Face to Face (The New House Part VI)

I took several deep breaths. My mom was obviously worried, and if I couldn’t keep my cool I would only stress her further. This thing, whatever it was, had only made itself known to me, so it should let me in the basement, given that I was the one it seemed to want.

Right?

That was my logic anyway as I went down to the basement door and attempted to turn the handle. A part of me was screaming to wait for Carla, not only did she have the locket, but she was my courage, the only reason I was able to face this thing. However another part of me just couldn’t sit back and wait while my dad was down there alone. All sorts of horrible images were playing through my mind, and without realizing it, I had already opened the basement door and was walking down the stairs.

Whatever was down here had let me in, just like I thought. Lucky me.

“Ian?” my mom called, “How did you get the door open?”

“Stay upstairs, by the phone.” I heard myself say, “Just in case.” I couldn’t have her come down here as well. I tried the light switch at the bottom of the stairs. Nothing, the lights wouldn’t turn on.

Of course.

Suddenly there was a slam from above me, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. I turned and looked back up the stairs, where the door was now firmly closed behind me. I ran back and tried to open it with all my strength, but it wouldn’t budge. I was trapped down here.

I gulped. The fear was clinging to me now, working its way up my body. It was smothering. The
air down here was much different than last time. It was thick and heavy, and hot. It was way too hot down here.

And the smell, oh god the smell.

Wiping sweat from my brow, I tried to quell the panic that was beginning to take hold. I was truly in this thing's lair.

“It’s alright,” I muttered. Talking to myself, not a good sign; then again it sure beat having a
complete freak out. “Think happy thoughts, Carla, the strength she brings with her.” I felt myself calm down a little. I was still scared, but I could do this.

I looked around as best I could in the dark. I could see the vague outline of the basement as light peeked in from the crack beneath the door above the stairs.

Then I heard it.

The deep, heavy breathing, steady and powerful, and only getting louder.

Behind me!

I whirled around just in time to see something emerge from beneath the stairs. Jesus it was huge, easily over 8 feet tall. I couldn’t believe it was this big. A nightmarish creature of shadows and darkness, all I could clearly see of it were its eyes, a freakish yellow, and its mouth, stretched into a wide grin, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.

Finally the panic triumphed, and no amount of happy thinking was going to stop it this time. My mind literally shut off. I fell to my knees, tears pouring down my face as my emotions deserted me. I knew I should be scared, I knew I should be screaming and trying to run away, but all I could do was stare at this towering monster that stalked towards me, step by step. There was no way my father could still be alive, not if he met this thing and now it was going to kill me too. It wrapped a long clawed hand around my neck and grinned.

“Ian!”

That snapped me out of it; her voice. Carla was standing at the top of the stairs, the locket in hand. “I have it!”

“Carla no!” I shouted, picking myself up, strength surging through my body as I wrenched myself from its grip. I couldn’t this thing get her too. “Get out of here, right now!”

Too late.

The monster saw her, its eyes locking with hers and its twisted grin seemed to grow wider.

Carla, however, was far stronger than me. Rather than crumple like I did, she stood her ground.

“Here,” she said, holding up the locket. “This is what you want right? Take it!” With that she threw the tiny trinket down the stairs, where it landed against the far wall.

The creature leapt at the locket, its movements more like a dog’s than a person. It was distracted though, and I took that opportunity to race up the stairs, moving as fast as I could, diving through the open door and taking Carla with me, landing in a heap.

The monster, however; gave chase. Bounding on all fours, the creature practically flew up the stairs, and it was Carla’s quick thinking that saved us; as she slammed the door closed with a kick just in the nick of the time. There was a heavy thud as the creature slammed against the door, and I thought for sure the hinges would give but they held strong.

The monster slammed its bulk against the door again and again, but the door stayed firm, until finally, it stopped, and we could hear its heavy footsteps thump down the stairs.

We could only lay there, our minds in shock.

Finally, after what seemed like hours Carla asked,“Why did it give up?” Her voice felt faint, like it was far away. “It could probably break down the door so why?”

