Rebecca's Last Dare

"Rebecca, truth or dare?" my friends call out, slightly jumping up and down.

"Let's see... how about dare?" I smile,

"Oh! I know! I dare you to find out the new boy's secrets!" Samantha contributes, her volume way too loud.

"Oh, uhm... okay, but do we even know where he lives?"

"I followed him once. He's only 2 blocks away," Carol grins, her eyes flashing evilly.

"Alright then."

Collectively, we get up off the floor scattered with blankets for the sleepover. I grab a flashlight, shivering, having difficulty taking steps. Carol takes the lead, skipping away, humming as she exits the house. The night sky shimmers with stars, and the moon shines brightly, casting a faint glow on the ground. We pass by the houses of the neighborhood, paying attention to the reflection of the glass on the sidewalk. Navigating around the glass, I start to slow down, each step feeling heavier with the weight of my dare. Time quickens as I'm lost in the space of my own mind, where a little voice is screaming for me to run away, and next thing I know, we've arrived.

I look up at the house. It looks like it is two stories high, and no lights are on except for the dim glow of the front door. The house is worn and the outside of it has some parts peeling off of it. The moon's glow doesn't seem to reach one part of this horrible house. I take a step back and turn around, all my instincts screaming to leave. My friend, they're here, I don't want to be known as a chicken. Still, I have to ask.

"C'mon guys, do I really have to?" I ask, my voice high and whiny, as I fidget with my hands.

"Of course you have to! It's a dare!" Carol huffs, crossing her arms. "Don't be such a scaredy cat, it's only some fun."

Of course. My friends shuffle into the dark brush around the house, hiding to watch. I gulp and turn back toward the house. It looms over me, taunting me. I take a breath and tell myself that I need to do this. I won't be known as the chicken for all my life. Step after step, I arrive at the door and turn the doorknob. The door creaks open, suspiciously unlocked. I take one look back at my escape before taking a step in and closing the door silently behind me, sealing my doom.

I look around, the hall light on, revealing a middle carpet that makes a pathway. It looks worn and old. I already feel the regret coming into me, starting from my head and pooling at my toes, causing my hair to stand up on every surface. Everything is tidy and neat, but there are no signs of parents home this late at night. I take a step back and run into the door. It's... unnerving, but I need to go on, I guess.

I force my feet to go, moving against the strong pull of the outdoors, of freedom. The carpet in the living room has a red stain, and the wall has puncture holes, revealing the drywall. My breaths come out shakily, it kind of looks like a murder scene from a show. I hope not, god, I pray it's not. There are stains along the hall pathway, cleaned up but still faintly there. Continuing on, I see the kitchen to my left and the stairs going up to my right.

On the kitchen counter lay an assortment of needles. A shiver runs down my spine as the small voice gets louder. Small containers contain liquids I've never seen before, some in vials as well. A pocket knife is open next to the needles and a knife block is not too far off, with a sharpener close by. Oh god. I turn and go to leave, but remember my friends are just outside. I can't go back now, this isn't enough to satisfy them.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I slowly turn back around and see a door at the end of the pathway. I guess I can go that way first. I slowly drag myself over to it, and grasp the knob with my trembling hands. I swing it open as quietly as possible. If anyone is home, I'd rather not alert them that I've seen all this. Looking down, a wooden staircase descends into an abyss. The basement. Gulping down my fear, I take one step down.

They're eroded and uneven, but not all in the same spot. As if something had been sprawled out and dragged along them. Some spots are stained in strange pools, like a huge amount of thick liquids had once been there. I slip slightly, but manage to catch myself as I hear my blood pumping, my heart racing. I gulp and look at what I had slipped on. A dark red pool. Is that blood? Oh god. He can't be a murderer, right? I should go, but, if I do, I'll be a disgrace. I have to keep going, oh god.

Watching my step, I continue down, careful to not step in the slick spots where the blood pools. I scrunch up my nose as a pungent smell comes wafting over. I get down and look around, the room dimly lit with purple candles at the outer edges. The middle hides in the darkness as a constant rhythmic dripping sounds out, echoing in the expanse. I gag, the stench getting stronger now that I've reached the bottom. I start to take deep breaths through my mouth, hoping it'll help lessen the smell entering my nose.

I can no longer lift my feet to move, my hair on their ends. I have to go back with something good, but this... no, I have to do this. Shakily, I turn my flashlight on, directing it to the dark spot in the middle. The flashlight drops and a scream rips free from my throat. Quickly, I clasp my hands over my own mouth and shut up, eyes wide, my lungs going 90 miles per minute. The image glues itself to the front of my mind, and my eyes won't close I stare upon this evil sight.

Body parts. Arms, legs, hands, feet, they're on a mahogany table with carvings. Restraints are wrapped around a loose arm piece, the torso and head completely absent. I can't move, frozen in place as a shiver runs down my spine, gluing me to the floor. Panic and fear, it grows like an insidious tumor inside of my heart. I hear my breathing, it sounds like I'm hyperventilating. I gain back my control, and turn, running up the stairs, not caring about the slick pools.

I open up the basement door, and run head first into a firm chest. Oh no... my feet leave the ground and I start squirming, tears dripping on the floor as we descend into the horrible, dark basement. I try to scream for help, anything, but the words are caught in my throat. I can't speak, I can't breathe, and I need help. Kicking and hitting the person carrying me, I try my best to get out of their impossible grip.

I'm thrusted upon the table, feeling the body parts shoved to the side. My shirt soaks with the blood on the table as I blindly swing. My hands go into the restraints first, then my legs. I look around, waves and waves of absolute and total fear wash over me. I see the person has black hair, a little taller than me, and has green eyes. The new boy. It's him, he did this. He comes close and caresses my cheek and I jerk away.

"Calm down, it'll go quicker if you stay still," he breathes out, barely audible.

I jerk against my restraints, knowing now that I have officially screwed myself over. I'm going to die here, in this basement of doom. My dare would be the last. I hear him say something inaudible, almost feral like. He grabs his forehead and pulls, some misty haze coming out. I shriek, and then choke as it enters my throat. I erupt into coughs that echo across the room as the boy undoes a restraint on my hand. The mist enters fully, and the boy's body falls, limp and unmoving. Tears streak down my cheeks.

I try to move but find I'm no longer in control, and I feel myself starting to drift away into nonexistence. Something inside me is being pulled up, almost like my essence, my soul, is being used to feed the creature, whatever he was. I fight against it the best I can, trying to steal back the control of my body, but I'm left to fade away, and to forget who I am, forever.