Stitched

Content Warnings: Brief moments of gore.

Thunder rumbles all around the house, flashes of lightning cracking through the curtains covering the windows. Hungry flames consume the wood in the fireplace, illuminating the faces of three of my friends with a warm glow. Shadows creep along the dimly lit walls like dancing demons threatening to swallow any unfortunate soul.

“Thunder. Lightning. Haunted house. Classic horror movie,” Kaden groans, swinging his leg over his thigh and lounging back against the couch. “Come on, Mila. I thought you said we were doing something completely new and scary on Hallow's Eve.”

“Shut up, Kaden. We just got here.” Layla pushes him playfully. Sitting beside him, he wraps his arm around her shoulders before she gives him a kiss on the lips and cuddles against him.

“Don’t worry. I promised you guys a good scare today, and I shall deliver." I grin. I definitely am determined to traumatize them tonight. That’s all I’m looking forward to. “So just… settle down and I’ll get right to it."

Two muscular arms wrap around me from behind as Lucas kisses me on the cheek. “You ready to terrorize everyone, babe?”

I give him a wide smile. “You betcha.” He walks around the couch and sits down on my right, the cushion seats sinking underneath both our weights. He gives me another kiss, this time on the neck. His nose tickles my skin as I giggle and nudge him away.

“Ew. Get a fucking room, you two.” Madéleine scrunches her nose in disgust, her red hair shimmering a warm, fiery color from the roaring fire.

I roll my eyes. “Not our fault you’re the only one who came here alone.”

“Yeah, well, my partner is terrified of haunted houses, so they didn’t want to join.”

Good for them, then.

“Alright, let’s get this party started.” White light flashes, followed by deafening rumbles of thunder. Everybody jumps a little at the noise, followed by the house groaning as the wind beats at the walls.

I clear my throat to get everyone's attention. “Okay, so, this house used to belong to a woman and her daughter back in the 1800s." My eyes slowly scan each one of my friends from right to left. “When the daughter was suspected of practicing magic and the dark arts, her church-devoted mother hanged her."

Layla's eyes widen in shock as Madéleine shifts a little in discomfort. Lucas's cheekbone twitches every so slightly.

"The house was fully renovated, but stayed unsold for a while. Actually, for a long time until sometime in the 90s when a married couple bought it. They seemed completely normal, the husband going off to work and the wife tending the house..."

"You mean, normal back then..." Layla scrunches up her nose.

I shrug. "Sure, whatever. Anyway... While the husband was being oblivious and slaving away at his boring, no-end-in-sight job in a cubicle, his wife had different plans."

All three of my friends' faces are now fixed in an intent stare, much to my enjoyment, while Lucas takes a deep breath.

With an amused chuckle, I lean forward and clasp my hands over my knees. “The wife… Now she was desperate to become famous on stage. All her life, she dreamt of being on Broadway and in theater. So, one day, she stumbled upon the very same book that the witch used before she was betrayed by her own mother."

The fire flickers violently, its flames creating dancing shadows along the walls. The storm continues to gain strength, each gust of wind howling louder as the house creaks and groans.

"And it just so happened to contain a ritual where all her deepest desires shall be fulfilled. Of course, at first she thought it was all bullshit. But the more she looked at it, the more her heart felt that this would actually work. After all, desperation can lead a person to commit the most despicable things. One night, the pages whispered to her, coaxing her to just give it a try. And she did.”

A cold breeze sweeps the living room, its icy chill kissing my face like icicles. Lucas shivers, as do the others while I exhale softly through my mouth, the warmth from my breath battling with the freezing air.

“She prepared everything. All the ingredients, tools, et cetera. By the time she was finished, there was just one itsy bitsy item left."

I pause, the tense atmosphere only disrupted by the raging storm which is becoming angrier each second. A few long, sinister seconds pass before I whisper:

"Her husband’s blood.”

“What?” Kaden gapes while everyone else's eyes become stricken with horror.

I grin at their reactions. “Yep. A deal with the devil always requires a price to be paid. And the wife was desperate enough to sacrifice the person she had sworn to love till death do them apart. Which, I guess, she sort of did if you look at it one way.”

Layla scooches closer to Kaden, if that is even possible with how close their bodies are already squashed together like conjoined twins.

“So she calls her husband downstairs. When he enters this same living room, she comes from behind him and strikes him in the head. And when he wakes up, he’s bound hand and foot, sitting in the middle of a triangle which his wife had drawn. A hundred candles mark the three sides. He begs. Grovels for his life. Cries. Even pees his pants a little."

I laugh, a deep rumble in sync with the non-stop thunder. "But the wife’s resolve doesn't waver. So she grabs him by his hair, slits his throat, and collects his blood into a wooden bowl."

My friends' faces contort into disgust. Lucas clears his throat. “Once she’s gotten every last drop, she picks up the bowl and–”

Horror covers Layla's pale face. “No no… don’t say it.”

“And drinks her husband’s blood. Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.”

“What the hell…” Kaden groans, shifting as he places both feet on the floor.

The rush from seeing them all scared, disgusted, and horrified flows through my veins like heroin. And the night is only starting.

I resume. "After she drinks all of his blood, she cuts off his head and stitches a smile on his face, stretching his lips from ear to ear. She lays it in the middle of the circle and finishes the ritual. The very next day, she receives her first offer from a theater."

"Well... Good for her, right?" Madeleine's voice cracks at the end.

Layla nudges her in the shoulder. "Why would you even--"

"Guys, come on, you can argue later on about this." If you'll still alive. "This went on for over a year. Until the woman’s sister suddenly pops into town for a surprise visit. But when she walks into the house, she sees her sister laying right here-” I point toward the glass coffee table with the scattered empty paper plates on top. “- in the same exact spot where she had murdered her husband for fame. Her intestines were spread out in a pentagram and her mouth has been stitched into the same smile that her husband had.”

