Ray's Lament: A Welcome to Dead House Prequel

Chapter #1 Dark Falls

The sky grew dark with gray clouds as our black SUV chugged along the old gravel road of our new home town. As we made our way towards our new house, dark trees thick with leaves lined the streets, blocking out any of the remaining sunlight that the clouds weren't containing.

My parents sat in the front seats of the car, my mom Debbie, with dark blonde hair and brown eyes, sat in the passenger seat while Andrew, my dad with reddish brown hair and very light blue eyes, sat in the driver's seat. They were both talking about the house as my mom fiddled with the radio, tuning it to the local station for Dark Falls, our new home town.

A monotone male voice spoke through the radio, giving an insight on the weather for the day.

    "The weather for Dark Falls, July 14th, 1988. The sun has gone inside the clouds and it looks like it's going to stay there for awhile. Townsfolk can expect some freedom from those harmful rays for the next few hours." The voice reported.

    "Dark Falls? That's a fitting name." I blurted from my seat in the back, still observing the scenery as we drove.

    "You don't sound very enthusiastic about it, Ray." My mom answered, turning in her seat.

I shrugged and moved some of my dark blonde hair out of my face. My mom was right, I wasn't very enthusiastic. Because I wasn't the fondest of moving to this town out of the three of us.

    "Just think of it like an adventure, Ray. It's a whole new world to explore." My dad consoled.

    "With new friends for you to make." Mom added.

"I guess..." I chuffed, casting my icy blue eyes to the floor of the car.

    "The real estate agent did admit to your mom and I though, that about a year ago there was an accident at the chemical factory, resulting in the loss of some jobs. From what it sounds like, this town isn't doing so well money wise." Dad explained.

    "Great, so the town is dark and depressing." I groaned, looking back out the window.

    "Just keep an open mind Ray, and try to make some friends here. These kids probably need it in a time like this." Mom coaxed.

I breathed out at her comment as dad pulled the car into the driveway of our new house.

It was old. The white paint on it was chipped and the windows were dusty. Some of the black shingles were missing from the roof and the front yard was full of dead leaves and weeds. To top it off, the whole yard and house was enveloped in the dark shadows of an old oak tree sitting in the corner of the yard.

    "Welcome home." Dad cooed, turning off the car engine and getting out. My mom followed. I sat in my seat for a few more moments, staring at the house.

Welcome home? Some home....it looked like it would collapse if I just poked the side of it...

Sighing heavily, I got out of the car and went to the back to get a box. Mom and dad were already carrying their first boxes towards the house. I was about to follow until a shiver ran up my spine.

Stopping in the driveway, I looked back up at the house that now loomed over me, its shadow covering me completely. I suddenly felt very cold, I didn't know why though, it was an 80 degree day with no breeze and I was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.

I was about to start heading inside again when the sound of a car door shutting came from behind me. Jumping from surprise and turning around I was met with a middle aged man in a cream colored suit and hat. His eyes were big and very deep blue and he had a pleasant smile plastered on his face as he approached me.

    "Hello there!" He greeted warmly.

    "...Hi...Who are you?" I replied awkwardly.

    "Oh how silly of me, I'm Compton Dawes of Dark Falls Realty. What's your name?" He introduced.

    "I'm Ray. Ray Thurston." I stuttered.

    "Nice to meet you young man. Are your parents inside?" Mr. Dawes asked, extending a hand for me to shake.

I hesitated, but shook the realtor's hand, gasping when I found his skin to be freezing cold. That's when I noticed something else as well; his skin was gray....and sickly looking. It reminded me of the skin on a porcelain doll.

    "You too....and yeah...they're inside." I nodded, releasing Mr. Dawes' hand.

    "Excellent, thank you." He smiled, before walking past me to the house. I watched him go and took a few seconds to look at the house once more before following him inside.

The front door creaked open as I entered with my box. To my right was the entrance to the kitchen where my parents and Mr. Dawes were. To my left was a set of stairs that led to the second floor and in front of me was the entrance to the living room.

The walls were green and brown with wallpaper and the dark wood floor was covered with a film of dust and dirt. All of the curtains were drawn to keep out any light and there was a smell of dampness and wet dirt in the air as well.

I set down my box in the living room and turned back towards the kitchen. I could hear my parents talking with Mr. Dawes. I could hear my name being said....Staying behind the wall, I listened to what they were saying.

    "How old is he?" Mr. Dawes was wondering.

    "Ray is 11, he'll be 12 in a few months." My mom responded.

    "He seems very mature for his age. Must just be a result of good parenting." The realtor complimented.

    "He's always been like that. The one thing that he lets bring the kid out of him though is baseball." My dad spoke.

    "Well he's in luck then! A few of the neighborhood kids get together and play baseball very often up at the school playground!" Mr. Dawes informed.

    "Oh good! I'm hoping he can make a few friends here." Mom cheered.

    "I'm sure that won't be a problem. Well, I should be going. You have my number if you need anything. Congratulations on your new home." Mr. Dawes said.

    "Thanks Mr. Dawes." Dad replied.

    "Please, call me Compton. Good day folks." Mr. Dawes insisted before leaving out the front door. I watched him get in his car and drive away before going back outside for another box.

As I continued to bring in our things, my parents began setting up the box's contents around the house. It was just the little stuff until the movers came in the morning, so we would all have to make do with sleeping on futon mattresses tonight.

Once everything was out of the car, I carried my things up to my new room and set them down. I took a moment then to observe just how massive my room was.

There was a big bay window that faced the street and another bay window that overlooked the backyard. A walk-in closet was on the right wall for me to put my clothes in. The same damp smell hung in the air, clinging to my nostrils. I went over to the window facing the backyard and opened it to allow the smell to air out.

When it started helping the smell, I smiled a bit and went back downstairs, dinner was probably almost ready.

Because I walked away from the window, I didn't see the person standing on the other side of the wooden fence of the backyard. Cloaked in the tree's shadows and as still as a statue, staring at the house.

Staring right at my window....