The Night Everything Lost Sense

7. Horrorhouse

It was late.

The sun had set a long time ago and the birds had fell silent. Streets became empty and shops dark. Few cars would pass through the rural street every now and then, moving dead leaves that rested on the pavement and shining light on trash that accumulated by a turned-over trashcan. Tree branches rustled as a gust of wind breezed through the neighborhood. The world was quiet that night. Seth and Briar, who silently but hastily strolled down the street, were aware of it. They hadn't heard a single owl or a single mouse squeak since they stepped foot into the dimply lit area.

The two boys looked alert. Both tightly clutched flashlights in their hands and their feet moved in synch. The pavement under their shoes was old and worn-down – cracked in numerous places and stained with mysterious dark substances.

They slowly crept closer to a three-story building. Looking at it from the bottom, anybody would feel intimidated. The building was crooked, and its windows smashed and shattered. The dingy green wallpaper was shedding, revealing brick and mold that hid under the paint. The top, third, story was a part of the roof. Even its windows were broken, and the roof-paneling churned, as if there had been a fire. The front door was sealed shut by boards much like all the windows on the bottom floor.

"This is it," Briar said quietly. He looked up at the blackened roof with glimmering eyes. His breath hitched as a terrible smell reached his nostrils. The smell of history and a smell of death.

"You and Soyoung hang out in there?" Seth questioned in disbelief.

"The bottom floor is cozy," Briar explained with a whisper.

He moved closer to the building. Seth followed him, warily eyeing their surroundings. They walked around the building and crawled through a cut-open chain fence, entering a yard filled with metal scraps and broken house appliances. Seth pinched his nose and grimaced as they walked over to the wide-open backdoor.

The putrid smell hit Briar like a brick. He covered his nose and mouth, gagging and belching as he turned his back to the entrance. Seth rubbed his back, covering his own nose with his shirt and furrowing his brows in disgust.

"I'm guessing it doesn't always smell this bad."

Briar shook his head, catching his breath and calming down his stomach.

"What is that smell? It... smells rotten, doesn't it?"

Briar nodded, covering his nose and mouth with his hand, now being too afraid to breath.

"Do you think it's a dead animal?" Seth shakily asked.

Briar's heart picked up speed. His voice was merely louder than a whisper, and his eyes filled with water as he thought about the source. "It must be..."

Seth bravely turned on his flashback and shone it into the dark interior. Both boys fell quiet as they listened. There was no sound. Not a single creak or rustle. The building was mute.

The purple-haired boy stepped inside, shakily pointing his light at the soulless hallway. "Hello? Is somebody in there?"

Briar began trembling. All color left his cheeks as Seth passed the doorway and stepped into the darkness. He watched the beam of his flashlight pass over the old wallpaper and saw nothing but dust dancing in the air, moving in swift wavy lines – like sea waves on a windy evening. Like Soyoung's hair against the dark floorboards.

Briar could still hear the sound of her clothes brushing up against the floor and he could still feel remember the coldness of her skin on his. His body became light and walking became difficult. He felt like he will fall through the floor any second