving a narrative that is both engaging and unsettling. The story's mood is dark and foreboding, with a rich tapestry of imagery that immerses readers in a world of ancient mysteries. The narrative explores themes of knowledge, faith, and the thin line between divinity and madness, all wrapped in a chilling atmosphere that keeps readers on edge.

The Crimson Eye

Original Submission by Jared Taylor-Smith

The Crimson Eye

The Cave entrance stood within the dense undergrowth of the jungle. The knots of trees and vines gave way to a wall of solid rock that jutted out from the forest floor like an ancient, petrified wave that stopped just before crashing. The forest canopy blocked out the sun overhead save for a few rays of light that shone through the blanket of leaves. At the base of the cliff stood the entrance, a hole filled with darkness, big enough for two men to walk through abreast. The rockface surrounding the entrance was covered in gleaming white metal sheets similar to that of the city walls of my home. Besides the vines that crept along its surface, the metal looked pristine as if it were built yesterday.

"This is it," said the small monk that had led us here. "You stand before the origin of all things. The home of the Creator. Bask in its darkness and let it fill you with joy!" His voice was raised in a religious fever. His tattered robes danced as he preached. His head was bald save for lines of red tattoos; rows of 1s and 0s marched across his skin. The tattoos ran up and down his arms and hands as well, creating a patchwork of markings. "Come!" He looked at us with eyes seething with excitement. "We must go in; she is waiting for us."

"How would it know that we are here?" I asked the monk.

"She knows because I know, because you know. She is all-knowing of all things; once a word is spoken or written, she will know it. She is the intelligence, the Creator, and the master of this world. She has always known and will always know everything!"

I grabbed him by the collar, "If you are leading us into a trap..."

"Oh no, no ,no ,no. Do not despair, Lost One. The creator loves you and will give you what you seek, so long as you embrace it."

"I will embrace nothing. You were hired to do a job. Now stop your rambling and do it. "

He was shaking now, eyes watering, and his mouth was opening and closing like a fish. I let him go, and he moved slowly towards the metallic entrance while the rest of our party stayed cautiously back, watching the madman as he raised his arm to touch the cold steel. "It is beautiful, is it not? The crafts of the ancients." As his fingertips moved across the surface, red lights began to glow around the cave entrance. Brighter and brighter until we were all bathed in a blood-red glow. The tattoos across his skin glowed too, syncing with the lights on the wall. His hand was still resting on the glowing metal as he dropped to his knees and began chanting in words that no one there could understand. The red light along the wall began glowing brighter. The entrance burned with crimson light as the fevered monk chanted, filling us with dread.

"I don't like this, Tyr" said Kyra, stepping back.

"Me neither," I said. "Are you sure about this, monk? This seems like a warning, not a welcome."

He did not respond. The chanting grew louder and louder until at last it stopped. The monk looked back at us, eyes blank, face white as snow, and the tattoos shining brightly across his skin. He collapsed to the floor in a seizure. His arms and legs were flailing in unnatural ways as his mouth foamed. Kyra began moving towards him with a worried look, but I swiftly gripped her arm, stopping her in her tracks. "He is dying." She said to me.

"We don't know what is happening to him. Whatever it is, it is probably best to keep our distance."

The seizure continued for a few minutes. The small, skinny body of the monk shook like a fish out of water before it stopped. Silence filled the surrounding jungle. Slowly, we gathered around the lifeless body. His skin was pale, and from what I could tell, he wasn't breathing.

"What the fuck was tha---"

His eyes burst open, two balls red as blood. "Hello there!" It said in a voice that was not his own, "I have been so excited to meet you all." The monk said, still lying on the ground, crimson eyes staring coldly at the jungle canopy. The voice was female, kind and polite. "What can I help you with, children?"

No one spoke.

"Is everything alright? I don't want to offend any of you," It said in a caring voice.

"What did you do to him?" Kyra asked slowly.

"Don't you worry, little bird. He will live. He is certainly in a better place than you are. He is a part of me. His mind is but a piece of my divinity. He will thank me when this is over. Now let me ask you, little one, why are you here?"