And then my mom screamed.

I wanted to panic; I wanted to freak out, to run and run and hide somewhere and never come out.

But I had to try and be strong, strong like her. So I stood up, no small feat but I managed, and held out my hand to Carla, who took it and pulled herself up.

We tore through the house checking every room, calling my mom’s name over and over.

But there was no trace of her.

She was gone.

“That’s why it stopped,” I muttered, “It got her instead.”

And then we both heard it, a deep low rumble that resonated through the very house, shaking the walls and making the floor vibrate.

The chuckle. The same damned laugh of that monster.

The creature laughed and laughed, and the rumbling grew stronger as the walls began to shake so violently they started to splinter and crack. The pictures we had hung on them fell to the ground as the house felt like it would collapse any second. Carla and I spared a brief glance before panic overtook us. We ran out of the house as fast as we could, and even when the house was long behind us, we could still here the laugh ringing in our ears.

Born an Angel

So I decided to take a quick break from the New House series; which is nearing its end, by the way, and post something sent to me by a good friend of mine.

I didn't write this piece, instead I served as an editor of sorts, but after going through it and getting permission, I wanted to post it here.

****

I couldn’t help but take her hand, noticing just how much smaller it was than mine. Her hands were rough though, and her grip was far from gentle. She looked up at me; her eyes clouded, as though she were incapable of taking in the things around her without first filing them through a distorted filter. It was like looking into a storm cloud, full of fury and chaos, but still just so damn beautiful.

But there was no way I could have known that even someone so small and fragile could be so full of loathing and darkness, and have the ability to do so much damage. Maybe I was so blinded by the fact that I believed we were meant to be. The moment I touched her hand I knew that she would be a part of my life forever Still...I wish I had known, I wish I had paid more attention to the soul behind the face.

She gave me a small grin and whispered, "I was born an angel you know."

Cryptic and sudden; it seemed more like a warning than a statement, but those words flowing from her lips wrapped themselves around my heart. From now until time stopped moving forward I was hers, and as I looked back on that moment, for just a second, it was as though her eyes cleared up and somehow she realized she belonged to me too. My love for her resonated deep in my heart, and no longer content to simply hold her hand, I took her into my arms and held her with all my strength.

A tear slid down my cheek as my soul responded, “I know."

Taking A Walk (The New House Part V)

We spent the rest of the day cleaning up my room as best we could. The last thing I wanted was for my parents to see the message left all over my wall; a message that made no sense to me, by the way.

When I was finally satisfied that my parents could look into my room and not deem me clinically psycho, Carla and I decided to get out of the house and calm down. I spared her a glance as we walked down the block. Her shaking had gotten better, but she was still kinda pale. I wrapped my arm around her and tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind so I just kinda held her for awhile. Finally I couldn’t take the silence; I needed to hear her say something.

“So...are you doing okay?” Oh god, stupid question. Of course she wasn’t you idiot.

She smiled weakly. “You’re cute when you’re all worried.”

“I...well...I just...” Good, now the stammering was starting. How the hell did she do this to me? All she did was call me cute.

She laughed, a small laugh but it was something. “You’re just as cute when you’re all flustered,” she said, wrapping her arm around my waste and leaning close. “Thanks Ian.”

“You’re welcome.” Ha, got that one right.

We walked for a while longer before the subject couldn’t be ignored any longer.

“So that message...”

She sighed, “Yeah, the message. Hey I’m sorry for freaking out back there or whatever. From here on I am totally committed to keeping a brave face and figuring this thing out.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Good to know. I wonder what it meant though. I mean I don’t think I have anything that belongs to...well whatever is down there. Can you think of anything?”

She thought for a moment, “Not really, you know, we could try checking out the history of the house or something. Maybe someone died in your basement and we’re dealing with an angry ghost out for revenge.”

Pleasant thought.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “Whatever’s down there is definitely physical. It stomps down the stairs, slams doors, and came into my room and seriously invaded my personal space.” I shuddered at the memory. “Plus it laughs a lot, do ghosts laugh?”

