The Other Side

What's next?

Matthew rose to his feet after playing with Delilah and tapped her gently on the head.  "I'll be back soon Delilah." He said with a smile before turning away and leaving the attic.  He headed back down the stairs and out the door.  He crossed his arms trying to figure out what all the stories had in common.  That strange voice was in all of them, and they happened before they were able to find love.  It was a lot to take in and every story he heard weighed heavily on him.  None as much as Delilah's.  He walked down the hallway as he tried to figure out what he should do next.  He tried to put the pieces together but they weren't making any sense to him.  What was he supposed to do?  He continued to walk down the hall all while he took into consideration each of these poor souls stuck here.  How could they be stuck there?  How long have they been stuck there?  He wondered if he could really save them.  He wanted to more then anything.  But first he had to save himself.  "Your time is near Matthew..." Whispered the voice again.  Matthew looked back and forth to try to find the source of the voice was coming from.  But as always there was nothing near him.  "I'm sick of your bullshit.  Why don't you face me already?" Matthew yelled angrily.  A howl of anger filled the air.  Matthew looked around but he knew that he went to far.  "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME WITH SUCH DISRESPECT!" The voice yelled so loudly the walls shook in fear.  Matthew backed up against the wall in fear of what was to happen next.  

A huge gust of wind blew out of nowhere.  He quickly knelt down and covered his face as things in the room came flying at him from the anger of the spirit he could not figure out.  "YOU WILL DIE AND BE HERE FOREVER!" The voice boomed in anger as things continued to fly at him.  Suddenly out of nowhere the entire world went dark.  There was nothing he slowly opened his eyes as the empty darkness surrounded him.  "What the hell?" He said confused as he was no longer in the house.  He was no where.  He took a few steps but he couldn't figure out how he could even do that because there was no floor.  There was absolutely nothing anywhere.  "Where am I?" He said as he continued to try and figure out what had just happened.  He continued to lurk around in the darkness for what seemed to be hours.  There was nothing and no one anywhere.  "HELP ME!" He screamed into the darkness hoping someone would find him and help him.

"Hey Dude are you ok?" Came a voice into the darkness.  Matthew looked around but there was no one there.  "HELP ME PLEASE" Matthew pleaded as he tried to find his way out of the darkness.  But it was no use there was nothing.  Matthew rose to his feet and began to run into the darkness.  There had to be something, anything.  He then felt something touch his shoulder.  He jumped up and as he did the light came flooding in.  He was back at the house.  "What the hell what happened?" He said softly as he looked around.  He quickly noticed another spirit there looking at him as if he was the strange thing happening.  "Who are you, I haven't seen you before?" Matthew asked as he looked him over.  He wasn't like the other ghosts.  The other ghosts Matthew could tell have been stuck there for quite some time.  Their clothes were old and even the manner in which they spoke had a more respectful tone.  This one though was in surfer clothes.  He had long hair and was slim but built.  He looked young though.  "Hey dude I was just checking on you.  You looked like you were about to have a heart attack or something." The ghost said as he turned to leave.  "No wait please don't go." Matthew yelled as he started to chase after him.  The ghost turned back to look at Matthew.  "Sorry dude, I have to go I'm meeting sister for dinner." He said as he disappeared.  Matthew found that to be really strange.  That didn't fit the way the house worked from what he could tell.  Did that guy not know he was dead?  Matthew had so many questions but what he really needed was answers.  

Matthew didn't know where to go now.  He had obviously really pissed off whatever the evil presence was.  He wondered aimlessly down the hall trying to make sense of everything he had learned.  All the ghosts he has been able to speak with have all died before finding love.  It seemed to be the theme of the house.  All had brutal and horrible deaths.  He continued to run the stories through his head trying to find something that stuck out.  The strange voice in all their flashbacks stuck out in his head.  He found it strange that they couldn't hear it.  He sat down on a couch and laid down.  He just needed to figure out what was going on.  

"You know you are never going to get out of here at this rate.  Well... you are never going to get out of here anyway.  Watch your step Matthew..." Said a menacing voice from behind Matthew.  He yelled as he jumped up now sitting on the couch frantically looking around for the source of the evil presence.  He could feel it in his very soul.  "Show yourself.  Or are you afraid?" He said almost immediately regretting his decision to open his mouth at all.  "Afraid... You believe me to fear you?" The voice said with a horrifying laugh that echoed in the room.  The couch suddenly disappeared along with the rest of the room from beneath him.  He fell to the floor hard knocking the wind right out of him.  He gasped loudly as the wind escaped him.  He rolled to his side and immediately started fighting to get air back into his lungs.  He stood up and found he wasn't in the dark completely this time.  He walked carefully through the darkness towards a window.  A blue light beamed through the window.  He cautiously approached the window.  It was the only thing in all darkness.  It was strange but it was clear he had to go there.  As Mathew reached the window he saw nothing.  It was just a blue light.  He moved closer and looked into the window but there was nothing.  He cuffed his hands around his eyes and leaned against the window peering inside hoping to see anything.  "You don't know what fear is..." Boomed the horrible voice from all around him.  A loud bang against the window came knocking Matthew back to the floor in fear.  He looked up at the window to see a shadowy figure pressed up against the glass.  It flayed it's arms up and down slowly across the window as it pressed against it.  Matthew watched in horror slowly backing away from the window.  "But no worries.  You will." The voice boomed again louder then before.  

It was then a soft tone started to sound off.  Matthew looked around trying to figure out where the noise was coming from but he was again in the darkness to get away from whatever was trying to get to him from the window.  The sound started to get louder and louder and louder.  Matthew fell to his knees as the loud shrill tone pierced his ear drums.  He covered his ears with his hands as best as he could as he curled in a ball from the pain in his ears from the shrieking tone.  He screamed in the darkness from the pain as the torture continued.

"Matthew... Matthew..." A voice came.  "I know that voice.  Delilah?" He said softly as he slowly opened his eyes.  Delilah knelt down beside the couch shaking me gently while looking at him with worry in her eyes.