Haunting

What would happen if your house was possessed? What if a night of partying turned into a night of murder? Do you think you can run from all your problems? Chase Pratchet is about to find out.

Lend me a noise, a whisper, a breath.

Lend me a light, a spark, a beam.

Do not leave me alone.

Please...

YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“ I feel so much better

Now that you're gone forever

I tell myself that

I don't miss you at all

I'm not lying, denying that I feel so much better

Now that you're gone forever

Now things are coming clear

And I don't need you hear

And in this world around me

I'm glad you disappeared.”

 

~ Gone Forever

.x. Three Days Grace .x.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          He slammed his fist into the wall, ignoring the pain that shot through his hand. “No! Let me out! You can't leave me here! Let me out!!” He screamed, slamming his hands against the wall, ripping at the wallpaper with his fingernails, trying to shred his way out. The paper just replaced itself slowly, for every inch he tore away, another inch appeared. “Please! Just let me out..just..please..” He laid down on the bloody floor, putting his hands over his face, tears falling now. The lights sparkled for a moment, but then everything plunged into darkness.

“NO!!!!!”

 

 

 

          “The mansion is everything you could want, it has twenty-five bedrooms, sixteen bathrooms, ten of which are full baths. I can easily see you living here for the rest of your life.” The Realtor continued as she led them into the large living room. “Perfect for parties of any kind, this room is large enough for anything.” She paused Lilly Pratchet turned to look around. The living room was painted light blue with wooden trim, a bronze railing laced the spiral staircase leading up to the large loft and several large couches were set up ahead the room, their black fabric looked smooth and comfortable to her eyes.

“It looks amazing.” Chase Pratchet said, looking over the room. He was tall and well built, his tanned skin and black hair offset his looks well. It would seem that he and his wife, Lilly, didn't match well, going from the way he stiffened slightly when she grabbed his hand. He smiled at her, his brown eyes not softening as he did so, they had been married for seven years, but all the passion had faded from his end, but they had a solid front. The Happy Couple, always.

“What do you think, Chase?” Lilly said quietly, and he looked towards the Realtor for a moment, then turned his head to face his wife.

“If it's what you want, I'm all for it.” His words were clipped, but she didn't notice as she let go of his hand and walked to the Realtor. Chase watched her, silently asking himself why he was doing this. A few years ago, this was his dream, their dream. But a lot had changed in a short time, he no longer woke up with that need and desire to see her, he no longer came home from work as quickly as he had. He no longer loved her. Ah, but he must, somewhere in his being, still love her. He was still doing things for her, h e was still with her. Maybe that was love. It would have to do for now.

“We'll take it.” Lilly said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Okay, awesome! If you'll come and sign some paperwork, we'll get you moved in. House will be ready in a few days, plenty of time to pack.” She led them towards the marble foyer, her high heels clicking on the floor. Chase followed the women, taking a look around as he walked.

/”I can easily see you living here for the rest of your life.”/ The Realtor had said and Chase sighed, she was probably right. He looked up, looking at the Realtor again. She was pretty, her blonde hair was cut just to her shoulders and her dark eyes sparkled with an uncanny sense of glee. A slight feeling of dread filled him when she fixed her gaze on him, a feeling of icy fingers running up his spine.

 

"

 

          “A few days turned into a few weeks, but we're finally getting moved in. We've got most everything there and we're going to be ready for the party at seven.” Lilly said into the phone that was held between her shoulder and ear as she folded the last box closed. “The phone company said they would be out tomorrow to set up everything, so that's good.”

“Yeah, I can't wait to see it! We're all so excited!” Sarah Rueben responded, causing her friend to smile.

“Well, good! I'm excited to have you see it.” Lilly laughed, carrying the box out to the car.

“Lilly, are you ready?” Chase called from the doorway as she shoved the box in, trying to make it fit.

“Yeah, babe. Sarah, I'll talk to you later.”

“Okay, see you at seven.” Lilly hung up the phone and looked around the empty house as she walked in.

“Ready?” Chase asked again, coming up behind her, stopping a few feet from her.

