Chapter 1
The night was young when Sara woke to her blankets off, the fire out, and a cold wisp of air blowing from her bedroom window. She was half asleep, freezing cold, and her throat felt as scratchy as sandpaper rubbing against old wood. She glanced at the time on her bedside table, reading 1:22 am. The loud growl from her stomach notified her that she needed something to eat. So she swung her legs to the side of the bed, rubbing her eyes and getting out of bed. She made her way to the stairs, and with the first step of her foot, she cringed when a loud creak echoed through the hall. The squeak did not surprise her but it was immediate and loud. After freezing to listen for a sound, of someone being woken, for a few moments, she began to descend against the advice of her anxiety. The stairs were slapped against the chipboard wallpaper as if they were an afterthought. They fell awfully close to the entrance and were uncommonly narrow. The banister was old and with every touch, it could send a splinter through your skin. The house has been in the family for over a hundred years and has always given an unsettling feeling through her spine. She took a deep breath before placing even the slightest bit of her weight on the lowest step and kept her hands clear away from the rail. Slowly she continued walking down the old worn-out stairs as they were crying out in terror. She was trying not to wake her family and be as quiet as possible, but with all the noise coming from the wood beneath her, being quiet was nearly impossible.
She finally reached the end of the stairs and walked in the direction of the kitchen. On her way, she heard a loud shatter from behind her. The sound nearly made her jump out of her skin. She knew what had fallen despite the fact that it was dark. She knew that three red roses had fallen with the now broken vase. She looked back to see what made the vase fall, but no one was there. She continued walking to the kitchen hearing another vase brake. When she arrived at the kitchen, three vases had fallen, and each time she looked behind her, no one was ever there, no matter where she stood.
Feeling uneasy, she immediately turned on the lights and looked around to see if there was any sign of someone other than her awake. Hoping to find an explanation, there wasn’t one. No one was around. The kitchen was just as clean as it was before she fell asleep. She carefully walked to the refrigerator to get a quick snack to ease her grumbling stomach. She desperately wanted to race back up to the sanctuary of her room and lock the door. Since her family moved into the house, she has always felt apprehensive about the place. There was no explanation as to why this feeling consumed her. Her mind continuously told her she was being overdramatic and paranoid when the feeling of whether or not she would even make it to her bedroom occurred.
Going against what her mind was telling her, she made a plan to see where all the lights were. That way she could turn each one on and be able to see where she was going and not be as fearful of the house and all the creepy kinks that were involved. She hoped that when she made it back to her bed she would be able to fall soundly asleep, but the feeling of that happening was almost non-existent.
She stood below the stairs wanting to run but feared that whatever the house had in store for her, would be waiting for her. However, she had no clue if there was even anything that she needed to worry about. She knew the longer she stood at the bottom would solve nothing and only made her more vulnerable. She stepped on the first board, but before she glided up the stairs, she took careful stock of her surroundings. With each step, the creeks grew louder. She reached the top of the stairs and glanced over at her bedroom door. A strange glow was beaming out from beneath her bedroom door. Slowly and apprehensively she approached the door. She knew the door had to be opened. But the possibility of horrors that laid on the other side frightened her. The only sanctuary she has ever received in that house now filled her with fear. She looked at it pensively. Before it was just an ordinary door, oak-paneled, in a dark brown stained varnish color. The large handle on the right was made of solid brass, showing a gleaming bronze. However, now, it gave off a very different feeling. It was now sinister and frightening. The panels, solid and impenetrable, became, suddenly, like fetters designed to keep her inside, limiting her freedom and movement. She reached out slowly towards the door, and ran her hand down the panels, feeling the grooves where they joined. She had always thought this door to be a friendly one, that it would protect her from the dark world, but now she wasn’t so sure. Slowly she grasped the handle, cold and unflinching she twisted the knob, hoping that it would yield to her touch. Her heart was racing in anticipation, but she needed to know what was behind the door. Ignoring all her senses she took a deep breath and swung open the door. The feeling of the cool air blew through her hair and sent goosebumps throughout her body.
“Who’s there?” she hollered into the empty room. Nothing happened besides the air running past her. Then, a faint sound of whispers was heard through the joining wall. The room next to hers was her sister’s, Destiny.
“Oh ok very funny Destiny,” she laughed as she approached her sister’s door with the fear no longer lingering as she continued speaking.
“Stop trying to scare me. I know it was you who is doing all this!”
She entered her room glancing around the room. Looking at Destiny’s bed, she runs to it not seeing a figure beneath the covers. She flipped all the covers and blankets off the bed, looking for her sister, but she wasn’t there. She opened the closet and still nothing. Frantically she ran to her parent’s bedroom to notify them that Destiny was missing. When she got there, the only thing that she saw was blood on the corner of the bed leaking onto the once white and grey Barger rug. Footsteps were then heard and a shadow became visible coming from the hall.