She was staring up at me with a cocked eyebrow. “Invaded your personal space? Like...you know...?”

“What are you...oh god...no! No Jesus Christ no! You are a twisted person you know that! That is all different kinds of messed up!”

“Good, cause I don’t want anyone getting there before me,” she said sweetly.

“I...um...” Oh god the stammering, and now I was blushing too. I drive the ladies wild. Good to see Carla was pretty much back to normal though.

“Oh my god!” She stopped suddenly and looked at me, her eyes wide.

“What?” I asked, “Cause despite my serious lack of anything related to composure, I am totally cool with you invading my personal space.”

“What...? Oh, yeah whatever look I just figured it out!” She looked at me expectantly.

“Um...so what is it that you...”

“I can’t believe I didn’t realize it right away, god I’m so stupid! It wants that locket back!”

“Locket?”

“Yeah that locket I found in the basement. I put it in my pocket and forgot about it. That’s gotta be what it wants.”

I nodded, remembering how we had found that tiny trinket in the corner. “So where is it now?” I asked. “Do you have it with you?”

She shook her head, “No, I tossed it on my dresser and forgot about it. I’ll run home and get it right away though. Are you gonna come?”

“Tempting, but I should get back home and let my parents know I’m around.”

“Okay, well I’ll be right back, so don’t get gobbled up by the monster or anything until I get back.”

“Yeah, well I’ll try my best on that, hurry back.”

She nodded then gave me a quick kiss before breaking off into a sprint down the block. I couldn’t help but admire her enthusiasm as she was running, as well as her...no we’ll just stick with enthusiasm.

I got home a little while later and found both of my parent’s cars in the driveway. I walked in and was immediately greeted by my mother, who looked a little stressed out.

“Ian, oh good I’m glad you’re home, I need your help quickly.”

“What’s going on mom?” I asked, slightly worried. Mom never got stressed. I will never forget what she said.

“Your father went into the basement, but now the door is locked tight and he won’t answer me. I think he may have hurt himself or something. I need you to help me get the door open.”

Oh god. All I could do now was pray Carla hurried back with that locket.

Give It Back (The New House Part IV)

“It was easily the most terrifying moment of my entire life,” I said, in between bites of fries. “And I once sat through a Steven Segal marathon, which was pretty f-ing scary.”

Carla just looked at me, ketchup dripping from her burger. It was the next day and we had just finished school, and were now sitting in the food court in the nearby mall.

“What did your parents say?”

“Nightmare. Which works I guess. They are clearly oblivious to this whole thing and I don’t want them thinking I’m going nuts.”

“Yeah that would suck,” she said, “And Steven Segal is awesome, by the way.”

I smiled, despite myself. Truthfully, it was only Carla's presence and my own small attempts at making light of the situation with bad jokes that were keeping me from a nervous breakdown.

“Whatever," I said with a sigh. "Look, there is something seriously messed up in that basement and it won’t leave me alone. I’ve gotta do something about this.”

“But we looked through that whole basement and didn’t find anything, you’re really sure about this?”

“Wait,” I said, seeing where she was going. “You think I’m making this up?”

“Not making it up per say but…”

“Crazy then?!”

“No just…”

“Good, because I’m sure. I'm very, very sure. There is something down there and it really has a thing for me. Come on Carla, I need your help on this.”

“Okay, I just...okay.” She took another bite of her burger. “Do you wanna check out the basement again?”

I thought for a moment. “I guess so; I mean there’s nothing else really to go on is there?”

“Well, today we can give the basement a really good go over. Like check every nook and cranny, and then do it again,” she said, “And then tomorrow we can skip a couple of classes and maybe check out some of the history of the house. What do you think?”

“You think the house is gonna have history?”

“Sure why not? All houses have history.”

I nodded, “Okay, that’s as good a plan as any I guess. You about ready then?”

She smiled and nodded, wolfing down the rest of her burger in a very unladylike fashion. “All ready!”

