The Lady in White

The Woman in White; Short Story

Lois sits in the middle of the empty living room. Holes from rotten boards scatter throughout like land mines waiting to swallow you whole instead of blowing you up. With no electricity and her phone on seventeen percent she sits in utter darkness. A circle of salt surrounds her and she is careful to keep her shoes from breaking the circle. From what little she watched on Supernatural, salt seemed to be the key to getting through the night in this haunted house. As long as the circle was complete, whatever was in here couldn't touch her.

The wind howls outside and lighting flashes, casting shadows from the boarded-up windows.

Of course, because creepy as eff wasn't enough, God decided I needed a nice thunderstorm to really set the mood. She thinks to herself.

Her body jumps as a loud crack of thunder vibrates her bones. She pushes her blonde curly hair out of her blue eyes as if that will help her see better.

Just eight hours, I can do this. Then Bobby and Brandon will owe me two hundred dollars and I can get that camera I've been eyeing at the pawn shop for months now. She keeps talking to herself to try and pass the time. It's clear how people can become crazy in solitude, she's been there for only two hours and already she feels the cuckoo nest taking root.

The thunder cracks again and hidden under it, a scream echoes. She covers her ears to keep from hearing what she knows is the screaming woman in white. Legend says her husband left her for another woman and she killed herself in this very house so she could steal his soul and bind it with her forever. Although she doesn't believe in the witchy voodoo stuff, being here alone will make anyone think twice.

The thunder cracks and the house moans under the force of the wind outside. Crashing sounds come from the exterior of the house, like something is trying to force its way inside. Lois squeezes her eyes shut and attempts to control her breathing.

"It's just your overactive imagination. Get a grip. You can do this." She says aloud now. The hardwood floor forces its way against her sit bones. If she was smart, she would have brought a pillow and made the damn circle bigger so she could lay down. She shifts and her shoe slides away from her body. A squeal escapes her, and she holds her breath, slowly lifts her foot and sees the salt circle still intact. She exhales and lets her shoulders relax slightly.

"You can't hurt me! Not in here!" Lois screams to the house. Floorboards creak behind her and she jerks around to find nothing but the empty living room. Her heart skips in her chest, the hair on her arms stands on end and a frigid breeze blows across the nape of her neck. She shudders and frantically jerks her head around the room, looking for signs of anything paranormal.

Thunder cracks and simultaneously the floor around her shakes, at first she thinks, earthquake, but when the thunder rolls fade so does the shaking. Her breath comes out ragged from the anxiety building inside of her. Her palms slick with sweat. Running footsteps scurry across the room, undeniable pitter-patter sounds of bare feet.

"Bobby! That isn't funny!" Lois retorts, with little conviction actually in her voice. The scurrying rounds behind her, she turns following it through the dark. Her breaths become so shallow, she starts to feel lightheaded, crippled her with fear.

She turns her head back to the doorway; the smell of rotting flesh attacks her nostrils, and she pinches her nose to try and find relief. She grips her phone, looks at the percentage flashing on the top of the screen.

"Screw it." She says nasally. Turning on the flashlight, she blinds herself momentarily and blinks away the white orbs obscuring her view. She chases the sound of the running, spinning inside of her circle. She catches glimpses of a foot every now and then but nothing more.