House of Horror Read online

  His black hair was tousled and his skin looked pale in the dim light. A reflection of a shadow moved behind him and he spun around. There was nothing there, just the light shining from his bedroom. The strange glow in the kitchen had gone. His heart was beating faster than normal, and he could feel fear sparking inside his mind.

  He thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to check, there was nothing there. He took a small step and felt something ice cold glide up his inner leg. He wanted to scream, but the sound never reached his throat.

  The feeling disappeared, leaving a burning sensation in its place. He went to take another step when he heard whispering in his ear. He couldn't make out what was said, but it made him freeze again. The faintest warmth brushed his neck, as if someone was breathing on him, but when he turned his head, he could see nothing.

  As he made his way towards his bedroom he began to hear the other voices, sounding as if they were traveling through the walls.

  They were different from the ones screaming and crying. They had a tender and gentle note, as if wanting to ease the panic that their presence would cause. Matthew could not make out what they were saying, but he heard Taylor shriek and start begging to be spared. Whatever it was, it was in the bedroom with her. He could try to be a hero and go into the room fighting to get her out, or he could be smart and make his own way out of the Godforsaken flat immediately.

  He didn't need to even think about it. There was no way he was going to jeopardize his own survival for a girl that he met just a few hours ago. He snatched up his shirt from the love seat where he had dropped it when he had got home, pulled his legs into his jeans which he had left on his living room floor the previous morning. He slid his feet into his slip-on slippers and made for the door, and stopped in his tracks. A prickly feeling at the base of his neck made him freeze, the kind of feeling you get when you're being watched. He listened for the voices or the sound of Taylor's voice, but he heard nothing. Nothing at all. Silence. There was no sound from the outside world, no horns beeping or the constant yells and laughter from people passing by. It was like he was frozen in time.

  The room filled up with an ear-splitting scream, so piercing, that he dropped to the floor, and pulled himself into the fetal position. Hands clamped over his ears, as he tried to block out the sound. It was no use. The sound echoed inside his mind.

  The temperature dropped suddenly, and the little warmth he had quickly deserted him. An awareness came over him that he was no longer in contact with the ground. He was floating and spinning a few feet above the floor. Dizziness rushed to his head making him feel sick and light-headed. He couldn't take anymore. Suddenly he stopped. Still, he couldn't feel the ground.

  Matthew opened his eyes slowly. He could see nothing but darkness. Then, a pair of red eyes flashed in his vision and he dropped to the floor with a thud. Pain vibrated through his body, but he wasted no time and scrambled to his feet, desperate to reach for the door. He tripped over something and crashed to the floor. Pain seared in his knees, but he ignored it and staggered up. The floor was cluttered with debris, and the walls cracked with holes in them from years of neglect and they were covered in mould. He concentrated on getting out and yanked the door open.

  The pleading voice of Taylor echoed through the flat as he jammed the door shut behind him. He felt bad leaving her there, but he was looking out for himself. He always had. Where he grew up it was what you had to do if you wanted to keep out of trouble and keep your skin whole.

  But the tone of Taylor's voice played in his mind. She was terrified, there was no doubt about that. She sounded close to tears and desperate. He didn't know what to do. He could call the cops, but why would they believe him? Like the man who beat up his mom and left her half-dead had said, they would think he was just another paranoid junkie.

  He ran towards Amanda's flat, expecting her to be awake, but the usual noises she made at night were absent. He paused at her door, wondering if he should knock or not. She could be asleep already and it wouldn't be fair on her if he disturbed her the one time she finally got to sleep early. That small, considerate thought vanished. His situation was more important than Amanda's beauty sleep.

  He could leave for one of his friend's houses, but then he would have to go back into his flat to get his car keys and he was not about to take that risk. He was in no mood to be a hero. He just wanted to be alive when the sun rose in the morning. The thought of the young girl he had left with the strange presence played heavy on his conscious.

