Chapter Text
You start at the pink paper, it was a simple envelope. You couldn't believe it yet it wasn't unexpected a layoff. You thought you were valuable for the company who else could have brought its performance up by ten percent? Sitting in the car, cigarette in hand, what can you do now? Stuff from your old work in the car, hair a mess and tears dried. What to do now, each minute passed felt heavier and you had been sitting here for close to an hour already. Your phone got a ring, it was the third time someone tried to call you, flipping it open ready to close it again.
Yet it was a number you recognized, it was one that called often over these past days. Besides, the landlord whose greedy for her cash. You clicked it open, it hummed for a few seconds connecting to the cell tower. It was Gina, a lawyer who has been contacting you ever since the passing of your paternal figure. She spoke a formal greeting and inquisitory of who it was. Once you made yourself known, she continued a bit more warmely. Another formality you presumed.
“Can you come in today?” She spoke her words slightly muffled. “I reviewed the will of Miss Taylor, I found something that might be interesting for you.”
“I see,” You tapped the side of your wheel, you can only hope for money now. “Then I'll see you in thirty minutes," You said, pushing the cigarette out of your mouth tapping the char off. The call ended after a goodbye, you rested your head on the wheel after sliding it back in your mouth.
Aunty Taylor was right, you had wasted your most important years on a degree that would be useless. At least it was a portion of her money as well that went to your degrees. Your fingers are already flinching at the thought of needing to get a dinner job again. Fiance would have been a better degree then computer science, you push your head up looking at the phone small screen. It read the time one-thirty, and the date of April-tenth-thousand. You flip it close and place it into the cupholder. Flipping down the visor, you fixed your hair and face. Once done you pull the gear stick back and begin the journey to her office.
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You pull up to a large building square, beige and sad looking. It was part of different stores. You looked alright, decent at best informel of course. You stopped your CD, and pulled out your keys grabbing your phone then stepped outside. You shut the door of your car, locking it twice. You pulled up your jeans slightly and your shirt down, to at least look proper. You walked past cars, the warm breeze passing through your senses.
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The secretary guides you, her heels clicking on the smooth floor. She speaks little, the hallway loud filled with noises, a whole building filled with clients and lawyers. All looking quite professional, you kept your gaze low. She stopped at a door, you were close to bumping into her. She knocked the beige door with a glass window, Gina signaled for you to come in. Pushing the door open for You, quickly you stepped inside. Gina singled for you to sit inside, her freckled face held a large smile.
The door shut behind you as you went and sat down on the plastic chair. Her desk was filled with papers on both sides as she pulled out your file from a drawer below. The windows behind her gave a warm glow in the room. Sliding it onto the desk she flipped open the file looking through papers, her yellow glasses barely resting on her face. She pulled out a paper, it was highlighted on a copy she slid to you. Clearing her throat, allowing you to read it.
“I found this while I was looking through her will,” She said, wrapping her hands around her ceramic mug, “You had gotten a key when she passed right?”
“But I didn't expect it was for a house,” You said, pulling out the keys from your pocket, looking through them it was a small bronze key. Thinking it was for that jewelry box that she used to keep. “Neighter that she would remember the address as well.”
“Well, this was last updated before her condition worsened," Gina responded, her words sympathetic yet filled with fact. She pushed her mug back onto the steel table.
“Can I sell it?” You asked, placing the keys back in your pocket. She looked a bit shocked but she probably already knew why. As that's not what she asked.
“Well, you can but you need to get an appraiser,” She says, shutting the file. “I would recommend you to go see the condition first of the house. It seems quite old so you could make a bit,” That's all you needed to hear.
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You reach your shabby apartment, the hallway dull and the carpet a vomit of florals. There was a strong scent of supposedly “naturality” , your door had a yellow paper, an eviction notice of thirty days. The woman is leech, you leave it on as you get inside your small apartment. Placing your stuff on the circular table. The walls cracked and each step echoed. You went to the living room, you sat on the couch grabbing the wire, you plugged your phone.
Turning on the boxy tv, for a moment the black and white static played before a movie started. You got up and went to your kitchen, opening the fridge. It hummed lightly and the bulb flickered. It was barely empty beside the box of takeout from across the street. You grabbed it and brought it to the living room a step away. You sat down and the couch sank as you did old it was. Everything you owned was actually somewhat new, it was Aunty Taylor’s stuff. Especially the pendant around your neck, it was simple, nobody could question it.
