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The House on Crickford Lane
In the midst of the coldest, darkest nights, they are free. The mists of fog rise up. The wind howls through the cracks in the walls and the leaves in the trees. Shivers run down the spines of young and old as a silent number haunts them, number 203. They stay away, far away. If they can, they move. But, how can they escape the daunting aura of that house on Crickford Lane? It was old and empty; its windows dirty and barred. Its walls were cracked and paint peeling. The lawn was overgrown, and vines covered its sides like green veins. No one could tear it down, for though many wished, they dared not try. An unknown owner wanted it to stay standing, so forever standing it would be. Many a person hated it and feared it with all their hearts. When they walked past, a lump seemed to form deep inside of them, and they quickened their pace. There were stories of many who dared to venture inside, but never found their way out. Sometimes echoing screams would escape the house, their screams, and it was enough to drive anyone into madness. But, what you are about to learn, is of the single person who almost escaped. It was a cold, dreary day when he moved to Crickford Lane. He was from a faraway town, simply looking for a change, and was naïve enough to believe Crickford Lane was a nice neck of the neighborhood. And, it was on this day that he decided to take a walk to soak in the street. People watched silently from their windows in curious wonder. He was walking straight for number 203, and when he reached it, he did the strangest thing. He stopped and stared at it. Unheard gasps of the silent onlookers sounded around the block. How could he? Why would he? And then, they arrived. They were a small group. Just a bunch of “shady characters” as the others on the street would call them. They seemed to be wandering down the block for no apparent reason. When they saw the man standing before number 203, they made a beeline for him. At first he barely noticed them, being they practically blended in, dressed in black, their hoods pulled far enough over their heads so that their faces were dark and hidden. But, one spoke, grasping his attention. “It’s a beauty, isn’t it?” The person said. The voice was a light whisper, but could be distinguished as female. “Not exactly,” The man said. “Mostly interesting. It doesn’t really fit in with everything else. Why don’t they tear it down?” “They can’t. Quite impossible,” The girl’s distant voice explained. “Why not,” The man questioned. The girl was quiet and moved closer to the man. She leaned her invisible face towards his, and he almost felt inclined to lean away from it. That was, until she spoke. “It’s haunted,” She whispered. “There are otherworldly forces keeping it there.” The man scoffed and moved away from her. “I don’t believe in ghost stories,” He stated. One of the others in the group snorted in suppressed laughter. “You don’t have to believe in them,” The girl explained, sounding agitated. “They can still exist without your blessing.” The man rolled his eyes. “Don’t believe me?” The girl challenged. “Then, go see for yourself.” The man looked hesitant. “Scared, huh? Then you must believe,” The girl stated. “I’m not scared in the least!” He answered, glaring at her. “Prove it,” She replied. The man, without a second thought, walked up the pathway and straight to the front door. Just before he reached for the doorknob, however, he felt a moment of hesitation. He looked back at the street. The group remained. The girl was standing in front, her arms crossed. The man turned back to face the door once more. He grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and the door sprung open. He walked in and glanced back at the street. The group was gone. The door slammed shut in his face. The man immediately groped for the doorknob, only to find there wasn’t one. He turned around and around, but only darkness was there. He was trapped. He sank to the floor in silent hysterics. Suddenly, a chill surrounded him, and voices chorused from the ceiling. “Trapped like a rat, lost in the darkness, blind as can be, unable to think. Helpless as an animal, stupid and easy to fool. That is all a man can be. Safe in the rafters, we can get away with murder. Lurking in the shadows, cunning and quick. Never will you find us, never will you dare, or it will be your murder from which we will be free.” The man was horrified. They had tricked him, but how? They would murder him, but why? It didn’t make sense, why was this his fate? “Because you fell for it,” A familiar voice chimed, answering his thoughts. Then, the girl