Unearthed

Patricia took her time walking along the gravel pathway through the garden. The white and black chipping crunched in her ears as the heels of her black pumps stood on them.

The scent of the freshly mowed lawn and flowers lingered in the air.

She stopped halfway up and looked up. Three large bedroom windows at the front of the house caught the attention of her brown eyes.

A crisp cool breeze swept past her tight-fitted short dress and long slender legs. Her arms folded across her body. In the corner of her eye, an old dusty curtain moved in the middle window. Her index and middle finger stroked her lips. Then, as she made her way toward the wooden porch, her heels pressed down on the boards as she walked up the steps. The old boards creaked in her ears.

Patricia stopped in front of the door and uncrossed her arms. Her hand reached down into her coat pocket, and after she took the key out, she slipped it inside the lock. The lock clicked as she turned the key, and as she opened the door, she walked inside and closed it behind her.

Patricia’s eyes widened, as she glanced around the large, decorated hallway. She strolled down the hallway and took a checklist and pen out of her black leather bag as she walked into the large empty living room and looked around. She stopped and listened. Floorboards creaked across the landing. Her eyebrows furrowed as she filled in the checklist, and after she signed on the bottom of the paper, she left the room and made her way toward the stairs. Taking hesitant steps, she made her way up the stairs. The boards squeaked in her ears as her black heels stood on them, and as she turned onto the hallway landing, she noticed that there were only two bedroom doors, even though there were three windows at the front of the house.

Patricia walked down the hallway. Her feet dragged across the red carpet on the landing as she approached the nearest bedroom. She stopped and turned towards the door, and as her hand reached for the brass handle, loud footsteps came from inside the room. Her heart thumped as her weight shifted from one foot to the other. “Is there anyone in there?”

Patricia’s hand steadily pulled the handle down. The bedroom door slowly creaked open. Her eyes widened as she looked around the room. “Strange, I’m sure I heard footsteps coming from inside the room.”

Patricia’s eyes narrowed, concentrating as she scanned the gloom inside the empty room for any sign of life before she pulled closed the door and walked off. Halfway down the hallway, a cold chill travelled up the length of her spine, and she froze in mid-step. Her breath stalled as the floorboards creaked behind her. Her blood ran cold and her hands trembled, out of her control. She murmured under her breath and took her time to turn around. Her eyes bulged from their sockets. The checklist slipped from her clammy hand and hit the floor with a loud thud before she turned and fled down the stairs. Her breath quickened as she rushed down them. Her heels stomped on the stairs and echoed in the hallway.

“OH MY GOD, SOMEONE HELP ME!” Patricia fled down the hallway towards the front door. Her brown eyes bulged, and her breath quickened as she approached the door until she tripped on the carpet and hit the floor with a thud. She raised her eyes to look up, and her breath hitched. Something grabbed her by her ankles and dragged her across the floor towards the basement. She screamed; her red pedicure nails dug into the carpet as she desperately tried to escape. The basement door slowly creaked open into darkness. “PLEASE, GOD HELP!”

A spine-chilling scream parted her lips as, despite her best efforts, she disappeared into the darkness, and the door slammed.