Gina was nice enough to show you the address. It was two hours away from her office. Giving you a map as well, filled with the steps to get there. Also an appraiser number as well. You could go tomorrow, with the appraiser. But you have a feeling that the leech will be on your neck tomorrow. Might as well go after your phone is charged.
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You pulled up to a home Gina said it would be big, but God is it big. Surrounded by a forest, tall trees with even thicker leaves. Dense it was, the house seemed multi layered. Large windows, with many bump outs with a wraparound porch. The house was old, a style that is no longer shown in current homes. Clearly showing each brick placed outside, each wood piece perfectly cut. Handmade it was truly secluded as well? No light from where the windows you saw, you can only hope there are no squatters.
Shutting the car you stepped outside grabbing: keys, phone and a flashlight. You had worn a hoodie, despite it not being cold you just liked how it felt on your skin. You walked to the front a small flower bed that led to the back of the house filled with sporadically dandelions. Stepping up the white wooden steps, it cracked as you approached the door. The windows had flower boxes but whatever was there was long gone. You fumbled with the keys until pushing one inside the keyhole. Turning it to the right it gargled a click, a build up of rust yet you stepped inside.
You flicked open your flashlight expecting the house to be filled with dust and the scent of decay. Yet instead it was quite ordinary, even pleasant what you saw it was a normal entrance way. Sure the wall paper was peeling yet beside that there was little wear. That was not dated as much as you thought, walking down you peaked to a living area. Something from your childhood, it looked but aged from the dust. A sunken room with a couch set leather you assume, a TV ornate it was built on the wall and a carpeted floor to boot. You brought your hand to the side of the inside wall and flicked a light to quiet your unease. You wanted to step inside,but turned your attention to the opposite opening in the hallway. It was a dining table set, one only used when the whole family is present. It had twelve seats, an aged table cloth yet pristine ceramic plates and cutlery. The wall in front had a curtain closed yet you would assume it was a side entrance.
You turned back to the hallway shining your light, it was hard to see where it ended for a few moments but once your eyes adjusted you continued to walk. Past a staircase made of the same wood of the floor you flicked on the light when entering the next hallway yet the walls had something you did not expect. Large portraits of people, maybe some Aunty Taylor knew. None she ever showed you, hesitantly you walk past them not really wanting to look at them. It brings an unease that most likely these were dead people smiling in a photo capturing an essence of them. In your speed through the hall the wood cracked behind you as you reached the end.
It was a door at the back entrance, made of two glass sliding doors. It allowed for glimpse outside, a garden overgrown onto a path that led to a church-like building. Your unsure if its that type of building to be exact but the large cross on the outside is helping its case. It looked much more aged being made of mostly white and dark wood tinted by green now. A broken fence surrounded it. Beside it a pond, man made it look. You felt queasy looking at such a building, unsure why you turned away from the second steps of stairs to the kitchen instead. You flicked open the light but it didn't work, you turned on the flash light again.
It was the standard kitchen for where it's frozen. The tiles have a lime green and white checkered pattern. The lime green matched the countertop of the dark wood cabinets. It was angled, as you passed by it brought you back into the living room. You went inside the living room a bit more warm with bulbs running it seems. Giving it an orange tint, in the room you walked to the couch. You dare not sit down, unsure of what bugs live inside such a thing. Scanning on the table there were a few things, a remote, mug and most interestingly a VHS tape. You picked it up, something complied you to it seems.
Even for a tape it seems old, a bit smooth around its edges. Its sticker on the front peeled off leaving a sticky section on the front or what used to be. Filled with fibers and miniscule gunk. It wasn't damaged though,curiosity struck your senses to what it was. A VCR player was built in beside the tv beckoning for you to play. You pushed the tape inside the machine, and took the remote off the table then turned it on. The tv let out the awful grading sound, that you haven't heard in a long while before you changed its source to the player. The screen flicked to a video you assumed as it was now a dark screen with a light humming of something offscreen. Maybe a fridge, you were unsure as you took a few steps back.
The screen flickered, like if you were surfing through channels but you were not clicking any buttons. Before landing on a cartoon, it had the style of something old akin to Hanna-Barbera but an older show of theirs. You are unsure, as it could be due to the lack of color that is making you think that. The sound of the show is muffled, yet there is a clear sound of laughter when a supposed joke is told. Comedy through words then actions it seems, nothing of note if you can't hear it. You bring your finger to shut the tv yet suddenly it flickered to something else. Something your mind did not fathom for a few seconds.
