Haunted

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn’t my own. My eyes were just a tad too big. My nose is a little too perfect, too button like. My auburn hair shined even though I know it’s been a few days since I last washed it. Worst of all was the smile. It stretched across my face, but I wasn’t happy. There was nothing to smile about.

The guards sent me away to find them the elusive treasure that was rumored to have been locked away in this rundown, derelict home. A chest full of gold and gemstones. It would help pay the kingdom’s debt to the high council, but no one has ever been brave enough to step foot into this home.

They took one look at the house from the outside and hightailed it in the opposite direction. Some windows were missing shutters, some shutters were barely hanging on, with one hinge still intact yet rusted beyond belief. Shingles were missing from the roof and littering the yard all around the house. The wood was peeling off the front door. The numbers were missing. Ivy was crawling up the sides. The chimney was falling apart brick by brick.

It looked dangerous, but what made all the men and women run was its aura. A few minutes outside the house, it was made abundantly clear this house is alive. From the outside you could see, shadows move past windows and silhouette figures stands behind the few curtains on the upper floors just watching, waiting. Growls and deafening roars could be heard coming from inside the house.

I turned away from the mirror and walked into the front room. My first night here, I determined this room to be the safe room. Whether that was because of sigils carved into the walls or because of the altar set up in the middle of the room remains to be seen. Though I hope I wouldn’t have to test either theory.

It’s not like I was the only one brave enough to actually step foot in this hell house. I was the best in my field. Archeology. The King thought he could use my skills to find treasure. Also bribery and blackmail.

I sat on the lone chair near the front window and drew my legs, hugging them to my chest. A reward as big as the one they’re offering me could do wonders for sending my little brother to the academy to be the town’s physician, paying my dad’s debts to the high council, paying off my debts to Dr. Vicar Randolph for helping me become the archeologist I am. The rumors surrounding this place and the fact I’m not a treasure hunter were enough for me to refuse the King’s orders. That’s when they turned to blackmail. A chance at a clean slate. No time spent in the dungeons or the stocks for public humiliation. No death penalty.

It was an accident. I swear. It was never supposed to get that far. I didn’t know what I was doing. It wasn’t supposed to be real. Tears welled up in my eyes as scenes from that day flashed in my mind’s eye.

We were young and bright eyed. New to the archeology field, our very first dig. We were sure we had found the exact spot of the mad king’s burial chamber. It was foretold that they buried him with riches beyond our wildest dreams and forewarned that any trespassers would be cursed or worse. We laughed around the campfire as the older archaeologists told us the stories and how they were going to stick to the outskirts, examining the surrounding chambers of the servants and royal officials that were buried with the mad king.

We brushed off their ludicrous claims and did what we set out to do. For days, we dug and dug, unearthing treasures from a bygone era. We reveled in all the ancient findings, theorizing what it was like living in such a simple era. With our excitement, youthful energy, and an overzealous need to make the best of impressions to our mentors, we had made it to the main chamber in no time. We laid eyes on the sarcophagus and practically threw a party.

I ran a hand through my hair, gripping it tight; the memories wouldn’t stop coming. I bit my lip, tears streaming down my face. The hallways groaned as the sun dipped behind the trees. I let out a shaky sigh another night spent with memories of that awful night overflowing my brain.

We couldn’t sleep that night. Too excited about what we could find in that chamber. While everyone else on our team slept, we snuck off into the main chamber. Headlamps, brushes and picks at the ready, we got to work. We unearthed so many ancient treasures from the household items to the ritualistic items. Then we found the treasures. Chests filled with diamonds and gold, jewels and crowns, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, jewel encrusted armor and weaponry. Silver and bronze littered the bottom of these chests. The legends were true. The chamber was filled with riches beyond our wildest dreams. We couldn’t wait to show the others.

Children’s laughter rang through the house. The sound of feet running in the halls echoed. The sun had fully set, and the house was awake. I slipped out of the chair and went to the fireplace. I started a small fire as the sound of chains rattling and growls rose from under the floorboards. A cellar probably, but I knew better than to investigate. There was only one door with a padlock and several deadbolts on the outside. The sounds of the rattling chains and groaning of cinder blocks were enough to scare me into never wanting to open that door.

I kneeled in front of the fire, watching the flames, hypnotized by their dance. I could see that night play out clearly in the flames.