I smiled, I really tried not to, but I couldn’t help it.

On the way back to my place, I stopped her.

“Thanks again,” I said, trying to stammer through what I wanted to say as quickly as possible. “I mean, I know this sounds really messed up and everything, and that I probably sound like a complete freak whenever I bring it up…”

She cut me off with a kiss, just a quick peck on the lips followed by her smile, but it shut it me up.

“Forget it,” she said. “It’s kind of fun anyways.”

“It so isn’t.”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, really not.”

“Yup.”

We bickered playfully the rest of the way. When we got there I saw that my parent’s car was nowhere to be seen. No surprise really, I usually beat them home. Still, there was something about being in the house without them that was really unnerving. Could be I was still getting used to the new place. Or, you know, the horrible monster in the basement. Whichever.

“Do you mind if I throw my stuff in your room?” Carla asked me as we stepped inside, motioning to her backpack, still slung over her shoulder.

I nodded, “Sure.”

She skipped upstairs and I again marveled at her ability to not take any of this seriously. Of course, if our positions were reversed I would probably have trouble believing it as well. I sighed on that thought and went to turn some lights on when I heard Carla.

“Um…Ian, can you come up here? Like…NOW!”

I turned and ran up the stairs, she sounded scared. Carla never got scared. I rounded the corner into my room and froze my mouth agape.

Carla was looking around in disbelief just as I was. My room had been trashed.

No, no trashed was too light a word. It looked like a hurricane ripped through it. My bed sheets and pillows were slashed, my bookcase overturned, my drawers yanked out and their contents tossed on the floor. There were even holes smashed into the wall. But that wasn’t what we were staring at.
On the wall, just above my bed, was a message; written in, what I prayed, was deep red paint.

“Give it back.”

“Holy shit...this is...I mean...I didn’t do this…” I muttered, and Carla turned to look at me.

“No kidding. What do we do? What does this mean? Ian I…I don't know if I can...”

She came over and gripped my arm. Christ she was shaking. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to comfort her. It hit me then, I suddenly realized that she had been taking this seriously the whole time. She had been putting up a front, but she was clearly disturbed by the whole story, and seeing proof of it had gotten to her. But why? If was really getting to her then why was she trying so hard?

I shook that thought out of my mind for the time being, and just tried to focus on soothing her, tried to focus on being strong for her. “It’s okay,” I said, holding her tight. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll figure something out.”

Sleep Tight (The New House Part III)

“So basically, there’s a hobo in your basement?” Carla asked, grinning at me as she kicked a rock down the sidewalk.

I stared blankly at her for a second. “Um, yes… I guess…look it was way freakier when it happened,” I said, trying not to sound like a total wuss. “And what if it’s not just some hobo, but like a psycho killer or something? How am I supposed to sleep with that in my basement?”

She laughed, it was such a pretty laugh, and in this case, not at all appropriate.

“You wouldn’t be at all freaked out?” I asked her.

“Nope.”

“What, that’s it? Just ‘nope’ just like that? You wouldn’t be scared at all?”

She grinned again. “Yup.”

“I hate you,” I grumbled, which made her laugh again.

“Oh come on, this is kinda funny. I mean, if you can’t laugh then what can you do? It beats being all wiggy about it.”

“I’m not being wiggy. Who says wiggy now a day’s anyway?”

She gave me a look, then said, “You said your dad got the basement key this morning right? So let’s go down there and check it out.”

I stopped dead and looked at her. “You serious?”

“Well your dad probably kicked your hobo out already, so we probably won’t find much, but then I could see your house. I mean we’ve been hanging out every day for like the past month and you haven’t once invited me over. Or are you actually scared of going down into the basement?”

“I’m not…”

“Great!” She smiled and hugged me in a fit of glee. “It’s a date.”

“If this is all you expect out of dates then this should be pretty easy,” I smirked at her.

She laughed again; Carla was in a good mood today, I guess. Which was nice, it beat her being stressed out over school, like she usually was. Her parents were pretty rough on her about that stuff I guess. Mine were just happy I went.

