Keep On Walking

Old

Scarlet grabbed hold of the doorknob of her now assigned room, and turned it slowly. The metal was cold against her bare hand, and she suddenly remembered all the snowy winters she had went through, playing in the snow with her brother and making snowmen with her parents.

She shook the thought, not wanting to cry on her first day - she hadn't cried, at all, since the incident. It was a sign of weakness, she thought. She had to stay strong, for her family.

She glanced at Crimson to check if it was alright if she entered the room, and Crimson responded with a small nod.

Gently, she pushed the door open, letting the dim lights of the hallway illuminate the room somewhat. Crimson reached inside and pulled on a string hanging from the ceiling; the light switch.

To Scarlet, it seemed strange that a place with a large hall and magnificent chandeliers would have light switches on a string. Maybe it was just old.

Once the lights were on, Scarlet realised they were just as dim as the ones in the hallway. So far, all the rooms and places Scarlet had been in, except for the hall, had been lit dimly. Maybe it was a electrical flaw?

Scarlet stepped inside the room, with Crimson close behind her.
"It's not the best, but it could be worse," she heard Crimson mumble.

In one corner of the room, there was a bunk bed. It was wooden, and looked worn down, like it had been used for a long time. Next to the beds, there was a small table, most probably, Scarlet guessed, a nightstand. On it was a small gas lamp, old fashioned. On the wooden floorboards lay a old, dark green carpet, stained with something dark. The floorboard themselves creaked with every step, and Scarlet hoped that no one was sleeping beneath them.

In the other corner of the room, there was a small cabinet and a wardrobe to store clothes in. Scarlet stepped towards the cabinet and slid a draw out. Inside, a few sweaters and skirts were jammed into it. Scarlet guessed it was Crimson's.
"I left the wardrobe for you, so you'd have more space. Everything that's mine is in the cabinet," Crimson's voice seemed louder in the cramped room.

Everything else in the room also seemed old and worn; the faded pink wallpaper was peeling, the lamp that casted shadows was hanging low, and the smell was... Odd.

When Scarlet turned around, she noticed that Crimson was already outside the door.
"You should probably introduce yourself to the others..." Her weak voice came out.
"Oh, right," Scarlet momentarily forgot about all the other children here. Would they be nice? Would they accept her? She was a little worried.

They walked back down the dimly lit hall, back into the common room. All the children from before were still there, if not more. When Crimson and Scarlet stepped in, everything went quiet, and all eyes were on Scarlet, once again.

For the first time, Scarlet noticed something about these children. They all looked different, and were all the same ages, but something was similar about them. They looked so tired, and so scared. There was something in their eyes, but Scarlet couldn't tell what it was.

"H-hello. We haven't had a v-visitor in a while," a little girl with short blonde hair stood up. She quivered slightly.

"Oh, I'm... I'm not a visitor, I'm staying here now, just like you all," Scarlet stuttered out, not sure if it was the right thing to say. The children eyed her, looking a little less scared now.

"Oh, thank lord!" The little girl with the blonde short hair exclaimed. "I thought I was done for!"
The children seemed to look relieved, even slightly happy. Why were they so tense about her being a visitor?

"Her name is Scarlet. Her family died. She will be living here from now on, so make her feel at home. She's been through a lot," Crimson spoke, clearly and loudly. It was the first time she had spoken like that. She sounded in charge.

"Hey, have you told her yet?" A small voice came from within the crowd. No one said anything else. The atmosphere seemed to change within the room, getting tense once again.
"Isn't it a bit...early for that?"
"She has to know...!"
Gradually, the children began talking amongst themselves, arguing. The noise rose louder and louder.

"Alright, cut it out!" Crimson crossed her arms and walked to the middle of the room. "Right now, it is too early to tell her. Much too early. You want her freaking out on you, and getting us all involved? I don't think so. So shut up, and listen," Crimson's voice seemed even stronger than before, but there was something else; kindness, and worry. She was worried about these children. "We'll tell her soon, when she gets used to this place."

"But what if she gets taken before we tell her?"

The noise immediate stopped. The children had terrified looks on their faces, and some huddled together. Scarlet looked over to the door.

It was slightly cracked open, letting a little light from the hall creep into the room. In the crack, there was something else. An eye. Someone was watching them. All the children froze, went silent. The door closed, the eye disappeared, yet it was still deathly silent.

Then, a child started crying. The one that called out just before everything went silent. Everyone went pale, even Crimson.

"What's... What's going-" Scarlet began, but was interrupted by Crimson, "Everyone, to the garden, right now."

Crimson looked over to Scarlet. "You, get in our room, and don't come out until I come get you, understand?" She sounded serious.

"Y-yes!" Scarlet was getting increasingly worried. All the children were running, walking, stumbling out the common room, trying to get to the garden, and fast. Crimson followed close behind them. Soon, Scarlet was left all alone.

She looked around, and decided to listen to what Crimson said. There seemed to be something going on here, so she had to obey.

Hesitantly, she entered the dimly lit hallway once again. This time, being alone made the hallway have a terrifying atmosphere. The floorboards creaked, making loud, echoing noises. That, her footsteps, and the slow swinging of the ceiling lamps were the only noises to be heard.

Scarlet walked towards her room, and entered it. She closed the door behind her, and sank to the floor.

What is going on?

Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the hallway. They were heavy, slow. Unnatural.

At first she thought maybe it's Crimson, but she realised that it was not the case. They were much too heavy for a teenage girl.

They stopped outside Scarlet's room. They stopped, and stood. Didn't move anywhere, didn't make any other noise. Scarlet held her breath. She didn't know who it was, but she was scared.

She remembered that night. Oh, that terrible night. How she hid, how scared she was. She started trembling. Was it happening again? Was he back? Is he not dead?

The footsteps began to move again. They walked to the end of the hallway, until she couldn't hear them anymore.

Scarlet layed her head on her knees, and rocked herself on the floor, trying to calm down.

And at some point, she fell asleep.