Mind's Echo

Eva

Eva watched as Alex dug nervously through his bags. She rubbed her arms, trying to chase away the chill that had settled over her when she had climbed the steps up onto the porch. She stared out into the obscure night. Surely her stupid jerk of a fiancé would come back for her now. He wouldn't leave her stranded in a downpour, would he?

She looked at the massive double doors of the asylum. The wooden frame had once been beautiful, with its hand-carved scroll work, but now it was gray with age and slightly warped. Curious, she reached out and grasped a door handle. She pushed down on the lever with her thumb, not expecting it to give beneath the pressure, but it did. She pushed at the door. It stuck at first, so she threw her weight against it. It flew open, dust billowing down and settling on her arm and the floor. She shook her arm, throwing off most of the dust, and turned to her companions.

"Um. It's open."

Shelly's eyebrows drew together as she stared beyond Eva into the dark interior. Alex stopped rummaging and looked up in surprise.

"Oh." He said simply.

Eva shrugged. "Well, I mean, it just seemed like it would make more sense to go inside. It would be easier to heat a room than," she gestured toward their surroundings, "the whole great outdoors."

Shelly nodded. "That definitely makes sense. Still ..." she took a wary step forward and tried to get a better look at the shadowed interior. "This place ... I don't like it."

Eva wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't really like it, either, but I did come here to check it out." She shook her head. "There's nothing in there that could hurt us. I mean, besides the usual old house stuff. No ghost is going to hurt you or anything. I've been doing this for years, and nothing bad has happened to me. Besides, I'm right about the heating situation."

Alex stood up, grabbing an armload of supplies. "I'm for it. I came here to take pictures of it, so I was going to go in, anyhow. Yeah, it's creepy, but at least we're not alone, right, ladies?"

Shelly looked back and forth between Alex and Eva.

"Yeah," she admitted grudgingly, "at least we're not alone."

"Well, shall we?" Eva asked.

Shelly snorted. "You first."

Eva scowled, eyeing the black opening. "Um."

Alex bravely stepped up. "Hey, I'm Super Alex, remember? Do not fear, ladies, I will go in first."

Shelly and Eva exchanged a shared smirk as Alex stepped over the threshold.