So we got to my house and Carla bounded on in, way too excited. I headed in after her, though much slower, and found her talking to my mom. And damn if they didn’t already look like the best of friends.

“Ian, it’s about time you started bringing friends over. I was getting worried you weren’t making any at school.”

I sighed. “Mom this is Carla, Carla, my mom.”

“Yes I know dear, we’re way ahead of you here. Carla, seeing as my son never brings people home, much less any as pretty as you, would you like to stay for dinner?”

She spared me a quick glance to see what I thought. I just shrugged. Which she had figured out pretty much meant I was cool with it.

“I’d love too,” she beamed. “Let me just phone home real quick first.”

Mom showed her where the phone was, and then came back to me, all smiles.

“Ian, you never told me you had such a pretty girlfriend.” She said, now that Carla was out of earshot. “And she’s so full of life.”

“She’s not…”

“I really like her. You know I think she’ll be very good for you. You’ve been so mopey and…well just ‘blegh’ lately.”

“Mom I’m always like…”

“But I think Carla will really help get you out of your slump. Now dinner isn’t going to be for a little while yet so you kids find something to do until then.”

She looked like she was about to walk away, but paused. “But keep your bedroom door open,” she said, much louder than necessary, and headed towards the living room.

Oh god. Well at least Carla didn’t hear that. I met her in the kitchen just as she was getting off the phone.

“My mom said it’s cool if I stay,” she said. “I mean, if you’re still okay with it and everything. I know I’ve been a little pushy today.”

I smiled, just a little bit. “Its fine, I’m kinda glad you’re here actually.”

“Great! Oh and your mom doesn’t need to worry, I’m not so pushy as to attempt ‘closed door’ stuff already,” she said, grinning at me.

Damn it.

“Well, can we go check out this basement of yours?”

I refrained from sighing at her enthusiasm. “Okay, let’s go.”

We got to the door, and as I was mustering up the courage to open it and face whatever was down there, Carla shot her hand out and swung it open. She was already half way down the stairs before I realized what had happened.

“Hey, wait up.” I called as I found a light switch and flipped it on, heading after her.

At the bottom of the stairs, I could see that it was just a regular basement. It was old and dusty - pretty much what you’d expect. All our unpacked boxes were down here though, which meant dad must have been down here already.

“So, should we look for a cot?” Carla asked with a grin, clearly not taking this seriously at all. “Or maybe a rolled up blanket or a smelly jacket?”

I responded with silence. I felt it was deserved. I did start looking around though. For what I wasn’t really sure, but with Carla here helping me I felt a lot braver than I thought I would.

A half-hour of rummaging later revealed that this was, in fact, just a basement. No secret compartments or anything. No places a person could really hide. No evidence to suggest anyone had been down here at all.

“Hey look at this,” Carla called from the corner.

“Did you find something?”

She held up a small locket, dangling from a thin gold chain. It looked really old. “Is this your mom’s or something?”

I shook my head. “No, I’ve never seen it before. See I told you there was someone down here.” I said, taking the locket.

“Or,” she said, giving me a look, “The previous owners forgot it when they were moving. But your psycho hobo living in the basement theory makes sense too.”

Despite being mocked, I couldn’t help but smile. There didn’t seem to be anything to be afraid of down here after all.

We looked around a little while longer before deciding to head upstairs. Carla finished homework while we waited for supper. She wanted to close the door to mess with my mom but we decided not to push our luck. After dinner, I saw Carla out. She opened the door to leave and I stopped her.

“Hey, thanks for coming, and helping downstairs…I mean…um…” I fumbled for words that would express my gratitude and not make me look like a sissy when she stopped me.

“Anytime,” she smiled at me, then leaned forward and kissed me. Just a quick peck on the lips, but a kiss just the same. Seeing my expression, she frowned.

“Too soon?”

I smiled, a genuine doofy looking, ear to ear smile. “No, I mean, um…” Man I was stammering like an idiot. “Oh god please just go, this is embarrassing.”

She laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said and closed the door behind her. I stared at it for a while before I realized what I was doing, and headed upstairs, still smiling ear to ear.

I didn’t want my parents to see that I was practically walking on air. I had an image, after all. So I avoided them for the next few hours until I went to sleep, thinking of how good a day it had been. The basement thing went well, and most of all, Carla and I seemed to be a couple now. Maybe; I mean I wasn’t really sure how it worked, but I thought it was a safe bet.

I slept pretty soundly until a noise woke me up. Groggily, I rolled over and checked my clock. 2:30 in the morning. I listened for a bit, trying to figure out what had woken me and heard footsteps outside in the hall.

Just one of my parents coming back from the bathroom, I figured as I drifted back to sleep.

Then I heard it. The chuckle. That grainy sandy raspy chuckle.

I was sure as hell awake now.

I listened as the footsteps got louder. How the hell could my parents not hear this?

And then they stopped.

And my door creaked open.

Jesus Christ, someone was in my room.

I was too terrified to do anything but pretend to be asleep. I could see a little bit of who it was, but it was too dark to see any details. Hunched over, with what looked to be a black robe on, a hood pulled over its head.

The figure came closer and it was all I could do not to scream. A long, claw like hand reached out and cupped my face, and I really thought I was going to die. Its grip was so cold. I should have screamed when I had the chance.

The chuckle again, and I could feel the heat of this thing’s foul breath on my face. Then its hand let go, and the figure shuffled back out, and I heard the bedroom door open and close.

And then I screamed.

A Chuckle (The New House Part II)

So it had been about two weeks since we moved in to this old heap, and to be honest I was surprised by how much my parents had been able to get done in that two week period. The house looked like it had been lived in for much longer than it actually had, which was good I suppose. I still hated the place, and my parents refused to believe that there was anything weird with the basement door or what lay beyond. Never mind the fact that the key they had for it didn’t work, and that they were in the process of getting a new one from the person who sold us this place.

Which meant no one had been down there yet. Which freaked me out. Like, a lot.

On the other hand though, school was going really well. Well as well as school could go I suppose. Which was to say that school sucked, except for this really pretty girl that made it worth going to; her name was Carla, and she wound up sitting beside me in English class on my first day. While our teacher had droned on and on about Of Mice and Men, we got to talking and found we actually had a lot in common.

She had just moved here with her parents as well, and she was really interested to hear about what we were doing with the house, which I thought was just as boring as Of Mice and Men, but apparently I was wrong because she looked really interested. Ever since then we had been spending most of our time together, which was really cool cause I never really had a girl interested in me before.

I got home a little later than usual, and my parents were delighted to hear I was studying with Carla after school. Yeah I know, it sounds lame but hell she could ask me to stick around and eat dirt and I’d still be late coming home. As I was heading up to my room, I heard a thumping, like someone coming up the stairs.

The Basement.

I looked at my mom, she apparently hadn’t heard anything, and was busily preparing dinner.

“Did we get the key to the basement?” I asked her, and she gave me a strange look.

“No not yet, why?”

“So…dad isn’t down there or anything?”

“Your father doesn’t get home from work for another hour honey, you know that.”

Which meant I was hearing things, or, and this is what I was banking on, this house was seriously messed up.

Despite my better judgment, I went to the basement door. And despite my better judgment, I put my ear to it again and listened.

What I heard will haunt me for the rest of my life.

It was a laugh. Dry and croaky, the voice like sandpaper, but it chuckled, and then I heard the sound of someone descending the stairs, the heavy footsteps making no effort to be quiet.

To say I was scared would be an understatement. That laugh…it chilled me to the bone, playing itself over and over in my mind. I couldn’t take it, I ran again. Despite promising myself that I wouldn’t. I ran all the way up to my room and huddled on my bed like a child, trying to get the laugh out of my head.

