In case your damned soul ever finds itself in the mouth of darkness…

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HORROR LORE AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT

Horror…

The Oxford Dictionary defines the concept as “An intense feeling of fear, shock or disgust”. In the field of narrative fiction, it’s the genre whose main goal is to incite feelings related to dread, deeply related to the anticipating feeling before a fearful experience, also known as Terror. In spite of how many basic definitions had been given to the notion, every sentient being in the universe(s) can concede that horror, in all his forms and types, involves the action of generating fear on any living creature.

There’s also another interpretation of horror, one that unlike the abstract descriptions mention above, represents a clear and present danger to this realm of reality and the individuals within it. This kind of horror can manifest in both natural forms, as well as paranormal ones. It can be material or metaphysical, visible or imperceptible, human or animal, documented or unknown. It’s the sum of every object or creature—living or undead—with the ability to frighten and/or inflict damage on other mortal creatures. We refer to this interpretation as Factual Horror; or horror as a certainty of existence.

Taking all of this into account, we submit this collection of knowledge, to be used as a method of protection, as well as a mean for any interested party to have the necessary tools and wisdom, to safely understand and navigate the domain in which the aforementioned horror resides.

THE PARANORMAL REALM LEXICON

The Outermost: everything that exists outside the natural realm; the infinite space beyond the dimensions of physical matter, where the principles of natural law are almost completely non-existent.

The Dusk Rim: a diminutive space that exists between the Outermost and the natural realm

Entity: any conscious individual or object that exists, regardless of whether it possesses a body or not.

High Entity: an entity on a superior level of existence, beyond the bounds of mortality or vulnerability.

Entilight: the invisible self-contained energy within a body that endures after death, (also known as soul)

Maraud: the act of possessing a physical being (usually performed by a body-less entity)

The dark-obscure collection (DOC): list of beings (unknown or undiscovered) inside the natural realm or capable of entering it, that happen to possess supernatural abilities.

Lithormancy: list of rituals involving the manipulation and /or use of forces from the Outermost.

Wraith: a visible manifestation of an Entilight, (also known as a ghost)

THE THIRTEEN PRINCIPLES OF THE PARANORMAL REALM

Physical forms cannot exist in the Outermost, and nothing from the Outermost can exist in the natural realm without some type of material body.

Entities in the Outermost are capable of possessing a body or object to enter the natural realm. High entities are unable to achieve this though, as their power is too colossal to be contained in a physical form.

For an entity to perform a successful possession there must be some unconscious willingness from the individual.

Entities in the Outermost can spawn/create a new body for themselves in the natural realm if the right ritual is performed by the entity. The created body can have any form or appearance the entity chooses

Normal entities can’t manipulate the natural realm from inside the Outermost. High entities on the other hand, are capable of this.

High entities are not created and non-high entities cannot become high entities. The existence of high entities has no beginning or end, as there are unbound by the laws of time and space.

It’s possible to destroy an Entilight.

Entities cannot possess a deceased person after a certain period of time. However, it's possible for the long departed to come back if the Entilight was somehow corrupted through a bad performed act of Lithormancy while the person was still alive.

Mirrors can be used by entities from the Outermost to observe the natural realm, but not to access it.

It’s possible for Entilights to stay in the natural realm after death occurs, as they exist in an invisible semi-physical form before transitioning into the Outermost.

Wraiths cannot directly touch people but are nevertheless capable of manipulating the environment around them.

Once an act of Lithormancy has begun, regardless of whether the individual finishes or interrupts the ritual, there will always be some form of reaction or consequence.

Entities from both the Outermost and the natural realm are capable of entering the Dusk Rim, giving the right circumstances. Once inside, it’s possible for entities of both sides to affect/manipulate each other. In the event of a high entity entering, the result could be catastrophic.

HORROR LORE’S SURVIVAL GUIDE

When walking in dark hallways, if you ever get a feeling that something is behind you, it's advisable not to turn. In most instances, there won't be anything there, but this may not always be the case. If you ever feel like that in any dark place, never look into it with any kind of night vision device.

It’s impossible to enter the Outermost without dying, so any alleged ritual to achieve this should be avoided, as they usually tend to be trapping rituals to make you enter another dimension; one that you will certainly regret entering.

There are over two hundred beings listed in the DOC. Over half of those are somehow dangerous, and nineteen are confirmed to be malevolent creatures. Be careful out there.

