The Murder of the Lurking Visitor

The Addington House

"Can you guys please slow down a bit?" Holly shouted to her friends who were way ahead of her.

"Or you could speed up," Lewis shouted back at her as her friends stopped just up the hill from her.

They all watched as she caught with them, clutching her chest as she was very out of breath. She knew she had to keep going as they were almost at their destination but she was tired. Ella walked slower with Holly as they began to walk again. The rest of their friends were still a bit further ahead.

"Come on guys, we can see it!" Harry shouted from the top of the hill.

When they all made it to the top of the hill, there it was. Not too far in the distance, covered in vegetation and surrounded by trees was The Addington House. The myth, the horror house and exactly what they were here for. The group made their way towards the house until they were right at the front of the house.

"Who is taking the honour of being the first one of us in the house?" Sophia asked

Holly admired the front of the house. The house was very Victorian and grand. It was much taller than the more modern homes that were built now and she imagined it to have many floors along with many rooms to explore. It was unfortunate that it hadn't been looked after all these years as it could have made a beautiful home. Although the group were glad that it didn't belong to anyone who was willing to look after it as photographing abandoned, derelict buildings was a huge hobby of theirs. With this house, they had struck gold.

Harry was first to jump through the hole in the wall where a door would have once been. The rest of the group followed and were stunned by the size of the place inside. The stairway sat in the middle of the huge landing with two pillars at either side rising all the way to the top of the house. The light from the large window at the top of the first landing reflected perfecting down on the group as they stood and took in the marvels of the building.

The group split up as they usually did with their own camera equipment, to explore the house and find perfect shots. Holly made her way up the staircase, watching her step in the case that the steps had rotted over the years and were unsafe. She made it to the top unscathed and looked down the long hallway on the first floor. There seemed to be an endless row of doors and she wasn't sure where to start. She opened the first door she came to which opened with a loud squeak which made her jump. The room looked like it had once been an office for the residents as there was a large desk and chair. Along with this, there was a huge bookcase that was caked in dust and spider webs. She walked over the bookcase hoping to find an old book she could take home to her grandad but she had no luck in finding one. She took a few pictures of the old furniture and left the room, looking for something more interesting.

As Holly walked further down the hallway, running her hand along the dirty marble railing, she passed Ella taking pictures of Lewis laying on a huge bed which was surrounded by the ruins of what once would have been the duvet set for the bed. It looked like animals had gotten to it and ripped it to shreds. She laughed at Lewis' posing and moved on to a different room.

At the end of the hallway, there was a door which was slightly ajar. There was something drawing her closer to the room. She pushed the door open slowly which startled a bird in the room, making it fly into the air and out the window. Holly jumped back, letting a small scream leave her lips.

"Everything okay?" She heard Sophia shout from wherever she was in the house

"Yes, sorry guys" Holly called as she walked into the room

The room was unusually tidy compared to the others. It almost looked untouched apart from the dust and the broken window. In the middle of the room sat a large cot with the small mattress and bedding still made inside it. The room walls were a light shade of blue which to Holly, meant that this room was once the nursery for a baby boy. Across the shelves that were hung on the walls were many small tattered teddy bears and old toys. The room was beautiful in its own way as the sun shined through the window and directly down onto the cot. It was a picture Holly couldn't miss.