I point toward the stone chimney, the fire devouring the woods below it. “And above this mantle? Were drawn the words “The Price Must Be Paid” in her own blood.” I lower my voice. “Because the devil always makes sure you face the consequences of your actions. And rumor has it, the woman’s spirit prowls this house every Hallow’s Eve, acting out her wrath on any poor soul who sets foot inside.”

Deafening thunder crashes through the eerie silence as lightning strikes right outside one of the windows at the same time. Everybody screams as both Lucas and Layla leap up from the couch.

“Every human being on this planet is capable of being driven to extremes when they really want something, whether it's fame, a place to live, or just money. So always, always pay close attention to those you surround yourself with, because you never know. One day, they just might gut you like an animal.”

Everyone exchanges glances. "Well, not all human beings. Just the... ones who are already born with a monster inside of them," Madéleine says.

I incline my head. "I suppose."

“Wait, what about the dead husband?” she asks between deep breaths.

“Oh, the wife filed a missing person’s report, but they declared him a cold case pretty quickly.”

Madéleine shivers, rubbing her hands along her arms. “Well, I’m definitely having nightmares tonight.”

Kaden scoffs. “Not me. I’m going to sleep like a baby.”

“Really?” I point toward the dark stain on his paints.

Everybody laughs, including Layla, lightening up the tension. Kaden reddens as he covers his crotch. “Shut up, okay? I have a weak bladder.” He starts walking toward the front door. "Lets just get out of here, okay?"

As soon as those words leave his mouth, the dim lights flicker several times before dying, leaving the whole house in complete darkness. The fire, however, continues to burn bright, even more than before. But chills travel down my spine when faint voices whisper through the air. My breathing halts as I strain to hear them.

And my heart freezes when a groan ensues from behind me, croaking out my name. "Fuck!" I hiss, flying forward and turning around, nearly stumbling over the coffee table. I would have crashed onto the glass if it weren't for Lucas grabbing my arm.

"Shit, Mila, you okay?" His concerned eyes sweep over me as I finally resume breathing, taking short, aching gasps between intervals.

"Yeah I uh..." The light from the fire reveals nothing there. Maybe I had just ... imagined it...

"Fuck it," Kaden says, his silhouette trudging through the dark foyer. "I'm leaving right now." He opens the door as a flash of lightning floods the room with a blinding white light. "Layla, let's -" The door slams shut, the sound echoing through the groaning house. The rattle of the doorknob with a few frustrated grunts and dull kicks lets me know what just happened.

"What's going on, baby?" Layla calls out, her voice trembling.

"This." A kick. "Fucking." Crack. "Door." The doorknob rattles. "Won't." Another frustrated kick. "Open!"

Rain beats down on the house like a monsoon as branches knock at the windows like a thousand nails. The wind howls, until it sounds like a pack of wolves signaling each other that a prey is nearby.

"I guess the house wants us to stay," I say. "We wouldn't be able to go out anywhere without getting electrocuted or smashed under a tree or something anyway."

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Madéleine asks as Kaden stomps back into the living like an angry toddler.

"Staying here for the night."

Kaden's scowling face reveals itself under the light from the fire. "Fuck n--"

"Babe, we don't have a choice. I'd rather stay here then get caught out in the storm." Layla wraps her arms around him from behind.

"No, I--" Layla looks at him, emitting a frustrated groan from him. "Okay fine. But we're checking the house first."

I clap my hands. "Alright, while you guys roam the first floor, Lucas and I will check upstairs."

Before anyone could retort, I grab Lucas's hand and lead him to the stairs, our running footsteps thudding on each step throughout the empty house. Lightning continues to flash through the windows, our long shadows following us on the walls like chasing demons.

Good thing I already explored the house before several times, so I locate the bedroom right away. As soon as I open the door, Lucas grabs me by the waist. I squeal as he throws us both on the bed with me on top of him.

With a giggle, I bend down to kiss him, our lips crashing together in hunger. His tongue slips in as my hands fumble with his belt. Straddling him, I lean back and grin at his stupidly adorable face. He doesn't even know what's in store for him, poor thing.

I’m about to pull my shirt over my head when I hear it again. Different voices whispering through the air. They prickle my mind like tiny needles as a heavy, unsettling feeling like thick fog consumes my chest.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Lucas asks.

I blink at him, unable to answer. He opens his mouth to ask again when a scream pierces the air.

“What the hell was that?” He breathes, terror striking his blue eyes like whirlpools.

Then another scream, and another, before silence devours the air. I know who that was. Layla. Shit, is she--?

A dull, acute pain shoots through my chest. I jerk forward. Glancing down, I watch as a deathly gray hand protrudes from my chest covered in black, web-like cracks. Blood, my blood spurts onto a screaming, struggling Lucas, painting him a dark red.

Then the pain intensifies as the coils of freezing darkness invade every inch of my body, threading into my veins like shadowy wisps. I wheeze out a gasp, the raging storm and crashing thunder matching the fury of scorching lava melting the icy sensation as my body welcomes it.

Hot liquid faintly reeking of copper flows down my face as I pin down the struggling dummy underneath me with my bodyweight. And glancing up at the mirror above the headboard with red splotches blocking my vision, I catch sight of a disfigured face behind me belonging to... fuck...

Layla. Her lips are stitched into a smile spreading from ear to ear. Black blood flows in tiny streams from between the threads. Cracking sounds join the shrieking storm as her head violently jerks to the right, her inky eyes staring right at me.

I smile as I choke out a laugh, blood splattering onto the glass.

Well... Fuck me dead. Kaden was supposed to be first.