House of Horror

The Nest

‘Have it!’ I yell and punt the tattered football towards the goal.

Rich dives for the ball, his arms outstretched. It brushes past his fingertips and he crashes to the ground.

‘Goal’ I roar triumphantly and pull my t-shirt over my head.

As I jog around the garden in my victory dance the ball thuds into my ribcage, knocking the air from my lungs. I collapse to the ground with a grunt and lay still. I can hear my brother laughing goofily. I spring to my feet despite my tender ribs and pull down my shirt, glaring angrily at Rich.

‘You’re in for it now Rich’ I growl and scoop up the ball in my hands.

I dart after him, jumping over a pile of jumpers that serve as one of the goal posts. Gaining on him, I deliver a swift kick, aiming for the back of his head. To my dismay I overpower the shot and the ball soars over the fence.

‘Ow’ I whine as Rich dead arms me.

‘Nice on dillbert’ he sniggers.

‘It wasn’t my fault’

‘You kicked it over’

‘Yeah but only cos you hit me’ I moan.

Rich crosses his arms and jerks his head at the fence.

‘No’ I shout defiantly and turning on heels, head towards the house.

Rich follows and wrestles me to the ground. I scream and thrash wildly beneath, trying to buck him off. He is a lot bigger then me and weighs considerably more. After several agonizing minutes of having my face shoved in the dirt, I finally relent. Bruised and muddied Rich pulls me to my feet and slaps me hard on the back.

‘Come on, I’ll give you a leg up’

I spit grass and dirt from my mouth and reluctantly move over to the fence with Rich. He intertwines his fingers and nods.

Rich heaves me up with surprising force and I nearly topple right over the fence into the next-door garden. I grab desperately on to the top of the fence and manage to perch upon it. The ball sits on a patch of grass, a few feet away from a huge nest of leaves and twigs. I am just about to jump down when I notice a bony hand emerge from underneath the pile and reach for the slightly deflated ball. I feel a scream rise within me but when I part my lips all that escapes are my fevered rasps of breath. The skeletal hand closes around the ball and drags it inside the auburn den.

‘Hurry up’ Rich calls and shakes the fence impatiently.

I clutch onto the fence for dear life, nails digging in to the painted wood and hiss at Rich like a feral cat. He grins devilishly and wanders away into the garden. I glance behind me. The den is silent. I seize my window of opportunity and attempt to lower myself back into the garden.

‘Uh, uh, uh’ Rich says, returning with a long branch.

Damn. Too late. The stick is thrust up in my direction and I try to bat it away, nearly losing my balance in the process. It catches me painfully in the side and I howl. Rich laughs and goes in for a second jab.

‘Okay’ I cry, giving in.

Rich smirks triumphantly and crosses his arms again. A sinking feeling grips me as I lower myself cautiously into the garden. I drop the last few feet and land nimbly on my toes, holding my breath for any signs of movement. Nothing. I wait patiently, my heart beating loud in my chest, my breathing irregular. A loud bang behind me sends me scrabbling across the ground. I spin round and realize that it’s just Rich hammering against the fence with his stick. I curse him silently under my breath and unfurl my clenched fists, pulling away handfuls of grass. I pull myself to my feet and eye the large nest in front of me anxiously. Some of the larger branches have been bent and tied together to form a makeshift canopy. I approach slowly, feeling the fear well up inside of me. A tattered piece of cloth hangs from a section of the canopy, serving as a door. A twig crunches underfoot and I freeze on the spot. A pair of dark eyes loom out of the darkness and watch me from one of the gaps. Overwhelmed with fear, I turn and bolt towards the fence. I can hear shuffling and rustling behind me and push on, refusing to glance behind. The mud clings to my legs, sucking me down. I push onwards, desperately trying to wrench myself free from the sinking ground. In my haste to escape I trip on a half hidden twig and smack my head on the edge of the brick wall lining the bottom of the fence. My vision is swamped by a murky grey and then everything turns black.