Seif and I were too busy celebrating, showing each other what we found, we didn’t hear the sarcophagus open. I was looking over the weaponry, I always had an affinity towards them. I respected them and what they could do, having some in my home, some I used as decoration, others I had just in case. There was a plethora of daggers, a handful of swords, some shields. There was enough to supply a small army.

I picked up a dagger. It was heavier than a normal dagger. It had emeralds and diamonds encrusted in the handle and two rubies on each end of the guard. They shined in my headlamp’s light. It entranced me. Then a rotting, stuffy smell flitted through the air and up my nose. Then nothing. I don’t remember what happened next. It’s like I wasn’t in my body anymore.

“Aya…” a light and airy voice called out to me from upstairs. I paid it no mind as I kept my eyes on the flames. Tears streaming down my cheeks in earnest now, hands balled into fists on my thighs.

I don’t know how much time I lost, but when I finally felt like I was back in control, he had Seif. The mad king. The stories were true, the warnings to be heeded.

Seif looked at me, his eyes full of pain and confusion. His black hair stuck to his forehead with blood. With every breath more blood poured out of his mouth. The mad king made quick work of Seif. He plunged his bandaged, decaying arm into his chest and pulled out his heart. A sacrifice just like the story foretold.

I stared at the scene in front of me from the corner of the chamber. I watched as the mad king, the one who died at least a millennium ago, killed my only friend. I watched in silent horror as the light drained from his eyes, as the mad king dropped his limp body to the ground and return to his sarcophagus with a deep, guttural groan.

“Aya…” the voice called again, much firmer this time, but I sat still in front of the fire. Unable to look away from the flames. Tremors wreck my body in guilt and sorrow.

I sat there just staring at Seif’s body, tears streaming down my face. I let out a shaky sigh and looked down. I was gripping onto the dagger, the same dagger I was examining before I blacked out. It was covered in blood. Seif’s blood. I threw it across the room. I stood up fast and paced in the corner, hyperventilating. I doubled over, hands on my knees, dry heaving. It was all my fault. Seif’s dead because of me.

I stood up straight and turned to the wall. I’ll be blacklisted, if anyone finds out. No one’s going to believe the mad king is really undead. They’re going to find the dagger with my fingerprints on it and they will hang me. They can’t find out. I ran a hand over my face. I looked down. I had blood on my shirt. I turned back around. Seif, motionless on the floor, the dagger by him, staring.

I took a couple of shaky steps toward him. I grabbed the dagger, gave myself a few convincing wounds. I threw the dagger into the nearest chest and kneeled down next to Seif.

“I’m so sorry.” I whispered as I closed his eyes and kissed his forehead. I grabbed my equipment and rushed out of the chamber. I carved out of pieces of stone near the entrance of the chamber, caving in the mad king and Seif. I sobbed as I placed my head against the stones. When our team members rushed in, demanding what happened, demanding what that noise was, I lied.

“Aya…” The voice said again for a third time. Except this time it wasn’t light and airy. It was deep and smooth. It was Seif’s voice. My head snapped toward the hallway just in time to see him walk up the stairs. He was like I remembered him. Youthful and full life. His curly hair a calculated mess atop his head. His circular glasses sat atop his hook nose. His skin as tan as the day I met him. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to the elbow like he always had them, the way he liked it.

No. That’s not Seif. It’s the house taking my memories and materializing them to lure me out of my safety net. Seif was dead, cold and dead. I stood up from my spot; the flames dying down to embers. I was rooted to my spot, afraid. Afraid to move. Afraid to confront my darkest secret. The one turning my mind into a deadly disease, ready to kill me at a moment’s notice.

A deep, guttural groan came from the kitchen. I choked out a sob. The mad king. I walked backwards back to the chair until the back of my knees hit the seat, suddenly causing me to sit back down.

They’re coming for me. Seif may have died that night, but I was cursed. Cursed to live with the knowledge that I killed my friend. Cursed to relive it over and over. Cursed to be sent here and pay for my sins. They’re coming for me.

I brought my legs back up to my chest, sobbing into my knees. Children’s laughter echoed through the house. More and more children’s laughter seemed to fill the house as the night drags on.

A sudden, loud cackle made me jump out of my skin. I looked up and saw an old hag standing in the doorway. Her grey and white hair was wild and unkempt. Her crooked nose and protruding chin were her most notable and prominent features. Her black dress fell to the floor, loose on her frail body. Her eyes were soulless dark pits staring holes into me with a hint of malice. She pointed a bony finger at me, not daring to cross the threshold.

“The prophecy reigns true!” She cackled maniacally. “It is you! The murderer!”

