GD 2: GRAVE DWELLING

Grave Dwelling Chapter 2

"RAVEN!"

I awoke suddenly, as though someone had yelled into my ear.

"Hello?" my voice echoed around my cavernous bedroom.

My dog lay fast asleep at the foot of my king-size bed, indicating there hadn't actually been a shout. How had I imagined something so jostling?

I rolled over and resituated myself under the covers, when suddenly my bedside lamp turned on, blinding me. "hey!"

Squinting, I reached over the side of the bed to turn it off, but the pull-chain was missing. Throwing the covers off, I walked around the nightstand and unplugged it, but it still didn't turn off. I shook my head and got back into the bed, deciding to sleep on the other side.

After only a few moments, the lamp on the other side flickered to life, and I again saw the chain was missing. Groaning, I reached my red silk sleep mask from the nightstand and slipped it over my face.

Minutes later, I was almost asleep when my sleep mask slowly started sliding up to my forehead. Startled, I threw it off and searched the room for a person, but saw no one. Both lamps were turned off again.

"Who's there?" I demanded of the darkness.

The only reply was a long low scraping sound along the outside of the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined the wall next to the bed. I leapt out of bed and approached the window, drawing back the drape, but again saw no one. What was going on?

I turned around again and practically jumped out of my skin at the sight of a figure on the bed, but realized quickly it was my dog. "C'mon, let's go sleep somewhere else," I picked him up and left the eerie room.

I realized instantly upon entering the corridor that every light in the house was off. Normally the butlers and maids left the lights on outside my bedroom, as they spent most of the night cleaning my precious possessions and making sure my entire mansion was completely blemish free. Were they slacking? Sleeping on the job? I wasn't paying them to sleep. Where were they?

"Butler!" I called.

My voice echoed down the dark hallway, sending a shiver down my spine. Somewhere in the darkness, the low creak of an opening door echoed back at me. Obsesionado started barking fiercely, looking straight ahead.

"Who's there!" I demanded.

We heard a door slam, and he stopped barking.

"Maid!" I called.

Nothing.

"Where did they all go?" I asked Obsesionado, who responded by leaping to the floor and sprinting out of my sight.

"Obsesionado, come back!" I whimpered, fear growing inside me.

I heard a low groan, it echoed throughout the house and I couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Who are you!" I bellowed.

Silence followed.

Suddenly the lights flashed to life, making me squint, and Obsesionado came trotting back to me.

"Ma'am," a maid approached with him. "Are you alright?"

I put my hands on my hips. "What took you so long?"

She looked confused. "Pardon me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't tell me you didn't hear me calling you,"

"I didn't hear anything," her confusion intensified. "I've been in the kitchen, cleaning up the mess from dinner,"

"Who turned off all the lights?" I asked impatiently.

She glanced around the room. "They're all on, Miss,"

I glared, bending down to pick up Obsesionado. "I know they're all on, I have eyes. They were off a moment ago. Did you do that?"

"No, ma'am, like I said, I've been cleaning the kitchen,"

I narrowed my eyes. "Were the lights on in there?"

"Yes, ma'am,"

I huffed, spinning around towards my bedroom door. "Whatever, just get back to work."

"Of course, Miss,"

I rolled my eyes again and closed the door behind myself. Setting my dog on the bed, I noticed both the lamps were plugged in again, and both pull-chains were replaced. Obsesionado whimpered.

"I guess I imagined it," I clicked both lamps off and crawled back under the covers.