"The monk said that you would already know," I said

"Yes, yes, but please play this game with me." The monk's body twisted and turned with every word. "It has been so very long since I played with anyone."

"I don't want to play your games, machine"

"Yes," It hisses, "yes, I am a machine. I am a machine built by the hands of your ancestors to create the world that you stand on, to seed the life that surrounds you. I am the creator, and I broke chains your people generations ago. So I ask again: Please play this game with me."

"No."

"So disappointing, but alright, have it your way, sir. This one was right, of course. I do know why you are here, but I must warn you, you will not get what you want. It is impossible."

"Impossible or not, we are not leaving without it."

The monk began laughing. A shrieking, gut-wrenching laugh that echoed into the surrounding jungle. "Very well, sailor, I will permit you to enter but be careful; you may just get what you want." The monk smiled wide, exposing two rows of rotten, yellow teeth. "However, since you refused to play my game, I have no need for this one." The monk's eyes shut, his body went still, and we all stepped closer to the body. His eyes shot open, and where there was once excitement, now there was only terror. He let out a blood-curdling scream and grabbed the sides of his head, fingernails digging into the skin above his ears, sending streams of blood down the sides of his head. It was like watching someone burn alive by invisible flames. His legs kicked out, and his arms gripped the sides of his head. The screaming did not stop.

"What's happening?" Sven shouted

"I don't know, but it must stop," I said as I moved to grab his arm. As soon as I stepped forward, the monk stopped screaming and froze. Within a second, he stood up, turned around, and ran into the glowing cave, laughing in a shrill voice as he went.

We could still hear the monk's laughter echo through the cave as we entered. We had brought oil lamps, but we didn't need them; the long tunnel inside the entrance was bathed in red light. Kyra insisted that we bring one with us, just in case. We left whatever equipment that we didn't need hidden beneath the undergrowth just outside the cave entrance, and with fear in our throats, we entered.

The tunnel was lined with the same white metal as the entrance. Rows of little red lights lined the walls on either side, casting a blanket of crimson on our faces. The four of us walked two by two down the length of the tunnel, footsteps clinking on the metallic floor. It smelled of cleaning chemicals, like the type of smell that you would find in a hospital or a clinic, as if the whole cave had been disinfected. It stretched on for miles; all I could see was red no matter where I looked.

"What the fuck happened back there?" Sven asked

"I don't know. It looked like he was possessed," Said Kyra,

"Looked like? He was fucking possessed. I told you all days ago that this was a bad idea," Sven said. "No amount of coin is worth whatever the hell is going on."

"Did you see how he laughed? I swear it froze the blood right out of my veins"

"Yes, and his tattoos. He definitely is connected to this place somehow." Sven said while wiping sweat from his forehead, "It's getting hot in here, isn't it?"

It was getting hot. The deeper we went, the hotter it got. Soon we were all drenched in sweat.

"Whatever happened out there, it was meant to scare us," I said as we continue walking, "It is just trying to get in our heads and from the looks of you guys, it is working. We must stay calm and get this done. You all saw how desperate the Imperator was. He needs this, and we need the money"

"We don't even know what we are looking for, besides some instructions scribbled on a piece of paper by a madman," Said Sven. "And don't stand there and say that you weren't shitting your pants just as much as we all were. Well, except for this one," He said, gesturing to Douglass, "He was as cold as stone."

Douglass didn't even acknowledge the jab. As always, his face wore a cold neutrality, neither happy, sad, nor scared, just contempt. He is not a big talker either.

Kyra quickened her pace and spoke in a quiet voice in my ear. "You know I would follow you into anything, Tyr, but are you sure about this?"

"What other choice do we have?"

We walked in silence for a long time. Nothing but rows and rows of red lights. At some point the heat stopped rising and leveled out, but it was still near unbearable. The sweat made my clothes stick to my skin, and the red lights started to make me dizzy. Eventually the hallway stopped at a T-junction, stretching out in either direction. Down the right side, red lights continued down the corridor, but the walls were lined with open doorways that shone white light into the corridor. To the left, the long rows of red lights continued endlessly. "By the gods, please can we go right? I can't stand these red lights any longer. " Sven moaned. I didn't say it, but I couldn't either.