Be aware of children's imaginary friends; they are not always imaginary and don't always have good intentions.

Even if an entity fails to possess you, there’s still the possibility that you will experience other secondary effects, like being able to see things you couldn’t before. Be careful if this happens, because if the invisible things realize you can see them they won’t like it.

Doppelgängers are real. Nobody knows how or why the phenomenon originates, but unlike popular beliefs, the doppelgänger doesn't know it's one and has no natural animosity towards the original person. There's also no way to know which of the two is the doppelgänger, and which one is the original person. In the event of the two coming face to face, there are four possibilities. The best possible outcome being that both will flee, never to meet again. If they are unlucky, one will escape and the other will try to hurt or kill the fleeing one. An even worse scenario is that both will try to kill each other. And finally, the fourth and least frequent outcome; both will simply approach each other to try and understand what's going on. It's advisable to avoid this action at any cost.

Vampires don’t need permission to enter your house, are not allergic to garlic or sunlight and are completely visible in a mirror.

Richard Chase was a California serial killer that killed most of his victims in their home, without breaking into them. He’ll always look for houses with unlocked doors, as he refused to break into a residence with locked doors. No matter how safe your neighborhood is, always lock your doors.

Malevolent ghosts can’t physically hurt you, but they can lie, manipulate and deceive. Their actions can sometimes lead to dangerous situations.

Salt is a crystalline compound mostly composed of sodium chloride. There's no evidence of it being a good measure against evil spirits. It definitely doesn't stop psychos, demons, zombies or the IRS.

Cemeteries and abandoned sites are usually the safest of places. Evil prefers the locations where many breathing souls hang out. Watch out for out of town carnivals

Not all supernatural entities are evil, but one must be very careful of benevolent entities as well, as they can unknowingly put you in danger too.

They are creatures that prefer to hunt during the day. Daylight hikers beware.

Under the right circumstances, someone buried alive can last around six hours before suffocating, so before you dig out a possible victim of premature burial, always check the gravestone for the date of death. You never know if you are actually digging out the “person”

If you blink rapidly in front of a mirror and your reflection blinks one or two times after you have already stopped, it means something is watching you from "the other side". If you decide to destroy the mirror, make sure to cover your face when doing it. Some entities may take revenge for this action.

Eyes are a great defense mechanism but pay close attention to your other senses as well. Not all dangers are visible, especially supernatural dangers.

There are undiscovered things in the ocean that could terrify the bravest of men, and not everything is from this world. Sailors beware.

Santa Claus is a myth, Krampus is not. Do your best to be nice during the holidays.

A warning to doctors: there's a small chance that one day, a new and seemingly normal male patient will come to you complaining about unexplained chest pain. Logically, you will send him to do a chest x-ray test. If the results reveal him to have all kinds of strange non-human organs, don't react to this. No matter how confused you are, don't ask for another test or even acknowledge what you are seeing. Simply look at the plaque and come out with some fake reason for the "pain". Do this, and he will leave, never to be seen again. If you do acknowledge that there's something amiss, the patient will also leave, but he will visit you again. Correction… it will visit you again, in the middle of the night, in your home, wearing his true skin. You don't want that.

Identical twins do in fact share a form of psychic connection. In some cases, this bond is so strong, that each twin is able to perceive the feelings and thoughts of the other one. This can be a problem if one of the twins grows up to be a serial killer.

If you happen to suffer from DID (Dissociate Identity Disorder), and there’s a serial killer at large in your city, and every time your other personality takes over the killer attacks… then you may have a serious problem in your hands.

Mirrors can be useful to find out if an animal is possessed. Place the creature near a mirror and if its reflection acts differently, then an entity is living inside the animal. For safety measures, don’t react to this in front of the animal. The last thing you want is for the entity to know that you know.

Nightmares are sometimes visions of something that happened to you on another life or reality. On rare occasions, nightmares can be visions of something about to happen, to you or someone close, in your present reality.

If you have ever experienced sleep paralysis, don't be afraid, as it just means a very weak entity has tried to take over your body. With a strong entity, you wouldn't wake up… at least not as yourself.

For the most part, high entities don’t even pay attention to the human world or humanity itself. A few do, out of pure curiosity, while others enjoy punishing people that do bad deeds and a small fraction enjoy punishing those that do good deeds.

