Fear of the Unknown

Chapter 8 Sinister

"Pssst, Cora! Wake up!" I whisper.

It is close to midnight and I'm restless. My mind couldn't wrap around what happened earlier. There is no reason for them to act that way towards us. Their hostility basically poured out of them. We didn't do anything wrong. Well at least I think we didn't do anything wrong. Cora stirs groggily. I continue to shake her gently trying to wake her up.

"What-t-t?" Cora stutters.

"I found the key." I whisper.

Cora shoots up fully awake. I put a hand over her mouth while she mumbles. I check to hear the sound of mom and John's snoring. I give myself a silent pat on the back for exceeding. My finger goes up to my lips while Cora looks at me and nods.

"Are you coming or what?" I ask.

"Of course." she answers.

We slowly creep out of her bedroom with me holding the precious key. I smile to myself. It wasn't so hard for me to find it. John isn't very good at hiding things or keeping things discreet. When we got home from the party, John was acting strange. Jason said goodnight and went back to his house.

John didn't even acknowledge him or thank him for giving me a ride. He kept checking the closet every five minutes. When I knew both of my parents were sound asleep, I crept into the walking closet. Even though I wasn't sure what I would find in there.

At first I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I felt redudant looking for something that might not even be there. But I kept walking and heard a slightly loud creak on one of the floor boards. I cringed in fear of waking my parents up. Quietly I slowly step back and did a slight knock on the floorboard. To my suprise, it was hollow.

Due to my curiousity getting the best of me, I use my fingers to find any groove. There was one and I opened the floorboard slowly. Inside I felt around with my hand and made contact with a cold, miniscule object. I definitely knew what it was when I felt the shape. It was a key!

"Hey! Beth are you still here?" Cora whispers annoyed.

"Sorry, I was reminescing in my victory."

Cora rolls her eyes at me giving me a grin. We are at the attic door and my nerves are tingling uncontrollably. My excitement risens with every breath. I can feel my vitality pour out of me in constant waves of emotions. This is it. I am finally going to go up to the attic. Holding my breath, I slide the key in and turned the lock. Slowly I open the door and flicked on the hanging lightbulb.

Stairs were seen before me. They were worn, dangerously steep and rusted looking. Dust and cobwebs covered every corner. A chill runs through my veins making me shiver. I look over at Cora and she also seems to be in the same state as me. We slowly creep up the stairs cringing everytime there is a slight sound. The stairs moan as we walk. Cora grabs my arm for comfort. She is shaking uncontrollably.

"Bethany, I'm scared."

"Ssssh, you said you would come up with me."

"Okay."

We reach the top of the stairs and came into the attic. Inside, there is a pungent smell hanging in the air. The aroma of death and decay is vibrant.  I squeeze my nose, the smell overpowering me. Slowly, I take deep breaths. I grab Cora's hand and flick on the light switch. It is quite spacious and roomy in here. Cora and I walk around looking for anything out of the ordinary. To our utter dissapointment, we find nothing. There are only dust bunnies and spiders. I let out a huge sigh. I knew there was nothing special about this attic. So why all the secrecy and anger towards me? Why did John hide the key?

Cora looks at me with annoyance, I just shrug my shoulders.

"There's nothing here!" Cora whispers angrily. "Now can I go back to sleep?"