a cold summer

Chapter Eight ~ A Ghostly Encounter

I stood rooted to the ground, absolutely terrified. I broke out into a cold sweat. There was no one here; I was alone.

I figured I should probably run, but I couldn't move my feet. Instead I glanced around the room nervously. There was no one here. I kept telling myself that but the more I thought it, the more I began to doubt it.

The laughter suddenly stopped. I held my breath in anticipation. I didn't dare to move. The lights flickered slightly, creating eerie shadows around the room. I swallowed and slowly began to walk towards the door. The best thing I could do was get out of here.

I only took a few steps before I heard shuffling behind me. I stopped. As soon as I stopped, the shuffling stopped too. I willed myself to look behind me. Slowly, I turned my head around to look behind me. Something moved, a shadow of some sort, behind the wall nearby. My instincts told me to run, but my curiosity got the better of me. I've never seen a real ghost before; and sighting one would prove if my friends really had been murdered by them.

I was still terrified, but my newfound curiosity helped me to relax slightly. I edged closer to the side of the wall and cautiously peered around the side. But there was nothing there.

Typical. I see something sneaking around which could be proof of my friends murder, but there's nothing there. I sighed and turned back around towards the door.

I really wish I hadn't let my guard down.

Standing right behind me was the ghostly boy Xara and I had seen earlier. I jumped in shock and backed away. He was smiling that same creepy smile, staring straight into my eyes. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just kept staring at him. I took in his appearance. He was dressed in his sunday best clothes; an immaculate white shirt with matching white trousers. His face was so grey and sullen, it didn't look real. Lifeless.

Suddenly, he stopped smiling. I stared at him, transfixed. He let out a hysterical laugh and sprinted towards me, arms outstretched. I screamed and ran down the nearby corridor, into the first door my hand could find. I fell into the room and bolted the door behind me. For a minute I sat with my back against the door, trying to recollect my thoughts. Until the door handle began to move.

I leapt away from the door and watched as the handle continued to twist desperately. I merely watched it in shock. I only realised that I was in the bathroom when I felt my hand slip into the toilet. The door handle kept shaking violently but I had no intention of opening that door. Instead, I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down.

Eventually, the door handle stopped moving. But I knew that didn't necessarily mean he was gone. I counted to thirty, just to be sure, before reaching towards the handle and pulling it open. In one movement, I swung the door open.

There was nothing there. The little ghost boy was gone. I still didn't let my guard down. I had to get out of this house and tell the other what had transpired. I snuck back down the corridor and turned the corner, back into the living room. Still nothing. Maybe they had gotten bored and taken off. I hoped that was the case, but somehow I just knew they were still here.

My bags were lying in a heap by the door. I walked back towards them, until an almighty crash echoed around the room. I glanced around the room, trying to find the source of the noise. Nothing. That meant it had come from upstairs. Part of me wanted to investigate. But I shook my head. I'd already seen one ghost tonight; I didn't need to see another.

I picked up my bags and swung the front door open, ready to take off. As soon as I did, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Standing right outside my door, wearing the same white clothes and creepy smile as the boy, was the little ghost girl. I did the only thing I could think to do which was slam the door in her face. How was I supposed to get out of here?

I took a few steps back and glanced around the room again. The boy was still nowhere to be seen. A violent knock on the door made me whip back towards it. Fear slowly overcame my curiosity. I was trapped in my own home. But then I realised; I was the next victim. I wasn't supposed to escape. I was meant to die now.

If this was the end, I figured I might as well get it over with quickly. I humoured myself by wondering how they were going to kill me. I remembered from the autopsy that Jesse and Isa hadn't been shot, stabbed, strangled, poisoned or drowned. So how had they died. I was probably about to find out.

Suddenly, the power came back on. I jumped, but then frowned. Why had they turned the power back on? I took a few steps towards the front door and grabbed the handle, before opening the door. She was gone.

The ghost kids had gone. But why?

It didn't matter right now. I hauled my bags out the door and ran towards the glass building.