The House Of Darkness

Hiding in Shadows

We all hide in shadows, sometimes from the monsters under our bed, sometimes from ourselves.
But it is within the light that we hide the biggest truths, and our deepest fears.

The sun was glaringly bright as Lola stepped across the ground towards the shed.

It loomed above her, its shadows calling to her, enticing her to seek the cool, darkness that would yield the secrets of the farmhouse's owners.

She shivered as she put her hand to the shed's door and pressed her ear against the sun-warmed metal.

She heard no sounds from within and tried the door. It squealed on hinges that had rusted slightly with exposure to the weather.

The shaft of light that accompanied her illuminated the interior, casting light over the workbench.

The bloodstained workbench.

The smell of death permeated everything. Two vinyl butcher's aprons hung to the side, the red patches of blood stuck on the thick blue and white stripes of the aprons.

Lola stepped into the shed, her feet crunching over a floor covered in sand, her shackles dragging through the finer grains.

To the left, there were cages, all were open and empty. A pile of rags lay beside the cages, and she thought she saw the toe of a sneaker, splattered with droplets of crimson against the stark white of the shoe, poking out from the pile of rags.

She looked to her right where an ice cream carton sat. Lola let her curiosity get the better of her and peered into it. She scrambled back , a scream catching in her throat as she was greeted with the stares of over a dozen eyeballs in various stages of decay.

Lola choked back her nausea, bumping against something soft but stiff. She turned and cried out in fright.

The dead eyes of a hanging woman greeted her.
The woman's hands were tied up above her head, her body hanging from the wrists. Her face showed the sheer terror that she was feeling upon her death. Lola gasped in great heaving breaths as she backed up away from the horror before her.

Her 'hosts' were some seriously sick people.

She heard off-key singing interspersed with annoyed muttering, Beaufort had returned for some reason.

Lola scrambled back to the shadows, hoping that the dark would hide her.
Beaufort's shadow blocked the light a little as he came to inspect the shed and its open door.

Lola watched as he came in and inspected the floor. Her footprints clear in the sand.

"Lo-la!" He called softly. "Come out Lola, come out and play..." he called in a sing-song voice that made her shiver with fear. She watched as he slowly, deliberately searched the shed.

"I know you're in here Lola. I can smell your fear..." he muttered as he pulled the discarded clothing away, he turned sharply and saw her foot poking out from behind a crate.

"Gotcha!" He shrieked with glee, his hand moved lightning fast, snagging her by the ankle and dragging her out.
Lola screamed as he pulled her up to face him.
"Shh..." he said as he held her tight. "You've been a bad girl Lola, Hank will be angry with you, so very angry.
But I will keep your secret if you let me have a taste of you..." Beaufort said, as he ran his tongue over her neck and up the side of her cheek

Lola shivered, fearing him, but fearing what Hank might do to her more. She looked up at the hanging body that loomed over Beaufort's shoulder and nodded.

"Good, let's go to the barn." He said, dragging her out of the shed and into the cleansing light of day.

The light didn't last long as he hustled her into the barn, took her to one of the horse stalls and pushed her down into the hay.

Lola closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip as Beaufort straddled her, his hands gripping her breasts painfully through the sundress.

"So pretty..." he murmured as he lowered his lips to her neck.
Lola let her mind drift back to happier times, before the world became the fucked-up hell hole it was today.

When Beaufort had finished, she pulled the dress back over her body. He watched her with satisfaction.
"Much better when they are warm." He muttered to himself and giggled.

Lola left the barn, heading back to the house. She fixed her hair, her body trembling a little with shock at what she'd allowed to happen. But she knew that she had to let the two bastards fall into complacency before she could make a move.

When she got back from the forest with Hank, Penny ran up to her and gave her a posy of wildflowers.

"Wow, they're so pretty!" She said, taking the flowers and putting them in a glass of water. Penny grinned, happy that her little gift of pretty flowers was accepted.

"Lola, you won't ever leave me, will you?" She asked, as she threw her arms around Lola's legs.

"No sweetie," she said, looking from the girl to Hank, who stood at the door watching them both.
"I won't leave you."

But she wouldn't stay here either. She just needed time and to earn Hank's trust.

Until then, she would survive and endure whatever the twisted men would throw at her.