Chapter Four - Exploring the Unknown

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"Barry, wake up, please." I hear as I lay in bed, yawning.

Rubbing my eyes, I reply, still mostly asleep, "I'm awake. Did something bad happen?"

"No- The opposite! I was in the bathroom when I turned off the light and saw Mary standing behind me smiling", Kiwi spoke as Betty woke up listening.

"No way! What did she look like?" Both of us asked curiously.

"She had long brown hair, what looked like a long dress on, and a couple of cuts on her arms and face!"

"It looked like she had not slept for weeks and been hit and abused," explained Kiki as we sat there confused and relieved.

"Wow, that seems to make sense. Give love and me a couple of minutes, and we will come out", I say as she turns around, shutting the door.

"Morning Bear, did you have a good sleep?" I asked while stroking my hands through her hair lovingly.

"I did, thanks to you," she replies, blushing.

We lie there for five minutes, falling more in love, holding and kissing each other while getting changed. Walking out into the kitchen, we find Kiki cooking breakfast as we all sit down.

"This looks amazing. What made you wanna do it?" Betty asks.

"We have a long day ahead, plus you two love birds wouldn't get out of bed," Kiwi replies as we all laugh.

"Morning Mary, did you have a good sleep?" I politely ask, sitting there eating.

"Knock!" Mary replied. "Don't worry. After today, you will feel better", we say, trying to make her happier.

Once breakfast is finished, everything gets packed up as we finally head out to solve the mystery. Feeling Mary's presence, we slowly pull up at the house again. This time we got there just after sunrise, giving us a whole day to explore every bit of this house.

"Stick together no matter what; make sure the go-pros are recording; Bear can you hold the thermal camera, please?" I ask Betty while everyone suits up, shutting the car trunk and locking it.

"Sure thing, keep your crowbars out just in case the figure might be here," she replies as the hairs on our bodies begin to stick up.

The first section we focus on is the surrounding field, overgrown wheat standing as tall as their chests. The early morning sun was covered by fluffy clouds floating above; an hour passed as nothing was found, slightly to our surprise. We had our focus on the tin shed, which looked quite big. Visible bird nests sit on the half-broken gutter with rust and smashed windows. Slowly walking forward, Betty pans the camera around, allowing us to see Mary floating between us. Before breaking it open, Kiki asks one crucial question.

"Mary, does this shed look familiar? Anything about it?" She says as Mary knocks on the tin door only once.

Continuing to go, Kiki stands back as Betty and I use the crowbars to break the chains open. They fall to the ground, moving like a rattlesnake. Catching a glimpse of the dark figure standing behind the elevated but broken deck. And knowing once we come out in the open, it could try to hurt us, increasing our nerves.

"Are we ready?" Betty asks nervously.

"Yes, on my count, open it. 3... 2... 1... Now!" I say as dust and pollen kick up, temporarily blocking our vision.

We wipe it off and pace forward, seeing a cluttered, gloomy, mysterious shed. Two cars, one pick-up, and a Volkswagen sat there covered with tarps with different parts removed. We cautiously walked around, stepping over paint cans, items that fell from high shelves, and multiple cobwebs.

"I'm only picking up Mary at the moment," Betty says from the other side of the car.

"Everything is just left here. All the belongs", I whisper to Kiki.

"Yeah, could these cars have been used like we said last night?" I ask, causing us to search through them. Firstly, looking through the pick-up, only dust and broken parts were found, disappointing all of us.

"Nothing here. What about Volkswagen?" Speaks Kiki after checking it.

"Looking at that now," I replied, lifting the tarps and finding a missing engine, along with layers and more dust. Glancing at the backseats, I see something that catches his attention.

"Guys look, it's some rope on the back seat," I say as they all stare at that one piece of rope. Putting on gloves, I gradually lifted them out and placed them in a bag.

"Mary, does this look familiar?" Betty asks nervously for an answer.

"Knock," Mary informs us, and the little hope we had sunk back into our bodies.

While continuing to search, I stay by the half-shut door, ensuring the figure doesn't creep upon us. Looking at the same spot, however, it stands there. No facial features, not moving a muscle, sending chills down my spine.

"We have to do this now. There must be more", Betty says as a sudden creek catches everyone's attention.

"Did you just hear that?" She says, looking up at us.

"Yes, let's try to push everything away from it," Kiki replies as we do so.

Five minutes pass, and finally, it's clear, revealing a small handle sticking out above the timber floor. I move from the door and hold the camera as Kiki opens it showing a rusted ladder down and then a tiny dirt tunnel into the darkness.

"Jesus, I hope it isn't what it might be," Betty exclaims as a sense of unease dawns upon us. We stopped for a second, quieting down as we tried to listen for any sounds, hearing nothing.

"Mary, if the figure is in the shed while we're down here, knock three times," I calmly say, and she knocks twice; Kiki slowly steps down as light surrounds her.

Illuminating the damp, dark tunnel with what looked like hay scattered across the floor. She pulls out her pocket knife in case an attacker appears and steps out of the way so Lena and I can climb down. 

"Guys, the only thing I see is a wooden door at the end; this must be where we need to go," Kiki says as Betty steps down, standing beside her.

With one last look between the metal doors, I don't see the figure as I focus on what's ahead. Finally, after entering the tunnel, everyone sees how it is barely wide enough for two people with dirty wooden beams hanging above their heads.

"There is enough space for us to stand by the door. Let's walk there but be careful", softly said Betty in case they could hear us. Nodding, all three of us crept forward, the torches illuminating the dirt walls while the thermal camera continued to pick up nothing.

The temperature had dramatically dropped as our weatherproof pants and jackets came in handy, keeping us warm. After carefully walking, we reach the door with hundreds of bolts and four different chains, keeping it shut.

"Whatever they kept in, made sure it could not get out," Betty calmly spoke.

The ladder was still partly visible, and everyone took a minute to prepare for what was inside.

"Take off the chains, open the door, and light up everything inside, have your knives in the other hand," Kiki whispered.

Knowing what needed to be done, everyone put on a mask, covering our mouths and noses as, one by one, the chains fell, the noise bouncing around the tunnel. The biggest and thickest one fell as the door was free. None of us liked it, but we knew it had to be done for Mary's family so they wouldn't have to wonder what had happened to their daughter.



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What do you think they will find behind that door? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

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