PART ONE
The house stood proud in its emptiness. As if it were daring someone to enter, to witness its secrets. Abandoned long ago it was the talk of every man woman and child, standing proud and beautiful behind the unkempt yard.
Weeds had grown around the doors and vines snaking up towards the large picture windows that looked out on the people as they passed.
In the dark haze of light it looked alive, as if it breathed and wanted to whisper.
The sun hung in the sky almost at the end of its decent toward the horizon.
A chill licked his neck as he gripped the bag he held tightly.
The breeze ruffled his black hair as if unseen fingers had caressed it.
He hesitated looking back at Evan.
“Tonight’s the night.” Evan said and grinned.
“Yea, it is.” Gerard said glancing at the house that waited for him to get up the nerve to walk inside and he sighed.
Sweat beaded on his brow even though the chill in the Evening was quite evident.
“You really are scared, you must believe all that shit about the boy and his dad.” Evan chuckled glancing at his shaking friend beside him.
“I’m not scared.” Gerard said trying to get his emotions in check.
“You’re shaking like a 6 year old.” Evan said emitting a high pitched giggle that made him glare at his friend.
“Its cold.” He said in a huff.
“Don’t worry, you will be a member of Alpha Chi Omega, by tomorrow, It’s a piece of cake.” He said and grinned.
“Just don’t go upstairs, you remember what happened two years ago when Jake was in there don’t you?”
“I remember that bullshit. I don’t believe a word of it, he’s so full of shit it’s spewing from his ears.” Gerard said.
“You weren’t there, you didn’t see his face, and I think it was real.”
“Come the fuck on, you think that there's no ghost boy upstairs punching people, that’s insane.” Gerard said. Rolling his eyes as he said it.
“I’m telling you he had bruises all over him.”
“I bet the dumb ass fell down the stairs.” he chuckled because he began to picture the boy falling end over end down the stairs.
“Whatever, he was freaked out anyway. You had better not get scared off, I want you in the frat with me, I don’t give a shit about how different you are. But Chip will be a problem even if you make it.”
“Screw him, he doesn’t bother me, you know I’m only doing this cause you asked, you had better be thankful.” Gerard said with a knowing smile.
Evan had been his friend throughout high school and his dad had been in the frat.
Evan hated it, more than anything he hated the guys in it, he hated all of it, but his dad would disown him if he hadn’t gotten in.
It was Evan’s bright idea that everything would be cool, all would be right if his best friend was in it to, he figured he could bare it then.
So that’s what he would do, for his friend, he would join the stupid Fraternity.
Gerard sighed turning toward the dark gloom of the house that stood before them.
He turned back to Evan,
“You know, you owe me right, you owe me huge!” He said.
“Yes I do, I owe you a lot. But like I said, don’t go upstairs, I didn’t on my night and I was fine, you might hear weird noises, but just don’t go up there.” He said and turned leaving Gerard and the house by themselves.
“I wont.” Gerard called to him.
“I know you, you will get curious, just leave it alone, trust me.” Evan said turning slightly back towards the house and his best friend, continuing his exit.
Gerard waved him off, all the crazy ghost talk was giving him chills again, but he forced his feet to take him to the basement window and crawl in.
The floor creaked when he his foot touched it.
He managed to get his entire body in and he slipped his hand into the bag and pulled out his flashlight.
Letting it circle the basement he smiled.
A thin layer of dust covered the surface but other than that it was quite homey.
Furniture littered the room, a very huge red and black sofa sat in the middle of the room, a blanket lying lazily on its cushions.
Obviously from the last boy that ran from this house screaming of ghost punches or maybe Evan himself.
Gerard smiled at the stories that he remembered being whispered that year.
Pulling the blanket from the couch he shook out the dust and draped it on the back of the couch, then picked each cushion from its resting place and shook them out one by one, Finally satisfied he sat down in the comfort of its pillows and pulled the blanket around him.
He dug in the bag and found what he was searching for. Pulling out the book he burrowed his back into the sofa getting comfortable.
Finding his bookmark he began to read.
“TAP TAP” a noise startled his eyes from the page. It was coming from directly above him. His eyes stayed glued to the spot in the ceiling for a few min. He shrugged it off and began to read again. It was going to be a long night. It was only 6 pm by then. An hour slipped by as he read the story in front of him.
“TAP TAP TAP TAP” on the ceiling again. His eyes again darted to the spot involuntarily. His brow creased. He shrugged it off again. Reverting his eyes back to the page. A loud crash above his head had him on his feet before he could think that he didn’t want to stand up. He was half way back on the cushion when a voice sounded from up the stair.
“Gerard,” It said. It wasn’t exactly a shout, but more like a shout and a moan combined.
“What the fuck?” He said in a whisper.
Another crash filled the house and rattled its frame.
“Damn it, if you guys are up there trying to scare me, it will not fuckin work!” he said yelling up the stairs. He had walked to them without thinking.
He walked up two steps and stopped craning his neck to see through the haze at the top.
He couldn’t see past the landing where the light from the moon had crept into the window.
He carefully took a third step up still concentrating on the top of the stairs, lightly touching the banister with his fingers.
No more sounds erupted for a full 20 min.
He stood there on the third step the whole time listening.
He quickly took 5 more of them convinced that it was the frat boys, the ones that Evan hated so much. It was probably them that scared the last boy too.
His confidence returning he climbed the remaining steps and stepped into the moonlight that shown through the window.
Darkness enveloped him as he stepped further into the house.
It looked like any house that you walk into, he was in a kitchen, he could just make out the sink and the stove, and dust covered everything.
Not a soul was in the kitchen as he slowly made his way across the room.
He was steadying himself trying to be ready if any of the guys began to do anything in hopes of scaring him.
It then occurred to him that he had left the flashlight on the table beside the sofa.
He silently scolded himself for forgetting it.
And crept slowly deeper into the room.
Someone giggled to his right, but he couldn’t see anyone.
“Who’s there?” He said A flash of someone hurrying down a hall caught his eye.
“You guys, I know its you, you can stop this now.”
He said following the person.
It was a guy for sure with dark hair, he couldn’t tell if it was brown or black but he knew it wasn’t blond or light.
A small guy, shorter than himself he was sure of that.
That didn’t really fit the description of any of them but he was still certain it was one of them, or someone they know.
He began walking down the hallway, and came to the door of a room.
He stepped inside and a single tear fell from his eye.
He hadn’t been in the house for ages it seemed. Everything was the same.
All the pictures on the mirror and even the guitar in the corner, everything was the same. The bed wasn’t made, as if the last person to be in it had been the one that owned it.
It was obvious why. None of the family cared about the boy or his father.
They were all scrambling to sell the house, to make money.
The house wouldn’t sell, because of the stories that were flying about it, and who would want a house where someone died anyway, not very many.
So they didn’t bother to clean it, or remove anything.
It was just here, empty, as empty as Gerard felt standing in that room.
No one knew that he had known the boy, and he never told anyone that they were best friends, well, more than that.
It was his fault that he was gone, his fault, no one else’s.
He stepped closer to the bed.
Running his fingers over the blanket and then the pillow.
He absentmindedly picked it up and wrapped his arms around it, squeezing it to his chest.
The same smell, the one he remembered from years ago invaded his nostrils. He knew that scent well.
A hand lightly touched his cheek and slid down to the back of his neck sending chills through him. He turned and no one was there. He felt hot breath on the back of his neck. Standing up with a start he looked around the room again.
He was alone.
“You’re loosing it.” He said to himself shaking his head.
The grandfather clock began to chime in the living room. Counting to 8 it settled into silence.
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