The house on Pinewood Drive has been vacant for years now. Local legend tells of an unexplained death and the strange occurrences that started on the property soon afterwards. Andra Morris is new to the town of Inglewood. As a self proclaimed medi...
We buried my father today. I can't believe I'm even writing that sentence. How does something like this happen? Mom says it was a stroke, but it doesn't make sense to me. I'm completely lost without him. We had plans. We had a new home and a new town. I was days from getting away from all this. Now I'm not only stuck here. I'm all alone. I have to figure this out. It can't end like this. I won't let it.
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The trio moved toward the sliding glass doors at the front of the building with Melanie in the lead. There was a faint whoosh noise when the door slid back.
As they entered the cool interior of the air-conditioned building they were surrounded by the faint smell of antiseptic and bleach. The natural sunlight streaming in through the large windows gave the lobby a cheerful feel. The floor was made up of multi-colored slate tiles in gray and green. Against the walls on either side of the room were plush gray couches and rustic-looking light brown wood coffee tables. Just inside the door, two nurses in teal scrubs stood talking quietly. When they spotted Melanie they smiled and waved greeting her by name and asking about her family. After exchanging a few pleasantries Melanie continued toward the front desk.
A rather plump woman with a headful of bushy red hair that had been pulled up into a slicked back ponytail sat hunched over the desk. As they approached they could see that she was furiously scribbling in a thin spiral notebook. So absorbed was she in what she was doing that she didn't hear their approach. Only when Melanie spoke did she finally look up. "Hi, Stacy. How is Gloria today? Is she up for a few visitors?"
Stacy who looked to be in her thirties pushed her wire-rimmed glasses higher up on her thin beaklike nose and took in all three of her new visitors with a critical eye. She pursed her heavily coated red lips and when she spoke a small smear of red was visible on her front tooth. "She's been pretty stable today. I think she'd be ok with it. Who are your friends?" Andra froze saying nothing. She wasn't sure how they should answer.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? This is my niece and nephew Andra and Cameron. They're visiting from out of town. We were out sightseeing today while their mother was running errands and since we were in the neighborhood I thought I'd stop by. She doesn't get many visitors. I thought maybe seeing the kids would do her some good."
"Well, you're not wrong about that," Stacy answered in a dry tone. "But you know we don't usually allow anyone who isn't family."
"I know but I thought maybe you could make an exception just this once. Besides, you and I both know I'm the closest thing she has to family. No one's been here in years. Technically that would make the kids her family by extension." Andra and Cameron stood silently listening to Melanie give this little speech. Andra was impressed. She hadn't even broken a sweat while rattling off that story.
