black with death, eaten away by mold and rot. The upper floor swirled in emptiness—blacker than black itself.
If the others were hiding, would they be up there, waiting to pop out and scare her?
Evelyn took one step. It creaked loudly, groaning under her weight. She took another. This step groaned even louder, begging her to get off. With each step, wails echoed throughout the empty hall.
When she reached the top, she faced another long hallway. Faint white moonlight filtered into the hall from two open doors along the right side. At the end of the hall was a third door, closed.
"Hello?" Her voice carried down the hall.
Nothing.
Evelyn let out a deep breath and slowly crept toward the first door. Why was she up here? She should've left when they all went to hide. Who'd want to hang out with people who did these kind of things?
At the door, she peeked inside carefully. There was a single, large window covered in dust and smeared with grime. It was impossible to see through, but still allowed a bit of light to shine in from outside. Otherwise, the room was void.
Evelyn continued softly down the hall to the next door.
"Can you guys come out now?"
Of course they wouldn't answer.
Evelyn peeked into the second room. This room was larger than the previous one. A cool breeze caressed her face, drawing her attention to the shattered window. Tiny shards of glass littered the ground below the pane. But still nobody to be found.
She sighed to herself, balling her hands into fists to keep herself calm. Where could they be hiding? Were they even up here? She would check the last door—if they weren't in there, she'd leave.
Evelyn crept along the empty hall toward the closed door. Standing before it, she took a deep breath. She reached for the silver knob and gripped it—cold to the touch, sapping the heat from her hand. She twisted.
Locked.
She jiggled the knob, then threw her weight against the door. It didn't open. Again, she jiggled the knob and threw herself. A third time, then a fourth.
Click!
Surprised, she slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open.
An amorphous blob skittered across the ground and disappeared into the darkness. Evelyn yelped, bringing her hand to her mouth to muffle herself. She breathed heavily in and out, maintaining her resolve. What was that?
She looked around and was disappointed. This room, like the others, was empty. They'd all disappeared. They'd left her alone. Sighing, she headed back down the hallway.
A bolt of anger flared within Evelyn. Had they left her here—in this murder-story house—by herself? Was that the big joke? Even if she weren't on the receiving end, this wouldn't have been funny. Her stomach twisted into a knot, realizing she had misjudged Kevin. How could he do—
She froze, standing before the top step.
At the bottom of the stairs, from the room they used earlier, she heard a deep growl. It was a gargantuan, animalistic sort of growl that verged on being a roar. It rumbled through her body and filled her with a sudden sense of despair.
It wasn't human.
Evelyn lowered herself onto the first step, making sure to avoid the creak. But the next step wailed, and she flushed hotly, sweat breaking out on her forehead. Whatever it was, she couldn't catch its attention.
Another step. And another. Evelyn made it all the way to the bottom, avoiding any more creaks. She stepped up to the doorway and peeked inside.
In the center of the room stood a massive beast on powerful hind legs, covered in a rug of thick fur, as tall as the room itself, its horns gashing the ceiling. The beast clutched a dangling human corpse in its talon-like claws, blood leaking and dribbling from lacerations all over.
It was Dana.
On the ground, two more corpses—Todd and Kevin. All mangled, twisted, and torn open.
The great beast turned and caught sight of Evelyn. Its eyes were large and entirely black, perpetually crying tears of blood. It bore red-stained fangs with chunks of flesh caught in between. The beast stared at Evelyn with a raw hunger burning in its eyes.
She couldn't help but stare back. All sensation disappeared, leaving her numb and empty. Those eyes...
The beast sniffed sharply and glared, its gaze piercing through her. It lowered its arms, dropping Dana’s corpse to the ground with a thud, and cocked its head, watching her.
Evelyn stood paralyzed, trembling uncontrollably. The scent of metallic blood overwhelmed her, flooding her mind. Her arms wouldn’t move. Her legs refused to obey her.
The beast grunted. It lifted one of its powerful legs and stepped toward her, its horns scraping against the ceiling with an ear-splitting scream. Another step. It broke into a grin, bearing its blood-soaked fangs at her.
I have to get away...
As the beast approached, the candles flickered violently, sputtering, fighting to stay alive. One by one, they snuffed out, each one plunging the room into further darkness until no light remained.
The end.
About the Author
J. J. Lancer lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and splits his time between writing, reading, and gaming. His writing is most influenced by the stories of Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss.
More Stories by Author
Strapped, a suspense short story:
Connect With the Author Online!
Website & Blog:
www.tyrolancer.com
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/tyrolancer
Goodreads:
www.goodreads.com/user/show/6012418
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