Nightmare at the Norton's

A dare to take

The cabin loomed before them. A fleeting memory of days long past.
"Go on Tate." Jackson sneered, "it's not too late to back out. If your sissy enough to anyway."

Alyssa punched him in the arm, "Shut up Jackson. Tate you shouldn't do this. Please. Just come back to town."

Tate glared at Jackson and shook her head, "I'm not a sissy. I can spend a night in a so called haunted house and I'm going to prove it!"

She turned back towards the cabin hulking in the shadows like a beast waiting for its prey to come too close.

Clearing her throat Tate took a hesitant step towards it. It looked evil and the story behind the cabin made it sound evil too.

Tate took a deep breath. It's okay. It's just one night in a stupid house that they say is haunted. There is no such thing as ghosts. She told herself with every step.

Slowly Tate walked up the steps to the porch. The front door had a broken padlock hanging from the knob. People had obviously been here before. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. I'm not the only person who has been tricked into staying in this dump.

Tate grabbed the rusty door knob with a shaking hand and turned it. Her backpack filled with supplies for the night felt heavy on her back as she pushed on the door. It opened smoothly and without a sound as though it was oiled regularly.

Shivers ran down her spine. A cold draft breathed out the door as though the cabin had held it in for a long time. The only light came from the open door and boarded up windows. The setting sun didn't let much light through the trees let alone into the house so it was still very dark.

Tate squinted into the dark and searched her belt loops for her flashlight. Finding it, she undid the clasp holding it to the belt loop on her left hip. She pushed the power button and a beam of light traced the outline of the house's interior.

A stair case led up to the second floor on her left. A hallway just next to it lead to the back where she guessed the kitchen was. A door was on the far right of the room. A bathroom or closet. The rest of the downstairs was open space made into a living room.

"Well go on then!" Jackson shouted from where he and Alyssa were by the car.

"Tate!" Alyssa yelled, "Just close the door and come back to town with us. We aren't going to think any less of you if you don't do it."

"Come on Tate. Just listen to Alyssa." Jason said. He had been so quiet the whole time that Tate had actually forgotten he had come with them.

"Guys," Tate said turning around, "Do you really believe it's haunted? Come on there are no such things as ghosts. Now you're all welcome to stay the night with me but I'm not leaving."

The whole group down by the truck got a little fidgety. Alyssa looked like she was having a mental war with her thoughts. Jackson and Jason both looked at the ground.

"I can't let you stay alone." Jason said, "So I guess I'm staying too."

Jackson shook his head, "There is no way I'm staying in there for five minutes let alone the whole night.

Everyone looked at Alyssa, "You know I would Tate but I am babysitting until my parents get back on Thursday."

"It's okay Alyssa. I understand."

Jason grabbed an extra pack from the bed of the truck and started walking up to the house. His footsteps resounded in the surrounding forest with hesitant crunching.

When he reached Tate they both turned and looked into the dreary cabin before them. They took a deep breath and stepped through the door which slammed loudly behind them.