Gone Home✔️

Chapter 11: Secrets

Hurrying back through the house, I got to the closet in question.

The back wall looked...like a back wall. I remembered seeing people in movies knock on the wall, listening for a hollow space, so I did just that. It only took about two seconds to notice a difference. Okay...definitely a hollow space back there. But how to open it? I pushed against a section of the wall and something clicked.

It popped open.

No way...

I continued pushing it in and found myself staring down a dark stairwell. The light from the closet was good enough to see that the walls, which were not normal walls, but unfinished walls, were papered with old newspaper clippings. Majorly creepy, like a serial killer's house or something. Well, no guts, no glory, that's what it was, right?

I stepped into the stairwell and made my way slowly down. I didn't like the way there were cobwebs in the corners, or how the light quickly began to fade. As I reached the bottom, I found a drawstring and pulled it. I sighed softly as light flooded the area, then felt even more comfortable as I saw a note from Sam and a photograph tacked up to the wall immediately in front of me. I studied them both.

The photo showed one of the wall panels pulled off and a little space inside. Huh! I flashed back to thinking of how I compared searching the house to playing Doom...well, what the hell! I guess I should have been looking for secret panels!

There was another drawing with a total of three 'secret panels' marked out. One in the library, which should be right on the other side of this wall, one in the hallway just off the left side of the entryway, what Sam called the foyer, and one next to Sam's bathroom. Well, tonight just got a whole lot more interesting.

I began to head towards the exit, it was another door-sized wall panel and I could actually see light coming in through some of the cracks, when I noticed a small wooden cross placed on an unfinished section of wall. It had writing on it. I reached down and picked it up, but the second my fingers touched it, the light went out.

I let out a small cry of fear, my body going cold, heart in my throat as I was plunged into darkness. Without really thinking about it, I rushed over to the door-panel and shoved it open. It gave with ease and I spilled out onto the floor. Grunting as I hit the floor, I rolled over, looking to see behind me, half-expecting a ghostly figure to be lingering in the doorway...but there was nothing, and I realized how silly I was being.

And now I had banged up knees to go with it.

I groaned quietly as I got back to my feet, then I pushed the wall panel closed. It made enough sense to, I guess, but really I just didn't like the thought of it being open. Looking around, I realized I was back in dad's library, the one just off his office. I moved over to the corner where Sam claimed there was a false panel and, sure enough, with a bit of prying, the panel in question popped right off. Holy smokes!

There were two pieces of paper in there.

One was a promo flyer from the show Sam and Lonnie had gone to, and another journal entry from my one and only little sister.

Oct. 29, 1994

"Adjusting to the Dark"

At Todd's brother's place after the show, there was
only a futon to sleep on, so Lonnie and I shared it. The
lights went out...I was turned toward her...my eyes
started to adjust, and then I could see she was looking
at me, too. In the dark, she smiled.

My heart was beating so fast. I rolled over, I felt so...I
don't know, nervous? After a minute she put her arm
around me, and was so close, and whispered in my ear,
"I really like you." I just nodded my head and I really
hope she could tell. I really hope...that she meant what
I think she did.