  He banged on Amanda's door and waited to hear her grumble the way she usually did. When she didn't, he concluded that she must be fast asleep. He hit the door again, harder this time, sending a ricocheting vibration through the wood. He waited a few more seconds, but it didn't seem like she was going to open the door.

  Then, another thought occurred to him. It was possible that she was not at home. It was Thursday and she always comes back home around twelve thirty. The time was just twelve twenty-five. He only had to wait five more minutes for her arrival and, if she didn't show up, he would have to break into her flat. It was the only safe haven that he knew of at the moment that was close by. It was then he realised that since he had left his flat, he hadn't heard any noise. No sound of any sort. Just as it had been yesterday. But he could not assume that things were cool and back to normal inside. He would have to wait till morning before going into his home to see. One thing was for sure, tomorrow, he would begin the hunt for a new place to live.

  The minutes crawled by as he crouched down outside Amanda's door with his head in his hands. He rocked back and forth. The left leg of his jeans was torn and he could see a few spots of blood on the material. The wound didn't hurt much, so he left it alone, guessing it was just a graze.

  Alone, the fear he felt had time to intensify. He would have no choice but to re-enter his flat at some point whether it was night or day. The thought made him feel physically sick. He didn't want to go back inside that flat ever again.

  When he heard the sound of heels hitting the floor, he knew that Amanda was back from wherever she went to every Thursday night. She was still a mystery to him. Then again, he never bothered with things like that when it came to girls. What they did when he wasn't around was their business, not his. He pulled on his shirt collar and stood up. Amanda hesitated for a moment as she saw him in front of her apartment. She gave him a tight-lipped look and stopped a few feet away.

  "What do you want, Matt? It's late and I am not in the mood for more of your games," she said and tried to walk past him.

  He grabbed onto her arm in a desperate attempt to get her to listen. She pulled away sharply.

  "Amanda, please -"

  "Listen you, I don't feel up to making out with anyone. I just want to fall on my bed and drift to somewhere beautiful in my dreams." She seemed in a bad mood, and didn't seem to notice Matthew's fear.

  Normally he'd have been very glad about that, but right this moment he needed her to notice - needed her to care.

  "Amanda, it's happening again. The voices are back." He had to stop himself from yelling at her. The panic he felt only minutes ago returned. The situation that he was in finally dawned on him. He had left a defenseless girl in the company of God knew what, "And I already told you I am too busy to play your games tonight."

  She pushed past him to her door.

  "Please, Amanda! I don't know what to do. I mean what I'm saying, Amanda. The voice you heard the other night is back and it is worse this time," he said in a rush. "There was a bright light that came with it this time around, and I heard them talking." He waved his hands about as he spoke.

  "You heard the light talking to itself? What did you just say?" Amanda asked, shaking her head and frowning in confusion. But at least she was listening to him now.

  "No. Not the light. I heard some other voices, apart from the ones crying. They were different and they were talking to the girl I brought home tonight," Matt explained
, taking a quick glance at his flat door.

  "Oh! I see," Amanda said and looked almost sad. "But why must you come home with a girl every night, Matt? And always a different one every time." He couldn't understand why she had changed the subject.

  Matthew had the urge to grab and shake her. Instead he clenched his hands into fists at his side.

  "Are you judging me or what, Amanda? Can't I live my life and not worry about what my neighbour thinks of me? There is something strange and out of this world in my flat!"

  "You don't have to yell at me, Matt," Amanda said. "And I am not judging you. I am only wondering why you do it."

  "I don't think that's a matter for you to worry about. I just need you to help me with somewhere to crash for the night. Then, I'll begin searching for a new place. I can't continue like this," Matthew told her, his voice taking on a desperate edge.

  "Alright, I can help you with what you need tonight, but what about the poor girl in your room?" Amanda asked him, nodding her head towards the door of his flat, frowning.