Never believe mediums or psychics that claim to be able to see supernatural things. People that can see supernatural things are never proud of it. People that can see supernatural things wish they were blind.

Don’t worry about the devil as it doesn’t exist, but trust us on this; what’s out there is worse than anything the human mind is able to imagine.

Weak entities tend to also be decaying entities. If one somehow manages to possess you, you will still be yourself but your body will start to slowly decompose over a period of time until it completely dissolves. The only way to avoid this fate is to perform The Canker Passage, a ritual where you contact the rotting entity within you and convince it to move to another human. The entity will only agree to this if the other human is an infant. Whether you accept this or not, will depend on how rotten your moral code is.

If you hear scratching in the middle of the night and you are sure it’s coming from beneath your bed, don’t move and don’t look at what’s in there. It doesn’t matter if the scratching gets louder or if you start to hear other sounds beside it. Simply stay still and pretend you are sleeping until you do fall asleep. Otherwise, they won’t find much left of you.

Careful about turning on the lights to see where an intruder is. Some intruders can’t find you in the dark.

In the event of you ever getting a job on Area 51, we advised you to always follow every protocol to the teeth, especially the one that stipulates that “nobody should ever attempt to open or get close to the big steel door on Sector J17, under any circumstances. It doesn’t matter if you hear a voice calling for help from the other side, or if you hear the same voice in your dreams, just leave that door alone”

The witching hour is no more than a fable. There's nothing special about any hour, holiday or random date that calls for evil to come out. Evil is always out there and you are vulnerable to it at any given moment, so stay sharp.

If you are ever home alone at night and receive an unexpected phone call where the only thing you hear on the other end is static, hang up the phone. If there's a second phone call and the same happens, hang up the phone again and go to sleep. It doesn’t matter what you were doing or how important it was, just go to sleep. The phone will ring again and it will get louder. It may even ring all night, but you must simply ignore it and stay in bed. If you don’t go to bed or you pick up that phone a third time, then what is calling you will take it as an invitation to come inside.

When buying a new house, always inspect the interior and exterior structure meticulously. If you discover a difference between both and suspect that there may be a secret hidden room somewhere in the house, it’s better to avoid buying that property. Hidden places are usually hidden for bad reasons. And remember, if you found a great house for a ridiculous cheap prize, there’s always a reason behind it.

As of now, there are over eight billion videos on YouTube. A tiny percent of those videos are confirmed to be of supernatural nature, with no way to trace the original uploader or computer IP. There have been reports that some of the videos can cause suicides, loss of senses or the unexplainable vanishing of the viewer. Careful of what you search for.

Cats, dogs and your usual pets are unable to see or sense invisible dangers. Small birds on the other hand, are capable of this. If you own such birds and you ever see them freaking out while trying to fly away from their cages, it's better to carefully leave the area. Make sure to take the bird(s) with you. The last thing you want is to be an asshole to the animal that saved your life.

During the time of the early humans, children had the ability to sense when a deadly creature was nearby, allowing them to warn their parents of the danger. That skill has weakened on modern humans but it's still there somewhere. When your kid tells you that there's a monster in the closet, it's not always their imagination.

When moving to a new country, do your research on urban legends and investigate if there's some correlation with unsolved murder cases. You never know what you will need to watch for.

If you ever receive (via text message) four photographs showing the front of your house, your living room, the hallway leading to your room and you sleeping in your bed, call the source number and say this: “Thanks for your interest but I’m fine like this”. If you don’t, the Photographer will come back the next night and you’ll be turned into its new masterpiece.

If you ever get a job at a funeral home, don’t be scared if dead bodies sit, stand or make sounds. That can happen and there are perfectly logical explanations for it. But if you see the dead talking, walking or trying to escape the premises, then that's a cause for concern.

If you can, avoid visiting any town name “Daywood”… no matter how enticing it may seem

If you move to a house built on "Indian burial grounds", you will be safe as long as you don't do anything considered offensive by that specific tribe. Investigating the tribe's culture is advisable.

Always keep your phone well charge and your car’s engine in the best of conditions. If a psycho ever comes after you, the last thing you want is to become a movie horror cliché.

Don’t worry about going to “hell” unless you are performing rituals of interdimensional travel. Some dimensions are worse than anything humanity as dare to call hell.

A warning to minors: if your parents strictly prohibit you to go to the basement or attic, most of the time they are just being slightly over-protective. On rare occasions though, they may be hiding a terrible secret there. Whether you should be scared or thankful of your parents, is a matter of what’s actually in there.

