House of Horrors

Falling to his knees, Joseph wept. There was nothing else to do but to sob and cry and yell as the sound of it slung loud and billowy in the large room. He curled into a ball, with his head on his knees as the tears flowed on, choking his already sore airway. His back hurt like fire and the pain was now in his chest but it didn’t amount to the terrible anguish he felt as his heart ached for all his friends. For Rhys, for Tom, for Joshua and lastly, for Faris. There was no one left now except for him. His fists punched at the ground, the skin smacking noisily on the cool stone in anger. He shouldn’t have left Faris sacrifice himself for him. They should have both died in this room. Lifting his eyes, Joe eyed the number of steps to the top and gulped. Hesitation and uncertainty plagued his mind.

Could he really make it?

Rising to his feet, he took a step forward, ignoring the voice in his head which told him to turn around. He knew what he would see. He also knew it would have broken his will to leave this place. Another step followed the first and soon he was walking, slowly, upwards. A second later, a wave of sickness rushed over him and he was forced into a crouch, hunched over on all fours as the contents in his stomach swirled. Out it came, in bursts, his head clearing before he threw up again. For five, maybe ten, minutes, he was bent over, gagging until all that was left was that acidic clear liquid as his stomach continued to drive out everything it carried. Coughing, he spat on the sour liquid in his mouth, the taste still clinging to the inner lining of his throat.

He closed his eyes and gasped for air. He had been making progress and it had stopped. Gritting his teeth, Joseph began his second attempt to climb the staircase, getting weaker the farther he ascended up the stairs until he was crawling, dragging himself forward with his hands.

He thought it wasn’t far now but as he looked up, he moaned at the distanced. It felt as if every time he took two steps forward, he’d take four back. Sweat poured down his brow and he panted where he lay, face down, the skin of his cheek pressed up against the cold floor. Memories filtered into his semi consciousness, sending him into a sudden delirium. There was someone at the top of the staircase and when he looked it was his sister, Isabelle, but not as he knew her. She was smaller, younger, five or so, her blonde her shimmering in platinum as it hung in loose curls around her ears.

“What are you doing here, Izzie?” he beamed, giggling up to his little sister’s grinning face.

“Did you forget Joe?” she gasped, her young features rounded in surprise.

“Forget what Iz?”

“We were going to play out today, Joe. Did you forget, Joe? Did you forget?”

Her round blue eyes began to tear up and she began you cry, her voice increasing in its volume. “You always forget! Now I have to go on my own, Joe! Now I’m all alone!”

“No Izzie!” Joseph pleaded, reaching out to her. “You’re not alone Izzie! I didn’t forget!”

The vision had faded yet Joseph was still left alone, yelling out to the empty space which just held his apparition. With a groan of exasperation, he let his hand slump to the ground, too tired to extend it any longer. After a few more minutes of struggle, he had reached the top of the steps, totally disorientated. Head lolling, eyes rolling, he pressed his palms against the flat of the door, willing it to open. Seconds later, and with a great hiss, it did. With tears in his bright cyan eyes, Joseph collapsed onto the other side, a stream of cool air rushing over him, forming goose bumps over the exposed skin.

Exhausted, he collapsed and rolled onto his back, savouring the feeling of soft, cold dirt on his back, the grit of it on his palm and in his hair. It was night time and he could see the moon, a silver smile, delightful in the cerulean blue sky. The beauty of it made him weep. It was a sight he thought he would never live to see again. He remembered in his youth a time where he had laid on the ground on a night like this. The memory flooded over him like a tide.

“You’re as drunk as a skunk.”

Looking to the side, Joseph could now see Rhys’ laughing face looking down at him.

“Oh hello there, Rhys!” Joseph giggled, suddenly feeling the effects of alcohol in his bloodstream and realising his friend was right. He had lost his cravat and the collar of his shirt hung loosely about his neck.

“Pish posh! I’m not drunk! I’m utterly sober, the most abstemious person you have ever known!” Joe protested, waving his arms above his head as if it would make the statement true. Rhys laughed and shrugged before wandering off. He guessed they were outside Joshua’s house because he could see the familiar road beyond the horizon of his stomach and could feel the tickle of old grass on his back.

Above him the moon glittered brilliantly in the sky. To him it looked twice as large and half the distance away in his inebriated state, so close he could have grabbed it, if not for the numerous amounts of gin and tonic he had consumed earlier which weighed him down.

“Look Rhys. The moon… it’s magic…” Joseph whispered, his voice filled with awe. The magnolia coloured circle of light warmed him from somewhere deep inside of him, a feeling he hadn’t felt before.

Rhys stood by his head and looked up at it also and the pair of them were frozen perfectly in that moment until a crackle from nearby caused them to look towards the door.

“Get in here you dozy sods!” Joshua laughed, his hair tousled and lank at his shoulders.

“It’s magic….” Joe whispered, replaying the moment in his head. It was the last thought he had before he blacked out.

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His eyes flashed open to a soaring brightness which made him squint in pain. It was warm now and the skin of his eyelids glowed gold and red over his partially covered irises. With a gasp and an elated laugh he realised what the source of the light was. The sun. It was day time and instead of the ivory celestial grin, he had been met by the yellow ball of fire in the sky.

“Great balls of fire!” Joseph laughed, the loss of blood making him light headed and dizzy.

There was a tingling in his body he couldn’t place where from. Twisting his head to the side, he frowned at his bloody shoulder and the red soaked fabric of his makeshift sling. The ground beneath him was also bloodied scarlet yet he couldn’t feel a thing.

In fact, he felt fine.

The light intensified and brightened around him until he was totally illuminated by the golden brightness of the light until it became so strong, he felt as if he was bathed in a radiant, dazzling white.

If this was dying, it was nothing like being asphyxiated.

“I’m gonna be okay….” Joseph whispered, relaxing into the absolute comfort, the impenetrable glow had brought.

“I’m gonna be okay…”