I Know What You're Afraid Of

Chapter 6

     Everyone had gathered in the hall, still half asleep. The noises were consistent, happening every few seconds. Someone must have found the light switch, since the hall suddenly illuminated, making it easier for Marianne to do a quick head count to confirm that the 'possible intruder' wasn't one of them. Gina stood beside her, an annoyed expression on her face, not too impressed with the early wake up call. Marianne wondered what time it was. She was too distracted by the situation at hand to check the time. She knew it was past midnight, however she wasn't tired.      

    A cool breeze blew past her sending chills down her spine. Someone probably left their window open. Brad moved towards the stairs, the floorboards creaking beneath him. He peered down the stairs and looked back at the group. "The front door is wide open." Brad walked back to where was before. "Someone has to go see what it is. I nominate Sydney. You could probably blow it up with your mind." Marianne had to restrain herself from walking over to him and slapping the disgusting smirk off his face. Sydney glared at him, and if looks could kill, Brad would be six feet un der.

   "If you're so determined to know what it is, why don't you go check it out. Or are you too scared?" Marianne looked at Miles. She couldn't deny that she found him very attractive. His crazy, curly black hair and his chiseled face distracted her from his unsettling smile. Urging herself out of her trance, she turned to look at Brad, who had moved to stand directly in front of Miles. Though they were roughly the same height, Brad clearly had more muscle. Miles didn't seem the least bit threatened, and instead of backing away, he stepped even closer to Brad. "Go on. Hit me. I dare you."

    Brad raised his arm, ready to swing at Miles, but Marianne stopped him. "Guys! That's enough. Now is not the time." Marianne looked at Miles, her eyes pleading. "Please." She saw his face soften. Miles nodded and backed away from Brad, placing himself beside Marianne.

  "Why don't we all go? If this thing or person is  dangerous, don't you think we'd have a better chance of survival if we're together?" Ricky suggested.

  "What a great idea. That way, he could take us out one by one, then we'd all die." Gina said in a sarcastic tone.

    "You got a better idea?"

    "Yeah. Marianne can go. If she's in trouble, she'll scream, letting us know it's not safe to go down there, and we can escape through one of the windows."

     Marianne scoffed at Gina's idea of a 'good' plan. "Leaving me alone to die. Thanks for thinking of me."

     Sydney spoke for the first time since they'd been standing there, "Let's just all go. Bring something with you that could be used as a weapon."

    They each went back to their rooms to find a weapon. Marianne searched all the drawers, but all she found was a few blank pieces of paper and a pack of unsharpened pencils. She rolled her eyes, mentally cursing. Well that's just great. She caught sight of her black bag in the corner of the room and grabbed it. Marianne stuffed her hand inside the bag and wrapped her fingers around two sharp objects. She took the razor-sharp objects out of the bag, inspecting them. Twin daggers. They were long and pointy with black handles. Marianne threw the bag onto the bed and walked out of the room.

     Marianne observed the other's choice of weapons. Miles held a bunch of throwing knives which he probably found in his bag. Sydney had twin daggers, identical to the ones Marianne was holding. Gina had a crowbar, Ricky had a sword, and Brad had.... a lamp? Marianne gave him an incredulous look. "I'm working with what I've got."

    "Let's go."

    Marianne was the last one downstairs. They slowly walked towards the kitchen, stopping every time they heard a noise. Sydney gestured towards the living room door. Right away, Marianne noticed that the light was on. Trying her best to stay quiet, she crept towards the door and paced her hand on the handle, glancing back at Sydney, who gave her small nod. So, she opened the door as quietly as she could, to reveal a hooded figure sitting on one of the couches. The figure didn't look at them when they walked in. It didn't even move. It was still, as it stared at the wall.