No Going Back

No Going Back - A short story

The clouds whisked in and out of the clear blue sky, the wind smelling faintly of the rain that had filled the streets the night prior. A dark blue pick-up sped past a series of signs, each warning onlookers to continue no further. However, the truck continued until it stopped in front of a piece of land that was surrounded by a very large chain linked fence. A small woman with short black hair that parted to the right jumped out of the dirt plastered truck, slamming the door behind her.
She walked around to the back, opened the passenger door, and removed a pair of bolt cutters. She waltzed toward the fence with confidence and then cut through the metal. She peeled back the fence and stepped through. She gave a crooked smile. As she walked she spotted an old barn-like farmhouse that laid in the middle of a wildflower and weed riddled field, the shingles worn after years of weathering and the wood that it sat on was now spotted and brittle; the building looked like it was ready to fall into itself at any moment. She stopped, the prickled weeds cutting into her ankles, and looked the house up and down. A chill ran down her, it was as if the windows of the house were doing the same to her.

"This is just what I need!" She dropped the bolt cutters beside her and walked up the set of stairs that led to the home. Her hand wrapped around the rusted doorknob, it turned and the door thrust open. A wave of dust swirled and rushed toward the now open door, landing directly in the woman's face; she gave a series of faint sneezes, "Whew!" She ran her hand up to her face and gently rubbed her nose, surpassing any other sneezes that had dared to come forth. She entered the barrier of the building, it felt as if it was welcoming her with open arms at this point. The door and the decades old hole in the ceiling gave way for light, in what seemed like the family room, and revealed the series of cobwebs and the many previous belongings of the deceased owners. A grin spread across her face as she took in her surroundings all at once, "Yeah, this is definitely what I need."

A fireplace that sat at the end of the room called out to her, a series of photos plastered with dust sat above it and joined in with the beckoning, waiting eagerly to be looked at once more. Her feet began to almost move by themselves; she could barely contain her excitement. She picked up a small bronze frame and wiper her hand across the surface, the dust now clinging to the palm of her hand and to the bottom of the rings that sat on her thin fingers. She smiled once more as she observed the photo of a small boy with freckles and a young dairy calf that were occupying the frame. She placed it down and proceeded to pick up the second frame, but heard a noise that came from above her. It sounded as if someone was pacing back and forth. She raised her head and watched as the dirt fell from the tiny cracks of the ceiling as each step hit the floor; the creaking of the floorboards and the booming of each step echoed through the house and through the crevices of her mind. Her heart began to race, she breathed steadily in hopes to slow it back down to a normal pace, "This is why you're here. Get it together Mia!" She breathed once more and decided that now was the time to check out the second floor of the decrepit house.

She reached out and placed her hand on the railing, it felt as if there was a lump in her throat. She shook her head. Her hand ran up the rail as she walked up, the stairs giving a creak after each step.
Mia reached the top of the staircase, the footsteps seeming to stop as she did so. She breathed in and out in a calm manner, her heart slowing to a normal beat after each in and exhale. Her eyes closed and she imagined what would be waiting for her in the room that the footsteps had bellowed from just seconds ago; her hazel eyes opened and stared restlessly into the distance. She whipped her body toward the right, a single wood door staring at her. As she gazed it felt as if the hall was beginning to stretch into an ever growing task, one that was mocking her as it did so. The door that stood at the end seemed to distort, her heart began to race once more. Mia placed one foot in front of the other and began toward the door, even though her brain was telling her otherwise. The distorting began to slowly fade and reality set back in. All that sat in front of her was a standard wood door that was installed in the home decades, maybe even a century, ago. Mia reached out her hand, ready to twist the knob and reveal what waits on the other side of the door; her head eased down and she watched as the knob began to slowly turn before she had a chance to place her palm on it. She yanked her arm back, the knob twisting back and forth in an attempt to unlatch the door from its resting place. Mia held her breath as the latch gave a slight click, the door now hesitantly moving into the room.
A shadow, thin and tall, stood at the end of the room studying her. Mia's lungs began to burn, her heart felt like it was going to explode, and her body felt as if it were going to collapse. The creature's mouth began to open. It looked as if the jaw that it once had was now becoming unhinged, a ring seeming to escape its lips. Mia's face was painted with terror, partially unaware that her leg was seeming to buzz. She ran her hand against the leg of her jeans, the phone that was sitting in her right pocket was crying out for attention. She sank her quivering hand into her pocket, her eyes fixed on the monster, and pulled out the device. She slid her finger across the screen, the phone brightened as she did so. The creature watched her and then evaporated, with that the room was now empty. All that was left was a sense of dread and a tingling feeling of regret that pit itself in Mia's stomach.