House of the Damned
***ess
“Well?”
Frank only shuddered.
“I let you stay here,” she spat, gesturing at the room. “I let you be, I don’t let any of the others bother you, and here I find you associating yourself with the living.
“How did you find out?” she screeched at me suddenly. Her voice was scratchy and shrill, like it hadn’t been used in a long time.
“I…” I couldn’t get anything out of my mouth. Those eyes were paralyzing.
“She came into this room accidentally,” Frank spoke up. “I was just starting to…tell her to leave when you came in.”
“That’s not what the conversation sounded like,” she hissed.
She lunged at him suddenly, and grasped his neck tightly, nearly raising his translucent body off the floor somehow. He struggled and tried to throw her off of him, but she held him fast.
“It will start earlier now,” she grimaced. “A shame, to have to kill so many beautiful children. But I will if I must.”
“No!” I gasped, more loudly than I’d expected.
She turned to gaze at me again, eyes shining through the hair that had tumbled over her face. “Really? What are you going to do about it?”
I fell silent again.
She let Frank crumple to the floor. He laid there shaking, his outline hazy in the moonlight from the window.
“This is your only warning. If you speak with any of my ghosts, your entire orphanage won’t live another hour. You will not escape.”
She drifted backward through the door. With a sweep of her arm, it closed behind her.
Frank and I stayed in place for several seconds, still reeling in shock. Then Frank snapped back to reality.
“Karen, you’re going to have to leave me,” he murmured, voice bleak. “If she catches you in here again…well, you saw what happened. Go. Now.”
“But wait,” I started, as he picked himself up off the floor. “Was that the woman, the one that killed you—?”
“Yes.”
“How did she die? Why is she here?” I urged on.
He spoke faster now. “She told me after I…woke up. She and her husband lived here in this house, over fifty years ago. It was built especially for them. But he liked to drink, and became abusive…one day it went too far and he strangled her. This is her revenge,” he spat, holding his cloudy hands in front of his face, eyes full of loathing. “This is what she does…she will kill every person who stays in this house because of her anger and hatred for him.
"You don't know what it's like. Isolated for so long, Karen, weeks melting past without even seeing another person. Being trapped in this room, this prison, never knowing if my wife and friends ever got on without me, realizing I will never see them again...
“Go, now, please,” he begged. “I don’t need you hurt, caught here forever because of my mistake, bringing you here. I never should have done it.”
“But is there a way—?”
“Just go!” he roared, eyes flaring.
Still numb with fright, I left the room, still careful to close it quietly—it was a miracle no one had heard it slam earlier. I took one last backward glance before I shut it completely. Frank was staring out the window at the stars, twitching with frustration.
Like so many other nights, I didn’t fall asleep, but for a genuine fear this time—for my own life. I kept the lights on, heart still throbbing painfully with adrenaline, staring at my room’s claustrophobic walls.
It was two hours later when I heard a scream.
Frank only shuddered.
“I let you stay here,” she spat, gesturing at the room. “I let you be, I don’t let any of the others bother you, and here I find you associating yourself with the living.
“How did you find out?” she screeched at me suddenly. Her voice was scratchy and shrill, like it hadn’t been used in a long time.
“I…” I couldn’t get anything out of my mouth. Those eyes were paralyzing.
“She came into this room accidentally,” Frank spoke up. “I was just starting to…tell her to leave when you came in.”
“That’s not what the conversation sounded like,” she hissed.
She lunged at him suddenly, and grasped his neck tightly, nearly raising his translucent body off the floor somehow. He struggled and tried to throw her off of him, but she held him fast.
“It will start earlier now,” she grimaced. “A shame, to have to kill so many beautiful children. But I will if I must.”
“No!” I gasped, more loudly than I’d expected.
She turned to gaze at me again, eyes shining through the hair that had tumbled over her face. “Really? What are you going to do about it?”
I fell silent again.
She let Frank crumple to the floor. He laid there shaking, his outline hazy in the moonlight from the window.
“This is your only warning. If you speak with any of my ghosts, your entire orphanage won’t live another hour. You will not escape.”
She drifted backward through the door. With a sweep of her arm, it closed behind her.
Frank and I stayed in place for several seconds, still reeling in shock. Then Frank snapped back to reality.
“Karen, you’re going to have to leave me,” he murmured, voice bleak. “If she catches you in here again…well, you saw what happened. Go. Now.”
“But wait,” I started, as he picked himself up off the floor. “Was that the woman, the one that killed you—?”
“Yes.”
“How did she die? Why is she here?” I urged on.
He spoke faster now. “She told me after I…woke up. She and her husband lived here in this house, over fifty years ago. It was built especially for them. But he liked to drink, and became abusive…one day it went too far and he strangled her. This is her revenge,” he spat, holding his cloudy hands in front of his face, eyes full of loathing. “This is what she does…she will kill every person who stays in this house because of her anger and hatred for him.
"You don't know what it's like. Isolated for so long, Karen, weeks melting past without even seeing another person. Being trapped in this room, this prison, never knowing if my wife and friends ever got on without me, realizing I will never see them again...
“Go, now, please,” he begged. “I don’t need you hurt, caught here forever because of my mistake, bringing you here. I never should have done it.”
“But is there a way—?”
“Just go!” he roared, eyes flaring.
Still numb with fright, I left the room, still careful to close it quietly—it was a miracle no one had heard it slam earlier. I took one last backward glance before I shut it completely. Frank was staring out the window at the stars, twitching with frustration.
Like so many other nights, I didn’t fall asleep, but for a genuine fear this time—for my own life. I kept the lights on, heart still throbbing painfully with adrenaline, staring at my room’s claustrophobic walls.
It was two hours later when I heard a scream.