There was someone in the Basement. I knew whoever it was had heard me, and for whatever reason, my parents were oblivious. All I could do was hope that key got here soon, and my parents would take care of things. I hated myself for being so scared; after all, boys should be brave. But all I could think of was that laugh, and the sound of that person going back downstairs.

Someone living in our Basement, if only that was all it was.

First Day in a New House (The New House Part I)

You know, what I remember most about the whole ordeal isn’t all the things that happened, all the fear and the panic. It’s how it began that I remember most, which is funny because it was nothing out of the ordinary. I was in a room I had lived in barely long enough to call mine, and already I was packing up my things, taking my posters off the wall and rolling them into cylinders and pretending they were telescopes or whatever, right after it seemed like I had only just put them up. But my parents move a lot, so I was pretty used to this routine by now.

That didn’t mean it didn’t suck. Here I was trying to fit in as a regular fifteen year old boy, which is hard enough without my parents constantly making me the ‘new kid’ everywhere we go. My Mom had said it was because she and Dad had gotten better jobs that paid a lot more money than here in Edmonton. So we were leaving. And I was going to have to start all over. Again.

Sorry, I'm getting kind of ahead of myself here. My name is Ian, and they told me that sometimes when people have a really traumatic experience or whatever, it helps to write about it. Plus, it makes Carla feel better as well, since she's helping me write this. So here we go.

We pulled up to the house, and I had to admit, it was some kind of house. Like, really big. Like mansion big. Well maybe not that big, but you get the idea. It was old though, it had that gray gritty color that old houses have, and had the plants that climbed up the walls because no one had been around to take care of them.

My Dad said that was why they got it cheap, said it was a ‘fixer-upper.’ I called it a hole, but they didn’t care. You could practically see the dollar signs in their eyes, you know, like in those cartoons. They got that way about money. ‘Maximum efficiency for minimum effort’ my Dad always said, which I basically interpreted as being cheap, but he didn’t like hearing that much. I figured I wasn't the first person to tell him that.

We began unloading our bags and bringing them into the house. I didn’t have a lot of stuff, so as soon as I finished I decided to go take a look around. I was an only child, so I didn’t have to worry about calling a room or anything like that but I was still curious. The entrance was pretty big, but really dirty. Mom said the cleaning people would be here tomorrow so we’d just have to deal with it tonight. I checked out the main floor first. It was about what you’d expect I suppose, living room, dining room, kitchen, just bigger.

I checked out the top floor next, with all the bedrooms, way more than we needed, and it was then that I could have sworn I heard a noise. Peering out the window I saw my parents were still outside so it couldn’t have been them. I listened real closely, and I knew something was…well…off - is I guess the best way to put it.

For some reason, just then I remembered my Dad talking about how he had heard people talking about how things seemed to be different lately. Like there was a noticeable change between today and yesterday, and other than the fact that it had been raining a heck of a lot more some places that usual, no one could really put their finger on it. But everyone agreed that something had changed.

I shook it off and kept looking around, eventually making my way downstairs and through the kitchen, eventually winding up at a door at the end of a hall. I tried the knob and found it was locked. I assumed it went to the basement, and I was gonna see if I could see under the door when I heard a creak just beyond it. I practically jumped out of my skin. There was something just on the other side of the door, I was sure.

I put my ear to the door, trying to listen closer, and just as I did the door started to shake. I mean really shake, like smashing back and forth so hard I thought the hinges were gonna burst off and the whole thing was gonna come crashing down on me.

I freaked. I ran, as fast as I could, away from the door and didn’t stop until I was outside.

I caught my breath on the front lawn, having made it out in record time I’m sure. I told my parents there was no way I was going back inside. I told them something was really wrong in there and that we needed to leave right now, pack our bags back up and drive very far away. But my Dad said I was just homesick and my Mom said that boys didn’t get scared by little noises in old houses. Little noise my ass but they weren’t hearing me anymore, so I helped my parents unload the rest of our junk until it was all done so I could calm down.

Boys didn’t get scared huh. I can’t tell you how wrong she was, and it was only going to get worse.