clad in black appeared before him, but in that same instant, she was clad in white. But, it wasn’t just her clothes. Her skin was pale and flushed, in fact, almost transparent. Her eyes were white, except for the grey pupils that were barely distinguishable. Her hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, and seemed to blow around in a nonexistent wind. “You!” The man exclaimed. The girl smiled. “Why did you trap me here? What good is it to you?” He asked. The girl smirked and continued to remain silent. “Did you hear me?” The man asked. Still, the girl refused to say a word. “Answer me!” The man demanded. The girl walked closer to him in a slow and delicate manner. Her eyes were focused directly on the man’s, and he could not move his eyes from hers. She stopped only when they were so close that they were almost pressing up against one another. The man wanted to say something to break the pressing silence, but learned that he could not find his voice. “The world doesn’t need another non believer,” She finally said, her airy voice seeming to echo deep down inside of the man. “What are you planning on doing to me?” The man asked, trying to place as much confidence as he could in his words, but they still shook. The girl laughed. The laugh was horrible, cool as ice, sharp as nails, yet beautiful as bells. It made the man sick, awed, and horrified. “Look at the others,” She whispered before disappearing. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” The man yelled into the empty blackness. Suddenly, the space ahead of him was bathed in dim, yellow light. It revealed, before him, a large group of people. Some were leaning against a cracked, brown wall, some sitting against it, while others were sprawled across the ground. But, it was their appearance that was truly a terrible sight. Their skin was lathery and yellow, looking as if it would fall off their bones at any moment. Their eyelids were almost transparent and showed the eyes below. Some had their eyes open at least halfway, and their eyes were distant and empty, like a doll’s eyes, all glazed and motionless. Their hair, what was left of it, looked dry and stringy, hanging in matted clumps. Their clothes were ripped and hanging limply off their bodies, which were thin, so thin that bones could be seen. The man stepped back in horror as one who was leaning against the wall suddenly moved. His eyelids fluttered, and he slowly stepped towards the man. Each step was slow, and looked labored and painful. His body had to swing with his legs, he was so stiff. “W-wait,” He said. His voice was dry and cracked. The man had to lean forward to hear as it was barely a whisper. “D-don’t go,” He said. “You n-need our h-help first.” The man looked confused. “You c-can’t just find t-the door on y-your own. Y-you need us t-to show you the w-way,” The half-dead man explained. “Well, where is it?” The man asked. The half-dead man made an odd whistling noise, and the man realized that he was “shushing” him. “No t-talking. J-just listen,” He said. “Y-you have to be q-quick and c-careful. It’s almost i-impossible to escape. I-in fact. N-no one had ever d-done it before.” The half-dead man stopped to take a deep rasping breath. “I-it’s f-funny though. I-it’s so simple, the w-way to l-leave,” He continued. “Y-you walk backwards until you h-hit the wall. F-feel around for the d-doorknob. B-but be q-quick about leaving. T-they won’t let you g-go in p-peace.” The half-dead man stopped. He walked back and leaned against the wall once more. He closed his eyes and it was as if he had never moved. The man looked at him for a moment, and then took a deep breath and walked backwards. He went as fast as he could without falling. Finally, he hit the wall. Without a thought, he swept his hand over the wall. His heart leapt when he found the doorknob. He opened the door and turned to see the outside world. The night air reached him and he breathed it in deeply. He was free! Suddenly, he sensed something behind him. He tried to run, but couldn’t. The outside world beckoned, but he was unable to reach it. “Oh, God, let it be quick,” He thought, knowing his fate. Then, a ripping stabbing pain erupted in his back. He tried to breathe, but it only sent shooting pains throughout his body. He felt his head rush, and the world began to spin. Multicolored spots twinkled before his yes like fireflies. The world, then, went black, and the man fell to the ground. He was dragged into the house, and the door slammed shut. And, that is what happens when you enter the house on Crickford Lane.
Deianaira · Sat May 31, 2008 @ 06:41pm · 0 Comments |
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