What Lies Beneath

Epilogue

It's strange how years can feel like days. Time is always moving forward so quickly and without warning or pause. Over the years the house has grown quiet once more. Each ghost vanishing into a different void, but through it all stands Sophie.

She watches over the house from the inside as her friend watches from beyond the gates. It has been decades since she last saw anyone living. Karen has kept a watchful eye on the place and has ensured that none will ever step foot on the property again. It is a lonely existence, but one that must be led. The battle to get here was grueling and many lost their lives, but as long as she kept watch then it would all be worth it.

Since her time here, Sophie has learned many things about the house and how it came to be. She has also learned that there is more than she will ever know. Even with an eternity trapped within these walls, the mysteries hesitate to be unshrouded and brought into the light.

Pacing through the attic, Sophie's eyes dart across every dust covered photograph that leans against faded walls and broken crates. This is how she spends most of her days now. Every image tells a different story. The eyes are the key. They hold a specific moment in time. Every feeling the subject had in that singular frame trapped forever and encased in glass.

Today was different than all the others. There was a feeling in the air. It heaved agitation and craved despair. Sophie had spent the last few hours thoughtfully engaged in what the source could be. It felt familiar and yet brand new all at the same time. It was as though she had forgotten something important. It would have been easy to write it off, but in this house, there was no dismissing such things.

It felt as though Sophie was meant to be somewhere, to be doing something important, but there was no work more important than what she was already doing. The house was meant to be watched over and cared for. It was in all those years of loneliness that it had spiraled and plotted against the world. No being is meant to be left alone for such an extended period. Still, the feeling remained like a dripping faucet in her brain.

Having spent many years now confined within these walls, there were many mysteries that Sophie longed to solve. The mystery of how this house came to be and why there were so many conflicting stories surrounding it was her number one. No matter how much she searched or asked, the answer never came.

The house had become dormant in recent years. It was peaceful once again. It had gone back to its original state of being calm and helpful. Many of the ghosts had decided to move on in their own special way. Paul only stayed for a day or so after the battle, but not without leaving a warning. He told Sophie that the house carried secrets even he could not see, but one day they would come knocking. It would be her choice whether she let them in but doing so would propel all those connected to the house into an unknowable future. With that he faded into nonexistence.

Many of those Sophie had known in this house were gone and the ones who left that day were grown now. Karen would send a letter every now and then. It would magically appear in the mail slot that had be installed on the new door. It would inform her of the lives of her friends. Wyatt had gone off and traveled the world, he was now married with two kids in a country that Sophie could not pronounce. Karen had tried dating, but there was never truly a good fit. John had warned her what it meant to be in charge of the house, but Karen never minded. Once John finished his community service, he retired to a shack one of his private islands. Bobby, well, he didn't keep in touch with much of anyone except his adopted son. From what Sophie could tell, the loss of Joe sent him reeling and he hasn't really recovered.

It was nice to know that outside of these walls her friends were living the lives that they once dreamt of. No more nightmares, no more fear. Everything was supposed to be perfect now and it would be except for the nagging feeling in the back of Sophie's mind.