Quinn
I subconsciously stared at Judy, goggle-eyed.
Laura Smith?
This mysterious girl belongs to our family and we were never informed about her? My head started to spin and my vision became hazy. I tried to reassure myself that it can be just a normal girl with the same surname as us, but it didn't work. I failed to assure myself that it can be any other girl. Everyone looked as astounded as me at the name they just heard.
"What do you want, Laura?" April asked fearlessly. Judy began to chuckle again, but this time her voice sounded much more horrifying. Various tones were combined together, and as I could determine; one was her original voice, one was high-pitched, one was low-pitched, and one was devilish. My heartbeats expedited as I feared what was Judy going to do next, as I knew well that whatever she was intending to do is going to be obnoxious.
"Revenge,"
Judy opened her eyes once she enunciated that word. The lights began flickering and the furniture commenced shaking. The lights went off, and Alex immediately lit up a flashlight. We all gasped when we didn't find Judy sitting on the armchair anymore, and we dreaded the possibility of her jumping at us at any moment. I started to breathe rapidly as I inspected my surroundings, searching for Judy everywhere around us, but she was nowhere to be seen. The thought of her vanishing or something crept into my mind but I attempted to brush it off.
"Where did she go?" Doris asked, her voice quivering. Lullaby music could be heard suddenly, and I somehow knew that it was Judy making it, probably with her own voice. Alex started nervously moving the flashlight across every inch of the house, but we didn't stumble upon any trace of her. The voice-made music continued to resound incessantly, but no sign of Judy anywhere. My heart dropped when a bang sourced from above me, ceasing the music abruptly, and Alex slowly directed the flashlight towards the part of the ceiling above me. I looked up with a pounding heart, and my breath got caught in my throat when I saw Judy holding onto the ceiling above me, like a spider.
Within a blink of an eye, she jumped on me and knocked me down to the ground. Doris and Lisa shrieked at the terrifying scene, as they watched Judy squeeze my neck, in horror. When mom or dad endeavored to approach me, they were pushed backward by a powerful unseen force. Judy's hazel eyes were now glowing green, gazing right into my soul. I was on the verge of losing consciousness but then April spoke, finally.
"Vicky,"
Once that name slipped out of April's mouth, Judy loosened her grip on my neck and twisted her head to glare at April. Both Alex and April were standing in front of my parents and sisters, trying to protect them from whatever Judy was intending to do. Judy started to twist her neck as inhuman noises escaped from her mouth. Her neck cracked as she fully twisted her head to peek at April, and I didn't want to anticipate what was she willing to do.
"I know your name,"
"No!" Judy screamed so loud that my ears almost exploded. With an extraordinarily fast speed, April was pushed backward and hurled at the wall. Judy started creeping up the staircase and the sound of a door being slammed could be heard. I started to crawl over to April who was leaning against the wall, growling quietly. We all gathered around her and watched as she looked at us with a serious expression, ignoring the intolerable pain in her back.
"Quinn, listen," April said, looking at me. "Laura wants revenge, and she isn't going to leave Judy's body unless she accomplishes what she wants. We need to find more information about her so that she will be weaker. You and Alex will search in the basement, I'll search in the attic, Mr. and Mrs. Smith can inspect the remaining parts of the house. Okay?"
I nodded my head slowly. Even though the fact of me being alone with Alex made me nervous, I knew I couldn't object. Honestly, I wanted to spend time with him, no matter how crazy I may sound now. I need to stop thinking about love now, it just isn't the right time to.
Anyway, me and Alex headed to the basement. We stood in front of the unopened door, exchanging looks of worry and fear. I took in a deep breath before I placed my sweaty palm on the almost broken doorknob. I twisted it, and slowly pushed the door open. It generated a loud creaky noise that sent shivers down my spine. I cleared my throat and took a quick glance behind me at Alex, who smiled and nodded as an encouragement. I looked at the staircase one more time before I reluctantly dragged my feet down the fragile, dusty stairs.
