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“I’m grabbing a drink before the next one, you guys need anything?” Niall stands up and stretches as the end credits of The Conjuring roll on the TV screen.
Liam and Louis shake their heads to turn down the offer. Harry only responds with a light snore as he continues to sleep against Louis’ shoulder.
“‘lright, be right back then.”
As Niall heads to the kitchen he hears Liam speak up.
“Hey, Lou, have you heard about this place?”
“What about it?”
“I read that someone died here, mate. Apparently under suspicious circumstances.” Liam states matter-of-factly.
Niall rolls his eyes as he listens to Liam. He pops open his beer as he walks back to the living room, interrupting Liam before he can say more.
“Mate, what are you getting at?”
Liam responds exasperatedly, “don’t you know? The agent didn’t tell you when you bought the house?”
Niall groans. “Tell me what?”
“A lady died here! In your bedroom!”
Niall feels confused and can’t think of a response before Louis cuts off his train of thought.
“Says who? The fooking Sun, I’m assuming?” Louis scoffs lightly. “Thought you’d know better by now, Payno.”
“No, mate! It was a real thing I saw in the papers.”
Harry pipes up from his place on the couch and whispers unintelligibly, his eyes still closed as he leans against Louis.
“What was that, love?” Louis asks. “Can’t hear ya.”
“I said I’ve heard about it, too. I think he’s right.” Harry replies nonchalantly with a small yawn.
Niall groans lightly. “These houses are old. Who knows what’s happened in them. Something could have happened at your place, Liam!”
Niall hopes that the hint of fear he’s feeling isn’t evident.
Liam’s eyes widen. “Well— yeah? But a blood bath that makes the news isn’t a regular occurrence.”
“Blood bath?!” Niall shouts, causing Harry to jerk fully awake.
“Pipe down, Niall, he’s just chatting shit now.” Louis states. “Go back to sleep, love, it’s fine.”
Harry rubs his eyes and adjusts to the light in the room as Liam argues. “I’m not chatting shit, Louis. I’ll fucking find it and show you.”
As Liam grabs his phone from the coffee table, Harry speaks up. “You haven’t heard or seen anything weird, have you Ni?”
Niall second guesses himself before replying. “N-no? I mean, all new houses are creepy aren’t they? For a bit?”
“For Christ’s sake, you two!” Louis rolls his eyes and chuckles. “Harry, why are you egging this on?”
“Because it’s a real thing, Lou!”
“Ghosts are not real. Why would you think that?”
Harry rolls his eyes and gives Louis a disgruntled glare. “Just because you’ve never seen one doesn’t mean that they can’t be real.”
“I found it!” Liam shouts in time to interrupt Louis’ rebuttal to Harry’s statement.
Niall bounces across the sofa to grab Liam’s phone. He feels the blood run from his face as he scans the article on the screen.
“'Niall Horan's new LA home 'HAUNTED by ghost of tragic actress found dead in mysterious circumstances’!” Niall reads aloud.
“Pfft, that’s a bit disrespectful if you ask me. Poor woman’s death is being made into a spectacle.” Louis states, clearly unbothered by the statement as Niall, Harry, and Liam grow more weary.
Before anyone else can speak, the master bedroom lights begin to flicker repeatedly, the glow illuminating from down the hall.
Niall’s stomach is in knots as he slowly stands up. “What the hell?”
Liam whispers, “It’s her.”
“Oh, cut it out, will ya?” Louis shouts, tightening his arm around Harry’s shoulders. Harry just stares at Niall, speechless and face drained of color.
Niall walks towards his bedroom, afraid of what he might see as the lights continue to flicker erratically. As he approaches the doorway, he calls back, “I really hope you guys aren’t fucking with me!”
Immediately, a cold burst of air rushes by, slamming the door to the bedroom with a loud bang.
“We have nothing to do with it!”