“Yeah, let's go.” She turned and walked past him, her hand brushing his as she moved. He stood for a moment, staring at the wall, his mind wandering to what it would feel like to be alone, but then he turned, walking out the door. They drove in silence for most of the trip, speaking only after they had begun driving down the long driveway.

“I can't believe we got it...” Lilly spoke up quietly, looking at the massive grounds as they drove, her head turned so she could look out the window.

“Pretty amazing, isn't it?” Chase glanced around as they moved closer to their hew home. They pulled in and spent the next few hours unpacking and arranging everything, passing each other occasionally, sharing small smiles. By the time seven o'clock chimed in on the large clock downstairs, the mansion was ready for guests. Food lined one long table, tantalizing rolls and divine smelling meats, jam and butter, salads and pudding. Chase didn't pride himself in much, but he would admit that he was a good cook. There was a knock on the door and the first few guests began arriving.

“Chase, Lilly, absolutely stunning house!” Vanessa Stanford said, settling back in a chair with a small glass of amber liquid.

“Can't believe you bought something so big...” Connor Snow said, lighting a cigarette and blowing a plume of smoke into the air.

“Maybe Chase is compensating for something...” Alice Stanford, Vanessa's slightly younger sister, said, her eyes fixing Chase with a cautious gaze.

“Perhaps so.” Chase responded with an equally cautions smile.

“Like it even matters...” Dominic Hill laughed, filling his glass with a light red colored liquid.

“I agree with Dom, as much as I hate to admit.” Sarah Rueben said with a grin, leaning back on the couch that was set up by the wall. She crossed her long legs and looked around the room. Time seemed to fly as the group of eleven friends talked about everything you can imagine, and soon the clock began ringing in the hour. It ran eleven times, and the group was startled as how fast time had gone. Chase excused himself and walked towards the kitchen, followed by Alice.

“Chase.”

“Alice, I don't want to talk about it, okay?” He said, pausing outside the door to the kitchen, his fingertips against the wood.

“But we need to talk.” She frowned, her green eyes filling with emotion.

“No,” Chase turned around to look at her, “not right now. We aren't going to talk about it. We're not even going to think about it tonight.” He reached up and gently touched the side of her face. “We'll talk soon, I promise.”

“Chase..I..we..”

“Go have a good time, I'll be back in a minute.” He turned and walked into the kitchen, leaving her standing in the hall. She stood for a moment, not even moving. She and Chase had been lovers for a while, and she had decided to end it, but he would never take the time to listen. He must have known, because he always found a way to avoid it.

“Oh, God..” She sighed, walking towards the stairs and went up, looking for a bathroom. There was one at the end of the hall, and she went in, running cool water to splash on her face. What she had with Chase was the closest thing to love that she had, and now she was going to end it? She pressed her fingers to her eyes, taking in slow and steady breaths, stopping the tears for a moment. The door behind her creaked open and she froze.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine..just..” She never got to finish as the blade sliced across her neck, blood spraying across the mirror and wall. She gave a gargled gasp, hands scrambling to stop the bleeding, the knife plunged into her back, below her third rib, then on the other side. Her eyes rolled wildly as she fell to the ground, her body trembling as her attacker knelt down and plunged the knife into her stomach.

 

+ Vanessa Stanford +

 

          Alice had just left the room and I didn't know where she had gone. Dominic and Connor had left the room, and Chase had come back, but Alice still didn't. There was something about this group of friends that Alice didn't like, maybe she had just gone to hide.

“Alice?” I said, climbing the stairs and looking around. It was dark up here, the shadowy doorways adding to the eerie atmosphere. “Alice...” There was a light shining at the end of the hall and I walked towards it, spinning around as I thought I saw something move in one of the rooms. “Stop it, Van!” I ordered myself, shaking my head. The light from under the door was reflecting off of something smooth and shiny, and as I got closer, I could see what it was. Blood. I took in a sharp breath, maybe it was only wine..wine that smelled like blood..doubtful. “Alice?” I put my fingers on the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open. My mind wouldn't comprehend the scene before me. All I could see, all I could smell was blood. Alice, or, what was left of Alice, was torn and splattered all over the bathroom, bits of flesh here, pieces of bone there. No, I couldn't believe this. I closed my eyes tightly, opening them to the same scene, shaking my head, backing away, but slipping in the blood and crashing to the floor, screaming. I tried to move, but my hands kept slipping in the blood. In my sisters blood.

