What Lies Beneath

Chapter Fifty-Four: Idiosyncrasy

The thing about life is, that without death it has no purpose, no meaning. The house knew this, but it also knew that even if its walls were torn down and it was left as studs jutting from the dirt it now stood on, it would never die. A house is not like a person. Yes, this house was different than all the other houses, but it was still not a human being. Death had no hold on its being therefore, life could have no true hold.

This notion is what left the house so deprived over the years. It was never burdened with knowing the full scope of living and the cost of it. While it took the living, breathing bodies away from its guests, it provided them with a different life. A life where they would never have to leave its walls ever again.

In the house's mind, it was doing all of its guests a favor while indulging in its darker nature. Evil isn't simply born overnight; it is cultivated through time. Loneliness brought the house to this point. It did not plan on letting anyone confined within its walls ever escape for fear of the silence that came with it.

So, while those trapped hunted for an escape, the house did what it always would, it sealed every exit and fortified its walls, windows, and doors.

Karen jumped and rolled out of Charlie's path. There was no way that she was going to die in this awful house. Unable to stop his current momentum, Charlie slammed into the empty bookshelf causing him to let out another burst of rage. Karen stared, terrified, as he swung his arms down on the wooden shelves causing them to crack and burst apart under the sudden force.

Wyatt struggled to stand on the leg that Charlie had grabbed. It was throbbing and he found himself wondering if it was broken or simply sprained. However, that thought got pushed to the back of his mind, drowned out by the sounds of their attacker's primal screams.

Karen was horrified. With every board that snapped under his fists, she felt more and more afraid. How were they going to survive this?

Jason beat on the glass until his fists were shredded and blood poured from the open wounds. This house was not going to defeat him, but he did need a moment to catch his breath and think of another way out. Stubbornness ran through is veins more than blood. He would get out of this place if it was the last thing he did.

Karen's eyes focused on the axe that was still resting on the floor. It was their only way of escape. She needed to get to that weapon and use it in the fight for their lives and freedom. Wyatt followed Karen's gaze. When his eyes landed on the blood-stained blade his whole body tensed. They were only going to have one shot at this.

Gwyneth rounded the next corner, the place where she believed the scream to have originated. On the floor she found a boy by the window, his hands covered in his own blood.

"Are you alright, do you-" She knelt down in front of him for a better assessment of his current state. He seemed disassociated with the world around him. His fist compulsively beat against the wall. His eyes stared off into the distance. How long had he been like this? The question was the first coherent thought she could put together. The house had a way of interrupting her train of thought, it was like searching for anything amongst a dense fog.

Her withered hand shaking, she reached out to check the boy's bloody hands. It was in that moment that time sped up and slowed all at once. The boy whose vacant sign flickered in his eyes suddenly shot back to life and plunged a shard of his broken blade into the Gwyneth's chest.

Blood spewed from her mouth as she tried to choke out the shock. Her eyes flicked between the metal buried in her sternum to the boys ever growing smile. This was the house's plan all along. It was with that last thought and one more glimpse at the monster who stood above her that Gwyneth took her last ailing breath. Her time in this form was done.

THANKS FOR READING. SORRY THIS IS KIND OF A SHORT CHAPTER, BUT DON'T WORRY MORE IS COMING SOON. 

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE: FIGHT WILL BE COMING AT Y'ALL TOMORROW SO WATCH OUT FOR IT!

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