Short Stories: 10-31-18

Escape from the House of Rouse

  "Well hello, can I help you?"
   Danya and Jay shivered in the freezing cold. Even though they both wore plenty of layers, the cold seeped in towards their sensitive skin. "M-may we come in?" Jay stuttered. "W-we need a p-place to stay f-for the n-night."
   The old woman gave them a comforting look. She let the two of them in. She looked both ways before shutting the door and locking it.
   The house was small and quaint. The comfy scenery made Danya smile wide. There was a small chandelier above the lilac colored couch. The floor had a grey carpet, and there was a small tv towards the wall. The old woman helped them take their jackets off and hung them up on the wall hangers. Jay sat down on the lilac couch with Danya.
    The old woman went to the kitchen. "I'll make some supper," she called out. They both nodded, and Danya sat close to the small brick fire place. Jay warmed himself up under a thick blanket.
   The elderly lady came to them with two mugs of brown liquid. "I made some hot cocoa, just for you two." She smiled as she puts them on the table. "I hope you enjoy it, it's a family recipe."
   Jay and Danya took their respective mugs, and Jay thanked her. Jay sipped the cocoa, the hot drink burning his tongue. He didn't mind though; better than it freezing up.
   Danya hasn't drank hers yet–she holds hers in her hands, shivering.
   The lady sat down in a recliner. She looked at them with worry. "So," she said finally. "What're your names?"
   Danya gave Jay an uncertain look, but he nods in reassurance. Lily looks back at her. "I'm Danya,," she said quietly. "And this is my older brother Jay."
   The younger girl shook hands with her, and Jay did the same. "My name is Nathalie, but you can just call Miss Rouse," she replied. The two teens nodded as they sip their cocoa. "Where are you two from?"
   "We're from Brazil."
   "Brazil? What're you doing in cold and snowy Colorado? Brazil seems like paradise."
   Jay chuckled a little. "I guess it is, yeah. And we're here to visit our uncle, but we lost our luggage and the address to his house."
   Miss Rouse gave them a sympathetic look and she gently patted Danya's hand. "You poor children," she mumbled. "Do you need to call him? I have a phone in the kitchen."
   Miss Rouse then led them to the kitchen, and passed the small house phone to Jay. "I apologize, I don't have one of em fancy new phones," she said with a playful chuckle. He smiled a little. Miss Rouse reminded him a little like his avó(grandma). He started to dial his uncle's number, and he brought the phone to his ear.
   Dead. The line went dead. He stared at the phone and passed it back to Miss Rouse. "The line's dead." He seemed worried. Danya looked outside the small circular window. "Looks like a storm," she replied. Jay and Miss Rouse look outside to see large amounts of snow fall from the sky. The snow fell heavily on the ground.
   Miss Rouse sighed as she brings her fingers to her chin. The gears in her head seemed to spin.
   "I suppose," she spoke. "You two may have to stay the night, or until the storm blows over."
   Jay shakes his head. "We don't want to impose Miss Rouse," he remarked. Danya elbowed him hard in the chest, making him wince in pain. "Thank you, Miss Rouse," Danya replied. "We appreciate this."
   Miss Rouse kindly smiled at them. "I have one extra bedroom," she replied. "One of you can have the bed, and one may sleep on the couch."
  
   A few hours later, Jay laid on the couch, thinking about his uncle Hector. He was staring at the ceiling until he heard creaking amongst the steps. He sat up to see Danya in a fit. He stood up and walked to his anxious sister.
   "Hey, hey!" He whispered loudly as she panted. "What's wrong?"
   "She's not who she says she is!" Danya whispered back loudly.
   Worried that Miss Rouse would hear, Jay began to speak Portuguese. "O que você quer dizer?" (What do you mean?)
   "Esta casa não é dela! (This house is not  hers.) Ela é realmente-(she is really)"
   Suddenly, Miss Rouse walked in the living room with a heavy thud. Danya clings onto her brother tightly. Jay looks at Miss Rouse's eyes and sees something-
   Or maybe, nothing?
   Jay was horrified to discover that Miss Rouse had no eyes. The horror continued as a loud pitch screech filled the room. Jay held onto Danya's ears, blood flowing down his face.
   "YOU CAN NEVER ESCAPE! YOU ARE MINE NOW!"

   An old news article could be found under the couch. The article was set on September 30th, 1956. The article read that Nathalie Rouse, age 67, was convicted of kidnapping two teens to replace her missing children. Before she could be arrested, she ended up having a heart attack over it. Psychics assume she'll just find two new victims eventually.