Cursed family

As soon as the spirit vanished, the group looked at each other in horror. Eli spoke up, "Well, I'm not volunteering to be the sacrifice. I'm too young and handsome to die."

Ava rolled her eyes, "You're not that handsome, Eli."

Eli pretended to be offended, "Hey, I'm a catch! I've got a great personality, and I'm an excellent singer."

Malcolm chuckled, "I think we can safely say that your singing is not going to save you from being sacrificed."

Rachel playfully hit Malcolm's arm, "Hey, don't be mean. Eli's singing might be the key to our survival."

Eli grinned, "See, Mom gets it. My singing is a gift."

Sophia shook her head, "This is ridiculous. We're not going to sacrifice anyone. We'll figure out another way to get the keystone."

Ava spoke up, "But what if there's no other way? What if we have to choose?"

Eli panicked, "No, no, no! We're not choosing anyone. I refuse to be sacrificed. I'm the only one who can carry on the family name... of being annoying and handsome."

Malcolm chuckled, "I think we can safely say that's not a family trait you want to pass on."

Rachel laughed, "Okay, okay. Let's not fight about this. We'll figure out another way to get the keystone."

But as they continued to argue and joke, they didn't notice the evil spirit watching them from the shadows, a sinister grin spreading across its face...

The evil spirit suddenly materialized before them, its eyes blazing with fury. "I gave you time to choose, and yet you waste it on petty jokes and arguments," it spat. "You are not worthy of the keystone's power."

The Blackwood family exchanged terrified glances. They had thought the evil spirit was just bluffing about the sacrifice, but now they realized their grave mistake.

The evil spirit raised its hand, and the group felt an unseen force lift them off the ground. They struggled and kicked, but it was no use. The evil spirit hung them from an invisible gallows, their feet dangling in mid-air.

"You should have taken my warning seriously," the evil spirit hissed. "Now, none of you will leave this place alive."

Ava screamed, her voice hoarse with terror. Eli struggled against the invisible bonds, his face red with effort. Malcolm and Rachel hung limp, their eyes closed in despair. Sophia's eyes blazed with a fierce determination, but even she knew they were beaten.

The evil spirit began to laugh, a sound that was like a cold wind blowing through their souls. "You should have chosen one of your own to sacrifice," it taunted. "Now, you will all suffer the consequences."

As the evil spirit's laughter grew louder, the group's screams were drowned out by the sound of their own terror...

As the evil spirit's laughter echoed through the air, the Blackwood family's minds began to wander back to their troubled past. They thought about the evil marks that had haunted them their entire lives, the constant struggle to survive in a world that seemed determined to destroy them.

Ava's eyes welled up with tears as she remembered the countless nights she had gone to bed with an empty stomach, the days she had spent searching for food in the barren woods. She thought about the times she had been forced to flee from the soldiers, the times she had been separated from her family.

Eli's face contorted in anguish as he remembered the loss of his childhood, the constant fear of being discovered and killed. He thought about the times he had been forced to grow up too quickly, the times he had been forced to confront the harsh realities of their world.

Malcolm's eyes grew distant as he remembered the weight of responsibility he had carried on his shoulders for so long. He thought about the times he had been forced to make impossible choices, the times he had been forced to put his family's needs before his own.

Rachel's face crumpled as she remembered the loss of her innocence, the times she had been forced to confront the evil that lurked in every corner of their world. She thought about the times she had been forced to be strong, the times she had been forced to put on a brave face even when she was terrified.

As the evil spirit's laughter grew louder, the Blackwood family's memories grew more painful. They thought about the struggles they had faced, the hardships they had endured. They thought about the evil marks that had haunted them their entire lives, the constant struggle to survive in a world that seemed determined to destroy them.

And as they hung there, suspended in mid-air, they knew that their time was running out. They knew that they would soon be nothing more than memories, forgotten by the world that had never cared about them in the first place.