"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," a tiny voice whispered.
Startled, I turned around to see a girl of about eight standing stock-still behind me, her face pale, her eyes round with apprehension, and her lips taut with unspoken fear.
"Shh..." I lifted a finger to my lips. "Please don't tell anyone I was here."
I shifted my attention back to the big ugly brown door that towered forebodingly before us as if to guard a dreadful secret with its deadbolts, wooden planks, and padlocks. It looked out of place among the cookie jars, ceramics, floral tiles, and intricate woodwork of cabinets and open shelves. The place looked like it came straight out of a glossy home and country magazine and smelled pleasantly of gingerbread and cinnamon. Mrs. Evangelista loved to bake, it seemed.
"You're not allowed in here."
"It's all boarded up," I muttered. "What's in there, anyway?"
"You wouldn't want to know," the girl replied. "I don't want you to end up like the others."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my brows furrowing over the cryptic reply.
There was a chill in the air, followed by a prolonged silence. I turned to look at her. The child was no longer there. My eyes searched every nook and cranny of Mrs. Evangelista's beautiful country-style kitchen for the little girl, but there was no sign of her
"Hey!" TJ called out from the doorway.
"Have you seen a little girl?" I asked, a little perplexed.
"No," TJ replied. "I was just gonna ask, why were you talking to yourself?"
"I wasn't," I said testily, and TJ laughed. "There was this little girl about eight, I think. She just told me not to go in the basement, because she said she did not want me 'to end up like the others.'"
"You don't say," TJ remarked sarcastically. "Now, that's some creepy shit."
."Well, she was here..." My voice trailed off as I continued to survey the kitchen.
"Maybe she's a ghost." TJ rolled his eyes and made a low howling sound.
"Shut up, Teej. I think we should leave. Mrs. Evangelista could be here any minute," I said, looking around nervously.
"Oh, man, you're such a sissy."
"TJ, we shouldn't be breaking into someone's house in the first place."
"It's a dare, Lucas. You accepted the challenge, remember?" TJ said and altered his voice to mimic mine. "Okay, Eric. You bet, Eric. I can do it, Eric." TJ laughed, sounding annoyingly like a hyena.
"Okay. You win, Teej," I sighed.
"By the way, I have something interesting to show you."
TJ beckoned me to follow, and I obediently trailed him into a narrow hallway leading to a spiral staircase. We padded up the carpeted steps and crept into the first room on the left side of the corridor. The room was minuscule, but books filled its walls from top to bottom. A large brown desk sat in the middle of the room.
"Look at these," TJ said, stooping over scraps of newspaper cutouts scattered across the desk. I looked over TJ's shoulder.
"So?"
"Read them."
Silently, I scanned the headlines.
"Headless Naked Body Found in The Cemetery!"
"Co-ed Missing After Baby-Sitting."
"Missing Girl's Body Parts Litter Elementary School Playground!"