  Matthew didn't want to think about Taylor. He just wanted to forget. He knew he had never been the bravest person and always ran from the first sign of danger, that was how he had survived in the rough neighbourhood he once called home. But even he knew that leaving Taylor alone with whatever was terrorizing him was wrong.

  "I will check in on her tomorrow." Whatever's in there would surely not still be there when morning came. "But - I don't know if she can survive the night," he confessed and looked down at the floor. He felt guilty and Amanda's strong glare and words were making him feel worse.

  "And you will be able to sleep knowing that?" she asked him, her tone sounded close to disbelief. "And how will you explain whatever may happen to her by morning to the authorities?"

  "I will tell them exactly what happened," Matthew said.

  "And what would that be? That she was attacked by some voices that have been tormenting you in your flat or what? Ugh! I mean, seriously, is that what you would tell them?"

  It did sound crazy when she said it, but what else was he supposed to say? He didn't know how to deal with what was going on.

  "What else would I tell them if not that?" he snapped back at her. "Am I responsible for what is happening in that flat? What can I do to stop that kind of thing?"

  A door creaked. They both turned in the direction of the sound. Matt's flat door had opened. It had only moved some inches, but they could see the rays of the light pouring into the corridor. Matthew backed away, almost bumping into Amanda, and turned to see that she was clearly struggling to process what she was seeing. Her face was a picture of surprise. Matthew wanted to say, "I told you so," but knew it wasn't the time. The light stayed in one place, like a spotlight lighting up the doorway.

  "Did you leave your lights on Matt?" she asked him, her tone reflecting the uncertainty on her face.

  "Haven't you been listening to what I've been saying? That's the light I was telling you about. And how did the door open? Is there anyone else on this floor with us?" But he knew they were the only two people using the floor. All the time he spoke, he never took his eyes off the light.

  "Then what is that light?" she looked amazed and didn't look to be listening.

  Matthew was still unsure of what to make of the scene. He was still unsure what to do next, when another sound burst into their reality. There was a rumble, although faint, but still audible in the flat. It sounded like furniture was been thrown around by a heavy wind. A swoosh followed the noise in the room. The shrieks were now much louder as though the rumble in the room had pissed them off. Matt heard more collisions, more shrieks and then suddenly, the door violently burst open fully with a loud bang that echoed throughout the corridor and caused the other doors to rattle in their frames.

  They ran towards the stairs leading to the floor above them and then stopped in their tracks. Matt saw a shadow behind the beam, cast by the light. He stood there mesmerized, aware Amanda had frozen with him. His heart felt as if it was trying to find its way out of his chest. The shadow lay on the ground, motionless, while Matt and Amanda stood wide eyed. Matthew looked at Amanda's face and saw fear written all over it. He was not so shocked anymore. Maybe if she had listened to him earlier, she would have expected something like this to happen. Then the shadow moved, what looked like an extension of its arms –as if it had one arm longer than the other. It placed the longer limb on the ground and stood up straight, staggering for a moment before balancing itself. It was impossible to tell what they were looking at. The light was shining too bright. They stood where they were. Matt found himself praying that whatever creature the shadow turned out to be, it would have compassion for them and just leave. Since the door opened, he had not heard the girl he left in there scream, cry, talk, beg or make any noise. He knew that meant one of two things. She was either dead or too injured to say anything. With the realization of that, it dawned on him that they were about to suffer the same fate as the girl.

  The shadowy creature was now standing erect, facing in their direction. Matthew could swear that he saw something like blood dripping down its face; the bold color shimmered as it moved closer to the light, and they began to see clearer outlines of the creature. What had looked like the extension of its hand was nothing more than a plank of wood. He could see the creamy skin of its legs as it looked like it was wearing something short. Matthew and Amanda both exhaled as the shadow's face was illuminated. They had been assuming wrong all along. In fact, it was not a shadow; rather, it was, Taylor, the girl that Matthew had brought home.

