Chapter 1

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After Arthur's daughter's death the time had come for him to move. A few weeks later he was set and good to go.
The day of the housewarming party came. The first guest to arrive was his sister Laura. She told Arthur how he couldn't have picked a nicer day. The sun shone bright, the weather was hot, and the loud foreign neighbours were out of town. Arthur threw down a welcome doormat. "A bit of cliché to formerly baptize the house." Arthur kissed Amy and poured the three of them the first glass of champagne of the day. (Although it was only 3 in the afternoon, but no one had to know about it) Shortly after more guests arrived. And the rest of the party went smoothly. The guests seemed to enjoy themselves and when they did not Arthur passed them another drink. This was a pretty foolproof tactic until the beer stock ran low. And when Jimmy announced that he needed another round Arthur took it as a hint. It was about time he refilled the minibar-and -fridge before Jimmy would find out there was no more liquor.

Wondering why he had decided to store his provisions all the way on the first floor he went upstairs. In his spare room Arthur kept most of the food and drinks that he had purchased for his celebration. For a moment he wondered if it was time for the keg to be opened. Instead he decided to save it for in the evening and grabbed a few sixpacks and a case of 24 half liters.

Some strange drunk shouting noise came from the garden. Presumably Jimmy who stumbled upon an empty fridge.

Whatever it may have been, it assured Arthur that it was better to have everyone sober up before hording the keg supply.

A sudden chill in his spine made him tense up.

First the noise of the party ceased.Then it was a strange sensation of being alone that struck him. It was all too familiar and lowkey he knew what it was. Arthur put back the beer which he was carrying and turned around.

He stared down the corridor.

On his left was the stairs down to the ground floor. A hazy ray of sun light came from the window.

With an expression that could have been mistaken for calmness Arthur walked down the hallway on the first floor. He checked every room. First the guest bedroom. He threw a quick gaze inside but somehow knew there was nothing to be afraid of in there. The big bed with its white sheet did not stand out. The curtains were halfway closed and the closet seemed the same way it always did. The room in a way wasn't significant enough to hold what Arthur was looking for.

Then he checked the bathroom. He slowly peeked around the door and somewhat expected to have a boogeyman jump up in his face. But it did not. And neither was there anything peculiar about his study chamber. Only the bedroom was left. Out of nowhere his scars started to sting. And as Arthur approached its closed door he knew that this was where he needed to be. There were goosebumps on his arms and his hand twitched.

He reached for the doorknob and with one swift hand movement he rotated it. The door slowly opened. Arthur nearly gave no strength and it seemed to move out of itself.

His bedroom slowly revealed itself to Arthur. The widening opening first allowed him to see his closet. A standing mirror just out sight behind it. Then a desk popped up. The mess of papers and pens on it were the same as he had left them behind. From there the sun cast a vague shadow on the floor. It looked like a pile of rubbish more than anything. He thought of the work that had stressed him out so much. It now seemed infinitely more insignificant.

"Daddy?"

The door swung open. The doorknob got ripped out of arthur's grip.

Against the central heating and below the window sat Jenny, she wore a white nightgown. Her knees were pulled up to her body with her arms wrapped around them firmly. She looked the same way she did years ago. Except that she saw pale as a ghost. Her eyes were black and her hair fell loosely down her shoulders. A big gaping cut ran from her neck down to her left shoulder. There were stains of blood around it but inside it was black. She sat bend over forward. Her head raised and she looked up with dark eyes that stood out in contrast with her skin. She had thin lips thin and a desperate expression. Although she did not have irises she seemed to look straight at Arthur.

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