Beware of “lifelike” dummies used as Halloween decoration. If a fake corpse looks too real, maybe it is.

A wise man once said: "There's nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on". This is true. But there's a flip side to that. Because there's also nothing that won't be there after you turn it. Be careful about what dark corners you choose to enlighten.

Do not damage or disturbed scarecrows, as they protect growing crops, and consequently the livelihood of entire farming families. If you broke one (even by accident) we suggest that you inform the owner and offer your help or money to repair it. Otherwise, you may become the farmer’s enemy, or worse; the scarecrow’s enemy.

Forget everything that popular culture has told you about werewolves. There’s no link between them and the moon. There’s nothing special about silver. Medallions are useless. You can only become a werewolf if you are bitten by a wolf with blue fur. If you are attacked by one, either run or try to kill it. When werewolves go out to hunt they go out to kill, and they don’t like to waste food.

When sailing the high seas, if you ever see a red fog slowly approaching the ship, it’s better to steer the boat completely and get away from it. Ships that had entered this fog have never been seen again, with the exception of “El Galante", a Spanish fishing vessel that went missing in the Atlantic in 1996 and reappeared fifteen years later near the cost of Hawaii, showing signs of struggle on deck. There were no crew members or bodies found in the vessel, but a message was written with blood on the floor of the captain's cabin. The message said "The things in the fog are coming for us"

If you ever come across a Wendigo, it's recommended that you avoid having a strong reaction to it. Screaming, running or attacking the creature will be unwise. The best course of action will be to stay still, lower your head and wait. When you do this, the entity usually leaves. On rare occasions, the Wendigo will approach you, smelling and sometimes licking you. Avoid having any form of reaction to this action.

Asking if “anybody is there” is the worst possible way to deal with unexplained sounds in the dark.

Humanity has always been fascinated and afraid by the possibility of a human zombie outbreak. They should be more preoccupied by the possibility of an animal zombie outbreak. Lions, tigers, sharks, are capable of becoming undead as well as you. The less we talk about zombie hyenas the better.

If you ask a mortician to randomly try and guess your exact date of death and he agrees to, whatever he tells you will become your date of death. Most morticians don’t even know they have this power, so make sure to only ask for the day and month, so that only those are affected. You don’t want to accidentally cut your life shorter by years, or live for centuries as an elderly person while everyone around you dies, in case the mortician gets funny.

Avoid answering voices that call your name from unlikely places like dark subways tunnels, sewers or from outside the window of a fifth floor.

When spending the night in a motel, always check the room meticulously. Way too many corpses have been found under motel beds.

In the US alone, there are over one thousand cases of missing people that have never been found or explained. Most of them were killed and their remains are well hidden, but there’s always a chance that one day someone will find them. The ones that were taken by the Bitters will never be though. Beware of those things, as they don’t leave any leftovers, not even the bones.

Careful if you decide to explore an old abandoned mine. Some of those places were abandoned when the miners kept inexplicably disappearing.

Some people believe that “if you can imagine it, you can make it happen”. In some cases, this is literally possible. A very scarce number of people possess extremely powerful imaginations, and what they imagine becomes real. The problem comes when the person enjoys imagining terrors. Many of the things that we call monsters are roaming in this reality because of this. Just be careful about what your mind conceives.

In relation to the preview point, when you create a fictional universe and record it using any possible narrative medium like literature, comic or film, the universe becomes real but confined to its own limited reality. The characters inside these universes are unaware of the nature of their reality, but on rare occasions, one of these creations can become self-aware. If you are an author and you’ve made this character suffer in your story, just hope that he or she doesn’t find a way to come into your realm.

Each year, all around the world, hundreds of dog owners are attacked by their canine friends, with a few dozen owners being mauled to death. Half of these attacks happen without any previous provocation by the owner and nobody knows exactly why. A percentage of those that have survived, reported an inexplicably gradual change in their dog’s behavioral pattern, days before the incident. Trust your pet, but watch it closely as well.

Knowledge is power, but there’s a positive side to ignorance as well. Humanity doesn’t know about what happened before the Big Bang and the horrific things done to the early entities that existed before this realm. The less is said about what happened to them the better. Knowing that you exist inside their remains is bad enough.

