The Journal 2 - A Short Story Collection

After Dark

A hand playfully punched my right shoulder as Travis stepped up beside me. He smirked, knowing full well how terrified I honestly was about our little adventure with the rest of the guys. I don't know why I let them talk me into this, but they claimed that everyone experienced the event as tradition.

"Stop looking at me like that," I told him, to which he giggled.

"You'll love it, trust me," Travis replied.

"Hardly."

"Oh, come on, Sam, it'll be fun!" Ben called from the back. "We've all done it!"

"Have you now?" I questioned him, looking towards each person, though nobody spoke.

Our group consisted of Travis, Ben, myself, and George, Barry, Caleb, and Veronica. I'm the newest edition to their group, having just moved to this town not too long ago, them being the first to welcome me. It felt nice to be noticed right away. In the many moves my family had undergone, this was the first time I felt good about the move.

Now, however, maybe I was wrong to accept them so quickly. Either they were telling the truth about tradition, or they had an ulterior motive when it came to welcoming me into their fold.

"Why are we here again?" I asked, wanting clarification that they had been as of yet unwilling to part.

"Okay, guys, I think we can tell him now," Travis said.

"But we're almost there," Barry moaned, "He can know soon enough."

"Does it have to be at night?" I asked, going for something more specific to see if they would at least give me that.

"It's not nighttime," Travis replied, "The sun is only setting. Twilight, if you will."

"That didn't answer my question," I shot back.

"Because it's more fun that way," Ben said, "Now stop being a party pooper! We're almost there."

I, at least, knew where we were going. It was evident because of just how large the building was. An old, abandoned mansion rested on top of a hill in the forested area of the small town. I didn't know the backstory, though, but I felt our adventure dealt with it tonight.

Approaching the mansion, I was amazed by its beauty. The owners didn't skip out on design, and while rusted and in ruin, the once white building still had glimmering golden archways that led to the massive front doors that hid behind giant white pillars. A dead garden covered the front yard, and near it, a driveway was being reclaimed by nature.

A light push on my back towards the front doors led our group onward. Though rotten, the doors were black painted wood, with one slightly ajar. Travis was first through, then I. Once inside, I gasped at the lobby entrance. The setting sun gave a lovely glimmer over the lobby, revealing the grand staircase to the second floor. Many hallways led off to the left, right, and behind the stairs.

"The Marrow Mansion belonged to David and Claire Marrow," said Travis, pointing to the giant insignia on the rug in the middle of the lobby. "They were, as you can see, a wealthy couple who owned the mine on the other side of town. Exploiting workers' hard work by giving them little allowed for the two to pay for this." Travis gestured to his surroundings.

"They were loved and hated," Caleb continued, "And some think their deaths were because the miners revolted. That they stormed the mansion to plea for better work environments and pay but were disregarded. David and Claire were confident individuals, but even they didn't expect to be killed right in this very room."

A chill sprung down my spine. I couldn't tell if there were telling the truth or not, but it felt real enough to give me concerns.

"It was said their bodies were lost in the mansion, hidden by the miners, guilty of what they've done," Travis continued, "One by one, the miners all died, each body being found in this mansion, all in the basement."