“Vanessa!” I heard my name being called and turned my head, seeing Dominic coming up behind me, running towards me.

“Dom..Dom! Oh my God, Alice..Dom...” I couldn't get a full sentence out, just stammered and tried to get up again.

“Come on, let's get you up.” He said, his eyes wildly taking in the scene. He grabbed my hand, pulling me up. “Connor, call the police!” He moved so that we were walking towards the stairs.

“Oh my God..” Connor said, pulling out his phone, just standing there staring at the bathroom.

“Hurry, Connor!” Dominic said, helping me down the steps.

“Dom..” I started, but he looked at me and I stopped, not sure what to say. Dom's brother and younger sister had been killed a few years back, he understood. No, how could he? No one could understand, no one came close to fully understanding.

“Lilly! Chase!” Dominic called, motioning for me to sit on the stairs. Lilly walked into the foyer at more of a jog, followed by everyone else.

“What's going on?” She asked, her voice shrill as she noticed the blood all over my hands.

“Alice has been murdered, we have to get out of here, the killer may still be in the house.”

“I...What?!” Lilly gasped, her face turning gray.

“What did you just say?” Marcus Hawk and Eric Christenson said at the same time.

“We have to get out of here!” Dominic said again, “So let's go!” He turned and froze for a moment, staring at the empty wall. “What the hell?”

“What?” I asked softly, unable to see what the problem was.

“Where's the door?” Dominic turned and looked around.

“What do you mean, where's the door?” I said, my voice becoming shrill.

“It was right here! Where is it?!” He pounded his fist against the bare wall, but he was right, there was nothing there.

“What the..” Justin White started, but never got to finish as Connor came crashing down, tumbled over the railing. He hit the marble floor with a sickening crunch, his head rebounding off of the hard surface.

“Connor!” I heard people screaming, but I was up and running, for the kitchen, my mind focused on one thing. The door leading outside from the kitchen. Get out, call the police. The plan wasn't much, but it would work. It had to work.

“Van!” Kelly was calling my name, but I kept running, finally bursting into the kitchen and running towards the door but..there was nothing there.

“No no no!” I hissed, kicking the wall. There was no way out, no way that I could see.

“No! No! Please, no!” I spun around at the scream, dropping to the ground. BAM! Again and again I heard the noise, then the door swung open and something..someone..was thrown into the kitchen with me. I could see her arm and hand, but that was it.

“Oh my God..” I whispered, sitting back against the cabinet, a slight tremble in my fingers as I listened. Footsteps came, the person walking into the kitchen, then turning and walking out. I crawled over to where the person who was thrown in was laying and tears filled my eyes. Kelly, her brown eyes wide open and a look of utter shock filled her face. “Oh, God..oh..my...God...” I began crying, sitting back and holding my face in my hands.

 

+ Connor Snow +

 

          It seems strange that I don't know who killed me. You would think I would, but no, I don't. Some part of me thought that when you're murdered you get a final fleeting glimpse of who just killed you, but you don't. I didn't even see the person who cut my throat and shoved me over the railing. People say that your life flashes before your eyes, but it's more like a river of memories of things you never accomplished, of things you regret. So, you die with a miserable feeling of having failed in life. I was trying to call the police, my eyes wouldn't look away from Alice's blood all over the bathroom. It was so gruesome that I couldn't look away...I could hear Dom talking and I punched in the numbers on my phone. Nine. One. One. Then my screen went black. The piece of junk had died on me, I couldn't believe it. Someone came up behind me, I heard them stop and I was turning to look when the pain shot across my neck. It's an uncomfortable feeling, having your skin cut. It wasn't something I had never experienced, having been a cutter through all my teenage years. I reached for my neck, but suddenly I was falling, heading towards the marble foyer. I remember trying to scream, but nothing happened. My neck snapped as I hit the floor, everything went black. No idea who killed me, I just hope they don't kill anyone else.

