Horror House Presents

Broadwick House

The sun is setting over the hills and fields in the hills of Derbyshire, the beautiful green lush fields only broken by the old-fashioned stone walls. Trekking through the fields are Leon Marwood and his girlfriend Joy Barnaby. The smell of the countryside fills their nostrils, from the smell of pollen from plants to the grass under their feet. There are a lot of better things they wish they could be doing, it's the summer break from university for them both. They have been dating for a year, starting at the end of their first year in university. They met under strange circumstances, Jo transferred from Glasgow university, wanting to move closer to her ill mother; who sadly died only a few months after her moving home. It was a sad time, but she had Leon to support her if truth be told without Leon she may not have made it through it all.

Now though it's not one of their happy moments, both of them didn't want to go on this trip, but they had little choice.

"Damn it, Jo, we need to get a move on, it's going to be dark soon and I would hate to be walking through these fields in the dark." Leon moans.

Jo struggles to carry her bag down the hill. Standing at 1.50 metres and weighing a little over 50 kilos, her body is lean from years of dancing and gymnastics. She has never been hiking and now she is walking down a hill in the near dark carrying a heavy bag. Her legs ache not used to carrying the weight of what she needs for her stay in the house they are searching for.

"Well if you didn't make that stupid bet with your friend we wouldn't be in this mess." Jo moans back between breaths, finding it hard to say a few words, let alone a sentence.

The bet that Jo is referring to is one which Leon was presented with only a few nights ago. A friend from university caught him off guard when he was drunk, stating he could beat Leon at Poker. Leon is one of the best players in the university, winning two charity tournaments but his friend baited him in. Waiting until the perfect moment when Leon was drunk enough to be beatable and he made his move. Leon and Jo lost quickly, resulting in them losing the bet they were set up to lose.

So now as they agreed they have to find this house, Broadwick house, an old manor in the middle of the peak district, abandoned after some grizzly murders which Leon and Jo don't know about. All they were told was they had to spend three days, three little days in the house and then that was it. That or they had to give Dean, their friend £2000 each, which they don't have.

"I was drunk, very drunk. That asshole set us up, us both up I just don't know why. You have to remember babe, you lost too." As soon as he finishes saying that he knows he will regret it. Jo is a calm and collective person most of the time, but when she loses it, she loses it.

"Well if you want to get any from me again you will forget that." Jo jokes, surprising Leon as it's rare she jokes at all. "Plus, it could be fun I guess, I mean it's our first getaway."

"Yeah, I guess it is, shame it's in a rathole like we are going to."

Leon almost trips on a cow pat, making Jo laugh. After the hard year, Jo has had coupled with the university it makes Leon feel good that she can laugh. It's hard for him to remember back to when he has seen her so happy. She found the death of her mother hard, almost dropping out of university, but she didn't. Leon was able to talk her into staying, even talking to her lectures to get her extension on her papers. He would have done them himself for her, but he studies maths and with her doing biology he knew he wouldn't be able to do the work. He is smart, really smart, but Jo is much smarter and more capable than he is at academic work. Jo though worked through it and is happy she did. Walking through the fields with no sign of anyone else, other than Leon just brings her back to the reality of how hard her year has been.