Monster King

Chapter 2 - Urban Exploration

 I pressed my back against the wall and stifled my breath. Once I was prepared, I started to venture deeper into the house, making sure I walked toe to heel. Time to see if that book on Ninjas was a load of crap...

I decided to start with the kitchen, since it was the closest to me. When I crept through the door frame, I immediately spotted the remains of a cabinet door on the floor. 

I stared at the claw marks that were carved into the wood. She really wasn't kidding. I looked up at the doorless cabinet that sat above the stovetop. The claw marks didn't look like they dragged. So that means whatever this was had to be tall.  I took my phone out and snapped a picture of the room, then moved onto the next.

The unfinished bathrooms and laundry area didn't have anything to speak of. So the only thing left on the first floor was the living room and the stairless staircase. I'd save that for last, I planned on leaving through the window up there. So that meant the basement was the next thing on my to-do list. 

I started to head in that direction, and once I got close. The temperature dropped. I knew we didn't have the generator going, so why did the temperature drop?

Was this some kind of poltergeist? A few weird things happened here and there, but there have never been claw marks before. I didn't think a ghost could do something like this, but then again ghostology doesn't exactly exist. So how would I actually know?

I stopped in front of the basement door and took a breath. Just don't think about it, it'll only make you hesitant. When my thoughts calmed, I started to descend down the steps. Where the cold air ensnared me in its grasp.

Once I made it to the bottom step, I took my pocket knife out and readied myself. I scanned around and searched to see if anything was amiss in the open area. The couch and random Casey clutter seemed to be fine, even my scattered books were okay. 

The photos she sent me were from my room down here. I took my phone out and took a few pictures, then crept off to my room.

First thing, my door was wide open with claw marks all over it. The small window had just enough sunlight shining through to illuminate the massacre. My hammock was in tatters, my books were scattered everywhere with the pages torn out, and my box of pastry buns were smashed! 

As I started to take the pictures, my entire body got heavier and heavier. My arms dropped to my side, and I wanted to fall to my knees. This wave of fear started to suffocate me, and the only thoughts I had were about Casey and I. 

Crap not this again..

“Get out of my head,” I growled.

The cold air became dense and whipped around me like a gust. I could even see the tattered hammock pieces fly in the wind. That’s when I felt it, another presence behind me.

“I’m not afraid of you're kind, ya know?” 

I turned my head around to face the entity, but there was nothing there. The cold air released me from its grasp, and everything was still again. I looked back around the room, and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then I looked back out to the open area, and I was speechless. An arrow made up of Casey's scattered crap and my books suddenly appeared against the wall, making an arrow that pointed up.

I dragged my feet over and examined it. In all my years of ghost hunting, I’ve never seen something like this before. Was the ghost trying to tell me to go upstairs? Or was it a sign to leave? Both ideas weren’t exactly welcoming, but one was a lot more exciting than the other.

“Let’s hope I don’t regret this.”

I walked back up the steps and headed to the stairless staircase. The walls and the rope didn’t have any claw marks. So either this thing climbed the rope, or leaped up there. Both options were honestly unsettling. I looked down to the old brown stain that painted the wooden floor below me. Was that really just a paint stain after all? I'd have to investigate that later.