 

+ Justin White +

 

          “Where's the door?” Dominic said, looking around and it seemed like an incredibly stupid thing to say.

“What do you mean, where's the door?” Vanessa said, her voice was high.

“It was right here! Where is it?!” He hit the empty wall, the naked wood covering the place where the door had been. There was no way, not even the slightest chance that the door was in a different spot than the foyer that we stood in now.

“What the...” I started to say, but was cut off by Connor crashing down. He hit the marble floor with a sound that made my stomach twist.
“Connor!” A few people around me screamed, but I almost fell over backwards in shock. Vanessa took off running, and Kelly followed her, screaming her name.

“Run! Come on, run!” Eric said, grabbing Sarah's arm and pulling her down the hall. Everyone scattered, leaving me alone with Connor's body, staring into his dead eyes.

“Oh, God!” I started moving, running down the hall,not even sure what I was doing. I burst into a room, turning the light on and running to the window. The mansion was set on a hill, and I could see the slope, I could see my car. I looked around, grabbing a chair and throwing it against the glass.

One time, a small crack appeared.

Two times, the crack grew longer.

Three times, the window shattered and I kicked the remaining glass out. My hair moved in the cool night breeze and I smiled, climbing out of the window backwards. I was halfway out when the glass started rebuilding itself, cutting my hands and stomach. “S**t!” I pushed off the window sill, falling for a moment before hitting the ground, lights brightly shining in my eyes. I groaned, opening my eyes and staring at the ceiling. “What?” I hissed, standing up and looking at the whole window that I had just come through. I pressed against the glass, peering out, seeing the grounds that spread out behind the mansion. “No!” I slammed my fist into the glass, wincing as I did so. The door opened behind me and I turned frowning when I saw that no one was there. “Hello?” I walked towards the door, looking out at the dark hall. The lights in the room went black and I spun around, “Who's there?” My eyes adjusted just as something tight was wrapped around my neck, twisted so I couldn't breathe.

“I always hated you...” A voice said and the person gave a final twist to the wire around my neck.

 

+ Kelly Day +

 

          “Van!” I was chasing after her, but she didn't slow down, didn't even look behind at me. “Slow down!” She burst through the kitchen door and I stopped just outside of it, looking around. “Marcus!” I saw the thin man just moments before he was on me, hands around my throat. “No! No! Please, no!” I shrieked as he shoved me back against the wall. His eyes were gleaming with a red haze, and he smiled, his fingers tightening around my chin.

“You always ignored me, Why, Kelly, why?” He hissed, his teeth snapping together.

“I'm..I'm sorry!” He didn't hear me, just kept hitting me, finally wrapping his arms around my neck, his hands on either side of my face.

“Too late to apologize, pretty one...” He laughed, twisting his hands, my neck snapping in the next instant.

 

+ Lilly Pratchet +

 

          I had started running, not even sure what was going on. I couldn't find Chase, but that didn't seem as important as escaping. Something was wrong with this picture, but I kept running. “No! No! Please, no!” I heard these words as I tripped, sprawling across the hardwood floor. The rest of the conversation was muted and I struggled to get up, my hands seemingly slick on the smooth floor. Marcus stepped into my view and I froze, dread filling me as his cold eyes became fixed on me.

“Marcus...” I said, then screamed as he grabbed my hair, pulling me up. “No! Let me go!” He jerked on my long hair, putting his hand over my mouth.

“Did you know that Chase hasn't been faithful to you?” He moved so he was behind me, his arm around my stomach. “Do you know how many times?” He grabbed my hand, twisting it so he had access to my fingers. He cut across deeply, blood running from my fingertips, down his arm and onto the floor. “Once.” He used my fingers and traced a name onto the wall. I couldn't read it at first, but my blood made clear letters as he pulled my hand away.

Olivia. “Twice...” He pulled my hand forward again, writing another name.

“Please! Stop!” I screamed as my fingertips began burning again. Jenny. “Stop!”

“Three times...”

“No, please! Just stop!” He kept writing, using my fingers as pens and my blood as ink. Abby. Mary. Sharon.

