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“Hey Techno,” Schlatt said, strolling up to the other, taller, man who leaned against the side of the science building.
Techno was by no means a push over, but still managed to have that awkward and geeky vibe going for him, even though he had successfully managed to leave his acne prone freshman year behind him. Schlatt was fairly certain everyone in the school at least respected Techno, with some of them flat out admiring him, and he was by no means different.
“What’s up, Schlatt?” He asked, taking his attention away from his phone. His jacket, although well-worn and quite old at this point, still looked bright red in the mid-autumn sunshine. Schlatt knew that it had gone through a lot, much like his own coat.
Schlatt knew it was finally time to ask the important questions.
“So, uh. Mr Pete’s old house… Your dad bought it after he sold it, right?”
Techno nodded, and Schlatt continued.
“Well, Connor and I-”
“Connor? The freshman?”
“No, he’s in our biology class. Died half his hair.”
“Oh yeah, him.” Techno nodded.
“Anyway, Carson said he lived near me, so Connor and I walked together after the party on Saturday. He lives on the same cul de sac as Mr Pete’s old house. Just before we went in his house, we saw a light come on behind that window on the second floor and it looked like, well…” Schlatt leaned in to whisper, “It looked like someone was in there.”
For a moment, Techno did nothing, but then he just chuckled and shook his head.
“You sure are a storyteller, Schlatt. That house has been off the main electrical lines for at least four years now. Besides, I know my dad is just planning on tearing it down. There’s no way anyone would go inside.”
“But I’m telling you man, I saw something!”
“You might have seen something, yeah! Like the curtain or a stray cat or something. At worse, it was probably someone sneaking in to look around. Everything important has been stripped out, and even then, the roof is damaged so no one would want to stay there anyway.”
“Look,” Schlatt started, “Can we at least check it out? I’d feel better if I knew for sure that there was nothing in there.”
“You don't even live down that street.”
“No! I don't! But Connor does-”
“Connor, who I do not know.”
Schlatt huffed. “I’ll tell you what,” he said, “If we go and check it out and there’s nothing there, I’ll buy you a Slurpee.”
“Schlatt, I’ll need to steal the keys off my dad, so you’d owe me one every day for a week.”
“Do we have a deal then?”
Techno squinted at him, still holding his phone out in front of him and taking in Schlatt’s overconfidence that seeped from every aspect of his character, and then he pulled his other hand from the pocket of his well-worn jacket and held it out to be shook.
“You know what, Schlatt? I think we do.”
They shook.
“So how are we going to go about this?”
There was a pause where Techno seemed to be considering something, but then said, “Do you know if Connor is still on campus? Will he want to come too?”
“Connor, I think, just goes home after last period.Carson and Ted might still be around though, if you're cool with them coming. They don't know about the whole, you know, seeing things, though, so I’d appreciate it if you kept it quiet.”
He snorted, “Sure. They can tag along if they want to. Meet me outside the Castle Street gas station at 6 and we’ll go from there, okay?”
Schlatt nodded with a smile full of fake confidence, “Sure thing, Techno.”
“Oh, and Schlatt?”
“Yeah?”
“You might as well buy me the Slurpee beforehand, seeing as I know that the house is empty.”
Schlatt’s smile didn’t waver, but he began to walk away, “We’ll see about that.”
Unlocking the padlock to the gate, Techno looked behind him as Carson helped Schlatt struggle over the overgrown bushes. “We have about an hour and a half,” he said, pocketing the keys and lock in one, “until my dad gets home and notices the keys gone, so I want to be gone by seven.”
“Fine by me,” Ted mumbled, looking up at Mr Pete’s old house.
The woodwork on the porch had almost been worn away or covered in thin twisting vines and thorns, making the garden seem like it was part of the house, or even the other way around. He wouldn't be surprised if a tree would start to sprout from the sides of the building, taking over it from the inside out. It was a wonder how the house had managed to get like this in the four years that it had been abandoned, but Ted remembered one of Pete’s biggest reasons for selling it (other than his hip), which was how old it was and how much it would cost to repair it.