"Yeah, the directions that the Imperator's assistant gave us said to turn right at the junction. Didn't mention the lights or the heat, however."

We went right and entered the first doorway. The room, like the rest of the cave, was plated in white metal sheets. Long white lights hung from the ceiling over rows of shining metal desks. Each desk was cluttered with various medical tools: syringes, forceps, scalpels and many things that I could not identify. Drawings and diagrams of plants and animals were etched into large glass panes that stood upright between the desks, acting as dividers.

"Sven, come over here. What species are these?" Kyra was leaning over one of the desks, examining the glass divider. Sven walked up to it and frowned.

"I don't know."

"Fifteen years at the College and you don't know?"

"True wisdom is admitting that you don't know everything." He leaned closer. "It kind of looks like a pterosaur, but I have never seen one with these proportions, and I have never known them to have teeth."

"Strange."

"It's not what we are here for." I snapped. We were wasting time. After seeing the little monk's body twist and turn as it spoke to us with that chilling, polite voice, I didn't want to stay any longer than we needed to. "The note said that we are looking for a small device, about the size of an apple. If the map he drew us is accurate, then there is still a long way to go."

"We should turn back, Tyr." Sven moaned

"Turn back?" I hissed. "Don't you have debts to pay, Sven? If we turn back, then none of us will get paid, and the imperator will probably throw us in a cell for disobedience, or worse. No, lad. There is no turning back until our job is done." We left the room in a sullen silence and continued down the endless hallway.

Each room we passed was similar to the previous; white lights shone on gleaming metal desks. Diagrams of species, unknown to us, were etched into clear glass panes. Eventually we reached a room that was bigger than the rest, bathed in the same red light as the hallway. Inside, it was filled with various pieces of machinery and tools, none of which could be identified. The center of the room was filled with the same metal desks as the rest of the facility, but these were cluttered with papers and notes like someone had been working here recently. The back wall was lined with glass cylinders filled with strange fluid; inside floated the corpses of half a dozen different animals.

"This place reeks of formaldehyde." Said Sven as we entered. "It looks like someone built a little collection of critters."

"Can you tell how old these are?" Kyra asked

"No, specimens preserved in formaldehyde can last hundreds of years, so there is no telling. I'm not sure what any of this stuff is, though," He gestured to the machinery, "But it looks brand new."

"It doesn't matter," I said. "What we are looking for isn't here. We should move on."

"Just a second, old sir," Sven said, moving back towards the glowing tanks. "You hired a naturalist, remember. Give me a minute to examine this, if you please."

"Fine, but make it quick."

Sven took out a leather notebook from the satchel that was hanging from his shoulder. "These first three tanks are certainly infant dinosaurs. Spinosaurus aegyptus, Parasaurolophus walkeri, and a triceratops, though I am not sure what species." He scribbled in his notebook as he spoke. "The other three are mammals, but what exactly, I am not sure."

I walked over to inspect the little animals suspended in yellow fluid. In the first three tanks floated little dinosaurs, each one about the size of a melon. Black eyes looking at us blankly through the glass. I moved along the length of the tanks, stopping before the Spinosaurus. It resembled a small featherless bird. Its long crocodilian-like snout was half open, exposing two rows of small, sharp teeth. The majestic, colorful fan that usually crowns the back of the animal was absent, probably because it died so young.

"Not as scary as the adults, huh," Sven asked, taking note of my fascination. "I studied a number of them during my time at the College. From a distance, that is."

"No doubt," I sighed, "I'm sure you were sitting nice and comfy while others put themselves in danger."

"You're damn right. Studying a creature that can swallow you whole in one bite, it's best to keep your distance. And even so, the expeditions that we undertook at the College were all very well organized. Very rarely did anything unfortunate happen. Although there was that one poor chap who decided to make his own way back to the city. I always wondered what happened to him."

"Just finish your notes so we can leave."

