The door slowly creaks open, the old door emitting a loud creak. I cringe at the noise and squeeze my eyes. I look for Harry's hand in the pitch black and find it, giving it a tight squeeze.
This is it. This is the moment where we find out what is behind the door. It's nerve racking and I can pratically feel my bones jumping out of my skin already. All I can hear is Harry's deep breathing mixed along with mine. I breathe in slowly to try and calm myself but it doesn't work.
Once we enter the room, I see absolutely nothing. Everything is pitch black. No light source in sight. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust and I can at least see the shape of Harry's body.
"Harry. We need a light," I whisper.
"Maybe there's a light in here somewhere," He whispers back. "Use the thing on your camera for at least a little bit of light." I nod but realize he can't see it.
"Okay."
I flip the camera around and make the light from it shine around the room. The light shines dimly around the room, not giving me a good view of my surroundings.
I shine it on the floor to see what we are standing on and all I see is some hardwood floor.
"Shine it on the walls. There might be a switch or something." I oblige and shine it on the wall. I can't get a close enough view of what it is so I step closer. Out of the corner of my eye I see something black whip past me. I instantly go rigid.
"What's wrong?" Harry seems to notice me tense up and I shake my head over and over again. This has happened enough for me to know it's more than just a figment of my imagination.
"I-I saw something. Harry something's here." I whisper hurriedly with an edge to my voice. He tenses up right next to me. He instantly swings his arm around my waist.
"Hold on to my sweater or arm. I don't want you to get lost here." I tell him quietly and shine the soft light on his face.
He squints for a second but then gives me a reassuring smile. I know it's fake. "Stay close to me," He whispers right next to my ear. I nod and we both stay slilent, waiting for something to happen.
Silence. Pure silence. Everything is so still, making my breath catch in my throat. Something has to happen. Something always happens.
"Maybe it was your imagination," Harry tries to say.
"Harry." I say assertively. He should know it's not just my imagination by now.
"I know I know. Sorry. I guess it's just what I hope..." He trails off in a whisper.
"It's fine." We wait a few minutes just standing there. My heart is pounding uncontrollably and my arm pressed against Harry's chest feels the roaring beat of his heart as well.
"Nothing is happening." I say, still on edge.
"Shhh baby." I blush at the name. Good thing it's dark in here or else he would be able to see my face. The fact that Harry and I are official now hasn't fully sunk in. Neither has the fact that he told me he loves me. One part of me feels like jumping around and having a dance party while the other part of me wants to shrivel in a hole and escape from the world. Sadly, I can't do the latter nor the former right now which means I'm stuck in this haunted house that is killing me more and more each day.
"You're right. Nothing is happening. Maybe it was a false alarm. " I scratch my thighs in protest but don't say anything.
"Yeah... maybe. Let's just... continue." I say worriedly. He says okay and rubs my back comfortingly.
I shine the light on the wall. It is made of plain wood and I run my finger along it to confirm my thoughts. It feels so old and also a little damp. Must me bad piping. I hope.
"Help me find a switch," I say. We walk down the side of the wall but to no luck, we find no light switch.
"Dammit. Who makes a room and doesn't add a fucking light switch." Harry mutters and his grasp on my sweater sleeve becomes a bit loose.
"Obviously the idiot who made this place." I continue trying to find a switch. Suddenly, I remember something. "Wait. This house is old and some other rooms have those lights where you pull the chain." I say and start facing the light to the ceiling. "Maybe this room...aha! There it is." I grin as much as I can but my fear over takes me. Then I try reaching for the chain.
"Let me help you with that Emery." He says quietly. "Ready?" He asks more seriously.
"Yeah," I say shakily. I hear the slight chime of the chain and brace myself for the lights to come on.
But they don't.
"Harry?"
"I know it's just- I was thinking. Ready. We always ask each other that. Are you ready?Ready? Ready for this? Why are we in such a skrewed up position Emery?" I walk forward and bump into him. The camera touches his chest and I wrap my arms around him as best as I can.I feel his arms go down from the chain and wrap around me.
"I don't know. But don't blame yourself. We just need to find a way out of here and then we can go home," I say to try and make us both feel better.
"But, but what if it doesn't work like that?" He says so quietly I almost don't catch it. I squeeze him tighter. Both because I care so much about him and because I'm deathly afriad right now. Who knows what's behind all this darkness?
"Harry don't. Don't think like that. Let's just do this. Okay? We can do this." I feel his head nod on mine and I have almost no time to process when he pulls the chain and the room illuminates with a dim light overhead.
The room is just a box of wood. Old wooden walls falling apart. They are tinted by a slight red color but I look away. Blood. Of course it's blood. The floors are dark planks of wood as well, chips of it breaking off.
What takes my breath away isn't the ageing floor or the bleeding walls. It's the podium in the middle of it all. The base built from bones and dry blood filling the cracks. And on top of it all, is a book. The same book from my dreams.