Connor came and stood just beside Techno, watching him wrestle with the chain link gate, which was covered in vines like the house itself was.
“I better not get tetanus from this,” Techno mumbled.
“Aren’t you vaccinated?”
“I am, but something tells me with how dirty this gate is,” He showed Connor his rust-smeared hands, wet from the light rain and with a slight cut between his thumb and forefinger, “I wouldn't be surprised if I got it anyway.”
Wiping his hands on his jeans, he finally got the gate free from the overgrowth and pushed it far enough for them to squeeze through. Techno went first, followed by Connor who held a flashlight, and then Ted. Carson went through, then came back to grab Schlatt’s hand, and then followed on. Techno shoved the gate so that it was almost closed, and went to take a closer look at the old house.
In the artificial light of the flashlight, the broken windows gleamed and glistened, the door itself however, with the ornate stained glass, looked sunken in and unwelcoming, cast in a great shadow from the porch and from its inset position. The window on their left had half a stained yellowing curtain hanging out, torn and mangled from god-knows how many storms and snow falls. To their right there was a broken chair, obviously thrown there by someone who didn't want it, and seemed like the only thing that wasn't covered in foliage, with its stainless-steel legs sticking out from the muck that covered the rest of the porch. The roof of the porch had tiles falling off, with patches of the underlay exposed and hanging off too, looking almost like bats hanging upside down from the wooden slats.
Schlatt gulped, looking between the others for comfort but found none. Even Connor, who also saw the shape in the window, seemed far calm than he ought to be. Carson took the first step forward.
“You need the key-” Techno began, but just as Carson reached the door it creaked open, the high noise echoing out to them but also into the house, which in the evening light was pitch black. Somewhere nearby, a crow called once, but no more.
“What the fuck,” Ted said, “I didn't realise you were inviting us to a murder house, Schlatt.”
“I just thought it would be cool to check it out!” He defended, “Besides, we used to come here all the time before we knew what trespassing on private property was.”
Techno snorted, but Carson spoke over him, “Is it even safe to go in? The floor’s not looking too good.”
“It should be okay. My dad got it evaluated not so long ago. We just shouldn't go in the basement.”
“Why?”
“It’s pitch black, four foot tall, and filled with water.”
Ted looked at him, “What the fuck.”
“C’mon, let’s just get this over with,” Connor said, and pulled out his phone to use as a flashlight as well.
“This is a horror show,” Schlatt said, hiding behind Techno’s height, “This is straight up nightmare fuel.”
Even with the evening sun coming through the windows, there wasn't a lot of light to see by, as it was blocked partly by the plants outside. The first room they went in just had a few coat hooks behind the door, and an empty but ornate fireplace opposite the door to the hallway. The walls, with their once lilac wallpaper peeling, smelt like mildew in the tight confines of the house. Ted was right in his observation too - plants had begun to crawl through the broken window and had attached themselves to the sill, breaking up the wood into wet splinters.
Carson was the first to make it to the hallway door, which already hung open, revealing the tight space leading to the dining room, kitchen, and living room, and also the currently closed door that Schlatt assumed lead to the flooded basement.
In complete contrast to outside the house, the inside was still and cold, filled with old air that seeped into their clothes, skin and hair. It was also completely silent - not a single noise came from the other rooms in the building, aside from the rustling that came with their footsteps or the low background noise from upstairs, which was probably the wind.
Carson made a beeline for the kitchen, with Ted close behind to hold the torch. Schlatt stood in the entryway with Techno, who looked bored, and Connor made tentative movements towards the living room.
An owl outside hooted.
“Are you going to go upstairs?” Techno asked, looking up from his phone at Schlatt.
“What, why?”
“That’s where you, you know,” His face turned smug, “Saw the person.”
Schlatt sputtered, indignant, “I’m not going alone.”
Techno looked at him, bored, and then turned towards the door to the hallway. “Connor!” he yelled, “Go upstairs with Schlatt!”
Connor’s face popped in, and looking uncertain he asked, “Why?”
“That’s the whole reason why Schlatt wanted to come, but now he won't go up.”
