The Aftermath: MPHFPC (editing)

T H I R T Y

E N O C H

After a few minutes of walking through the building and exploring the absolute rubbish in each room, we finally found something relatively important.

As I was looking through a crate of flasks and glass bottles that looked and smelled like cheap alcohol, Annie found some kind of trapdoor underneath a threadbare rug.

"To you think it's a cellar?" She asked.

"Why don't you open it and see?" I replied, examining a liquor bottle from the other side of the room that looked at least twenty years older than me. 

"I'm good," She said, moving away. "I'm not fond of spiders." 

I scoffed, "Spiders are the very least of our worries right now." I set down the bottle and walked over to where she was kneeling on the floor.

I braced myself, expecting for it to be weathered shut. I yanked at the rusted handle with such force that I was nearly thrown backward when it flew open easily with a loud moan. 

A blast of cold air shot up at the two of us. 

I gazed down at a latter that descended into the dark. I couldn't see the bottom and I found that slightly unsettling. I looked up at her. Our faces were close enough for me to see the faded freckles across her nose and the bright glow of her eyes. Our eyes met for a second too long, which was just enough to make it slightly uncomfortable. 

I cleared my throat, sitting back, "After you." I said, gesturing to the blackness below.

She rolled her eyes, "Your idea of being polite is appalling." She muttered, beginning to climb down the latter into the darkness.

"It's freezing down here." She said as she climbed down.

"It probably from all the ghosts."

"What?"

"Only joking. There's no such thing as ghosts." I said as I started to climb down after her.

"You know, I figured that since you're able to raise the dead you would know a thing or two about the whole ghost phenomena" She responded.

"Sorry, didn't ever bother to study something fake and useless like that. And just because the dead doesn't frighten me doesn't mean I fancy running into something paranormal down here."

"But you just said ghosts aren't real."

"They aren't. I said paranormal." I corrected her.

I heard her scoff as she reached the end of the latter, "You're impossible." She muttered.

I finished climbing down and turned to face her, "I get that a lot."

I met her eyes and for a moment- just for a moment- I could see how frightened she really was. In a way I was relieved, as horrible that sounds. It was almost comforting to know that I wasn't the only one worried about what we would find down here.

She looked away.

"Do you hear that?" She asked quietly.

"Hear what?"

"Listen."

I focused on the silence and the ringing in my ears and faintly, very faintly, I could hear voices.

"Do you think that's them?" I said.

"Maybe," She said, starting off in that direction.

"Wait!" I said, catching her arm. "It's probably some kind of trap. The wights aren't stupid."