It's Only Truth or Dare

“I’m so bored,” I sighed lying back on my sleeping bag. Four hours ago I had come over to my friend, Alice’s house, along with two of our friends Jackie and Sarah. And so far we’ve taken what seemed like forever playing “Would You Rather” and it was starting to get really bored.

“Okay fine, we could play “Truth or Dare,” suggested Alice, eagerly as everyone agreed. Great! I thought sighing again. Once they started I took out my I-pod from my camouflage messenger bag and tuned them all out with some music.

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“Jamie…JAMIE!” yelled Alice, hitting my arm really hard.

“OUCH! WHAT!?” I asked massaging my arm as I glared at her. Apparently they had been trying to get my attention for the past ten minutes because it was my turn.
“Oh Joy,” I said sarcastically rolling my eyes.

“Okay Truth or Dare?”

“Dare,” I told her curtly. She smirked. I scowled.

“Okay you know that old house across the street from my house?” she asked as I nodded, “Well people say that there was a murder, a woman that owned the house, like, twenty years ago. People say that the house is haunted by the ghost of the woman that died,” she finished. I laughed, I couldn’t help it, and it was just so utterly absurd that a house could be haunted and if it was then why was Alice telling me this now?

“Okay, but what does this have to do with Truth of Dare?” I asked still chuckling. She sighed as if the reason was blatantly obvious.

“I’m daring you to spend the night in that house and if you make it back alive by tomorrow morning then the story was fake and everything’s fine,” she told me. When she said that I was so filled with anger. Here they were willing to risk my life! Just to see is this legend is true or not! It just makes no sense what so ever!

“So what you’re saying is you want me to spend the night in another house when you and out other friends are here having a sleepover that I was supposed to be a part of, just to see if this legend is true or not? Well that makes perfect sense,” I told them letting every word drip with sarcasm as I grabbed my bag and my pillow and headed out the door.

I was still angry when I arrived at the old fashioned wooden house, which had charcoal gray shutters, and now that I was up close to it that house seemed a little more freakier than it did before, maybe it was because I never really seen it at night before. Yeah, that was it everything at night seems freakier than it does during the day. I opened the door not letting the menacing creaking of the door hinges get to me; there was nothing to be afraid of.

Once inside I looked around the living room, dust and grim caked every surface of the room, cobwebs homed every corner, and the air had a musty smell to it that seemed to cling to you.

“UHG I can tell some hasn’t been in here in twenty years this place is disgusting!” I complained aloud as I turned to lock the old, rusted chain lock and slowly made my way to the staircase to see if there was a room I would use to sleep in.

“Well this room looks promising,” I muttered, putting my bag on the floor of the room that I had just found. I looked around and the room as actually pretty big, you could probably fit about ten people comfortably in this room, I then looked out the window, “Oh how wonderful, I have a clear view of Alice’s house.” Then as if on cue my cell phone blasted I looked at the caller id and, what do you know, it was Alice. I didn’t answer I just let it go to voice mail.

“So what does a person do in a rundown, supposedly haunted house?” I wondered aloud sighing, “Oh I can ….LISTEN TO MUSIC!” I pulled out my I-pod and listened to music for about two hours.

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"It’s so cold in here all of a sudden," I though shivering as I turned off my I-pod and when to turn on the ancient heater that was rusted and yellowed from overuse. Once I turned it on a blast of warm air washed over me, I sighed in relief. When my body was completely warm and every trace of coldness was out of my system, I decided that I should get some sleep. I went over to my messenger bag to change into my pajamas. A load buzzing noise drowned my hearing. I thought nothing of it though as I slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

I was awoken in the middle of the night by the bellowing footsteps trotting down the hallway outside the room that I was in, it sounded like a drum beating. I flipped open my cell phone as ‘2 AM’ eliminated the dark room. "Who’s here? Aren’t I the only one in this house?" I thought getting up and going out into the hallway and followed the footsteps downstairs, which now sounded like they where headed into the kitchen. I then shoved the kitchen door open, flipped on the light and let out a blood-curdling scream. Covered on the walls in bloody letters where the words “Get out! You don’t Belong!” Still covering my mouth with my hand I dashed out the kitchen, up the stairs, and back into the room I had been sleeping in breathing so hard that it was now reaching the point of hyperventilation. "Is the tale Alice told me true? Is this house really going to kill me?" I thought my body shaking my body shaking so hard that if someone gave me a glass of water I would spill half of it.

“No, it can’t be, it’s probably just my imagination,” I reasoned with myself desperate to calm down. It worked. After about an hour I was unconscious with sleep.

I awoke for the second time, this time to the thick, potent smell of smoke. It nearly chocked me as I struggled to screech successfully.

“How is this house burning down!?!” I gagged, now as frantic as a hamster as I witnessed the house nearly cave in. The windows shattered, the ceiling cracked, and the floorboards arose in flames. "WHAT NOW!?!" I though as I devised a plan to escape the crumbling house. Before thinking twice I skipped over the growing flames. I then blotted down the stair and to the front door. As I scrambled to open the door I had forgotten that I had closed the front door when I had first came into the house. My hands shook violently as I fumbled with the chain lock and I could feel sweat traveling down my forehead. Then with a SNAP! I busted the chain lock open with all my strength.

As soon as I darted out the door and across the street to Alice’s house the ringing of sirens broke the silence. Tripping over my feet and across the lawn Alice and our friends huddled around me.

“We saw the house burning down and we called the Fire Department!” Alice exclaimed frantically, tears streaming down her face. I nodded; I was too speechless and traumatized by the sight of my near death.

“Who lit the house?” asked Jackie her voice hoarse.

“I bet it was the ghost,” Alice concluded her face in a slight daze. I didn’t say anything; I wanted to cry at the thought. I stared back of the debris of the wretched house and grimaced at my disturbance, and walked into Alice’s comfortable house. Once inside I glanced at the clock as it read ‘6 AM’. "Well I guess I spent the night in the house and I didn’t get killed," I thought bitterly.