“Six times.” He wrote the final name and I shook as he pulled my hand away. Alice. I was crying now, my whole body shaking with grief and rage. Marcus wrapped his arms around my waist again and began screaming, his voice sounding like there were a thousand voices screaming with him. “Do you see what you've done? You killed her! Her death is on you!!” He gave a low growl and plunged the knife into my stomach. “Look what you've done...you killed her...”

“Marcus! NO!!” I shrieked as he drew the knife back again, bringing it forward, the entire blade, up to the hilt, buried in my stomach. He jerked the knife to the side, splitting my stomach open.
“There is no escape.” He groaned, touching my face with his blood covered hand, “Not for you. Not for me. No one will escape tonight.”

“But..but..why...” I gasped, falling limp, head lolling to the side.

 

+ Dominic Hill +

 

“No no no! No!” I shouted, stopping mid-stride and slipping across the ground. Marcus turned to look at me, his eyes glistening. “S**t!” I scrambled to get up and then ran, ducking into a dark room and moving so my back was against the wall. My own breathing seemed overly loud and I tried to slow my lungs down. I heard footsteps and stopped breathing all together, my lungs burning as I waited. Marcus, it must have been, passed me and I let out a rush of air.

“Dom?” I heard my name whispered and spun around, trying to see in the dark. “Dominic?”

“Sarah? Oh my God, Marcus is..he's killing people!” I said in a hushed tone, looking around again.

“He's not the only one.”

“What?” The lights flashed on suddenly and I was blinded for a moment. When I could see again, I immediately wished that I couldn't. Sarah stood before me, her face painted through her hair, her white shirt was crimson and in her hands she held two knives.

“I...I couldn't help it. I just picked them up. He was..he was so easy to kill. Just like you.” She snarled the last word, lunging forward, the knives biting into the skin above my hips. The out and plunging in again, into my chest and stomach. I couldn't speak from the shock and she spun around, slamming the knife in her right hand into my throat. “So easy...”

 

+ Eric Christenson +

 

          “Run! Come on, run!” I had grabbed Sarah's hand, pulling her with me. Last mistake I had ever made. We had been running for several minutes before we stopped, ducking into a room, leaving the light off. “We have to get out of here...” I had said, but Sarah wasn't paying attention to me. No, she had been looking at something on the desk by the window. I could faintly see the outline of her hand as she reached forward. What happened next I couldn't, and still can't, explain. She started trembling, then fell to the ground, writing in what I can only describe as agony, shrill screams erupting from her. “Sarah!” She sat bolt upright a few seconds later, looking around. I don't know how to explain the icy feeling of dread that fell on me when her eyes met mine. “Sarah..”

“You have to die now...” She whispered, but I barely had time to react before she was up, grabbing what was on the desk. A knife, long and sharp, the tip cut my arm,and, in the next instant, my throat. I was falling, but she didn't stop slicing. Shoulder, chest, stomach, thighs. Then she began stabbing me, not even stopping when it was clear I was dead. She finally paused when I was almost cut in half, and she stared down at me. “Hmm...like it was nothing.” She laughed, standing up.

 

' Marcus Hawk ←

 

Kill her!

Kill her now!

          I couldn't understand what had gone wrong. There I was, covered in blood, my fingers wrapped around the hilt of a blood painted knife. The thoughts, they kept screaming at me. Kill! Kill! Death! Death! I couldn't shut them up. In some manner, I could sense that there were only three people left alive, but I couldn't tell where they were. My fingers moved as if not connected to my brain, tightening around the hilt. My feet moved me towards the hallway, and my ears listened for anyone, but my mind was split in two, one side screaming at me to kill, kill, kill! While the other side told me to run. I saw and heard Sarah, and a wicked smile twisted my lips upwards.

“Come here, kitten...” I laughed, titling my head to the side, watching her. “Kitty kitty kitty. Here, girl.” She walked towards me quickly, eyes narrowed.”What a good kitten!” I applauded her with my fingertips against the palm of the hand that held the knife.

“Blow me!” She snapped, jumping forward at me, I laughed, stepping back.

