BBSquad [One Shots]

Greenhouse {Evan}

There was a greenhouse on the abandoned Abernathy Estate.

The greenhouse was encompassed in unruly vines, but the plants inside were still visible. The house itself was made of brick and mortar with more vines crawling up the chimney.

The Abernathy Estate may well have been the infamous haunted house on the hill. Children avoided the place, teenagers told chilling stories of it, and adults laughed as if the thought of a haunted house sounded ridiculous to them.

I used to visit the house often. Nobody really lurked and since I frequented the Abernathy Estate, I kept the house as tidy as I could. I usually sat in the master bedroom on the second floor to read a book. The window surveyed most of the backyard, a large area with a tall hedged maze. The maze would have to be completed to reach the greenhouse, so I never dared to go. But I could see inside the greenhouse from the top floor, displaying a sea of green.

One day, a car pulled up into the driveway. I was terrified at the thought of them selling the house and discovering me inside. Though, it was only a boy who came out with a camera and a confident smile.

He walked right inside the house and simply smiled when I appeared at the top of the stairs.

"You may be the prettiest spirit I have ever seen," he said with a toothy grin.

A smile crossed my face. "Why are you here?"

"I'm a photographer."

I introduced myself and he introduced himself as Evan. He was a high school graduate, taking a year off before starting college. He asked a few questions about the house before he asked me to give him a tour of the estate. I was hesitant at first, but Evan's smile nearly swept me off my feet.

His interest in the house wasn't all that great until we reached the backyard.

"Is this a maze?"

"Yeah," I replied, staring up at the green hedges. "I think it's around seven feet tall. There's also a greenhouse at the end, but I don't think I'd ever go through here."

"We have to."

I told him I couldn't possibly.

Evan left a half hour later. He promised to be back again the next day and to my surprise, he actually did come back.

We talked for hours then and sat in the master bedroom, looking at the greenhouse and telling each other stories about our past. I had to leave once the sun began to fall, but Evan claimed he wanted to stay for a bit more. I didn't question him and walked home.

When I came back to the Abernathy Estate the next day, cops were by the door.

"You must be the woman who visits here often, right?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry for trespassing but the place has been abandoned for years and I only ever go to this place to read."

The police officer sent me a reassuring smile. "That's no problem, ma'am. But there was a man who came here yesterday and never came home. His parents called this morning claiming this was the last place he went to."

I explained to him when Evan first came and that he had wanted to stay longer than I had. It was only then that I saw Evan's car still parked in the driveway.

"He still must be on the Estate if he didn't bring his car? Did you track his phone?"

"His keys and phone were found in the middle of the maze. Nothing else was found."

I didn't visit after that. They never found Evan, which only added to the rumors that the school kids would tell their friends and that the adults would discuss in hushed conversations.

I obviously didn't know him much, but I missed him. For him to disappear so suddenly was devastating.

A few months later, though, I was on the way home when I passed he Abernathy Estate. The house seemed more haunting now, like I'd hear people say. It only made me want to go in even more, and so I did.

I had a book in my purse so I sat in the master bedroom, beside the bedroom window. Only fifteen minutes passed when I casually glanced out the window and my eyes caught his.

Evan was inside the greenhouse beside all the flowers. He smiled at me suddenly, but his smile was different. It was menacing, almost threatening. I was about to open the window and call for him but he began walking to the greenhouse exit.

I watched in curiosity as he stopped and smiled at me again....

Then he began to run through the maze at an inhuman speed. I watched in horror as he ran.

He was heading straight for me.

Spoopy. Vote and comment

And as always I hope ye enjoyed(:)

Shoutout goes to fluffinthepan for Lost. It's a very touching story and I've enjoyed it so far.