House Of Horrors

Chapter 20: Closing Curtain

Chapter 20:

"It's just the three of us now... we have to keep going. Anyone remember which way we just came from?" Collin asked, wiping the sticky sweat off his forehead with the back of his dirty hand. Tristan and I didn't bother to answer him; if we remembered our way around this crazy hellhole of a maze we wouldn't still be here.

We walked down yet another ominous hallway and passed a small room on our left that looked a bit familiar. I stopped and hesitantly peeked inside, finding a rare moment where my curiosity was able to get the best of me.

Everything about the odd room was girly and frilly, with pink floral wallpaper and matted white carpet. There was a creepy life-size doll sitting in a small chair in the middle of the room, and it took me a second to realize once again:

It was Brianna, still propped up like a limp, lifeless toy.

I glanced back at Tristan and he stared worriedly at me, as if he were concerned for my mental well-being. Honestly, I was too, because I didn't even react to the disturbing sight of my dead friend; it was an all too familiar sight now.

We walked on weakly, finding ourselves closer to what appeared to be the exit, or at least the foyer where we'd entered the house so long ago. Passing the room with Brianna was a good sign, only because we had crossed that room early on, so it must mean we're close.

Tristan moved forward with a quicker pace, an expression of concentration on his tired face as we recognized more and more about our familiar surroundings. it was weirdly easy, and I began to get a creeping bad feeling.

Escaping couldn't be this easy...

Tristan abruptly stopped and glanced over his shoulder, behind us. There was no one and nothing there, but I guessed he was thinking the same thing I just was.

This is too easy.

"What the hell are you guys waiting for? Let's get out of here!" Collin exclaimed, swiftly moving forward. We followed him without saying a word, but Tristan and I exchanged a weary look.

Maybe we were just being paranoid?

There it was: The tall double wooden doors we had entered this house through so long ago. It was beautiful because I never actually thought this glorious moment would come. The three of us simply stood there for a minute, just staring at them in faint disbelief.

Collin was the one that eventually stepped forward and grabbed ahold of the doorknob, wiggling it with a hopeful expression.

He abruptly started to seize, his entire body shaking so violently that it was a wonder he was even still standing. It took me a long while to realize he was being electrocuted by the door handle; I only realized once the pungent smell of burning flesh engulfed us.

"Collin!! Let go of the handle!"

Tristan rushed over and tried pulling him away but felt a lick of electricity as soon as his fingertip brushed Collin. It was too dangerous... he would get electrocuted too if he tried to touch Collin or help pull him away.

He was stuck to the door handle because of the intensity of the electrocution, something I remembered learning about briefly in school: if the amperage was high enough it could cause the muscles to clench, making it impossible to let go.

We could only stand there and watch hopelessly, as our friend was brutally cooked from the inside out.

It felt like we stood there watching Collin die for hours, but mere seconds later, spikes shot out from beside the door and impaled him in multiple fatal areas. Tristan jumped back in surprise, almost tripping over his own feet as he let out a horrified shriek.