THE HOUSE OF A KILLER

chapter 1

When my family and I moved out of our old house in the city to one near the countryside I wasn't quite surprised . The house was old and gave an antique feeling to it . 

There were huge black front gates and glass French windows . When I first came inside, there was something strangely off about the narrow hallway on the second floor . The hallway had red painted walls and black carpet leading to the end  there was a creepy painting of a smiling women ,wearing a black silk dress and black hair neatly kept back in a bun . I hated that hall with all my will . There was just an uneasy feeling in my mind every time I walked across it .

Once my cousins Leen and Ben came to visit us and we all decided to play hide and seek while our parents were away. When it was my turn to catch both of them I was slightly scared hoping that none of them hid In any corner of that  hall . 

" Alright, ready or not here I come " I shouted before I went looking . I looked in the kitchen , inside a closet and under a bed where I found Leen curled up in tiny ball barely noticeable . "Ha! Found you " I exclaimed "No!" She yelled . We both went around looking for Ben but couldn't find him anywhere . The last place left to look was the hallway on the second floor . A chilly felling crept up my spine . The lights in the hallway were turned off .... They were never turned off . Leen switched the lights on as I was left struck . The painting was on the floor reviling a small metal sliding box..

Leen stepped closer to the box and examined it closely . "This looks so cool !" she said trailing her hand out the exterior of the heavy lid . "Come on lets get it opened " She called to me " No! are you crazy ? We should just leave it alone and go look for Ben" I had to admit I was a bit scared .... Okay fine , I was really scared.

"Come on , help me "

"Leave it now "

"Please"

She pleaded . Just then the I heard a click from the front door "Come on everyone must be back "

I ran down stairs  but there was no one there . The front door was left wide open as the cold wind blew through.

"Ben , come out this isn't funny "

No response . "I swear you  have to stop playing like this "

I walked towards the door to close it but all of a sudden I noticed something was not right Leen should have followed me back but she wasn't here ,all of the lights had suddenly dimmed on their own and why was it freezing in August ? 

I quickly shut the door and headed upstairs. "Leen?'' I called out. "Ben?" This was getting strange. As I approached the red hallway, I saw Leen sitting next to the painting, engrossed in something she was reading. I rushed over to her. "Get up! We need to find Ben." When she didn't move, I asked, "What are you reading?"