“What?” I whispered, horrified at what this could mean. “No—I never—”

“He who unearths the mad king shall suffer a fate worse than death!” She said, “You sacrificed your heart, child! You reaped the rewards and now your debt must be paid!” she cackled as she disappeared down the hallway towards the padlocked door.

I stared at the empty spot she was just occupying when a loud poof and roar of flames caught my attention. The cauldron on the altar was bubbling and smoking. The flames in the fireplace reignited with renewed vigor. I wiped away the tears from my face as I slowly walked up to the altar.

My eyes drew to the cards. They weren’t there before. Only three were revealed. The Tower. The Knight of Swords. Death. I let out a shaky sigh. A warning or prediction, I can’t be too sure. Every fiber of my being was telling me to run out of this house, but with the two armed guards posted in the high tower watching me, making me sure I complete my task, I was stuck here. I looked at the cards again, trying to remember back to my nan’s ramblings of witchcraft and the occult. The Tower, danger. The Knight of Swords, sudden violence. Death, the ending. Such a clear warning, yet I can’t leave.

I stepped closer and peeked into the cauldron. Seif’s pale, lifeless face stared back at me. I jumped back, falling to the ground.

“Aya,” echoed all around me, getting louder each time. The growls, groans, and chains rattling intensified. I felt it in my bones. I pressed my palms to my ears, attempting to soften the noise.

“Stop it!” I screwed my eyes shut and screamed at the top of my lungs. Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The sun was rising, filtering in through the sheer curtains. The fire died, and the cauldron stopped bubbling. The house was silent. Sleeping until it was time to wake again. I tentatively opened my eyes, lowering my hands. Finally, some peace. I shakily stood up and curled up in the chair. I let out a shaky breath. I survived another night. My eyes slipped close.

A whack jerked me out of my dreamless slumber. “Hey! Nazari, you still have a treasure to find! Now ain’t the time for your beauty rest!” One of the guards said.

I looked over the back of the chair and watched as the large, muscular guard walked away from the house. I yawned. I don’t know how much time had passed in between me finally falling asleep and being rudely woken up, but with the sun just now reaching the high point of the sky, I’d wager it was about midday. A good time as any to go looking around the house.

I uncurled myself from the chair and stood up. My joints all popped in succession. I stretched, cracking my back in the process. I sighed in mild content. I stood there listening, trying to hear anything that could possibly mean that it was unsafe to travel around the house. Nothing. Pure silence.

I walked into the hallway, heading to the staircase. I placed a foot on the bottom stair. I turned my head and looked at the mirror. It was bulky and ornate. Gold frame stuck out of the wall. It was the cleanest piece in the house. She was still there, watching me with that damned smile, mocking me. Something was different this time. She had blood splattered on her face and staining her teeth. I looked closer. I recognized the top of the shirt. It was the same blue top I wore the day Seif died.

Maybe the old hag was right. Maybe the person inside me wanted Seif out of the way to become the best. He was my only rival, the only one that could truly out best me. I shook my head, emptying the treacherous thoughts out of my mind. I walked towards the mirror, ready to turn it around.

I placed my hands on the frame when a hand shot out and gripped my throat. It laughed. It’s intentions were clear and malicious. It’s grip tightened with each passing second. It choked me, ready to end, or begin, my suffering. My fingers, still holding on to the frame, gripped onto the mirror tight, slipping between the mirror and the wall, and ripped it off its nail, dropping it to the floor. It let me go. I staggered backwards, holding my neck gingerly, take several jagged, deep breaths, coughing between every third breath. I looked down at the mirror. It was broken splintered in several fragments. Tiny pieces scattered on the broken hardwood. The reflection was gone. I carefully picked it up and put it back on the wall mirror side to the wall. I kicked the smaller broken pieces in between the floorboards.

I resumed my trek back up the stairs. Every stepped creaked. A sound I was all too familiar with when the house awoke during the night. Every picture that lined the wall heading up to the second floor had scratched out faces or blurred out figures. They were yellowing and looked dated back to the past two centuries. The stair runner was fraying at the edges and some steps had no stair runner present at all.

I stepped onto the second floor landing and looked around. Standard home layout. A couple of bedrooms, a bathroom, a linen closet, and a stairway to get to the attic. I checked the door right in front of me first. It was the linen closet. Moths and flies flew out the second I opened the door. I cover my nose and began coughing. I put my hands on my nose as I dry heaved, trying to vomit the dead, rotting smell out of my system. Nothing was in my system for me to vomit up and I had to deal with just dry heaving until the stench left. I straightened myself and used my shirt to cover my nose and mouth to lessen the blow of the stench coming from the small, confined space.