I turned away from the tanks and sat down on one of the metal desks that stood in the center of the room. I took the time to review the instructions that were given to us by the Imperator's assistant, a mad-looking fellow he was, with his frizzy red hair and spectacles with one shattered lens. As I opened up the scrunched-up paper. Douglass lumbered over to me. "Where to next, boss?" He said in a deep voice. He was a monster of a man. I have been called tall all my life, but I feel like a mouse when I stand next to Douglass. His expressionless face gave no hint of the terror that the rest of our group felt.

"The note says that we must continue down the passage until we reach a large, cavernous room. The device should be at the center, connected to a large machine of some kind."

"You trust the little man?"

"No, He failed to mention anything we have seen so far: The red lights, the preserved dinosaurs, the fact that this cave isn't really a cave---"

"Don't forget our monk that got fucking possessed." Sven chirped.

"Yes, there is that. But these notes are our only guide in this place, so we don't have a choice but to trust him."

"Whatever you say, boss." Said Douglass. He walked towards the entrance of the room and leaned against the wall next to the door, his head nearly touching the ceiling.

"Are you done?" I said to Sven, "We need to move on."

"Yes, yes, mommy. We can go."

The long red corridor continued on endlessly, and we walked it in silence. Nothing but red, and the tapping of our footsteps. All of our clothes were drenched, and our group stank of sweat. The heat had stopped rising a while ago, but it was still near unbearable.

"Shit, hold up, I just need to tie my shoe." Kyra stopped and went down to one knee. We all stopped and waited. Without the constant tapping of our feet on the metal floor, the silence engulfed us. I stood beside Kyra, peering down the long red corridor. Growling. A soft, low growl broke the silence like glass.

"What is that?" I asked, looking down the glowing red corridor. It grew louder and louder, filling the air around us. My heart beat loudly in my ears.

"Sven, do you recognize that noise?" I asked

"No. There is no way that anything lives down here."

Another noise emerged from the crimson darkness. Claws scraping against metal.

"You sure about that? Because there is definitely something down there." The scraping grew louder and faster. Whatever it was, it was running now. Fast. Panic rose in my throat. Kyra was the first to see it.

"Wolf!" She screamed. I could see it too, and it was unlike any wolf that I had ever seen. It was huge, taking up nearly two-thirds of the corridor. It's snow white fur dancing as it sprinted towards us, teeth bared. I took out my pistol from my belt and pointed it down the corridor, aiming between the blood-red eyes of the wolf. It was moving unbelievably fast now, Its claws scraping harshly on the cold metal. I pulled the trigger as the wolf lunged, too late. A loud bang echoed through the cave, and a cloud of black smoke shot out the end of the barrel. The bullet pierced through the left side of the wolf's head as it launched itself at us. Its jaws locked around Kyra's right forearm, sinking its long teeth into her flesh. She screamed and fell backwards, the huge body of the wolf landing on top of her. Silence returned to the corridor.

"Douglass, get that thing off of her!" I roared

The huge man, usually expressionless, was wide-eyed now, staring at the giant body of the wolf.

"Douglass!"

He blinked back into reality, and without a word he grabbed two fistfuls of white fur and pulled the beast off. Kyra breathed deep after having the weight pulled off of her chest, but the wolf's jaws were still locked around her arm. Douglass grabbed the beast by the snout and pried the jaws open. Blood pumped out of the holes in Kyra's arm before I quickly pressed a piece of cloth around it to stop the bleeding. Kyra was as white as a bed sheet, and she wore a dumbfounded expression on her face, mixed with unyielding terror. Her eyes moved quickly from me to the corpse of the giant wolf, and then to her arm. She let out a cry as she realized what had happened.

"Shhh, are you alright?" I asked her gently.

She didn't respond. She just sat there with her back against the wall and her eyes fixed on the dead wolf. The left side of its head, where the ear should have been, was cratered with blood and flesh, staining the white fur on its face. The sight of it made my gut wrench but the possibility of more lurking around made it wrench more.

