The House of Lost Souls

Chapter 3

They had spent the rest of the evening before that preparing. First they had found a map of the valley and saw that Six Tree Hill was only a fair bit behind the house. So after familiarizing themselves with the route they would take, they then moved onto the next problem, light. They searched the house and found six camping lanterns, so there was one for each of them and one extra. After that it had just been going over their plans and waiting until it was time to head out. Jessie made them dinner and that went much like lunch, Jake and Madison headed upstairs with their food, leaving just Jessie, John and Daniel. However, John seemed disinterested in their conversation and eventually ended up going outside. Jessie really wanted to go check on him but she was just enamored with Daniel's stories and he also seemed to get upset when she shifted her attention from him, so she just figured she'd check on him later.

The night drew on, the sunset drifting into the cool summer night, and the clock inched closer to the time they had decided to leave by. But before it was time, Jessie came to a realization, Jessica hadn't returned yet, now her worries came back to her. So mid conversation Jessie said, "Wait, where's Jessica?" Daniel replied with, "I don't know, anyway-" "oh my god she's been missing since this afternoon, we need to look for her." Jessie got up to grab her car keys and purse when Daniel said, "And go miss the ghost? She's her own person, I'm sure she's just staying with a friend or something. Also, are you really gonna just abandon us to search for her?" Jessie paused and thought about what he said, she really should look for Jessica but at the same time was she really about to abandon her friends just for that? But it was really settled in her mind when Daniel said, "But no, go ahead and look for her, it totally won't ruin my evening plans at all." Jessie's sweet heart just couldn't say no to him, so she replied with, "Ok sorry, you're right, I'm sure she'll be fine and she'll turn up in the morning and clear this all up." Daniel smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm sure she's fine, now where was I..." as he continued talking about what he was before Jessie interrupted him.

After John headed back inside, they headed out. Jessie led them, as she had memorized the trails they'd need to take to get there. They heard the sound of crickets and the occasional animal call. Specifically the hoot of an owl that sounded close to them but they never could spot it. For most of their trip long pines stood on either side of the trail, limiting their vision to the path in front of them. But after a while of walking they reached an area where the trees opened up and their branches stopped higher up, allowing them to see the forest around them better. Eventually they reached a point in the path where part of it split up and ran to the top of a small hill. Taking it, they found themselves in the middle of a circle of six trees, Six Tree Hill. Overhead, the stairs sparkled and shone, and in front of them, the trees parted to give a good view of a small clearing. They stared out at it, waiting to see something, but the only thing that happened was the valley filled with a thick fog. But just as they gave up hope or something happening, a light appeared at the treeline on the left side. That light morphed into a more defined shape, a woman. She wore a pale white dress that seemed to shimmer and glow, long white hair flowed freely from her head down over her shoulders. Her skin though, was pale, and her eyes sunken and hollow, like that of a corpse. She began to walk across the clearing, and as she did, she sang. Her voice was smooth and almost beautiful, but something was just off, and instead it was cold and haunting. Everyone was too shocked to do anything but stare and listen as she sang:

Once I walked with love in hand,
Now I dwell between the sand.
Grief has carved my timeless way,
Twisting paths where spirits stray.

Death has torn the veil so thin,
I sought them out, yet wandered in.
In loss, I found the door to climb,
To worlds beyond, unbound by time.

Now shadows call, and winds do weave,
A cabin waits where none shall leave.
Seek the heart, the hollowed place,
Where silence wears a frozen face.

Hidden hands within the trade,
A service rendered, deals are made.
Step through the dust, the price is there,
What's lost is found, yet none shall spare.

But beware the wolf in skin of kin,
For not all hearts are born within.
What's human lies in doubt and fear,
A truth concealed, now drawing near.

Four shall stand at journey's end,
While others bend and wills descend.
Blood and bond shall pay the cost,
What's gained in shadows will be lost.

It took a second before everyone recovered from the shock of the whole event. Jessie looked around at everyone's reactions, and while everybody was still in disbelief, even Jake, John seemed the worst. The color was drained from his face, and his hands were visibly shaking as he just continued to stare out into the clearing. "Hey, you okay?" Jessie asked softly, and John seemed to be brought back to reality, he just said, "yeah, I'm fine, lets just get back to the house. Nobody disagreed with him in that notion, so Jessie led them back, with John being right behind her, and Daniel not too far behind him.

There weren't many words spoken when they got back, just a couple hasty "good night"'s. As Jake and John reached the fourth floor, though John immediately headed for his room Jake hesitated. He had seen how John was back there and it triggered something inside him, and now that it was just the two of them, he really wanted to ask if he was okay. He quickly dismissed the thought and headed to his room, but the thought didn't leave him. Frustrated with himself, he turned on his xbox and soon the thoughts of that night left him. Soon most everyone was asleep, or at least, it seemed that way.