the hour of midnight

Five

I was rattled and felt nauseous. Leaning against the corridor wall, I took a few deep breaths, willing my heartbeat to slow down. Already thoroughly shaken, I screamed out loud when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me—but it was only Cecily.

"Sara, I really need to pee. Can you come with me?" she asked, indifferent to my scream. I realized this was the first time anyone had spoken since we arrived at this eerie place. "Okay, fine," I sighed, and followed her to the washroom.

The door was still creaking, which didn't help me regain my composure. The strange creaking filled me with even more dread. "Check whether the plumbing is okay," I said, feeling that whoever had half-built this house might have neglected it.

I stepped into the dark washroom and turned the tap. I kept turning and turning, but no water came. "Looks like it's not okay," Cecily remarked wryly.

"Come on, let's check whether there's a switch or something to activate the plumbing," I said, turning to leave when suddenly several things began to happen at once.