  Despite seeing who it was, Matthew whispered to Amanda not to move yet. He was afraid that the girl was being used as a trap. They stayed where they were until the girl had dragged herself to stand before them. Out of everything that Matt thought he had seen, only the blood dripping down her face was real. She had cuts on her forehead. Her light blond hair, reaching just to her shoulders, was sticking up in all directions. Her blue eyes were bloodshot and looked dull. She stood there staring at them, resting on the plank of wood in her right hand.

  Once he felt sure she was alone, Matthew stepped forward, scooped Taylor up and carried her to sit on the staircase. He and Amanda sat next to her, waiting for her to recover.

  Her breath came in quick, successive gasps and, after a few minutes of sitting down, she seemed more able to control her breathing. She looked at Matthew with cold hate.

  "I would slap you if I had the strength. I can't believe you just left me there alone and defenseless against that thing without even trying to help me. You just ran." She gave him a heated glare and looked down at the floor, as if looking at him would only intensify her anger.

  Matthew ignored the accusations.

  "That doesn't matter now, Taylor. What happened in there?" Matthew asked her, holding his breath. He was afraid of her answer. He wanted to know what the thing was that had been tormenting him for the last few days. Even the look in her eyes didn't deter him.

  "You are seriously going to ask me that, Matthew?" she exclaimed. "You left me to deal with whatever you had in your room alone and you still got the guts to ask me what it was? Are you kidding me?" She almost screamed at him. "I feel like tearing your eyes out of their sockets right now, but I think my survival is the most important thing at this moment,"

  Amanda nodded her head in agreement and stood up, leaned closer to Matthew and whispered into his ear. "You must be crazy to ask her that. You abandoned her in that flat with whatever is in there and you think she would care what you know or don't know? Stop being an ass, Matt."

  Then she turned to the other girl.

  "Taylor, you must be really freaked out now. I understand. Even though I wasn't in there with whatever you saw, I am very scared right now. But we need to know what it is that was in there and then we will know what to do. Please, you have to tell us," she begged, her eyes taking on a pleading glint.

  "You think I'm scared right now?" Taylor screamed at them. "You shoul
d have been in there with me when it came at me. You should have been there to listen to it speak and to feel it tear away every shield you've put up against it, bearing down into your soul. Feeling your heart get ripped out of your chest and then realizing that it actually wasn't happening, and then you experience it all over again. You want me to talk about that?"

  Matthew was lost for words. Amanda shook her head. "Okay, Taylor. You don't have to say anything about it if you don't want to, but we need to get into my room. Are you sure nothing came out with you when the door broke open?" she was asking Taylor as she gave the corridor a quick scan.

  "What do you mean when the door broke open?" Taylor turned to face them again. "I was the one who broke the door when I was trying to escape. It was either I looked for a way to make it out of that flat, or I had to endure whatever that thing had in store for me and who knows if I would have lasted another minute with it," she said with a shudder, rubbing her hands down her bare arms.

  "But we heard some furniture being thrown around," Matthew said, glancing at Amanda who nodded.

  Taylor looked at him with hatred before she replied. "You think it was furniture being thrown around? Don't you guys have ears that work?" she demanded, her disgust showing. "I was the one getting thrown around, being knocked over everything in my path." Her voice rose as she spoke to a high-pitched shriek.

  Amanda and Matthew stared at each other for some seconds before Amanda spoke. "Taylor, we can't begin to imagine what you went through, but the longer we stay out here, the greater the possibility of whatever was in there comes to get us. So we need to go into my flat then we can figure out what to do next. "

  Matthew saw something in Taylor give way. "I don't think there was anyone or anything else that made it out. But I cannot be sure. Whatever was in that flat didn't have a body, but I could see it. It looked like it was a ghost, but I could feel it when it touched me." Her face turned white again at the memory. "And as you said, we should not remain out here for long anymore. But are you sure your flat is safe?"