House Of Horrors

Partying On Maple St.

"Why are we sleeping in the same room?" Elle asks. I fluff the pillows and throw them on the three mattresses on the floor in the master bedroom, my new bedroom. The cheap, discount bed sets are unassembled in a heap of parts down stairs.

"Because I get lonely." I lie, I'm still freaked out from the worms. And who can forget the broken cellphone that appeared out nowhere?

"Now that's cute, kinda... if you were three." Elliot says from his bed.

"Oh, hush," I say, rolling my blue eyes. I crawl into my own bed, and reluctantly reach for the lamp plugged in and sitting on the floor next to my head. Once my fingertips brush over the dile, goosebumps prickle across my body. I haven't been afraid of the dark since I was four, but now I'm afraid of what can lurk in the pitch darkness? Jeez, I'm 19 years old... I flip off the switch, irritated at my childish behavior.

"Good night." I say, raising the blankets to my chin.

"Goodnight," Elle says to me.

"Goodnight," Elliot softly calls, two beds down. I shut my eyes, more darkness surrounding me. Everything is silent for a moment, not a sound goes off, not the wind or a cricket or anything. Just silence and darkness.

"Good night..." A horsed, elderly voice whispers in my ear. The old lady! My heart squeezes and starts hammering painfully in my chest. My blue eyes snap open coming face to face with glowing red eyes hovering a few inches above my own. My throat closes up with a silent scream. I reach around for something, anything. My hand panickly slaps against the floor before finding a shoe. My hands wraps around the sneaker in a death grip. With one swing I slap someone's face hard. The glowing eyes shut with the impact and I grab the lamp, shaking fingers finding the knob and flicking it on. Light floods the room, no one besides Elle and Elliot and I in here.

"Emme?" Elle asks quietly, looking up at me through squinted blue eyes. I'm gasping, feeling like I can't catch my breath.

"I... I..." I breathe, my chest rising and falling in panicked gasps.

"Nothing, I just remembered something..." I lie pathetically. I lie back down, staring up at the ceiling.

"Are you going to turn off the light?" Elle asks.

".... No...." I breathe.

The next day

"So now I'm the witch?" Elle asks, fluffing up the black tulle that is her tutu. I can't afford new costumes so we're just swapping costumes for Michelle's post Halloween party tonight. I scraped enough money to get Elle a tutu at a dollar store, and sewn the vampire costume a little more masculine. So Elliot won't be walking around in a skirt.

"Yup." I say. Paint primer stings my nose, filling up the entire house with its harsh chemical odor. Early this morning since I couldn't sleep I painted on primer on the freshly stripped walls. Cans of paint litter the living floor, crowding the room.

"Elliot! Come out! Let me see how it looks on you!" I call to Elliot in the down stairs bathroom. I hear the bathroom door creak open, the  his feet pitter pattering against the creaky floor.

"Call me Dracula!" Elliot says, sliding into the room. Fangs sticking out between his lips, and a cape flapping behind him, (another cheap piece I got from the dollar store) Elliot looks like every other kid in a too expensive store bought costume. I whistle, impressed with my work.

"Isn't as cool when I wore it." Elle grumbles under her breath.

"Well, you are a beautiful, power Supreme." I say, making a reference to AHS season 3. I pull the pins from the black tutu and pop the sharp ends into my lips.