When I realized everyone around me was staring, they suddenly said in unison:

"You shouldn't have woken up."

Their faces were obscured by strange masks, but I could still hear a suppressed fury in their voices. I bucked against my restraints; my muffled voice echoed throughout my bedroom. I was now naked with some strange red symbols coating my skin.

"Stop struggling, Gabby. The hour of interstice is at hand."

The voice of my mom drew my attention. I tried to respond to her, but all that came out muffled screams. She continued with what I assume was my two brothers and father watching on.

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"Our great God, Zha'thikka'xeth. This is the only way to hear their divine voice once more, Gabby, and to do so is worth any sacrifice. But do not worry, Gabby; since you're awake now, you will experience the presence of our great God."

She stopped talking after that; I still thrashed and pleaded, but to no avail. One of my brothers pulled out a strange candle and handed it to Mom. It looked rather poorly made and was pure crimson.

Mother took it in her hands and started chanting in an esoteric language. The marks on my body glowed and burned my skin as I screamed in pain. A smell of burning flesh and hair now filled the room.

Suddenly, I heard an eerie flute play as my family chanted and prayed to the dark entity. Visions of an incomprehensible and formless entity filled my mind as I screamed in abject terror.

My consciousness faded; I felt the weight of Zha'thikka'xeth's presence settled upon me like a shroud. The last thing I saw was my family's masked faces, their eyes aglow with an otherworldly light, as they whispered in unison:

'You will be the vessel.'