It’s impossible to reach the center of the earth right now, but you never know what could be possible in the future. If this ever becomes feasible, humans should avoid doing it. You people don’t want to encounter what’s down there.

If you live in an apartment complex tall enough to use an elevator, always check the buttons panel when using it. If one day you see an additional button for a non-existent floor, get out of the elevator and find a way to block the door to prevent anybody else from using it. Wait until someone else comes along or call maintenance. By the time another person arrives there, the extra button should be gone. If you or anybody else presses the button, either by accident or plain curiosity, the entity that’s doing that will use it as a doorway into your world.

If you suspect a close relative or loved one is not he or she anymore, you can confirm this by asking them questions that you are sure they can't answer. It can be something they are unaware of or a series of questions about a difficult subject. If they try to answer every question anyway, it means there's something else in their bodies. If the possessor is inside your relative's head, then you can still save them. If it's wearing their skin, we advise you to escape.

Never answer or acknowledge tapping sounds coming from inside your closet in the middle of the night. If you say something or knock back, what’s on the other side will keep knocking until it breaks the barrier.

If you find that certain things in your house are being inexplicably moved when you are not around, there's no reason to panic. You can even put them back where they were. But never try to catch the one responsible. It doesn't like to be seen.

If you ever received a box with two human eyes in it, close it immediately and be fast doing it. Don’t give them a chance to take a good look at you and copy your face. You don’t want to turn on the TV one day and find out that you are being wanted by the authorities.

While driving on a deserted highway, if you ever come across a car accident and bodies nearby, quickly turn around, drive back the way you came and call 911. If the accident was real, the emergency services can do a better job than you. If not, then you don’t want to stay to see what happens next.

If you ever arrive in a decaying town, looking like it has been abandoned for years, and the residents act as nothing has happened to the place, don't be afraid. You are probably in a ghost town; a literal ghost town, where the dead still think they are alive. You can confirm this by looking into mirrors since ghosts don't have reflections. Just make sure they don't find out they are dead. The realization may cause a bad reaction on them. They can't hurt you, but you don't want to see what they will do to themselves.

The dangers of nature (both known and unknown) must never be underestimated. For example, the Nile crocodile is the known animal with the most powerful bite in the world, at 5000 psi (pounds per square inch). They are dozens of animals with bites more powerful than that, but there are not known... yet.

Spelunking, or caving as it's popularly known, is one of the most dangerous hobbies in the world. When exploring deep caves, safety must always be the order of the day, as well as knowing your limits. There's another world in the deepest abysses of earth, and its habitants don't appreciate it when you don't respect its borders.

If you dream about an empty coffin with someone's picture in it, it means that a person is buried under your house. On rare occasions, there may be more than one picture in the coffin.

Every year, hundreds of people drown in deep water lakes all over the world. In most cases, it's because of a lack of swimming experience or extreme water conditions. A select few are simply dragged down from beneath the surface by unknown creatures. Be careful where you choose to swim.

While the fear of being physically mutilated is very reasonable, you should be aware that some rare entities are also capable of mutilating the human soul without destroying it. The ensuing consequences of this range from inexplicably health problems to losing one’s mind, as well as the development of homicidal tendencies.

Despise what films have taught you, it’s impossible for any adult to hide in the leg space between a car’s front and rear seats, so don’t worry about it. However, it’s entirely possible for someone, or something, to hide in a car’s trunk, making it look like it’s closed. If you hear movement back there, don’t outright ignore it.

According to official reports, each year, more than one hundred people commit suicide in Aokigahara Forest or Suicide Forest. The official reports are wrong though. A few dozen of the cases are actual murders made to look like suicides, carry out by an unknown entity. Be very careful in that place.

What Londoners once called “Jack the Ripper” was never caught, and it’s still killing to this day. Beware of dark urban areas.

If you find a sealed off well in the middle of the woods, don’t try to reopen it. That is not actually a well, it was not built by humans and you don’t want to see what’s inside of it.

Snakes, frogs, rats and other rodents can all swim up through your toilet. Another being capable of this is the one called The Invader. Unlike the other creatures, the invader always waits for the moment when you are going to sit on the toilet before coming out. Its goal is not to get inside your home but to get inside of you.

If for whatever reason you find yourself in an abandoned train station and a train stops in it, don’t board it. That train is not for the living and there are dire consequences for passengers without a ticket.

Avoid being a "yes person". Over willing people that never say no always get the attention of possessing evil entities. In some cases, these people may end up being possessed by more than one entity at a time. This phenomenon is rare and very dangerous.

