When the creaky door swung open, it was just as Elodie had imagined it would be. There were holes in the roof and walls, allowing the winter winds to blow through the house. It was small and rickety, only a few dusty possessions scattered here and there. There was a steep staircase at the corner of the room that led up to the second level, likely a small, attic-like room.
Elodie stepped inside, shivers running down her shoulder blades, as she carefully inspected the gloomy house. As soon as she stepped on the wooden floor, it creaked loudly, causing a small bird to shoot out of a nest in the corner and out the door. Elodie shuddered.
Her friends followed close on her heel. Once they were all inside, the door slammed shut, as if a strong gust of wind had shoved it. The group jumped and spun around, their eyes widening with new fright. It dawned on them then that this place wasn't an average abandoned cabin.
"Anybody here?" Elodie called out shakily, praying that she wouldn't receive an answer. She knew that it was a bad idea to call out in eerie places. It had mostly been to break the unnerving silence in the room.
They all slowly stepped through the small house, emerging in a dining room. There was a rather nice table with four chairs surrounding it. Fancy dishes were placed on the table in a neat order. All the things on the table were covered in cobwebs and dust. The setting sun shone through a window in the far corner, causing the dining room to glow with orange light. It gave Elodie an unpleasant feeling.
"I...have a bad feeling about-" Lark began. She was cut off by a shifting sensation that rocked through the house. Dust drifted down from the ceiling above their heads. Elodie's brows furrowed with confusion. The house surely hadn't just moved.
Moments later, the ground beneath their feet began quaking uncontrollably, knocking things off shelves around them and causing the chairs and tables to move out of place. The last thing Elodie saw was a crystal glass fall from the table. She watched as the glass fell through the air and shattered on the ground. All sound faded around her except for the breaking glass. There was a sound like a window smashing, and then the world was engulfed in darkness.
It stayed like that for a while until everything settled down. The sounds of glass objects breaking surrounded them. Elodie fell to the ground and curled up in a fetal position out of instinct. She covered her head with her arms as the world shook violently around her. Then, it was calm again.
Everyone quickly huddled together when the light never returned. Then, suddenly, a single candle was lit. It shone at the far end of the room. Elodie got up and tried to grasp it but, it grew farther away from her, as if the room had stretched suddenly. She tilted her head in confusion and her eyes were wide with fear. She was panting, the panic rising within her.
"Elodie," Lark called out, her voice steady. "Come back." Elodie looked towards them and then shook her head, running towards the candle. She wanted it for other reasons than light. She wanted to see if it was connected to whatever would get them out. She sprinted towards the candle at top speed, her teeth gritted and her eyes full of fear. Just as she was about to grasp the candle, it disappeared completely. It was only when she heard someone chuckling behind her that she knew where it had gone.
She spun around to see the candle behind her, grasped tightly in the small, dirty hands of a woman. Large, green eyes stared up at her, filled with mingled brokenness and insanity. Elodie gasped and jumped back, causing the woman to let out a low, malicious laugh.
YOU ARE READING
Winter's Child
FantasyElodie Remley grows up believing that she is just like any other girl. She goes through her childhood containing special powers that no one else has. She isn't able to use them, however, until she turns eighteen. She discovers that she is unlike oth...
