HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Chapter 3

Shawn heard a scream and looked in the direction of where Deborah went. He then heard her call out to him. He stood up, grunting in pain.

"Fuck...Debz?" He shouted back but heard nothing. He thought she may have fallen off the edge and hurt herself. He didn't know what to do next. He could barely see up the path that Deborah took but it wasn't going to stop him either. He went towards the car, struggling to reach a stone from the ground. He threw the stone in the passenger side window and carefully pushed his hand in to open it. He sat down, mostly to rest his foot, but reached to the glove compartment and opened it. Digging through papers and other items, he smiled when he found what he was looking for, a flashlight. He flicked the switch and white light beamed into the darkness. He climbed out of the car, grabbing the keys and stuffed them into his pocket, closed the car door, and headed towards the abandoned house.

Trying not to put too much pressure on his foot, he limped his way past the house towards the edge. He shined the flashlight around him and then down towards the river.

"Deborah!" He shouted then waited to hear her respond. But the only thing he could hear was the rushing river. Shawn continued to flash the light around, hoping to see any signs of his girlfriend. He turned to head back to the car when he stumbled on a soft, damp cloth on the ground. Using the light to search the ground, Shawn was shocked to see Deborah's towel on the ground. She dropped it. Why would she drop it and leave it on the ground? He thought, flashing the light around to see if he could spot anything else. He reached down to take it up, shaking out the dirt from it.

"Deborah!" He started to sob, thinking the worst may have happened. Did someone take her? And how will he get her back? Shawn started to limp towards the car, flashlight and her towel in his hands. He started to regret what he had said to her, and all the times he may have disrespected her too. Deborah was his soulmate. They have known each other for over a decade but intimately for six years, and he wanted to marry her one day. He wondered why he didn't do it sooner, but she never fussed about marriage or a ring. She barely fussed about anything, he tried to remember. He never got to thank her for planning an amazing birthday weekend at a hotel, and even paying for it with her own money. Something most women wouldn't do, he thought. How much did all of this even cost her? He wanted to return the favor and do something nice for her like this soon. Will I even get the chance to? He sniffled while he thought about the possibility of seeing her again.

Continuing his short journey towards the car, suddenly he heard a thud coming from the abandoned house. The sound frightened Shawn and made him almost tumble to the ground. He figured it was nothing since there were no other suspicious sounds after, and continued to the car, almost out of breath. But then he realized, something was even more terrifying about the thud in the house. Deborah could be inside, in trouble.

Shawn grasped at the realization that she could be inside. Making up his mind to take a look, he went for the bottle of wine. It was almost empty. He took a large sip, then broke the glass on the side of a stone, holding the top, his weapon.

"Just in case." He encouraged himself, throwing Deborah's towel in her suitcase. He shined the flashlight towards the abandoned house, lighting up his pathway. Anxiety filled his lungs as he stumbled towards the house. He was ready to see her and take her home. Shawn's injury didn't seem to bother him anymore. It was pretty clear that only one thing mattered and it was making sure Deborah was alive. He stood at the doorway of the house, gripping the broken wine glass tighter. Taking a deep breath, he pushed his left foot inside, limping to take another step.

"Debz?" He called out into the darkness but heard nothing. Hesitating to take another step, he waved the flashlight around the front room. There was old broken furniture, piles of garbage at different corners, and a staircase filled with empty bottles and snack papers on almost every step. There was an unbearable odor coming from one of the corners and Shawn dared himself not to look. Where is she? He asked himself, nervous but eager to see her.

Shawn scouted the house, room by room, from the ground floor. Everything was the same, each room he stepped in, had garbage, an awful stench that made him sick and some had large rats squeaking as they ran out of the room. He stood at the bottom of the staircase, looking up with his flashlight guiding him. He made his first step, shocked when he heard the wooden step creak beneath him. He prayed to his feet to help him get through the next few steps, knowing it will be painful. He reached out to the railing, broken wine glass still in his hand, but the rail shook and he quickly let go before he lost his balance. Fuck, that was close.

"Debz...." He got to the top of the staircase, flashing the light on the second level of the abandoned house, hoping that she would answer his call. He swung the flashlight from left to right, looking down both hallways. His chest was now filled with anxiety and the air felt stuffy. Taking a deep breath to calm his heart, he headed down the left hall. Shawn thought he would never experience such horror.

"This is straight out of a movie", he said, looking into the first room. It seemed to be a bedroom. No furniture, but of course garbage, and parts of the roof were gone. There were old green curtains still hanging at the windows and the large walk-in closet had an old dirty twin-size mattress on the ground. Shawn wondered if someone was sleeping there and if they were still there. The thought frightened him and all he wanted to do now was find Deborah and leave.

Shawn hopped as quietly as he could down the right hall, flashing the light from left to right, and looking behind him a few times. He heard sniffles and rumbling coming from the second room, and all he thought was what kind of species he would find. He held up the broken wine glass, taking a deep breath as he walked towards the door. Shawn gasped for air, couldn't believe what he saw when he swung the flashlight into the room.

"Deborah..."