On earth's remotest places, there exists a species of ants that are smarter and extremely more capable than other species. The ants can be identified by their permanent pure white color. If you step on one by accident, the colony will not hold it against you. But never kill one intentionally. If you do, no matter how far you go, the albino ants will find you, they will attack and eat you from the inside out. The ants can even get to you underwater.

The "light at the end of the tunnel" trope is based on the real life experiences of people during near-death incidents. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, do not go towards the light, even if you want to die. Its trap and you don't want to know what will happen if the light catches up to you.

It’s possible for ghosts to go insane too. Any unusual erratic behavior by an apparition, poltergeist or spirit can be explained by this.

If your relatives and close friends start to claim that you were in places you weren’t and did things you know for sure you didn’t, watch out. Something may be trying to replace you.

Jobs in sewer inspection should be avoided if possible. It's not only a dirty job; a job with a high percentage of unexplained disappearances.

Some entities can change color, the same way a chameleon does. They usually use this ability to turn pitch black. When looking into darkness, always take a second look.

There are a lot of urban legends and scary tales center around hitchhikers while the strangers that pick the hitchers are usually ignored. This is a mistake. If you are ever hitchhiking, choose carefully when accepting a ride.

A mirage is an optical phenomenon that occurs when light rays bend to produce a displaced image or object in the distance that isn't really there. Careful though; there are a lot of unknown sand creatures that take advantage of this

If you find a phone booth in the middle of a forest, jungle or desert, do not pick up the phone. If it rings… run

If you ever catch your shadow slowly giving a few steps back when you are not, it means there’s a terrible danger nearby.

There’s no danger in wandering through the catacombs of Paris, as long as you don’t find the other city beneath that one.

John and Jane Doe are the multi-use name giving to unidentified corpses. If a deceased person is never identified, it’s possible that the soul may get stuck in the realm of the living unless they possess another person somehow. Taking this into consideration, never walk over the grave of a John or Jane Doe.

Some entities are capable of possessing computer devices. There is usually minimum risk in this, as long as the computer is not used to control something important… like the safety system in a nuclear plant.

Witches will try to poison you using refreshing drinks and/or delicious sweets. The antidote is usually in a dirty cauldron with animal parts inside and on some occasions, human parts as well.

If you feel a scratching in the back of one or the two eyes, go to a doctor immediately. What is doing that is not scratching, it's digging out

If you received over a dozen text messages warning you not to leave the house, check who is sending them. If they are your own contacts, then listen to them. If they are from unknown numbers, get out of the house fast.

If you ever find a film title “Kaldox’s Revenge”, either online or in physical form, don’t watch it. The story is about a hitman hired to kill one person: you. It’s not really a fiction film, but a documentary.

ENTITIES FROM THE D.O.C. TO AVOID

The Bacá

Natural realm form type: humanoid, visible

Type of Threat: emotional distress, death

The Bacá is a powerful entity that takes the form of a mud-covered man with a bull's head, seeking those that want to bargain, in exchange for protection or some form of wealth. It never interacts with humans first, as the person must be the one to summon it. If you are desperate enough to call the being, you can do it by simply whispering a direct invitation, right before going to bed. If your desire is strong enough, the entity will visit you the next night. You must then say what you want and the entity will grant your desire, in exchange for your Entilight, to be collected after your death. If you want wealth, then simply ask for good fortune and wealth will come in short time. If you ask for protection, the Bacá will become a sort of guardian angel for you and your belongings and/or properties.

The Bacá is an impatient entity though, and it doesn't like waiting for humans to naturally die, prompting the being to seek ways for people to commit suicide. It usually tries to achieve this by making every loved one around the individual suffered endless painful diseases. When there are no love ones, that's when it gets creative. Since it can't physically hurt the people it made deals with, it usually resorts to ways of turning their lives into a perpetual living hell. The Bacá will start by giving people a continual stench that makes them undesirable to anyone. It then fills their home with every vermin known to men. From then on it continues to conjure even more unbearable conditions until the victim either kills himself or goes insane. Sometimes, when the individual has endured the Bacá’s torturous ways long enough, the entity may agree to pass on the curse to a future son or daughter, if the person is willing to make the deal

How to avoid it: needless to say, simply don’t call for the entity.