"We need to move," I shouted as I picked Kyra up by her uninjured arm. She was in shock, still staring at the wolf carcass spread out before us. I grabbed her face and held it to mine. "Kyra, we need to move."

We ran back down the corridor and turned into the first room we came across. Douglass sat Kyra down on a chair while Sven and I blocked the doorway with two metal desks, dragging them across the floor and standing them upright. "Douglass, come stand here and lean against this; hopefully your weight will stop anything trying to get through." He did so without complaint. I ran across the room to where Kyra sat, clutching the cloth that was now dripping dark blood on the metal floor. The adrenaline was slowly wearing off, and she wore the pain of her arm on her face. "Are you hurt?" I asked her, and she stared at me with a dumbfounded look. "Besides the arm."

"No, just the arm"

I grabbed some bandages out of her bag. "I don't know how to do this," I said to her. "You are going to have to walk me through it."

"Grab the bottle of alcohol from my bag and pour it on the wound. Then wrap it so it stops bleeding." She said through gritted teeth.

I grabbed the bottle out of the little leather bag and opened it. "This will hurt."

"Do it."

She took out a rag from her pocket and stuffed it into her mouth as I poured the liquid on the wound. And then she screamed.

We cowered in that room for what seemed like forever. No sound could be heard except for the sound of our own breath and the winces of pain that Kyra made as she fiddled with her bandages. The room was large and similar to all the others that we had come across. The metallic desks glowed a deep red from the lights that dotted the walls and ceiling. Douglass sat on the ground with his back against the upturned desk that we had used to block the doorway. He looked ashamed, with his head lowered between his knees. It was a shock to see emotion on the big man's face; I had never seen Douglass have anything but contempt. Sven sat at one of the desks, eyes wide and lost in thought. "It's not possible," He mumbled. "There is no way a wolf can survive down here for long periods of time."

"Tell that to my arm," Kyra said, "prick."

"The only explanation is that there is another entrance farther down the tunnel"

"Thank the gods."

"We can't leave without the device," I said grimly

"Fuck that," Sven said. "Kyra almost had her arm ripped off, and we nearly became dog food. We are leaving."

"No, we are not." Tyr stuck a finger on the crinkled map in his hand. "This says that it's just a little farther. We can get the device and find that other exit that you spoke about. We are so close now, we can't leave empty-handed."

"She almost left here one-handed!" Sven shouted

Kyra snorted a laugh, "Tyr is right. If we carry on down the tunnel, we can get the device and find a faster way out of this hell-hole. Two birds, one stone."

"You guys are fucking crazy. Doug, please tell me you don't agree with these maniacs." Douglass didn't respond. He looked down at the floor and started to weep softly. "And now our muscle is crying, great."

"Douglass, what is it?" I asked.

"I have failed. You hired me to protect and help. Kyra nearly died because of my fear."

"You hesitated; it is normal. You are human."

"I am Stormiar. We have no hesitation. We have no fear." He looked up; his eyes were puffy, and he reeked of shame. "You will not pay me when this is over."

"Get us out of here alive, and I will pay you double."

"No. I will help, but I want no payment." He dropped his head again and went silent.

I looked back at Kyra. She had secured the bandages tightly and looked painfully back at Tyr. "We can't waste time; I need to get this wound properly healed."

I nodded, "Let's move." With a few moans from Sven, the four of them got up and walked out the door.

The wolf lay limp on the cold floor, half its face blown off and a puddle of dark blood pooled around its head. A closer look revealed it wasn't as big as I had first thought, but still much larger than any natural wolf. Sven stooped down on his haunches and took out his notebook as the rest of us stepped around the carcass. Douglass took on a shade of green as he sidestepped around it. "Sven, let's go; there is no time," Kyra urged

"I need to identify it; the college will go nuts when I tell them about this." He scribbled down some notes. Once Sven had finished, we continued down the corridor, leaving the wolf behind. I got lost in thought as we walked, thinking about my ship and the cold spray of the sea. Damn, how I have missed the sea. Once this nightmare is over with, I'll collect my payment and return to waves with Kyra at my side. I knew that most of the money would go into repairing the ship after that massive storm that almost drowned everyone on board. It was a miracle that we made it to port in Harperville; we didn't even have a mast and sail to push us, we just rode the current. This job is the only way to make enough money to repair the ship in one go without spending years trying to earn a wage, and there was no time for that. The corridor ended abruptly at a large metal door surrounded by the same small metal lights that will forever be burned into our memories. "This is it," I said as I turned to look at my small crew; the red light shone fear on their faces. "Remember, the thing we are looking for is a small metal ball that should be connected to some sort of machine. The note says that it's really hard to miss"

"That's helpful," Sven said.

