AFTER contemplating whether to Jeremy's uncle's house or go back to my hostel, I rest upon the first option, going to his uncle's place. If I head back to the hostel, my day will turn out sour if I don't satisfy my inner beast and probably end up like Sofia, crying over a rom-com on Netflix cuddling each other. But the other option- I will see Jeremy and get to know why he's not picking up my calls.
"Okay," I say under my breath as I halt at front of the house.
I remember Jeremy confessing to me about how he feels whenever he has to come here, especially since the disappearance of his Mom, three months ago, they didn't actually bother to look for her because of some silly note everyone including Jeremy believed, I never knew her not even a picture of her, except Jeremy's groggy babbles. Hence, He despises here.
"This is not a bad idea, is it?" I ask rhetorically, whereas I'm obviously talking to myself.
I make way to the front porch, summoning courage for a question and answer session. Jeremy said Ralph, his uncle has zero recognition for humor and finally, not welcoming. I close my eyes and flap my head left and right, waving off the obstacle. I'm gonna do it. I knock in a flash and withdraw my hand, petrify that a hard knock can annoy anyone in. Everything goes still. So silent like Golgotha, moreover, no one is showing up. Why the fuck is everyone not answering?
I knock again, hatching the door open. I gasp in disbelief, as the door becomes accessible. Who would leave their door open early in the morning? I pause for some minutes, pondering why the door isn't locked.
More reason why you should go back.
I bypass the voice in my head and advance the door. The fact is we all are careless Americans.
"Hello!"
I walk in.
"Hello!" I say again.
Maybe I'm just being a bullhead, perhaps I should just go back.
I scan through the house. The whole place looks tidy and dim, thanks to the dark theme which gloom it down, it's a pole apart to my house interior, the light theme and it's extensive. There is only one couch in the paltry living room. I smoke out an electric socket with a phone charge affix to it.
"Thank Christ!" I squeal in glee, fleeing to the channel. I quickly plug the phone. The screen illumines, indicating that it's charging.
I moan a sigh of relief as I crash happily on the sofa, I'm finally chocking my battery. I stare at the cream color ceiling, allowing my thoughts to swallow me.
Where is Jeremy? Where is his uncle? What if Matt and Josh had played a prank on me? Different questions shower my head, I feel moronic for dashing here without afterthought, at the same time I want to be sure Jeremy is okay. Maybe I worry way too much for him. I smile as an image of his red-tomato chafe face root in my brain when he sees me curled up on his uncle's couch. He will come up with something like,
"You're truly crazy, Haley Shawn and you're respected for that!"
That's what he always says to me when he's dander towards me. I moist my desert lips. I cough, detecting I pine for water before my throat burns off I step up to my feet and stroll to the kitchen, which is exposed to the living room. I open the refrigerator and pick a bottle of water. A collection of the highball glasses are spread on the kitchen island, so I didn't have to look for a cup. I sift out one of the cups, appraise its magnificent brown monkey design labeled on the transparent skin. I shrug my shoulder, assuming it's used for water, I pour the water and stream it down my gullet.
"Yes..." I moan, relishing the curing excitement I'm driving from the water.
Water is life.
A low banging noise got my attention. What could that be? It's too rough to be a rat, I release the cup, causing it to echo without breaking. I sneak towards the hallway.
"Is anybody there?"
I call out. The sound stop.
"Jeremy?"
I receive no response, I proceed down the hallway. The dark theme makes the place opaque. My breath rapids. I tug my hair behind my ear, no letting a scratch of fear consume me. I spot a door, opened slightly. Out of my curiosity, I lengthen it. It's a tattered room.
"Ew, what's that smell?" I cover my nose with my hand as a brisk of a rancid whiff flare-up.
It appears that the room has been forsaken. Different boxes are strewed on the floor. This is probably the basement and I feasibly didn't notice when I was climbing down.
There is a dusty study desk, which is atypical to me. I move closer to it and did the drapes to grant the sun to shine upon the room, with the sun as a brighter source of light, I'm able to make out things in the stuffy room, mostly on the table. There are two empty bottles of soda and a ceramic bowl, I don't know what is supposed to be inside the bowl but, the content looks decomposed with its surface covers in an ashen spumy substance. I bury my nose in my palm when the odor flare over. This is so not my fuckin' business. I whirl to exit, dismally I stumble on something, favorably, didn't fall. I bow on my knee to see what it was that almost trip me over.
It is a picture album. I fetch it up and carefully dust the gook from it. A clear sight of the album comes up looking beautiful. I flip the first page open. I frown at the page, it is empty. Pictures are meant to be displayed there. I shrug and flip over, the page is the same, I groan in frustration. Why are there no pictures? I scoff and dump it on the study desk, bouncing a puff of dust in the air. I feel a light object seeping on my leg, I flash down to catch a picture. It is a picture of a lady, I pick it. A blonde, a crimson circle is drawn on her face.
"Weird." I twitter and slide the picture on the desk.
Just as I'm about stepping out of the basement, something brushes up my leg. I scream and jump. This place is freaking haunted. I spot a rat around the corner of the room, immediately the rat notices me, it races off.
I exhale.
A sharp, burning sting claim my neck, I scream and quickly touch the spot. A buzzing sound filled my ear. It's a fuckin' Wasp-I hurry out of the room, detesting myself for exploring. This is rather a haunted place. I dash back to the living room and plunge on the couch, caressing the spot.
There is this odd timer sagging the beige wall, which reads the time smoothly, making a ticking sound notable. I scope at it to verify the time.
"9:34." I whine in pain.
I need to do something about the prickle, I no longer feeling the pain, on a contrary, it starts itching. I stride back to the corridor. A slight opening on the ceiling that just clasps visible, much to the part of the house I ignore. How strange. At the corner of the wall harbors a long rod with a curve sharp nail-like. I yank it and use it to pluck the outlet lose at that moment, it crawls down like a ladder.
"Oh, cool." I beam.
A secret hideout at the top of the ceiling, more like a cubbyhole. I venture on climbing high. On getting up, the place is to a certain degree dark. I hold a wooden pole located near the entrance, in fear that I may trash back down. I sigh as I balance myself, taking my time to survey the place, it is dim and I can't make up the things inside. I stand up, surprisingly I didn't have to bend, it is free and my body isn't bumping any object. There is obviously a shade preventing the light from entering the room. I uplift the green 'n' white zigzag shade and peek outside the window, it is like gazing down from an upper room in a top building. I see a White old bus parked out, it was not there when I was entering the house. Maybe Ralph is back.
I turn and inhale in terror at what I behold. My body halt. A woman with golden bulb tie-up on the floor, she stares fearfully at me, her eyes are red and swollen. Her mouth covered with a dirty cloth. She wriggles trying to free herself.
"Oh, Christ!" I manage to whimper in a low voice.
I freeze with my back on the wall, a teardrops smear her face. Who the hell is she? Why is she here?
"W...who are y-ou?" I stammer in fear, still cover up on the wall.
Her white polo top looks dirty and her pair of denim is ripped. I gather up little courage and walk to her, I bend over on my knees and remove the cloth on her mouth. My eyeballs almost pop out when I capture a clear view of her.
She's the woman in the picture, she looks helpless and fragile.
"Help me." she mouths.
"Okay, I'm gonna h-" I stop dead as I feel a smack a on my head. I feel numb and my eyes seem heavy.
The next thing I view is darkness.