The House That Never Was

II: Shelter From The Storm

After a long period of walking, the group of friends finally reached the house. It was even bigger than they thought it was. It was truly gigantic with red brick walls and giant windows. There were bushes all along the wall. All were neatly trimmed. The lawn was well maintained. There were rose bushes off to the side. They looked well kept.

In spite of all those things, the house still had a creepy kind of aura. A spine tingling, make your skin crawl kind of feeling. To look at the the house would give you a feeling that it was like it was looking back at you. It was like it could see past your eyes and into your soul.

"This place gives me the creeps." Joanne said.

"Better than being stuck out here in the rain." John told her.

"Yeah, I guess so." Joanne replied with a bit of hesitation.

Lisa shuttered as an eerie chill ran up her spine when they made it to the door.

"You okay?" Joanne asked.

"No. I have a bad feeling about this." Lisa replied, shivering in the cold.

"Don't be scared." Jack told her. "There's no reason to be."

"Don't be so sure about that." Angie said.

No one knew just how right the girls were. There was, in fact, something to be concerned about. There was something about that house that made them feel uneasy. They just didn't realize at the time that there were things within those walls that were best left unseen. Things that were best left alone.

At that moment Joanne shuddered as an eerie feeling crawled up her spine. Looking up at a window she saw nothing, but felt like someone or something was there.

"What are you looking at?" Angie asked.

"Someone's watching us." Joanne told her.

"You seen someone?" John asked.

"No, but I can feel it. Someone is watching us." Joanne replied.

"You're just tired and hungry. You'll feel better after a good night's rest." John told her.

"I'm not crazy!" Joanne exclaimed. "I know what I feel."

"Okay! Okay!" John said. "Let's just go in and use the phone. After that we can get out of here."

Steve wiping his eyes. "I'm all for that."

"Me too." Angie said as she wiped her wet hair out of her face.

"Look." John said as he pointed to the house. "There are some lights on. Someone has to be here."

Ringing the doorbell, John turns to his friends. "I hope they have a phone we can use."

"And a place to dry off." Joanne added.

"May I help you?" Came a voice.

Startled, John spins around to see an old man standing at the door.

"You scared the crap out of me!" John exclaimed.

The man was average height. He was kind of on the thin side. His pale and creepy complexion gave Joanne goose bumps.

"I am terribly sorry. That was not my intention." The old man replied.

"Do you have a phone we can use to call for help?" Steve asked.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have a phone here." The old man replied.

"Let them in, Charles." A voice called from inside the house.

The old man opened the door and motioned for them to come in. As they all stepped inside they could see an old Victorian style setup. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the room illuminating the entryway.

"Wow!" Angie exclaimed. "What a house."

"Bring them into the kitchen, Charles." A woman's voice called.

"Right this way." The old man said.

Walking through the house, they made their way down a long hallway decorated with old paintings. There were old vases on stands next to each painting. The floor was covered in red carpet. Lights hanging from gold fixtures on the ceiling dimly lit the hallway.

Finally reaching the kitchen, they were greeted by an old woman. She was pale and thin. Her teeth appeared to be yellow when she smiled. She tried to smile sweetly, but gave a creepy impression.

"Welcome." The old woman said. "Please have a seat at the table.

"We were hoping to use a phone, but Charles said you don't have one." Lisa told her.

"No, we don't have one." The old woman replied. "There are no lines out this far."

The friends all looked at each other in a disappointed manner. How were they going to get the help they needed?

"What do we do now?" Angie asked her friends.

"You can stay here for the night." The old woman replied.

"Oh no, we wouldn't want to impose." Joanne politely told her.

"Oh, it's no bother." The old woman said. "We don't get visitors very often."

The friends all look at each other, and John nods his head at the old woman. "We appreciate it. Thank you."

Joanne grabs John's hand and stares at him. Tilting her head she gives him an angry look. Whispering to him she says, "Why did you agree? There's something wrong here." Her eyes widened. "I can feel it."

John looks at Joanne with a crooked smile on his face. "It's just your nerves, babe. That's all it is."

The old woman sits a bowl of hot soup in front of Joanne. "He's right. Stay here for the night. Have some hot soup and a good night's rest. You'll feel better in the morning." She then goes back to serving soup.

Everyone ate their soup, except for Joanne. Afterwards, the old man offered to show everyone to their rooms.

They walked for quite some time down twisting and turning hallways. It made Joanne feel like a rat in a maze.

The hallways were long and wide with paintings hanging everywhere. Red carpeting followed along the floor. It was more like an old castle than a house.

Finally, reaching a dimly lit hallway, the old man stops and speaks. "These are the rooms you will be staying in." He points to three rooms. Two are on one side of the hallway. One is on the other side. "I must warn you. Don't go wandering around. It's very easy to get lost. Besides, you never know what you might find in an old place like this." The old man smiles as he turns to walk away. "Remember, some things are best left alone in the dark."

The friends all looked at each other with puzzled expressions as the three couples entered their rooms.