The Last Winter

Chapter 2: The Discovery

I grabbed Jacob's arm and squeezed it tight. I'm really scared. I don't know what to expect down here.

"Don't be such a chicken shit." Jacob joked. I huffed as a reply. I need to learn to control this damn habit.

The room lit up slowly as we shown our flashlights around the room. There was a small vanity. The mirror had missing pieces, the remaining shards were on the table below it. A small chair was standing in the middle of the room. Ropes surround the back of the chair. It was cut and had dark stains on it along with the the floor around it.

"Hey, I think I found a light." Jacob whispered pulling me to the side. He pulled down the little chain and the light bulb flickered on, leaving a dim light in the room. "This room is creepier with the lights on." I said as I felt goosebumps cover my arms. Jacob quickly nodded his head. I tightly blinked, helping my eyes adjust to the dim light. I looked around the room. The piping along the roof was rusted and leaking. A large wardrobe stood in the corner of the room. It had a glossy look and it's handles were silver and had no rust or mildew like the others. It looked new.

I looked at Jacob his forehead glistened with sweat. He stared at the wardrobe with mixed expressions. Scared, worried, anxious were the most obvious expressions he showed. I'm sure I showed them too.

"Do we open it?" I asked. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans and pushed back my hair. "Do we want to?" Jacob replied. Do we really want to? What could be in there? Dead bodies maybe? That would explain the smell. Maybe Kaleb is in there.. No, that's illogical.

Stop. Stop doing this to yourself. I looked at Jacob and grabbed his hand. I slowly nodded my head. "On three. 1..2...3.." I said. I grabbed the handle and shut my eyes. I quickly pulled open the door and gagged in disgust at the smell that emerged from the wardrobe.

I opened my eyes and my lunch came crawling up my throat.
Arms. Legs. Ears. Hands. Body parts. All human body parts. I yelped and hid my face against Jacob's chest. "Holy shit..." I heard Jacob whisper as he wrapped his arms around me. I cried into his shirt, hoping this was all just a big nightmare. "Katheryn, we have to tell someone." Jacob said. I felt him remove one arms from around me and shut the wardrobe. I placed my hands on his chest and looked up at him.

"Jake, we can not tell anyone about this. Do you understand? With that guy out there. He can hurt us or our families. I can't bear that happening. Lets just climb back up and never come back again. Okay? We can tell Michy tomorrow. Lets go." I explained quickly. "Are you insane? This is your basement. What if someone else finds this and thinks you or your dad is a homicidal psychopath?! You could get in so much trouble, Katheryn." Jacob argued. He had such a fearful look in his eyes. He is right, but I'm just not sure.

I walked over to the little window and boosted myself up. I waited for Jacob to get up himself. Once both in the passage way we crawled as fast as we could back to my living room. The bright light burned my eyes as I crawled into my living room. "Jake, never again are we going in there. Not even with Michy." I said firmly. He nodded and sat cris-cross, staring blankly at the door. I shut it closed and popped it locked with the bobby pin. I pushed the plant back to its original space and dusted myself off.

I heard the front door open and close. "Katy kat! You home?" I heard my dad yell. "Daddy!!" I screamed as I ran over to my dad. I gave him a tight bear hug and he gladly returned it. "Hey Mr. Mills." Jacob said walking over to where me and dad were. "I told you, call me David." My dad said bringing Jacob into a man hug. "I was just about to go so I'll see you tomorrow, Kat. Nice seeing you Mr.- I mean, David." Jacob blushed. He waved to me and quickly exited the house.

"So how was work?" I asked as I walked my dad to the couch. "It was good. I got promoted to co-manager!" My dad exclaimed as he flipped on the TV. "No way! Congrats!" I said giving him another huge bear hug. "Thanks. Oh and mom called. She said she wants us to visit." Dad said, his expression drastically changing from proud to cold. "Oh.. Um. Okay.." I stuttered.

My mom was arrested for assult, child abuse, and attempted murder. Yeah and it was all on me and my dad. My childhood wasn't the best, but for the last 2 years I've been pretty happy.

- - -

Ring. Ring. Ring. Buzz. Ring.

Ugh. Who's calling me? I threw my hand on my night table and searched for my phone. I clicked the button and let my eyes adjust to the bright screen. I read the time. 3:30 a.m.. Who's calling me at 3 in the morning!? I unlocked my phone and checked my missed calls. Jacob. Ughhh. I called him back. The phone rang only twice before he picked up.

"Kat! That Kaleb guy! He's in your neighborhood!" Jacob screamed into the phone.

I shot up from my bed. My breathing picked up. My heart began to race.

"Oh shit. Oh my god. Why? Oh my god. I'm screwed. No. No. No. Why? Why is this happening? What did I do? " I rambled on.

"Kat calm down. I'll be over soon." Jacob said

"No. Stay at your house. I'm going to my dad's room okay. Good night." I replied rapidly.

I hung up the phone and quickly ran across the hall to my dads room.

I opened the door and stood next to his bed. "Daddy?" I said quietly. "Mmmm" my dad mumbled. "Can I sleep here? I had a really bad dream." I said. "Sure thing sweety." He replied.

The thing is... I wish this was just a dream.
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