Schlatt looked at Connor, seeing a range of emotions flash across his face at once, which then settled on determination. Connor disappeared from the front room, calling out behind him, “C’mon, Schlatt!”
With lack of a better option, he followed.
Even though he didn't know the interior of the house, Connor managed to find the stairs which lead just off the kitchen, so that Ted and Carson could see them as they made their way up the creaking flight. There was originally a carpet laid on the stairs, stapled down so that no one tripped over it, but now there was only the bare wooden floorboards creaking under their feet. At the top of the stairs Connor hesitated, looking down the hallway at the window where they had seen the figure only a few nights before.
Like a stone settling in his stomach, Connor noticed that there was no bulb in the ceiling light, which was over the stairs - nowhere near the window.
“Connor, you alright?”
“Dude I swear that there is something over there,” he whispered, “I can’t- there’s nothing there, but it feelslike there is, you know?”
Schlatt blinked at him, “Do you remember the story I told you? On that night we walked back from Carson’s? Is it like that?”
“Yeah, man. I swear there’s something there, but I just can't see it.”
Taking a step forward, practically on top of Connor, Schlatt looked down the hallway too, noticing the window, the ceiling light, and the curtain as well. He also noticed the invisible but unignorable feeling that he was being watched.
The only issue was that the feeling came from behind him.
Taking what little bravery he could muster in both hands, he inched his way around Connor in a way that was obvious as to not startle him, and moved so that he stood fully on the landing. He could barely hear the breeze from outside or the shifting of the leaves, only really picking up the sounds of Ted and Carson shuffling about in the kitchen and Connor’s steady but shallow breathing. There was nothing behind him but a slight bit of hallway between the stairwell and the wall, with another window at the end, so he didn't bother to look down there - too focused on the other window and the two slightly ajar doors on either side. It was almost like something was expecting them, even though he was fairly certain no one else had been in there since he and the others explored there a few years prior.
Connor moved behind him, like a comforting shield between him and whatever might come up the stairs behind them.
Edging down the hallway, Schlatt reached the first door on their right and spared a glance in, noticing the dark blue light of the evening falling through onto the bare floor below, along with the wardrobe facing them, which for some reason had both of its doors removed and leaning against the wall next to it. He took a better look before shrugging and continuing on, Connor right behind.
“Nothing, nothing…” Schlatt whispered more to himself than anything as he went on.
The other door was only slightly ajar, with a thin sliver of the darkness within facing them.
Something downstairs dragged across the floor. Schlatt stopped moving.
Within a foot of the window now, he waited, thinking, watching. Nothing moved aside from the wind outside and the curtain that got swept up in the fluster of it, before both died down. All was still once more. Schlatt turned slightly to look at Connor.
A huge slam ripped them from their moment, rumbling through the floor like a snake coming towards them. Schlatt didn't hesitate, sprinting past Connor and down the stairs in a flash. Connor yelped as Schlatt flew past him, dashing to follow with hasty steps down the stairs.
Both of them went past the kitchen, past the other three rooms and straight through the front door, leaving them panting in the front garden.
Techno peaked out at them through the door, confused, and Carson and Ted came to look at them too.
“What’s wrong?”
“You guys alright?”
“Look!”
Connor shouted at them, pointing up to the second story window. The other three rushed out, Techno still looking confused and the other two concerned, but then they all stopped, petrified. Frozen, they stared.
“What the fuck. What the fuck,” Techno yelled, “That’s a fucking face!”
Thin, ghastly and drawn, two widened bloodshot eyes looked down on them in what could only be described as wrath, before turning its face and moving away.
The wind, still as refreshing and cool as before, was bitter and sickening, and Schlatt shivered. Ted grabbed Carson’s arm, Connor grabbed Schlatt’s arm, and Techno rushed to re-open the front gate, trying not to take his eyes off the still open front door as he did.
Finally, finally, after a few nauseating seconds of worry, the brambles slipped free and all five of them took off running down the street - to where they didn't really know, but anywhere in the world would have suited them so long as it wasn't Mr Pete’s old house.