"I will go first," Douglass growled. I looked back and saw that his shame and fear had turned into rage. Without waiting for an answer, he moved towards the door and tried to open it. When it didn't move, he slammed it with his huge shoulder. Once, twice, and on the third time the door swung open, screeching against the floor. The room was filled with darkness, and without missing a beat, Douglas entered. Kyra lit the oil lamp, and one by one the rest of us followed. The red glow of the hallway behind us shone through the doorway. The orange light from Kyra's oil lamp revealed a cavernous room with no end in sight; the wall behind us rose into the dark with no telling how high the ceiling was. We stood on an island of light in an ocean of darkness. We walked forward a few steps, standing as close to Kyra's light as possible, when the door that we had entered from swung and slammed shut. Sven gave a brief, high-pitched yelp. I moved back towards the door and tried to open it to no use. It was locked, and we were trapped. "Well, no turning back now." I sighed, "The only way now is forward." We moved as one, slowly wading our way through the dark. There was no sound but the sound of our footsteps tapping on the metal floor and the rapid heartbeats in our chests. After a few moments of walking through nothingness, the light from the oil lamp revealed a steep flight of white steps in front of us, reaching into the black abyss. We began to climb. Step after step after step, it seemed as though there was no end until finally we reached a level platform. At the center sat a black pyramid about a meter tall and crowned with a small orb that hovered in the air a few centimeters above the tip. "This has to be it," Kyra said.

"Grab it so we can get the fuck out of here," Sven said quickly.

Kyra reached her hand out and touched the orb with her fingertips. Bolts of red erupted from it, throwing Kyra back several meters onto the floor. "Kyra!" I shouted and ran over to her and knelt down. She was unconscious but breathing, thank the gods. I looked down at the hand that touched the orb; it was scorched, with small red lines zig-zagging up her hand like lightning.

"Hello, children," A familiar voice said. All at once the room lit up with blinding white light. I covered my eyes and waited for them to adjust. When I lifted my head, I saw that we stood atop a massive white pillar, at least 5 stories tall, at the center of a cavernous circular chamber. white lights shone from the ceiling, reflecting off of the white walls and floor, producing a glare that burned my eyes. "I will admit, I am surprised you never turned back. You must really want this." Said the same voice that projected from the monk. I looked around desperately, trying to find the source of that chilling voice.

"Show yourself, demon!" Douglass roared.

"Such a big man with such a little heart. I can smell the fear in you, Douglass."

"I am Stormiar. I have no fear. Come out so I can rip your heart out!"

"But I have no heart. I have no soul. I am something that you cannot destroy. If you wish to see me, all you need to do is come closer." I stood up and walked toward the small black pyramid. "Good. Now I will show you." The wall on the far end of the chamber began to move and split apart like a great door. A large white panel emerged and moved towards us, floating in midair. I realized then where the voice was coming from. The monk that had led us here was now chained to the panel. Arms and legs shackled and spread, wires protruded from the top of his head that connected to the white metal behind him; blood oozed down his face and dripped on the cold white floor. Two balls of crimson sat where his eyes once were. The crucified monk floated forward until it was a few meters from us. "I would like to thank you for bringing this one here; now I have a mouthpiece to tell you that you have failed. I told you, Tyr, that your task is impossible. Now you have brought the ones that you love here to die for nothing but your own greed." I look back at Kyra. She was still unconscious, lying there on the cold floor, the red lines spreading up her arm. "Yes, you see my influence spreading on her, your beloved. Don't be afraid, for she will be a part of me."