Ciguapas

Natural realm form type: multiform, visible

Type of threat: death

The shape-shifting creatures live in mountains and forests, taking the form of beautiful naked women with long dark hair, seeking men to bewitch. Men who come in contact with a Ciguapa are almost immediately enchanted by her striking beauty, innocence, and sensuality. The creatures take their victims deep into the forest, where they have sex with them. Afterward, the entity reveals her true monstrous form, right before devouring the men while they are still alive.

It’s almost impossible to track down a Ciguapa, as their feet are backward and they like to run erratically to confuse possible hunters. However, it's possible to track down one under a full moon, as they usually get mesmerized by it and are not as careful on those particular nights. If you do wish to hunt down one though, bring a powerful weapon, as the creatures are said to be able to sustain extreme damage.

How to avoid it: if you come across one you must be quick and decisive if you don’t want to fall into its spell. Simply look down and ignore it. The Ciguapa will get close to you. Its smell will be captivating and its touch enthralling, but you must resist the urge to look up, refrain for looking into its eyes. Pay attention to the feet, as their weird shape will remind you that you are in the presence of a dangerous beast. Do this, and after a while, it will leave you alone.

The Vulpine

Natural realm form type: multiform, visible

Type of threat: physical damage, death

The Vulpine is a creature who roams tick forests and jungles, stalking people who get lost in them. The entity usually adopts seemingly inoffensive human shapes that make people feel safe, like a peasant child or a fragile old lady. After meeting their victims, the Vulpine offers to help them get out of the woods if they agree to hear a brief story. The person may find this odd but usually ends up complying, as people may be desperate to get out at this point. The Vulpine then proceeds to tell any particular story, usually a fantasy adventure or romance with many twists and always with a happy ending

While the Vulpine tells its story, the listener is able to experience the feelings of the fictional protagonist, putting them practically inside the narrative. After finishing the first story, the entity will ask the victim if it wants to hear another one. Hypnotized by the tale, the person will certainly say yes without hesitating. The creature continues its anthology of fables, each one more exciting than the next. With each new tale, the Vulpine collects its payment, without the victim realizing, as the entity feeds on human parts and senses that it can magically take away. It usually starts by taking less important organs, like the appendix. By the time people realized they are being robbed piece by piece, it’s already too late. The strong emotions they have experienced by listening to the tales have intoxicated them and the urge for more is irresistible.

The Vulpine will tell as many stories as it can while keeping its prey alive and with its hearing sense. When the time comes, the entity will tell one final story—a brief recounting of the victim’s life. By the time it’s over, the Vulpine will take the final prize; the human heart.

How to avoid it: simply decline to hear any story. Take your changes in the wild.

The Deluder

Natural realm form type: semi-visible

Type of threat: physical damage, death

The Deluder is an entity capable of causing an extreme kind of catalepsy on humans, making the victim's body show all the signs of death while keeping said victim internally conscious and able to feel pain, but with no way of addressing other people. The intention of the Deluder is for the victim to be prematurely buried or go through a dissection.

The Deluder is a stealthy being who seemingly covers his true form in shadows, except for its two big red eyes. Once it chooses who it wants to play with, the Deluder will watch the victim while it sleeps for several nights, each night getting closer and closer to them. If the entity gets close enough to touch them, the victims will immediately go into a deathlike state. It also likes to target dog owners when they are going to be with their pets in a secluded place for a certain period of time, as dogs will think their owner is dead and will eventually start eating said owner, starting with the face.

How to avoid it: once it chooses you, it can’t be avoided, but you can beat it at its own game. When the Deluder enters a room, the temperature decreases significantly, giving you a clue that it’s there. To defeat the entity, you must simply take a glimpse at it while it approaches, making it disappear from your life. The Deluder is very quick to hide though, so you must wait, and try and guess when it’s slowly advancing towards you. If you feel the air getting slightly colder than it already is, that may be your chance.

Mary Lanka

Natural realm form type: visible

Type of threat: death

Mary Lanka is the popular name giving to an entity that preys and kills people, using their bones and skin as decoration afterward. The creature appears as an old woman with an impossibly long and thin body and pure white skin. It's also capable of flying and covers its body in a long black cloth that's decorated with human bones. Its face is always unseen, as it uses the face of its latest victim as a mask.