A girl, no older than twenty was tied onto a table in the room blindfolded yet she was screaming. Her dress was stained with a bright and deep red. It was torn as well. Her scream was piercing that it made your body react by trying to shut the tv off yet it wouldn't. People in white robes slowly made themselves known yet their faces were partially by an eye mask of sorts. Yet they waited for someone behind the camera staring at it. It quickly flickered back into the cartoon show, yet You kept trying to shut it off. Your mind empty filled with no thoughts as your body tightened again as it flipped back to the recording of the girl.
It focused on a man above the girl, his words a whisper and he wore no robe. In fact he looked like a pastor oddly enough yet you could not state long as it flickered again to the cartoon. You turn over the remote and check the back sliding it open yet as you did. You notice, there are no batteries. Shocked at that the screen flickered again to the women as your state makes you helpless to watch. As her screams stop to desperate cries, muffled by the chant of the other members as they bring up their daggers above her and strike down. It changed back to the cartoon, you want to move and run yet your legs don't move infatuated by such a morbid display.
It flickered again, the laughing of the cartoon entered the scene of the girl her body twitching barely clingy to life as her body was filled with deep holes for wounds oozing with blood, her insides around her abdomen almost exposed. Her dress ripped fully into half, her clothing drenched in her own red. She was heaving for air yet the fact she was still alive was mortifying. Yet it wasn't done for it would be too simple in fact. The pastor brought something above her gaze. It shined dimly in the light, it was an axe.
He shared no pleasure in his face yet there was something in his eyes. You wanted the screen to change, prayed it did but it didn't. As he brought the axe up and struck it down her neck and if only it was a clean cut. It wasn't, it was stuck between her bones. It seemed she wanted to scream yet all that escaped her mouth was blood. He pulled it out, You assumed it pooled down the floor, as the pastor just sighed in defeat when he looked down. He brought it up again higher this time as he swung it down again-
The film ended, the tv shut on its own. Your mind felt empty yet it wanted to run, you tried to think of anything other than what you sa-
There was a large thunk of something, outside the living room you moved without thinking. Your heart pounding out of your chest as you went to check outside the hallway. Putting your flashlight to use it was nothing, must have been your mind. The light flickered a few times, rationalizing by how old this house is. Yet your flashlight flickered for a second as you looked down, tapping the side of it a few times as you glanced up again to the hallway.
You notice something…
No someone.
You're not even sure if it's a human what you're looking at, her skin as white as paper, her messy fringed hair dark as ink. A white blouse, a pleated black skirt and one black mary jane. Her socks were ripped similar to her clothing and her bow. Yet the thing that sealed your mind that she wasn't human were her eyes; they were pitched black. Leaking with something akin to tar, her mouth shifted to an open smile and it mimicked the same. Her head twisted to the right in a way humanly not possible. The only color on her was the odd red that flickered on her which made sense quickly when she brought her axe up to her shoulder. Stained with a deep red. That was enough for you to start running.
You turned behind you expecting there to be your door to the outside, there ain't no door. Just a way to turn right, you turn as you keep running. Your flashlight helped you avoid furniture that was different there. The door seemed to have moved to the end of the hallway? You keep running, adrenaline pushes through you. You wanted to look back but what use would that be? You ran past any hallway splitting until you reached the door yet as you could taste freedom. The door is…. Wasn't there, just a wall exposed. You take a step back looking to your right at a dead end as you turn to your left that thing attacks you on the side of the head.
You fall down yet she's not satisfied , her smile growing as she hits you again on the chest now. Bringing up and thrashing down breaking skin and bone with each attack. She laughs it high and pitchy yet her lips don't move. The way she moves is like a doll, or it might be your hazed state as your body itself is trying to reject the pain it's inflicted with. Your ears blocking up from the adrenaline, your insides feeling exposed bones crushed. She grabs your neck with one hand to position you right and maybe a mercy you could only hope. Yet she brings the axe down to your face, the breaking of skin and bone is what you feel as your last moments.
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-You can not be this weak, c'mon dear child its not your time-
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You blink open your eyes, the tv film was over remote in hand and you hear a thunk from outside the living room.