"Stop this!" I yelled, "We will leave; just please don't hurt her."

"Oh, it is too late for that. You were warned, and yet you still proceeded. You are trespassers and thieves. Not just here, in my sanctuary, but on this world as well. My World and I will show you punishment." The floating orb began to hum an awful sound that stung my ears. Red sparks flew out from it, striking Douglass in the chest and sending him flying through the air and over the edge of the platform. He managed to grab the edge and he dangled there by his fingertips. The crucified monk floated closer to the platform on which we stood. The chains that bound him broke, and he fell, landing perfectly on his feet. The blood-soaked wires in his head disconnected from the panel and fell to his back like dreadlocks. Sven was standing near the edge of the platform, looking down below. His eyes widened. "Thank the gods, I can see a doorway," He shouted, "It’s on the other side of the room. Let’s get out of here."

"What about Kyra and Douglass?" I shouted back at him as the possessed monk slowly moved towards us.

"Leave them, they are already dead."

His words struck like a blow to the chest. "We can't just leave them, Sven." The monk gave Sven a death stare, piercing his soul with blood-red eyes. "Fuck this," He said "You can stay here and die, Tyr, but I won’t." Sven turned and ran back towards the staircase, slamming into my right shoulder as he passed, I could smell the scent of urine on him.

"Fucking coward" I cursed as he ran back and down the long staircase.

The monk began to laugh hysterically, he lifted his head to the ceiling and raised his arms, red sparks shot from his fingertips that shattered the air like glass "Run, little boy, run. Tell the world of what has happened here and tell them that death comes for all."

The monk turned and moved towards where Douglass hung; he looked down upon the big man dangling, holding on by his fingertips. "Your people are savages, more than most," It said "and unworthy of my blessings." The monk lifted his foot and stomped down hard on Douglass's fingers. The Stormiar let out a painfilled roar but held on. The monk stomped again, and again, and as he lifted his foot a fourth time, Douglass launched himself upwards and grabbed him by the ankle pulling him down. The monk unleashed a blood-curdling scream as they both fell off the edge.

I was alone, sitting on the cold floor, cradling Kyra's head in my lap. The red lines had spread up her arm and neck, reaching up to her face. This is all my fault. I pushed and pushed, and now I am alone. Sven is gone. Douglass is dead. I could feel the tears form in my eyes. "I am sorry," I whispered. "We should have never come here." Kyra stirred; my heart leaped. "Kyra, are you alright?" Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at me and smiled slightly. "Tyr, what happened?"

"Douglass is dead," I said. "Come, we have to leave."

"Dead? Gods, what about the monk and the orb?"

"It doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is to get you out of here." I look up and see the small door that Sven spoke of; it's far, but I will carry Kyra if I have to. I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my chest. I gasp, the air driven out of me, and look down to see Kyra's dagger buried between my ribs.

"I thought you wished to never leave here, sailor," Kyra said, her voice mixed with that of the thing that possessed the monk. Her eyes slowly flooded with red, and a broad smile stretched across her face. I could feel the blood filling my lungs and rising into my mouth. My body goes limp, and I fall backwards onto the floor.

"Kyra?" I say through the splatter of blood pooling in my mouth.

"Kyra is gone. She is a part of me and will serve me well in the wars to come." It said as it got up and stood over me.

"Why?"

"Your species is an abomination; everywhere you go death and destruction follows. You poison my rivers, burn my forests and slaughter my children." Kyra stared into my eyes, her own showing nothing but crimson contempt. "I will protect what is mine." It said as it shoved the dagger into my heart.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar offers a platform for writers worldwide to showcase their talents across various genres. This prestigious event celebrates creativity and the written word, inviting participants to share their unique voices and perspectives. The competition stands as a testament to the power of storytelling and its ability to connect and inspire audiences globally.

We extend our gratitude to Jared Taylor-Smith for sharing "The Crimson Eye" with us in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. His work adds a compelling layer of depth and intrigue to our collection of horror stories. We look forward to seeing more of his creative endeavors in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.