The Aeron House

Section Eight

"Charlie?" You call as you enter through the door.

She's nowhere to be seen in the dimly lit room.

You turn to exit the door, but find that it's locked.

You push with all your strength, but it won't budge. You try battering it and even kicking it, but the result is still the same; You're stuck.

The only way to go is forward.

Turning around, you survey the room.

It's a decent size space, with two dusty windows on either side of a rotting bed. Above the bed, there is a sign that reads "Elizabeth's Room." The walls are gray, but you guess that they used to be white. There are clusters of black mold where the paint has peeled. There isn't much furniture other than the bed, a dresser which appears to be missing several drawers, and a night stand under the window to the right of the bed. Directly across from you, there is a faded yellow door.

You take a step further into the room, debating on whether or not you want to go through it. It isn't anywhere near as bright or happy looking as the other doors are. A sinking feeling forms in the pit of your stomach once again.

Suddenly, you hear a low lullaby being sung. The tune sounds like Hush Little Baby.

The voice is that of a young woman.

"Charlie?" You ask. Of course, it must be her. She's probably playing some dumb trick on you.

No one replies, but the singing becomes a bit louder.

"Charlie, I know it's you," you say. "C'mon, stop playing. We should get out of here."

The singing is louder now, and you can her the words of the song now:

"Dry your tears, dear sweet child
Let me have some peace just for a while
Stop your crying, oh please try
You're making mommy want you to die..."

The hair on the back of your neck stands on end and goosebumps form on your arms. That voice most definitely isn't Charlie's.

It's coming from under the bed, you realize.

You become frozen in terror as an ashen arm creeps out from under the bed. It's followed by another. The nails are bitten down to the numb and there appear to be small cuts all over the hands and arms. Slowly, you see the top of a head emerging. The singing continues:

"Please, my dear child
Listen to me
You're making me upset
Go to sleep..."

A woman climbs to her feet and you're horrified at what you see. Her eyes are nothing more than hallow sockets, but somehow there is thick, dark blood spilling from the holes. Below the right socket, there is a large gash that is obviously very badly infected. The gash runs diagonally from below her eye to her jaw. Her lips are completely black and seem like they might wither away into nothingness at any given moment. She reeks of the unmistakable stench of death as she comes closer.

You're horrified, but you can't seem to move.

She leans closer and whispers, "Have you seen my baby?"

You swallow back the scream in your throat and slowly shake your head.

"He's missing." She clasps her hands over her heart. "My poor sweet child is lost. He's oh so quiet, and oh so gone." Turning around, she begins singing again:

"He wriggled and wiggled
But then went still
His skin turned blue
His face was pale."

She turns back to you and laughs. Her demeanor has turned from woeful to elated. "Can I tell you a secret?" Without waiting for you to answer, she leans closer and says, "I killed him."

Your eyes widen in fear.

If she murdered her own child, what was she going to do to you?

Her body abruptly jerks and she collapses to the floor. For a moment, she's still, but then you hear an unearthly growl. She raises her arms, which utter grotesque creaks as the bones begin to snap and break. In moments, they are bent in the wrong direction. She bends her torso backward and you hear the spine snap as well. She resembles a spider like creature now. Just when you think you might faint from fear, she opens her mouth and lets out a terrifying scream. She lunges at you with impossible speed.

Suddenly, you're able to move again and you book it for the yellow door.

You tear it open, then slam it shut behind you.

The room you're in is quite small and you can't see much through the darkness. The only sound is that of your heart slamming against your rib cage. Not a logical thought runs through your mind.

After a few moments, you take a deep breath and collect yourself. You reach out your hands to feel around you. Surely, there must be some way out.

Bingo.

You find the knob of another door.

You hesitate.

What if there's something else behind the door?

Charlie's face flashes in your mind.

Did she run into a monster too? Did she escape? Is she alright?

You don't have the answers, but you decide you can't stay in there forever. Mustering up all of your courage, you take a breath and slowly open the door.

(Go to Section Ten.)