I turned back and inspected the closet closely. There, on the third shelf, was a mostly rotten opossum crawling with maggots. Well, that would explain the smell. There weren’t a lot of towels or other linens in the closet. The ones that were smelled like mildew and the towels were a dingy brown color. I assume they were once white. I gripped onto the towel the opossum was lying on and dragged it off the shelf. I gagged as it hit the floor with a splat, narrowly missing my boots. I did the same with the rest of the linens. I searched around each shelf poking and prodding the panels, trying to find any loose section. Coming up empty, I nudged the opossum back into the closet, along with the linens, and shut the door.

Tugging my shirt back into place, I leaned into the stairwell, taking some deep breaths of somewhat fresh air. A quick system reset later, I turned to my right and tackled the first bedroom. It was a child’s room. The bed was small, a twin possibly. There was a homemade quilt lying on top of it, neatly made as if the last occupant had just made it before deserting this place. Each picture showed an array of child like pictures like teddy bears, silly looking monsters that would make a child laugh instead of cry, clowns, moons, stars. My hand floated over the top of it as I walked past it. Toys were neatly arranged in the far wall of the room. Possibly a little girl’s room, judging by the wooden doll house. Looks homemade.

I turned away from the toys, a reminder of the childhood I never had. The closet was wide open. Tiny clothes hung up, dresses, shirts, skirts, pants, further proving this was a little girl’s room. I walked toward it and separated the clothes. I pressed on the back wall, looking for any indication of a hidden door. I sighed. I looked on the top shelf. Only teddy bears were up there.

I walked over to the bed, pulling up the covers. I dropped to my knees and looked under the bed. Nothing but a layer of dust. I stood back up, putting the covers back to its original position. I looked through all the toys and found nothing. I sighed and looked out the window. I had some time left before I had to retreat to the safe room.

I walked out of the child’s room and back into the hallway. I headed to the opposite room down the hall. This room seemed to have the most noise coming from it during the night. I pushed open the door. It was a bare room. A bed, a closet, two side tables, and a dresser. A couple of picture frames were lying on the floor, faces scratched out like the other pictures in the house. I started with the dresser, looking through all the drawers. They were mostly empty, a few articles of clothing still lying around. I shut the last drawer and checked the side drawers. A fruitless endeavor. Empty drawers with no fake bottoms. I checked under the bed and much like the child’s room, a layer of dust was all what was under it. I opened the closet and sucked in a breath. The clothes looked exactly like what Seif would wear. Burying my grief and guilt I pushed past them, looking for a hidden door. I shut the closet door without another glance at the dull reminder of my old friend. I sighed, scanning the room one last time. Nothing. I walked back into the hallway, shutting the door softly behind me.

I walked into the bathroom. It was fairly small. A pedestal sink stood next to the door with a broken medicine cabinet over it. The toilet next to it, the lid closed. The amount of flies buzzing around it, it’s going to remain closed. The bathtub shower sat at the end, a pixel glass window shining light into the room. I cracked open the cabinet and shrieked as a rat jumped into the sink before running out of the room, scared. I took a breath and searched through the cabinet. I wiggled it to the best of my ability, but it was secured to the wall.

Finding a treasure was easier said than done. I pulled back the shower curtain and looked into the tub. It was rusted and had limescale stains covering the bottom and nothing else. I sighed and grimaced. I’m going to have to look in the toilet. I pulled my shirt over my mouth and nose and carefully approached the toilet.

I gagged as I opened the lid. I can’t even begin to decipher what was in the toilet, but the stench was making my eyes water. I shut it quickly and popped my head into the hallway, taking deep breaths. I wiped my eyes and looked back at the toilet. I pulled off the lid of the tank and looked in. It was barren, not even a drop of water.

I sighed. I’ll have to investigate the rest of the second floor tomorrow. I replaced the lid and walked out. The steps creaked as I trekked back down the stairs. I glanced at the mirror and my fractured reflection smiled back at me, pitch black eyes tracking my every movement. I looked down at my feet as I passed by it into the safe room. I grabbed the cloth that sat crumpled on the table next to the doorway. I walked back into the hallway and threw it over the oval mirror.

