Leave This House

Day 3 - Fluff and Meat

Corbin could hear Granny change her pacing upstairs and head for the basement. He crouched down and tried to pry the awful jaws off his foot. He hoped nothing was broken. His fingers dug in between the teeth and he pulled. They opened slightly and Corbin began to laugh in relief. Blood had coated his shaking fingers and the jaws slipped, clamping hard on his foot again.

"Gaah!"

He jumped off the stairs and tried to hobble back into the garage. He heard Granny's footsteps and knew what was about to happen. He didn't turn around before the bat collided with his skull.

***

Corbin's eyes met the ceiling in the bedroom. With a groan, he rolled to his feet. Two pairs of eyes met his own. "Hey, guys," Corbin said. Solomon was leaned up against the wardrobe and waved. Elvyne jumped to her feet from the floor and rushed to him. She wrapped her arms around him. "Finally!" she gasped. "I've been waiting."

Corbin hugged her back then looked around the room. "Where's Becca and Miranda? Have they made it back?"

"Yeah. They showed up right after you."

Someone else was missing. "Where's Iris?"

Solomon rapped lightly on the cupboard he was leaning against. "Crazy lady is in here," he said. "She tried to kill Elvyne when she woke up."

A quiet voice sang out from the cupboard. "Mourners to and fro, kept treading - treading - till it seemed that Sense was breaking through."

"Shut up," Solomon muttered. Iris fell silent. Corbin turned to Elvyne. "Is she still singing that same song?"

"She hasn't stopped. I remembered something from a few days back. Real days not Granny days. Iris said she loved poetry. I think it's a poem, not a song."

"What difference does it make?" Solomon growled. "We are still stuck here with no way out."

"There is a way out," Corbin said. "We just have to find the remaining pieces to the puzzle." Corbin felt his pocket. It was empty. "Where's the key I had?"

"Don't worry," Elvyne said. "Becca and Miranda took it."

"That's good. Do you know if they found anything for it yet?"

"Becca had an idea." Elvyne waved it away. "I'm glad you're safe."

Corbin gave a small smile. "I would say I am too."

The door flew open. Elvyne and Corbin fell to the floor and slid under the bed. Solomon ran to the bed then stopped suddenly. "It is just you," he said. Corbin looked up from under the bed. It was Becca and Miranda. With a laugh, he pulled him and Elvyne out from under the bed.

Miranda closed the door. Her hair was tamed down and the blood covering her face was cleaned off. Corbin noticed she was dressed for running. That's what she must have been doing when Granny caught her.

"Did you find anything useful?" Corbin asked the girls.

"It seems Sleeping Ugly and Stupid has awoken," Becca said, rolling her eyes. "How did not waiting for Granny treat 'ya?"

"Absolutely fantastic," he said. Becca put her fists on her hips and Corbin scoffed. "You're still mad at me?" he said. "Listen, I got punished for it already. You don't have to verbally abuse me. My body's been hurt enough. Speaking of which..." He threw his foot on the bed and pulled up his pants leg. Scabbed over teeth marks from the trap lined around the top of his foot.

"Next time," Becca said, "Listen to me." She tossed a small watermelon to Solomon. "This is what was in the safe. The key that you had opened it," she explained to Corbin.