When I finally reached the bottom of the staircase, I was relieved to find Alex right behind me. I glided my hand across the cold, unfamiliar wall, looking for a light switch. My hand stumbled across a plastic texture with a button popping out. I immediately pressed it and the aged lightbulb come back to life. Though the light emerging from the bulb was weak, it was enough to illuminate our surroundings. I looked around, contemplating the basement's components for the first time since we moved here. We have never come down here since we moved in, probably because we didn't notice the basement's deformed door standing there unopened for ages.
It was like any basement, but the negative energy radiating off of it was unusual. Several boxes were crowding the basement, probably loaded with junk and old unused stuff of the previous owners. Torn papers were scattered across the dusty ceramic floor, and I felt hopeful that those tiny pieces of paper may carry valuable information. Toys of all kinds were laying on the floor; deformed dolls, old car toys, puzzles, stuffed animals, etc. There was a desk cluttered with papers and pencils, and looking closely at the wooden chair sitting in front of it, I sighted a doll crouching on it. I walked over to the desk cautiously and peered down at the paper laying untouched on it. Three letters were inscribed violently on the paper with a red substance; three letters that sent chills down my spine.
DIE
My body started involuntarily shaking as I peered down at the messily engraved words in horror. Ever since we moved into this house, I've been seeing those three letters frequently. Whoever is haunting us just wants us to die. Just thinking about it made my stomach twist itself into a knot. I never retracted my gaze from the paper sitting in front of me, as I kept thinking about who wants to take revenge on us so desperately.
"Quinn,"
My body spontaneously twitched once a hand touched my bare shoulder. I turned around and was relieved to see that it was only Alex. I even forgot his presence in the room; he might've noticed my panic. His soft eyes gazed into mine, making me feel so much more comfortable despite the inner panic attack I was having earlier. We stayed in that position for a long time before Alex spoke up.
"I have always wanted to ask," he started as his eyes never left mine. "Why did you move into this house knowing it's haunted?"
My eyes stung as the tears began to fill it. I moved my gaze down to the floor as I fought against the tears making their way out of my eyes. I knew he noticed my hesitation when he started to rub my arms, attempting to soothe me. I couldn't hold it back anymore so I let the tears flow down. I kept my head lowered as ugly sobbing noises uncontrollably escaped my mouth.
"It was me," I whispered, my voice quivering so much that it was barely understandable. "It is my fault. I was the one who looked up old houses on the internet. I was the one who chose this house because it was said to have a dark, interesting past. I wish I never did. I wish I just had some faith in ghosts. But I was completely ignorant, I was so stupid. I'm the one who will get us hurt, or even worse, killed. Judy's life is in great danger because of me. If Judy doesn't make it out alive, I will never forgive myself."
I let everything I have been bottling up out. I started to cry harder and Alex immediately wrapped his arms around me and embraced. My cheeks heat up once I realized that I was grabbing onto his shirt and crying into his chest. He stroked my hair and rubbed his hand up and down my back. Being in his arms felt so heavenly; it was a feeling I have wanted to experience since the moment I saw him.
"It's going to be okay, Quinn, I promise. Don't blame yourself for denying the existence of ghosts; I used to when I was younger, before I discovered my ability to communicate with them. You may have gotten into this disaster alone but I promise that we will be coming out of it together."
His words seemed to have an effect on me as I felt myself slowly calm down. When we pulled away, I couldn't stop my lips from lifting into a slight smile. I never knew that such simple words can calm my nerves down, but because it's coming from him, it's much more calming.
We started to search for valuable information together everywhere around the basement. The boxes had tons of files and papers, and I made sure to look at them thoroughly. They were mostly newspapers and dairies, but they had no important information in them. I kept searching until I came across a huge file. I flipped it open and realized that it had profiles of people inscribed inside. I flipped the pages until I stopped on a one. I read it carefully and my eyes shot wide open.
Laura Smith.
20 years old.
Diagnosed with personality disorder.
Siblings: Quinn, Judy, Doris and Lisa Smith.