Aliens on Aventine Hill

Alice [Part 9]

"There it is..." Marty pulled back a branch to reveal a grassy hill rising from the bend in the river. The slope was gentle, but its height was as imposing as the house at its top.

In the daylight, it might've been a beloved relic of a day gone by, but here, in the dark, it was a monster. Alice gasped as she gazed up at it, heart pounding. Jimmy snaked a protective arm around her waist.

Marty took another swig of beer and grinned drunkenly back at the four of them, "You wanna go inside?"

Alice looked to Jimmy, "Can we?"

Jimmy's glance over his shoulder was nervous, but Marty's grin was foolhardy, "Only a coward doesn't try."

"Only an idiot might," Jimmy crossed his arms.

Lisa, who had crept up to peer at the house through the trees, turned back on him with a derisive laugh, "C'mon, Jimmy! It's only a ghost story."

"You aren't afraid, are you?"

Alice looked up at Jimmy, who clenched his jaw, "No! But it's somebody's property. It'd be trespassing. That's no small—"

"Looks like we've got a chicken on our hands," Lisa wrapped her hands around Marty's bicep, clinging dramatically. He shoved her off, but only so he could tuck his hands into his armpits and make clucking sounds.

Alice touched lightly on Jimmy's arm, but he brushed her off. Heather caught the exchange with a smirk, tapping the ash off her cigarette, "Just go up and try the back door."

"Yeah, Jimmy," Lisa and Marty swung forward, sneering. "Don't you wanna show off for Alice?"

Jimmy flushed bright red, "Come on guys. What if---"

"What if there's a ghooOooOst?" Lisa stretched out the word, tipping the flashlight to her chin, while Heather snickered. Marty raised his arms above his head, moaning, "OoOooOoo...!"

Alice glanced back up towards the house. All the windows were dark. A chilly wind blew through the woods. She looked back to Jimmy, whose feet were firmly rooted to the ground.

"I'll go."

"What?" they all turned and looked at her. Jimmy's eyes were wide, "You can't be serious."

"What's the big deal?" she crossed her arms. "It's like Heather said. I'll just go up and try the back door. If it's locked, there's nothing any of us can do, right?"

"Ha!" Marty nodded approvingly, moving the branch aside for her to pass. "Look Jimmy, at least your girlfriend's got balls!"

Alice blushed, but the grin spreading across her face quickly overshadowed her embarrassment. She stepped beyond the treeline, but then Jimmy caught her arm, "You shouldn't..."

"C'mon, Jimmy," Marty shoved him away, "You've never had any qualms about this before?"

Alice stared at him. Wasn't this your idea?

"What?" Marty cornered Jimmy, "You worried she might catch a glimpse of him, huh? Aventine's own Norman Bates?" he whipped around to Alice, the flashlight harsh on his jeering face, "She makes a fine Marion, don't you think?"

A twig snapped behind them, and they all jumped. Joseph shook his head at all of them, laughing, "What're you kids staring at?"

Jimmy blanched and tried to turn his cousin in the other direction— "Nothing!"—but Joseph's eyes had found the house between the trees. The color drained from his face, and he smacked Jimmy upside the head before grabbing him by the collar, "Sciocco! The hell do you think you're doing?!"