“If that's what you want...” I brought the knife down, stabbing her right thigh. She screamed, limping for a moment as she fingered the knife.

Kill her! Kill her now!

I lunged forward, knocking both of us to the ground. I ripped the knife from her leg and slammed it down, but she rolled and I only caught her hair under the blade. She gripped her own knife tightly and sliced my across the shoulder. Something changed in that moment, I was suddenly afraid.

“Sarah! No” It was too late, her knife was brought up and through my chin, the tip pressing against my skull. I couldn't..think..there was only..pain.

 

' Sarah Rueben ←

 

          Death was simple, one minute you're here, the next you're gone. Simple. Murder was..easy. I think everyone would agree that they've imagined killing someone, I know I have. But I never had the urge, the 'hunger' for death..never had what I have now.

“Sarah! No!” Marcus had said, Eric and Dominic hadn't said anything, and Justin hadn't been able to do anything tome. There were only two people left, me and..who? I winced as I walked, the fresh would in my thigh causing fingers of pain to travel up my leg.

“B*****d...” I sniffed, thinking about Marcus. I held both the knives in my hands, tapping the metal together.

He's there, kill him!

The voices began whispering and I spun around, looking this way and that. Where? Ahh, there he was. He gave me a wolfish grin, tapping his fingertips against the banister that he was leaning on. His eyes had a dark red gleam when they locked on mine. Chase.

“Such a pretty thing, all covered in blood.” He purred, walking towards me.

Kill him!

“And all alone too.” He frowned as he continued, drawing ever closer to me. “No one to help you...” He grabbed me then, pulling me by the wrists towards him. I twisted out of his grasp, holding the knives in front of me as a type of warning. He laughed, pulling a long knife out of the stair that it was stabbed into. I snarled at him, my upper lip curling back, as he circled me, dancing lightly.

KILL HIM! Attack! Attack now!

I ran forward, slashing at him with both knives, catching only air as he spun out of my way. I paused, for a moment..only a moment, but that was long enough for him. He was in front of my in that short moment, his knife cutting across my throat. “Just like Connor...Vanessa...Alice..You're all the same” He laughed, staring at me. I waved the knives, catching him on the arm. Fear filled me and I collapsed.

 

' Chase Pratchet ←

 

          In a split second I realized what I had done. The blade cut my arms and I suddenly saw the whole picture, saw each face of the people that I had killed, relieved each moment. “Sarah!” I bent down, picking her head up, but she didn't respond. “No! No!!” I stood up, trying to brush the blood off of my hands, but it did not good. I ran for the kitchen, falling over backwards at the sight before me. Lilly, my Lilly, was cut open, lying on the ground. Names and words painted in blood on the wall.

Olivia. Jenny. Abby. Mary. Sharon. Alice.

“No...” The names were followed by words.

'You never loved her, now, rot alone for all eternity. YOU KILLED HER!'

“No! Lilly, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! Please..Lilly...”I picked her up, holding her broken body in my arms. “Please, I'm sorry.” I was crying and in that moment I realized that I did love her, and I pressed my lips against her forehead, her cheeks and then her lips. There was no soft return kiss, no sweet cherry scent. There was only death. “Please, come back...”

 

"

 

          He slammed his fist into the wall, ignoring the pain that shot through his hand. “No! Let me out! You can't leave me here! Let me out!!” He screamed, slamming his hands against the wall, ripping at the wallpaper with his fingernails, trying to shred his way out. The paper just replaced itself slowly, for every inch he tore away, another inch appeared. “Please! Just let me out..just..please..” He laid down on the bloody floor, putting his hands over his face, tears falling now. The lights sparkled for a moment, but then everything plunged into darkness.

“NO!!!!!”

 

 

Two Years Later

 

 

          “The mansion is everything you could want...I can easily see you living here for the rest of your life...” Amy looked at the Realtor as she spoke, noticing the red gleam reflected in the woman"s eyes, and a shiver of dread crawled up her spine.

“We'll take it.” Mark said, smiling warmly.

 

- Fin.

 

Author's Note

I wrote this over the summer, there are some grammar mistakes, but I would enjoy feedback of any type. Thank you!!