We choked on the dust particles that lingered in the air of melancholy, making our already fear-filled throats uncomfortable. "FUCK, THAT HURTS! THIS STUPID SOFA!" An unexpectedly loud scream froze the blood in my veins; and brought all thoughts in my head to a halt. We looked around and discovered Adele kneeling on the floor rubbing her feet. "I TOLD you not to wear slippers..." Travis shook his head and sighed softly.
Moss and overgrown vines covered the dusty, peeling wallpaper on the walls, dust and scratches covered the sofa, while furniture stood askew and broken on the floor. Occasional creaks could be heard as each heavy step on the floorboards rumbled in our ears, making it feel like the house was going to collapse on us at any moment.
"Guys, get over here quick..." Emily rushed us over to a dilapidated sofa. We huddled together and found mysterious footprints with blood splattered on the side. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I thought of what might have happened to our parents. "Could that be... Mom and Dad's footprints?" We froze, our hearts racing, as a faint sound rang out from the depths of the mansion.
As we all stood there silent as a statue, we were surprised by a loud clang that caused Yan to jump up and duck in fear. "GYAAAAAAAAH, WHAT WAS THAT!" Yan screamed at the top of her lungs, her high-pitched voice reaching our ears. "SHUT UP! You're going to make me deaf!" Adele shouted, staring at the now trembling Yan. "Can't we all just calm down? What the hell just happened?" Kiera raised her voice and immediately ended the commotion. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a broken vase lying on the floor. I quickly walked over to examine it.
The sharp edges of the shards seemed to give me a death stare and put me in a trance. I raised my head and saw the portrait of an old man with an unpredictable expression whose gaze stared into my soul. I stood up slowly, the eyes of the portrait seemed to follow my every move, a lump rose in my throat. I glanced at my siblings gathered around the sofa, their faces wearing a wary expression. As I approached them, Kiera slapped Yan, stopping me in my tracks.
"For GOD'S SAKE, stop conjuring up these silly scenes of mom and dad dead in your stupid head! We're not going to get anywhere if you're just a scaredy cat!" Kiera reprimanded Yan, tears welling up in her eyes. "Kiera, don't be so hard on her... You know Yan is just scared," Travis put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Kiera crossed her arms without saying a word. "How about we follow the footsteps and see where they lead?" Adele said, rubbing Yan's back in soothing circles. "NO -" Yan exclaimed before immediately covering her mouth and nodding. "I think that's our only option right now, maybe we'll find more clues that way," I said. Everyone nodded in agreement and we set off to follow the mysterious footsteps.
We followed the footsteps down the hall, and the musty, stale air tingled in our lungs. The floorboards creaked ominously under our feet, and the flickering candles occasionally cast eerie shadows on the walls. As we walked, we noticed that the hallway seemed to stretch endlessly, as if it were leading us to some unknown, eerie destination. Yan began to quicken her pace, with a downcast expression on her face, as if desperate to reach the end of the corridor. After what felt like an eternity, we could finally see a door at the end. As we got closer, the old and weathered door gave off a foul odour that made us feel unsafe.
Anything could be lurking behind that door, but whatever it is, we still have to go in if we want to find out what really happened to our parents...
