It was a dark and stormy night in a small town in the middle of nowhere. The wind howled outside as the rain continued to pour down, creating a strange, surreal atmosphere.

Alice was making her way home from a night out with friends, and was walking down a dark, deserted street. She heard a sudden loud voice behind her - it seemed to come from nowhere, and reverberated in the air.

Alice spun round in terror, and saw the silhouette of a figure standing in the darkness. As she opened her mouth to scream, the figure stepped forward, revealing himself to be an old man with a wrinkled face and white hair. He was dressed in an old black robe, with a large, twisted staff in one hand.

The old man raised his staff and pointed at Alice, and spoke in a low voice. “I have been watching you for a long time, my child,” he said. “It is time for you to leave this place, for I have come to take your soul!”

Alice screamed and ran for her life, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She ran through the streets until she found herself standing before an old, abandoned house. Fear rose in her throat as she realized that this was the same house where the old man lived.

Cautiously, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. To her horror, she saw the old man sitting in an armchair, surrounded by a horde of eerie, ghostly figures. He raised his staff, and the ghostly figures began to move towards Alice.

Alice ran, not looking back until she finally reached her house. She slammed the door shut and locked all the windows, trembling in fear. The old man’s words echoed in her head - “It is time for you to leave this place, for I have come to take your soul!”

Alice never stepped foot outside her house after that night, and never told anyone about her terrifying experience. To this day, the old man’s words still haunt her, reminding her to never brave the darkness again.