The Manor

Chapter 1: The Manor

     Lily bounded out of the van, skipping towards the very, very old house in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by tall, dark trees it gave off the ominous atmosphere that her partner promised. She tilted her head as she looked into some of the dusty windows from the yard. Dust seemed to swirl around inside the house, cobwebs swaying against the glass. "Hey, Tyler, this house better not be a fake like the others." She said as she turned around, looking at her fellow investigator and friend.

     Tyler slammed his door of the van closed as he walked to the other side to meet his partner. "I'm telling you Lily, this place is the real deal. My sources tell me some rich guy owned it a few hundred years ago, after he went missing everyone who ever owned it has either disappeared, died or went insane. Doesn't get any realer than this."

    "Don't believe it. Those damn Creepypastas are messing up our job." She grunted as she walked up the rotten porch steps and looking into the dusty windows up close. White objects of differing size and shapes were scattered around the room. "So this place is over a hundred years old? Is it safe?" She asked as she went to the door and turned the knob, but the old door refused to budge.

    With her eye twitching she kicked the fragile wood of the door. The ancient door crumbed against the force of her foot. Tyler frowned at how easily the door was broken, on closer inspection the old rickety house looked like it could be blown away by a stiff wind. It seemed to be a miracle keeping the rotten boards and ancient foundation standing. He peaked through the empty hole Lily had made in the door, the smell of choking dust filled his nostrils as the mold and mildew growing in the building was finally given fresh air. "Hmm, maybe it isn't safe, but when has that ever stopped us."

    Despite his partners disbelief he believed the tales he'd heard, this was the job that would put them on the map. Lily grunted as she pushed the door away and walked into the house. The floors creaked under her feet. Uncomfortable in the house Lily exited pass Tyler and ran to the van. Only to return with two medical masks not long after. "Safety first." She said as she gave one to Tyler, putting  the other one on her face.

    He gladly took the mask, snapping the straps across the back of his head. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a clip on flashlight and snapped it onto the front pocket of his jacket. The two slowly walked into the house, looking around, trying to tell which rooms were which. Lily walked into what she presumed was the living room, Tyler following close behind her. Grabbing a white sheet she pulled it off the object underneath it. A cloud of dust came off with it, the sheet hitting the floor as the dust cloud rose into the stale air. But it revealed a dusty, antique couch underneath. "If this place wasn't, 1: Abandoned, and 2: Creepy as fuck, I'd actually move in."

    Walking around the living room Tyler pulled another sheet off of a tall object. As the white sheet hit the ground a marble fireplace was revealed. Long cool ashes littered the blackened stones, a broken antique clock and picture frames holding yellowed photos rested on the mantelpiece. "Having thoughts of moving in Lily? This place is better than that crappy apartment of mine, if I can fix it up this is my new house."

    Lily laughed as she continued to pull off more of the white sheets, revealing some very old furniture. Pulling down a white sheet that was on a wall revealed an old painting of a woman, but where the eyes should have been there was a thick black line going from either side of the frame. "Odd." She said as she touched the black streak. Her hand snapped back, retreating from the wetness. Looking at her hand she saw fresh black paint on her finger tips. Showing Tyler she furrowed her brows. "Why would paint on an antique painting be wet? And why would this woman's eyes be painted over?" Lily asked, genuinely concerned about the current situation.