Lanka stalks its possible victims before deciding if it wants to use their flesh as new attire. It’s sometimes possible to take a glance at it, flying near your home or crouching on your neighbor’s rooftop while it watches you. If it decides it wants to use you, the entity will break into your home and it will use its bony hand to violently pierce into the chest, removing your heart while it still beats.

How to avoid it: once the entity makes its choice, you can’t prevent it from going after you, but it has been proven that it’s possible to temporarily kill it. If you are sure it’s coming for you, get hold of the heaviest armament you can find, prepared a strategic spot in your home and get ready for an intense fight. Be aware that if you succeed, you will only be killing its physical form, causing it to go back to the Outermost for decades before it can regenerate again. If you happen to live for many years after that, never forget this… Mary Lanka likes to hold grudges.

Crookor

Natural realm form type: unknown, (possibly invisible)

Type of threat: danger situations, death

The Crookor is a powerful entity, capable of simulating ghostly visions of one’s dead relatives. This is merely a game for the Crookor, as it considers humans its personal toys. The entity usually chooses a child victim with a recently decease close relative (usually a parent), as they are most vulnerable to fall into the hoax. The being makes them see the "ghost" of the family member from time to time, before increasing the sightings. When this happens, the fake ghost will ask for the help of the victim, telling them that if they don't do what they ask, they won't be able to "enter heaven"

The intention of the Crookor is to make the child do things for it. To achieve this, the entity makes the children believe that the other family members living in the house are not actually their loved ones or even humans. It wants the child to believe that the rest of the family caused the death of the “ghost relative”. If successful, the Crookor may be able to convince the child to burn down the house with the “monsters” in it.

How to avoid it: if you think a child is being targeted by the Crookor, the best way to avoid tragedy is to tell them to question so-called ghost about things only the real relative could’ve known. If it can’t answer, then you need to convince the child to stop listening.

The Cloaked Child

Natural realm form type: visible

Type of threat: emotional distress, death

The cloaked child, as it’s popularly called, is an entity known to only appear on Halloween, going to certain houses, to take part in the traditional trick-or-treating act. The entity takes the form of a kid around 10 years of age with no definite genre and with its body covered entirely by a costume and mask. Reports on how the costume and mask look vary greatly. Supposedly, the only thing visible about the "child", is the eyes, said to be a strange variation of grey.

It usually comes out in the late hours of the night, sometimes after midnight, when Halloween is technically over. When a homeowner opens their door to the entity, it simply raises a small black bag, obviously expecting to receive candy. The cloaked child stays there never uttering a word until the person complies. There are several things that can happen when encountering the entity, depending on certain conditions and actions. If you are childless and refuse the request, the entity will leave, but you will be found horribly mutilated in your bed. If you close the door without saying anything, the entity will appear inside your home a few seconds later. In this case, you are left alive, but with your face and body so badly disfigured, that you'll probably commit suicide afterward. Homeowners with children that do any of the acts mentioned before, suffer the worst fate though. The cloaked child leaves them be, but takes their children in the dead of night, never to be seen again.

How to avoid it: it’s advisable not to ignore the cloaked child, no matter how late it comes knocking. You must either open your door to give the candy or leave the confections by the porch for the entity to collect. Just make sure nobody takes the candies before the cloaked child. If you choose to open the door, never, under any circumstance, put your hand inside the black bag. Not if you value that hand anyway.

The Dark Void

Natural realm form type: visible

Type of threat: total damnation

The Dark Void is the most powerful known entity that’s not a high entity. It takes the form of a black smoky fog and hunts down humans. The Void can attack behind walls or out in the open, without any type of warning. When it attacks, only the victim is able to see it as it quickly moves towards them. If The Void touches a person, said person dies instantly.

What The Dark Void seeks is not the human mind or body, but the soul. It’s basically an obsessive collector that steals the Entilights and uses them to amass more power. If one sees it coming, it’s possible to run or hide, but The Void always finds what it preys, one way or another.

Nobody knows how to stop or destroy it, or if it’s even possible.

How to avoid it: there’s only one way to defeat The Dark Void; you must kill yourself. If you become one of the unlucky ones, there’s no other choice. Run as fast as you can (seriously, The Dark Void is very quick) and find a way to end your life. Jump of a bridge, run into traffic, shoot yourself if you carry a firearm, do whatever it takes but make sure you die. Otherwise, you’ll be enslaved by the entity for all eternity.

By RC Lanzmann

From: Dominican Republic

Website: https://theanthologyvault.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RC187001