We entered the building right at sundown. Colby was behind me, recording, while I was scouting out what was in front of us. I shine my flashlight over the graffitied walls. The air was stall and moldy and I paused to let Colby catch up to me.
"What? Something wrong already?"
I couldn't see his face behind the massive light on our camera but his voice sounded worried. I smile softly to let him know nothing was wrong yet.
"We need our masks," I say.
"Oh, oh right," Colby laughs. He hands me the camera and while Colby struggles to get our masks out I pan the camera around the foyer of the building. To the left was a spiral staircase, leading to upstairs. Some of the steps were missing and the railing was gone. To the right was another doorway, leading to somewhere unknown. Colby pats my shoulder and I grab the black mask from him. I place the straps around my ears as the fabric covers my nose and mouth.
I continue walking forward, down the hallway. I hear Colby's footsteps behind me and it relaxes me. It's not that I don't like exploring, I do. I just don't like the idea of finding something that doesn't want to be found. Or getting caught trespassing. But we had no problem parking the car and walking the two miles to the building. In fact we never saw anyone.
The room opens up to a kitchen. I point the camera around the room, at the cracked counters, broken cabinets, graffitied walls. Broken glass was also spread around the ground.
"Careful Sam," Colby says. He's close to me because I can feel his body heat. He's always protective when we go exploring but I wasn't complaining.
I guide myself around the broken glass and other random objects and into the living room area. The sofa was torn up and the wooden coffee table was split right down the middle. There was also a smashed tv leaning against the wall.
"Woah look at that Colby," I say. I point to the table and turn the camera to get his reaction. The light brightens his face and it takes a minute for him to adjust to the light. Then he looks to where I'm pointing and gasps, getting closer.
"I wonder how that happened," he says. He examines the smooth cut of the table. Red spray paint covered the surface. Upon further inspection, we realized it spelled out a word. On the one side the letters 'G E T' were spelled out and the other side had the letters "O U T".
"Get out," I whisper looking up at him. He doesn't seem affected by the words, probably thinking it was a joke as the whole house had words like that written across the walls. I continue to record him and the room. There was a really cool antique looking clock on the mantel of the fireplace. It was dusty but was still very pretty.
While I was recording the clock, goosebumps rose on my skin. It was weird because there was no wind in the house, just stagnant air. I turn my head around to see if it was Colby. But he was on the other side of the room looking at something else.
I turn the camera to another random object on the floor. I wanted to show how trashed the place was. There were multiple papers on the ground. I crouch down to look at them. They were old and worn, most of the words unreadable. But I managed to find a date on one of them.
"1998," I whisper. I zoom in on the date with the camera. It's blurry and I try to focus it but it doesn't. I felt something on my neck suddenly like wind or breathing. Maybe Colby was standing over me.
"Colby?" I ask, looking up. But Colby is nowhere in the room. I drop the papers, forgotten, and stand up. I shine my flashlight through the living room. I walk back towards the kitchen, once again shining my light into the room. But he's not there either.
"Get out."
A whisper floated through the house. Just like the words on the table. It was quiet and sounded female. This house has been abandoned for years, no one else should be here. I'm going crazy, I thought. I was still recording and I hoped I caught that on video.
"Sam? Sam, where are you?"
I hear the familiar voice of my best friend and I see his flashlight bouncing off the walls. I call him into the kitchen. When he sees me his face relaxes, it was almost like he was scared.
"Hey wanna go check upstairs?" He asks. I guess when I couldn't find him he was busy scoping out the rest of downstairs. He told me there was nothing interesting to record.
"Yeah let's go," I say quietly. The camera was getting heavy to hold so I pass it to him. I go ahead of him. I test the stairs to make sure they'd hold our weight. They creaked each time weight was put on them and I held my breath hoping they wouldn't give out. The last few steps were missing and we had to jump to the landing.
We make it to the top to find a small hallway with three doors. The first door was a bathroom. The mirror was cracked, the sink destroyed. Colby moves the camera around the tiny space.
"This place is so creepy," he says, aiming the camera at me. This would be a good time to mention the whisper but I hold back.
After leaving the bathroom, the next door enters to a bedroom. There was a full bed in the middle of the room but the mattress was gone. A dresser was pushed against the wall, a broken mirror attached. More broken glass was on the floor and it crunched beneath our feet. The weird thing about this room was that the window was wide open. The glass was there, it wasn't cracked or anything but the window was pushed up all the way. I make my way over there. I shined my flashlight down into the yard and I swore I saw a figure standing there.
I scream and stumble backwards. Luckily Colby was close behind me and caught me. His hand went around my tiny waist while the other one clutched the camera.
"What? What is it?" He yells. I pull away from him to look again. He grabs my hand trying to pull me back. But I lean across more and shine my light down there. Nothing. Suddenly that same feeling of someone breathing down my neck was back. Goosebumps rose on my skin.
"Leave now."
The same female voice whispered through the air. I quickly whip around to look at Colby to see if he heard it too. But his worried eyes were fixed on me. The camera pointing at me too.
"You didn't hear that?" I question, tilting my head to the side.
"Hear what?" He whispers. I say quiet hoping the whisper would say something else.
"You didn't hear someone whisper?" I ask. My voice was raised, I was for sure going crazy. Colby shakes his head. I glance back out the window to see nothing. Maybe it was all in my head.
"Cmon lets go to the last room," Colby whispers, pulling me by the hand he was holding. He didn't let go of it when we went into the third room, another bedroom. This room was bigger. There seemed to be a queen sized bed with no mattress pushed against the wall. There was a window in here too but it was closed.
