Leave This House

Day 2- I Felt a Funeral in My Brain

Corbin rolled out of the way as the door creaked at the hinges then finally flew open. He rolled up against the wall and the door swung towards him, pinning him against the wall.

Corbin held his breath as Granny looked around the room. He stared up at her, hoping she wouldn't look down. She scanned the room with her horrible eyes until...

She shook her head an turned around, shuffling out the door. Corbin didn't move until he could see she rounded the corner into the kitchen through the crack in the door.

With a relieved breath, he pushed himself up. He threw open the wardrobe door. Flint was huddled at the bottom of it. "Is she gone?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah!" Corbin said, rolling his eyes. Flint got to his feet and looked around. "Great. Let's find a way out now." He went to leave the bathroom but Corbin grabbed his shirt sleeve. "You're a real selfless guy, aren't you?" he growled. Flint pulled away. "I'm sorry but if you've forgotten, I only have to be caught once more then," he made a slash across his throat. He shook his head and looked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. Corbin followed him into the bedroom.

He was met with a tight hug around the neck from Elvyne. "Thank goodness you're alright," she sighed. "We heard Solomon go down." Corbin held her at arms length. "Why did you guys not tell us about Granny?"

Elvyne hung her head. Becca spoke up. "We are so sorry. We didn't see her until it was too late. We weren't able to warn you guys. Plus," she looked over her shoulder at Iris who was sitting the bed. "Miss Crazy had us occupied. She tried to push us out into the hallway."

"She wanted to shove us down the stairs," Elvyne said grimly. Corbin looked at Iris who was now drawing with blood on the bedspread. She would reach up at a scab on her head, scratched at it and then swirl the blood it produced on the bed.

"What's wrong with her?" Corbin whispered. Elvyne and Becca shrugged.

"Hey, Iris?" Corbin said, approaching the girl. "What's up?"

She muttered something to herself. Corbin got closer. "What was that?"

"And when they all were seated, a service, like a Drum! Kept beating-beating!- till I thought my mind was going numb." Iris sang this to herself. Corbin looked at the girls and Flint in confusion.

"She's been singing that since you left," Elvyne said. Corbin stepped closer then sat on the edge of the bed. Iris stopped singing and looked at him with icy blue eyes. She stuck a bloodstained hand at him. Corbin leaned back. She began to recite, "And then I heard them lift a box, and creak across my soul, with those same Boots of Lead, again. Then Space- began to toll..."

She launched at him, sharp fingernails digging into his shoulders. They thudded to the ground. Corbin heard a crack on the back of his head as went down: the table. He gasped in shock and in pain. Iris pinned him to the ground. "Bong!" she laughed, imitating the sound a bell. "Bong!"

Iris was suddenly pulled off of him. She snarled like some wild animal. Flint held her back.

"Granny!" Becca said. Corbin rolled under the bed. Becca hid in the wardrobe. Elvyne jumped into the corner. Flint threw Iris at the door and dove under the bed just as the door began to rattle. It opened with a creak and Granny stepped in. Iris was laying at her feet and had no chance. Granny swung the bat down and Iris stopped moving. Granny shouldered the bat and picked up Iris's limp body with one hand. She dragged her out, closing the door behind her.

Becca opened the wardrobe a crack. She waited a moment or two then said, "I think she's gone." Everyone appeared from their hiding places.

"I don't know about you," Corbin said after getting to his feet. "But I'm glad Iris is gone."

"I wonder what happened to her," Becca said.

"She's gone absolutely psycho," Flint shuddered.

Corbin flopped on the bed, on the other end of Iris's blood drawings. Elvyne sat next to him. "Did she hurt you?" she asked, concerned.

"No," Corbin answered. "I'm fine." He sat up and looked at Becca and Elvyne. "You said you came here together," he said slowly. "But you don't act like you know each other."

"Because we don't," Elvyne said. "We had the same Uber and we wrecked. The driver was killed."

Corbin winced. "I'm sorry. That must've been horrible."

"It wasn't great." Becca shrugged. "But what can you do?" She shook her head. "No more sob stories or crazy people. We need a plan of action."

Corbin slid to the floor. "Let's put together all of our supplies." Everyone sat on the floor in a circle. Becca pulled out the wire cutters and a teal key. Elvyne grabbed a watermelon from behind the bed before sitting down.

"Wait," Corbin said. "Didn't we have another key?"

"Oh no!" Elvyne groaned. "Didn't Solomon have it?" Flint cleared his throat. He reached into his pocket and brought out the key. "He must've dropped it when he got hit," he explained. He put it in the middle of the circle.

Corbin rapt on the watermelon. "Shall we eat first?" Everyone nodded fervently. "Yes, please," Becca said. Corbin picked up the wire cutters and stabbed them into the melon. He stabbed it once more then pried the small fruit open with his hands. Juice oozed out. He handed one half to Becca and Elvyne and the other to Flint.

"What about you?" Flint asked. Corbin waved. "I'm fine. I've only been here for a little bit. Whatever you guys don't eat, I can eat."

Everyone scraped the watermelon and sucked out the juice. Corbin examined the keys. "These must go to something," he said. He stood up suddenly. "I'm going to see if either of these go to the front door."

"I'll come with you," Elvyne said, standing up. Corbin nodded. "Let's go."

They quietly made their way down the stairs. Elvyne brushed up against a small painting and it fell. Corbin caught it before it hit the ground.

After several tense seconds, they finally made it to the ground floor. Corbin pulled out the teal key and slipped it into the main lock. Elvyne nudged him. "It's boarded up and has three other locks on it. This lock must be the final one." Corbin realized she was right. There was board covering the bottom, a padlock across the top, glowing red buttons, and code. Corbin tried the key in the padlock. It didn't fit. He held his breath and slipped the second key into the lock.

It didn't fit. Elvyne and Corbin sighed in annoyance. These keys go to something else. Just to make their escape more complicated. Looking over the door, Corbin remembered something. A piece of paper in the wardrobe. He turned to Elvyne. "I think I know where the passcode is," he said. "I'll go grab it real quick. Stay here." She nodded.

Corbin ran up the stairs as quietly as he could and opened the bedroom door.

"What's up? Becca asked.

"I think I found the code to the door," he answered. He opened the wardrobe and looked in. Caught in the cobwebs was a piece of yellowing paper. Corbin reached his hand in and pulled it out. On it was the numbers 2633. He smiled and ran out the bedroom door. He stopped short as he saw Granny dragging an unconscious Elvyne into the basement.

As they disappeared down into the dark, Corbin forced himself to move. He jumped off the fifth step, not caring about the noise. He grabbed the lock and punched in the numbers. With a quiet whir, the lock opened and fell to the ground with a thud.