The Summer I Met The Goblin King (ONC 2023)

Chapter One: The Spooky House

Standing on what had to be its last legs, the old house creaked in the wind, destined to become nothing more than rubble in the coming storm. Casey swallowed, flicking her flashlight over the dark, creepy entrance that looked like the mouth of a monster.

Several of her classmates hung out by the gated entrance.

"Come on Casey! It's just a haunted house, don't tell me you're chicken!" Fenroy called from the gate.

Then why aren't you coming with me?

Jack came up beside Casey and gave her small hand a squeeze. Even in the dim light, he looked like some anime protagonist with messy, spiky brown hair that seemed to have a life in itself. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. It's not like their opinion matters anyways."

"I'm tired of being called a coward." Casey looked up at the house again and took a shaky step onto the stairs. "I need to do this for me."

The house groaned in the wind, as if the door to death itself had been opened inside. Casey yelped and leapt into Jack's arms, knocking him to the ground.

"Sorry," she whispered as their classmates laughed.

"No, problem," Jack said with effort. "Please get off, you're not little anymore, Casey."

Heat crept up her cheeks as she climbed off of Jack and dusted herself. It was bad enough everyone was shipping them lately, she didn't need to give more fuel to the fire. They were friends, that was all they had ever been.

She would enter this house and prove that she wasn't a scared little girl anymore. If she was going to survive high school, it had to be done. Taking a few deep breaths, Casey found her flashlight and started up the stairs again. It was just a house that was maybe—most likely haunted. Just ghosts. Nothing to be scared of. It wasn't like there were any demons or anything.

Lightning flashed and a face appeared in the window.

Casey screamed.

When she looked again, it was gone.

Maybe it was just her imagination. It had gotten the better of her before. She walked up to the window and tapped it. Nothing popped out to scare her.

"Come on, Jack," Casey said, grabbing his hand more to ease herself than anything else. If they didn't split up, they would be okay, right? Bad things only happened in horror movies when everyone divided up.

The door handle was cold to the touch, matching the chill that raced through her body as she swung the entrance open. Spider webs took up most of the hallway, reflecting off her flashlight.

I can do this. Just go in, explore for a bit, then get the hell out.

Stepping inside, Casey swiped at the thick spider webs. Hopefully there weren't black widows or brown recluses. She didn't want to die by a spider in a haunted house. That would be the worst, and most embarrassing way to go.

The hall was decorated in old, black and white photographs of people that stared down at them. Upstairs, the light playing of a piano echoed. Did it have to be the way of the mountain king? Casey's heart was already beating fast, she didn't need the damn ghosts using music to make her more afraid.

"Where do you want to go? Not towards the music, right?" Jack asked, shining his light up the old stairs.

Something skittered to the left, running up the stairs and disappearing before they could see what it was. A ghost? More likely a rat or some other creature that had taken up residence in the old home.

"Let's avoid anywhere with mirrors, I heard from my cousin that they are portal's to the other side," Casey said, grabbing Jack's arm tightly.

"Do you aim to break my arm? Let up a little," Jack cried, shaking her off.