Colby zooms in on the random objects thrown around the room. He makes sure I'm close to him, constantly checking behind him. I glance over the graffiti on the walls. Most of it made no sense, random letters creating a nonexistent word scribbled in spray paint. Some were drawings, others were names of people who had been here before. I walk to the tiny closet. The door was broken off its hinges so it was easy for me to look inside.
I crouch down and pick up some papers. With my flashlight I look through the worn papers until I reach the last one. It was a picture.
In the picture was a young girl with her parents. She was sitting on her mother's lap eating something. Though the photo was dull, I could make out her piercing blue eyes.
"Colby come look at this," I say. I carefully walk back over to him.
"Woah, those must be the people who used to live here," Colby says.
I flip the picture over and scribbled in black pen was three names and a date. At this point, Colby had wandered away to look out the window. He didn't seem as interested in the photo as I did.
"Michael, Michelle, and Jada. 2003," I whisper.
"Get out now."
The voice was shouting now. She was angry. I flinch at her words. Colby notices and grabs my shoulder. His eyes are filled with concern and worry. Suddenly a burst of wind enters the room and the picture slips from my fingers. It floats out of the room and I try to go after it.
"Sam, wait, stop," Colby is shouting at me. I feel his fingers brush against mine as he grabs my wrist. He pulls me back into the room.
"You didn't hear her, did you?" I ask him. His eyes widen.
"Sam, what are you saying? Have you been hearing someone?" He asks.
I glance around the room, wishing I had the photograph to show Colby the little girl. She was the one whispering, I just know it.
"Yeah the little girl who used to live here, Jada," I say. I look straight into the camera when I say it.
"Jada? How do you know her name?" He ask confusion written all over his face. I stare at him in shock, I just showed him the picture and he doesn't remember.
"Oh God. We gotta go right now," I say, pulling him into the hallway. He's screaming at me to tell him what's going on but all I can think about was getting out of this haunted place. We pass by the other room and I take a glance inside. My blood runs cold when I see the window was closed.
I don't have time to think about it more instead take the creaky steps two at a time until I'm pushing open the door. I hear Colby panting behind me. Fresh air fills my lungs and I rip the face mask off.
After explaining to Colby what I heard, and telling him about the picture, and looking back over the footage while we walk back to the rental car made me realize how crazy I sound. In the video, all you can see is me holding some papers and whispering their names and the date. Colby never actually got video of the photo itself. And there was no wind in the video either and no whispering voices. It was all in my head. I think I was going crazy.
The ride back to the hotel was eerily quiet. Colby has been reassuring me that my mind was playing tricks on me from lack of sleep. I wanted to believe him but it was all too real. It was close to midnight when we made it back.
Since we were in a different state we had gotten two hotel rooms. One for me and one for Colby. Luckily they were right next to each other. Colby stops in front of my door.
"Are you gonna be alright?" He asks, voice laced with concern. His fingers linger on my lower arm. I unlock my door.
"I think so. Goodnight Colby," I say quietly.
"Goodnight Sam," he whispers. He looks at me a few moments longer before going to his door.
Once in my room I slide against the door letting tears fall from my face. I had been holding them in ever since we got in the car. I didn't want to crazy. I wasn't insane. I just needed some sleep that's all. After taking a hot shower to cleanse myself from the haunted place, I crawl into bed. I leave the bathroom light on so it wasn't completely dark.
But I didn't fall asleep. An hour later I am still wide awake. Every odd noise made me flinch and hide under my sheets. I decided to go to Colby's room. I throw on a T-shirt and peek my head into the hallway. Dim lights lined the ceiling hallway casting an eerie glow. I walk the few steps to his door. I knock loudly hoping he would wake up to hear me. Then I stand there in silence. A strong gust of air came out of nowhere. I look around and see an AC vent right above the door. I let out a sigh of relief. I knock again.
His door creaks open slowly and I see the side of his head peak out. His dark brown hair was disheveled atop his head. I wave gingerly and sheepishly look down at my sock covered feet. His bare chest was exposed in the light and I swallowed hard.
"Sam? W-what?" His voice was deep with sleep.
"I don't wanna be alone," I whisper. He seems to understand and let's me into his room. It was a mess with clothes laying everywhere. I was too tired to scold him. Once the door was closed his room was enclosed in darkness. I hear Colby shuffling to the lamp and he clicks it on. He sits on the end of his bed. I sit next to him.
"I'm sorry. I was just scared and I couldn't fall asleep," I whisper, turning to him. Suddenly being here with Colby made me feel safe. It made me relax and I started yawning.
"It's ok Sam. You can stay here," he says patting the bed.
"I just don't wanna be alone," I repeat.
Colby glances at me, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. His lips form a soft smile as he takes my hand.
"We can be alone together," Colby whispers.
He leans back onto the bed, head in the pillows. He pulls me along with him. I crawl under his sheets and curl up next to him, my body pressed against his side. He reaches over and turns the lamp off. My heart is beating fast and I could feel blood pounding in my ears. I've slept with Colby many a times but this time seems different. This time he makes me feel safe.
"You're safe with me Sammy," he whispers into my ear. I blush and I'm glad his room is dark so he can't see. I reach up and trace his jawline. His smooth skin eases me into a tired slumber.
"Go to sleep Sammy," Colby whispers as he himself is falling back asleep. And so I do. I close my eyes and allow sleep to take over. It was the best sleep I've had in awhile and I'd like to think it was because Colby was holding me tight, protecting me against evil.
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(yeah idk what this is)