A Campfire Tale, or: Prequel to the movie "Constantine" starring Keanu Reeves

It was a dark and stormy night.
Not only was it cold, but also windy.
Along with being soaking wet, I was also freezing to death.
No sooner had I seen the silhouette of a building, than I ran towards it. 
Hardly had I set foot into the ancient, run-down mansion when the door slammed shut behind me.

Scarcely had I realized where I was when I heard a squeaking sound behind me.

No sooner had I turned around shivering in fear than I saw an old, short lady standing there.

To my absolute surprise, she was smiling and offering me a place to stay for the night.

But barely had I accepted the invitation, when I a had bad gut feeling.

I, however, put this thought aside and followed the old lady deeper inside the house.

She offered me a bedroom but, what instantly caught my eye upon further inspection, was that the window was covered in flies and moths.

Barely had I looked at the window when she warned me:

“Under no circumstances must you leave this room at night.”

Then she wished me a “good” night and disappeared into the dark hallway.

I was alone now. Or so I thought.

I went to sleep.

…..

No sooner had I felt pressure on my chest, than I woke up shivering.

I saw a black creature crouching on top of me.

Barely had I seen its hideous face when I started screaming my lungs out.

On no account did I want this to be my last moment alive!

I started praying as my last resource and the dark creature growled in disgust. 

In its agony, it jumped off me and I sprinted out of the room.

Hardly had I left the room when I understood that I was sleeping in a cave and not a house. I had been tricked!

In my desperate escape out of the cave, I didn´t notice that I was being followed by the demon. It was thirsting for my soul.

It was pitch black all around me and while stumbling around, my situation felt hopeless. The demon came closer and a rotten, sulfuric smell filled my nose.

But hope never dies.

As another last resource, I begged to God to spare my life and soul.

In that instance a bright light suddenly flooded the cave and I heard a voice saying:

“Be not be afraid, for I am here to help you.”

Barely had I heard these words when I saw a tall figure shrouded in light and holding a flaming sword.

Was this my end or my salvation?

No sooner had I finished this thought than the demon hissed in anger behind me.

The angel slashed the demon with his flaming sword in half, killing him instantly.

Then the holy figure turned to me:

“We´ve been watching you for a long time, Constantine. May this experience be a reminder for the work that lays ahead of you: you are to wipe off Satan´s minions from the face of the earth.”

And this is how my story began.

(This story was written by my colleague Madalena Mendes and me)