The Saunders's House

There had always been creepy stories going around school about the Saunders's house – a big, old house that sat at the other side of the woods - but that didn't stop my friend Katy and I snooping around it most days after school. You see I wanted to be a journalist and I was fascinated by the stories I was told about this house, and I was convinced that if I was the one to discover what was really going on in the Saunders's house then I'd be famous. I wanted to find out more, persuading Katy to come along, on the other hand, was a different story she would always make it to the front door before saying " I can't Lauren, it's too scary. Can we please go?" and pulling me away, a look of terror etched onto her face. I was determined to get into that house one way or another.

As the stories go, Thomas Saunders and his wife Ruth had been a quiet couple who kept to themselves. However, one night while Thomas was out working late, the house was broken into and Ruth was murdered. Thomas had came home to find his wife dead and two burglars upstairs. It is said that he stabbed them to death before killing himself, and police were never able to go into the house and find the bodies as strange things would happen inside. After a while the police just decided to board up the house, and told people to stay away. Of course teenagers managed to break into the house, and there has been rumours that some who have went in have not came back out.

I had never fully believed all these rumours and I wasn't about to let a little ghost story stop me from going into the Saunders's house. I decided going at night would be the easiest option when there were less people about and less chance of being seen. I managed to somehow convince Katy to come along with me though she seemed like she would rather be doing anything else. We walked quickly through the streets passing the school and the park, until we reached the edge of the woods. A noise that sounded like a squeak came from Katy as she stared at the darks trees. Even I had to admit the woods looked terrifying in the dark and I couldn't see a thing. Using our phone lights we began to navigate our way through the woods, jumping every time the wind rustled the bushes or we heard a twig snap.

"It's OK!" I said reassuringly, though my hands were beginning to tremble and I was starting to regret coming out at night.

After a good ten minutes of fumbling our way through the woods we came to a clearing, and as we stepped out of the trees we came to a stop as we saw the old house in front of us. Despite being to this house hundreds of times, there was something about the way the house looked in the dark that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Lauren, I don't think this is a good idea," whispered Katy.

I squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"It's fine," I said, though my voice shook. We walked towards the house slowly and as we got closer I could see how deteriorated the house had became over the years: most of the paint work had started to chip off, the windows looked dusty and some of them were cracked and the bench that was placed in front of the house looked like it might snap if one of us were to it on it.

"That's enough now Lauren, we've came to see the house at night, I think we should go now," Katy pleaded with me.

"I have to find out what's in the house. You can come in with me or wait out here it's up to you!" I said as I began to make my way to the back of the house: I had heard from other people in school that a kitchen window at the back of the house had been smashed and was the easiest way to get in. As I reached the window I heard Katy's footsteps behind me as she ran to catch up.

"I'm not staying out here myself, but we only go in for five minutes then we get out of there, okay?" She said, sounding close to tears.

"Deal," I replied.

Broken glass crunched beneath my feet as I climbed through the window into the kitchen with Katy following close behind me. We were instantly met with a smell so strong I was trying my best not to gag.

"Guess those rumours about the police not being able to remove the bodies must be true," I said.

"Don't say that!" Said Katy. I could hear the panic in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm just joking. Come on lets have a look around."

We walked around the first floor of the house quietly, not finding anything interesting except the odd spider web and some broken furniture. I had began to relax and was feeling slightly disappointed that we hadn't found anything. Katy, however, was still slightly on edge and kept a tight grip on my arm as we continued to walk around the house. As we came to the foot of the staircase I shone my phone light up and began to slowly walk up, but as I reached the second step my phone and Katy's phone lights both switched off. The staircase and hallway went dark and we both frantically tried to turn our lights back on.

"My phone won't turn on," I said panicking.

"Neither will mine," Katy said, her voice cracking.

Then a loud crashing noise comes from behind us and before I get a chance to react Katy screams and pushes past me, running up the stairs.

"Katy!" I shout as I hear her run along the wooden hallway upstairs, before a door slams and the whole house is silent again.

I make my way upstairs slowly and walk along the hallway in the direction I hope Katy ran.

"Katy...Katy, where are you." I whisper, my voice beginning to tremble. If she hears me she doesn't answer. I am just about to call out for her again when I hear footsteps walking along the hallway downstairs and come to a stop and the bottom of the staircase.

"Who's there?" A low, gravelly voice calls out slowly. "There better be no kids in my house," the voice shouts, and the footsteps begin to climb the stairs. I run to the end of the hall and open the first door I see: it's a bedroom with a window overlooking the front of the house. I run to the window and try to pull it open. I can hear that the footsteps have reached the top of the stairs and they begin to make their way along the hallway, my heart is hammering in my chest as my sweaty palms desperately try to budge the lock on the window. The footsteps are really close now and I decide hiding has to be my best option; the only furniture in the room is an old bed and wardrobe. I quickly clamber into the wardrobe and shut the doors quietly and try to control my breathing.

The footsteps stop outside the bedroom door and the whole house is silent again. My heart is pounding so hard in my chest I'm scared whoever is out there might be able to hear it. After a few minutes of silence I am about to climb out of the wardrobe when I hear the bedroom door creaking open. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I listen. The footsteps begin to make their way slowly across the bedroom floor until they stop right outside the wardrobe. I freeze, none of my limbs are able to move. I sit there staring at the wardrobe door.

"Lauren, are you in there?" I hear Katy's voice say.

I let out a sigh of relief and open the wardrobe door.

I didn't have enough time to who or what exactly was standing outside the wardrobe, but it definitely wasn't Katy.