The Haunting

Eleven

Quinn

I was delighted that April and Alex agreed to help us, but the probability that they won't be able to expel the ghosts inhabiting our house terrified me.

What if they fail in expelling the entities inhabiting our house? Will one of us die as April told us? Chills ran down my spine as I started to bite on my bottom lip. If it has to be me to die, I'm willing. I don't want my sisters or parents to die, I wouldn't be capable of enduring the pain of their absence. If I have to sacrifice, I will do it. My family is more important than me, and I have to save them.

Alex and April told us that they will have to stay with us, and their stay will last for five days. I dreaded dad's reaction when he knows that we brought some random ghost hunters with us home, but as long as I have mom on my side, then it's going to be alright, I hope. At least she witnessed supernatural occurrences with her own eyes, so I'm certain she will try to convince dad.

As we arrived home, me, April and Alex got out of Lindsay's car — Yeah, she has turned eighteen on her last birthday. Her father is a wealthy businessman so he could afford to buy her a well-known brand car for her on her eighteenth birthday. I have always wished that my parents were as rich, but I guess I have to save up money by myself so that I can purchase my dream car on my upcoming birthday.

After waving goodbye to Lindsay, I watched as her car drove away and went out of sight. I sighed and looked at April and Alex before I motioned for them to enter the house. They dragged their suitcases into the house and started pondering the house's details once they were inside. They looked awestruck by the house's interior; as much as I was when I saw it for the first time. I have never imagined that such a beautiful and ordinary-looking house can cause this amount of problems.

Dad wasn't home yet, which was a huge relief for me, but my consolation wouldn't last long. I'm sure that once he returns, he is going to bawl at me for bringing strangers home without his permission or knowledge. He is still repudiating the fact that something is seriously wrong with the house, though the countless attempts mom made to induce him. He is still firmly disbelieving the existence of ghosts, and it's quite reasonable for him as he didn't witness what we did. If I hadn't witnessed what I had, I'm sure I wouldn't have believed in the occurrence of paranormal phenomena.

"So," mom spoke up, interrupting my train of thoughts. "You are April and Alex?"

"Yes," April and Alex replied in unison. Mom eyed April and Alex amusingly and intently for a couple of minutes before she spoke up again.

"Nice to meet you both," mom told them, smiling sincerely as she shook their hands. "You can stay in the guest room, by the way."

April scowled while Alex nodded and smiled. I was unable to believe that April and Alex are twins; there is a great noticeable difference between their personalities. They look very similar but their temperaments are completely non-identical. Like, April looks like the type of rebellious and frequently grumbling person, while Alex is the opposite, humble and always smiling. Yeah, that's what attracted me to him.

As I led them to the guest room, no word was said on the way. They contemplated every detail of the house observantly, their facial expressions manifested their discomfort and apprehension of being in the house. They're ghost hunters, so they can sense the presence of devilish, non-human creatures. It must feel scary to sense the existence of inhuman entities around you, but they're probably used to it.

"Here," I said once we arrived at the guest room. April looked remarkably discontented when she saw the room; the grimace spread across her lips implied that.

"Thanks," Alex said sweetly before following April into the room. I could feel my cheeks heat up; he is just too sweet for me to handle.

Coincidentally glancing at my left, I saw the same black-haired girl standing there. She was lowering her head and her long hair was covering most of her face. My heartbeats began to quicken as I circumspectly strolled towards her. She remained unmoving, with her head lowered and her waist-length hair concealing her face. When I got much closer to her, she started to walk into the bathroom. I followed her, my heart racing and my body trembling.

When I reached the bathroom, I watched the girl punctiliously as she stepped into the bathtub and laid down. Trudging towards the tub warily, I perceived that the tub was full of black liquid, which the girl began submerging herself into. Bubbles erupted which indicated that the girl was drowning, and I could see her kick her legs. My breathing hastened as I watched the girl drown but I didn't have the courage to do anything.

After the girl drowned, strands of brunette hair rose from underneath. Suddenly, a hand rose from under the water and grabbed my neck. The hand dragged my face underwater, and I clenched the tip of the bathtub, trying to push myself upwards. The oxygen in my lungs was quickly shrinking, and I was beginning to slip into unconsciousness. I remember seeing a familiar face underwater before someone pulled me out.

"Quinn, are you okay? What was happening?"

It was Alex who had just saved my life. I started gasping for air as I placed my hand on my chest, feeling my rapid heartbeats. When I glimpsed at the bathtub, I was blindsided to realize that the black substance filling the tub was now just clear, normal water. I turned my gaze back to Alex who was staring at me worriedly.

"I'm alright," I lied, not knowing how to explain what I had just sighted. He looked dissatisfied as he detected that I was lying.

"Quinn, you have to tell me the truth, we're here to help you so you have to tell us about everything you see," He said, gazing into my eyes. I sighed and took a few deep breaths before I spoke.

"The girl," I began but stopped mid-sentence, thinking how to explain. "She was drowning, and, she was trying to drown me with her. Somehow, her face looked familiar, like I'd seen her somewhere before."

Alex raised an eyebrow in confusion as he seemed to process what I had just explained. He was about to say something before we heard a high-pitched scream. We both ran out of the bathroom and tried to figure out from where did the scream emerge, and then we realized it came from Judy's room. As we scampered towards Judy's room, there we saw something unutterable

"REVENGE!"