✓ ❘ 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 ─ 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘

Dollhouse. (teenage!P. Wentz x Reader)

Do not ever visit that house.

You couldn't remember who said it to you first; all you knew was that it was a warning the entire town was aware of.

The house was right at the end of Black Street, a cul-de-sac that never saw any find of traffic. It wasn't unsurprising, since the entire street carried an eerie aura. Everything down there was completely silent; it was almost as if the trees, bushes and houses were waiting in anticipation for something to happen.

Enter that house and you'll never come out, that's what they say.

Some of the neighbourhood kids would occasionally dare each other to sprint up the front porch and knock on the door, but none of them were ever brave enough to actually go inside.

Last night...

You swallowed harshly. You rather didn't want to think about last night. Even more so, you weren't particularly inclined to continue with what you were currently doing - creeping behind a huge tree a couple feet away from the house.

But what kind of best friend would you be if you just left Pete there?

✧✧✧

Everything had happened so quickly. You had gone over to Pete's place after school, since his parents were out at some or other event, and he had the house to himself.

It was the usual - watch a couple movies, smoke a cigarette, order pizza... but then there was nothing left for you two to do.

So Pete suggested, "Let's go to that house."

No one ever had to say which house they were referring to - 'that house' was enough.

"Are you crazy?" you exclaimed, looking at him with wide eyes, holding the last slice of pizza halfway up to your mouth.

"Are you scared?" he countered, smirking smugly.

"I'm not scared of anything and you know that," you defended with a frown.

"Show me, then."

You didn't have a choice after that.

The two of you made sure that Pete's house was locked and secure, then hurriedly walked the few blocks to the house. It was a dark night; the moon was hidden behind a mass of clouds, and quite a number of the streetlamps you passed were dead. The setting definitely wasn't an ideal one, but you had to admit that it increased the thrill factor massively.

"Scared yet?" Pete nudged your arm. He was laughing, but it failed at masking the hint of terror in his voice.

You blew a raspberry. "'Course not. But I'm definitely not going in."

"Then I'll show you that I will."

You were already across from the house, behind the huge oak tree - how had you gotten there so quickly? There were no lights burning inside, only darkness all around.

The house had originally belonged to old man Nel, but ever since his death two years ago, it stood empty.

As far as anyone knew.

"For the last couple of days, I've felt like I should go in there," Pete said, waking you from your haunted trance.

"Pete, leave it," you urged. Now that the both of you were standing in front of the house, you had a terrible feeling about the entire situation.

"No, it's like it's calling me," he replied monotonously. You looked at him worriedly; his eyes were dead.

Before you could stop him, Pete reached out and opened the spiked front gate. Despite the fact that you wanted to pull him back, your arms were dead weight, and all you could do was watch as your friend treaded down the garden path and up the rotting wooden porch steps.