I walked back into the safe room and rubbed my arms. Looking out the window, the sun was low in the sky. Right on cue, the hallways groaned and creaked. The shadows and figures were ready to start their night. I moved the chair closer to the window. I sat in the chair, legs pulled into my chest as I stared out the window. Like clockwork, children’s laughter rang and echoed through the empty house. Scratches from inside the wall caught my attention. The rats probably, the only normal noise in the entire house.

Quick steps raced down the stairs and disappeared into the kitchen. The same noises every night.

I jumped out of the chair as a loud ring rang throughout the room. I looked around and spotted a phone near the fireplace. Shakily, I approached the ringing phone. I picked up the receiver.

“Hello,” I said, my voice small.

“Why did you kill me, Aya?” Seif asked, his voice no longer deep and smooth.

“I didn’t mean to, Seif. I swear.” I pleaded. Tears already welling in my eyes.

“You looked me in the eye as you stabbed me repeatedly with that dagger.” He was choking. Just like that night, he was choking on his own blood. Before I could respond, I could hear the walls being scratched all around me. I looked around. The sigils that are carved in the wall were being crossed out.

“Why did you kill him, Miss Aya?” children’s voices rang all around me.

“He’s not done with you, Aya. He wants your soul.” Seif’s voice distorted over the receiver before falling silent. I dropped the receiver as the sound of cinderblocks falling drifted up through the floorboards.

“He’s coming!” The old hag cackled in my ear, making me jump and trip over the rug in front of the fireplace. She laughed and laughed as her form disappeared. I scrambled to get up and looked out into the hallway toward the padlocked door. The padlock was still on, but the deadbolts were missing. The door banged and banged. The padlock was just barely holding whatever it was back.

The cloth that I hung on the mirror flew off and fell in front of me. I looked in the mirror’s direction. Blood dripped and pooled underneath it, sinking into the floorboards. A guttural groan caught my attention. My head snapped in it’s direction. The mad king staggered out of the kitchen. His rotting stench reaching my nose.

I ran back to the window in the front room. The creaks, groans, growls, and moans filled every inch of the house, getting louder with each passing second. The children’s laughter turned from joyous to menacing. I tossed the chair to the side and banged on the window, trying to get the attention of the guards.

“Hey! I need to get out! Hey!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, banging on the glass, hoping it would break. “Come on! Get me out of here!”

A groan from behind me caught my attention. I looked over my shoulder and saw the mad king himself, ready to capture me. I ducked under his arm and ran into the hallway. Whatever was chained in the cellar was still trying to get through the door.

I ran past the mirror just narrowly dodging the protruding arm. I gripped the doorknob of the front door and tried wrenching it open. It wasn’t budging. I looked over my shoulder, the mad king staggered out of the front room and was coming straight for me.

I let the door go and ran up the stairs dodging the mad king’s outstretched arms. I had just got to the top of the stairs when Seif’s bloody, dead body crawled toward me. He was gurgling like he wanted to say something, anything, but every time he tried, his mouth filled with more blood dripping to the ground, creating a trail for every centimeter he crawled.

I turned back around and started heading back down. The front door swung open just as I stepped off the staircase. The mad king was the only thing in the way of my freedom. He groaned, shuffling towards me. Keeping my eyes on him, my hand reached up and grabbed a picture frame. I swung the hefty frame and hit him into the opposite wall, clearing the way for me to run out.

A clink from behind me caught my attention. I looked towards the sound. The padlock was lying on the floor. The door swung open. I didn’t waste any time trying to see what was chained and locked away. I took off for the door.

I had one foot out of the house. I could taste the freedom even if it meant being punished for defying the King’s orders. Then it was all ripped away from me, literally. A clawed hand gripped my ankle and dragged me back inside the house. I screamed bloody murder as I was dragged to the end of the hall. The monster that ripped me from my freedom lifted me into the air and threw me down into the cellar.

I hit every step on the way down. I felt multiple of my bones crack on the way down. Copper saturated my tongue. I opened my mouth to groan, but my blood drowned it out. I coughed, gurgling the blood as it overfilled my mouth.

Thundering footsteps thudded down the cellar steps. I tried moving, getting up, anything to hide, but my body wasn’t having it. I was utterly vulnerable to the dark forces this house holds hostage. Feet shuffled near. I moved my eyes, trying to get a peek at my captor. It was too dark to see anything but its hulking silhouette.

It grabbed my ankle again, dragging my limp body deeper into the cellar. Light filtered in through the cracks in the cellar walls. The last of the dying light hit something shiny under the stairs. Gems, gold. There was a treasure hidden here, after all. I just had to die to find it.