Getting Back To You (Book 2 of Under The Floorboards)

Chapter 3: Kendall

"Kendall!" Nina screams at me, causing me to fly down the stairs. She found something, she had to. She was the last one to get to my house today, the rest of us were already waiting in the attic. I scramble down the ladder, practically rolling down the stairs. I don't even feel my feet hitting the steps. Her face is unbearably happy, it is the first time I have seen her like that since before the house. My heart pounds in my chest, a mixture of hope and excitement.

Her hands are behind her back, rocking on her heels as she bit her tongue. "What? What is it? Spit it out!" I laugh, placing my hands on my knees to catch my breath.

She undoes her coat with one hand, the other still behind her back. Snowflakes are scattered in her hair, melting away with the warmth in my house. "These," she smiles, bringing her hand from behind her back. A set of car keys are draped around her finger.

"You're mom is letting you use the van again?" I ask in disbelief.

"Better, c'mon," she waves me over, opening my front door. A cold breeze causes goosebumps to rise on my bare arms. Everything outside is coated in snow.

Tossing me the keys, she squeals once more. I catch them, holding them up to analyze. I gasp, my heart skips a beat. "No. Way," I breathe heavily.

"He must've dropped them in the back of my van when we went to the house. I found them on the way here. My mom doesn't know, I didn't say anything. She would've taken them to the police," Nina bites her lip. Hope pulses through my veins while I press the unlock button.

From underneath the large pile of snow in my driveway, I hear the car doors unlock. Cole's car keys, she found them. "Oh my god," I feel my lower lip quiver. "Guys!" I call everyone else down, hearing their footsteps running behind me.

I hold up the keys, waiting for Damon, Alaska and Zane to see. "No way. Are those what I think they are?" Zane bellows from behind me.

"Cole's car keys!" Nina squeals. My eyes swell with tears, my heart races.

My vision is still blurry, I shuffle over to the car. After struggling to dust off the snow from the door handle, I finally get the drivers door open. I gasp again, climbing inside onto the familiar seat. Tears rush down my cheeks, I start the engine. Laughing through my tears, I hear Damon, Nina, Zane, and Alaska hooting and jumping around with excitement.

"Go get the board, Damon. Get your laptop. Get everything. We are going to that address you found. We're gonna get them back," I croak happily.

"I can't believe this is happening," Alaska smirks while sliding into the backseat. Nina joins me in the front passenger, Zane and Damon run upstairs to get everything.

Seconds later, Zane and Damon bound full speed out of my front door holding arm fulls of things. Damon shuts the front door behind him, hopping over a pile of snow on his way down. They fling open the back car door and pile in with Alaska. Nina gets the address from Damon and types it into her phone GPS.

I don't even remember the drive there, I just remember walking up the porch steps and knocking on the door. I hold a sticky note in my hand, a name and an address is sloppily scribbled onto it in Zane's handwriting. Everyone else stands close behind me, puffs of smoke rise from our breath. I shiver as the wind blows, the door creaks open. "Shelly?" I ask curiously. A little old woman peeks from behind the door.

"And you are?" She asks me cautiously.

"I'm Kendall, these are my friends Zane, Damon, Alaska, and Nina," I smile politely.

"We were wondering if you were the woman who used to live in this house?" Alaska asks, holding up a picture of the house.

"Come in," Shelly crows, undoing multiple locks before opening the door all the way.

She starts some hot cocoa on the stove for us, inviting us to sit down on her couch. Her house smells like baby powder and lilacs. We all sit down, knee to knee. "So tell me, what interests you in that house exactly?" she asks as she takes a seat on an old chair across from us, handing us a tray of cocoa mugs. I sip on mine, the warmth soothing my cold hands.

"Do you believe in the stories about it?" Damon asks her, avoiding her question.

"Believe in them?" she chuckles, "I lived them," she finishes while shaking her head.

"Can we ask you something crazy, then?" I ask her curiously.

"I guess." She sighs, folding her hands in her lap.

"Say we knew people who were trapped inside... if we wanted to get them back, is there another way back in?" I bite my lip.

"Trapped in which part of the house?" She raises an eyebrow.

"The field. After the fears, they didn't make it out," Zane exclaims.

"The in-between dimension... hm," she scratches her head in thought. We wait in silence, exchanging glances. "Ah, yes. The abandoned train station not too far from here, there's a way in there. But it's much too dangerous, I wouldn't risk it," she gulps down a sip of her cocoa.

"How dangerous?" Alaska asks, wide eyed.

"Creatures come out at night in the in-between. It's much too cold this time of year, and not to mention the other souls stuck in there. There's limited things to eat in a freezing, abandoned train station... For all I know, your friends are already dead in there," the old woman shivers.

"Dead?" Nina chokes. Alaska rubs her arm, saying things to reassure her.

"It's called the in-between?" Damon asks curiously, scribbling things down on a notepad. Shelly nods. "Because its in between life and death, right?" Damon observes.

"Yes, exactly," she agrees.

"How'd you know that?" I ask him curiously.

"Just a theory, I guess," he shrugs.

"Well thank you so much for everything, Ms. Shelly. The cocoa was really good," Nina begins gathering her things.

"Wait. And it's 'Mrs.' Shelly," Shelly grabs Nina's wrist. Nina jumps, taken aback.

"Yes? Sorry," Nina gulps.

"If you somehow get in contact with William, tell him to stop this. Tell him Shelly said that what he's doing is wrong," Shelly croaks.

"Who's William?" Zane asks cautiously.

"My husband. The demon running the whole thing. He's a bad man, watch out for him," she sniffs.

Nina sits back down, the rest of us joining. "Wait, you know the demon possessing the house?" Damon asks in disbelief.

"Know him? I married him. Though, I regret it. He tried to kill me, beat me to a pulp. So when I fought back, I overwhelmed him. He had a heart attack right in the kitchen, died right in the house. He had a rough childhood, abuse and all that. I pitied him," Shelly sighs, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Why is he doing all this?" I ask her.

"He never had a good life, I guess he thinks that since he didn't have one, no one else deserves one. But I don't know, I never understood him," she stares, guilt swelling in her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," I lower my gaze, biting my lip.

"It's alright, I'm still alive. Good luck getting your friends..." she smiles warmly, her lip twitches as she waves us out the door.

Once back in the car, I start the engine again. "We're going, aren't we?" Nina looks hopeful.

I shiver, thinking about what is coming ahead. "Yes. We're going now. We're getting them back, no matter what it takes," I nod, pulling out of the driveway.