The Walls Surround Us

We all made our way down the street slowly. It was dark out, though there was a dull glow reflected across the atmosphere from the city lights. In an almost perpetual twilight we approached the corner, to where the old house stood, it's outline silhouetted against the ominous glow.

The building was creepy enough during the day but at night, when it was almost impossible to see, the imagination truly does run wild. I came to a stop outside by the gate as the others continued onto the property until they noticed I wasn't following them.

"Something wrong?" Hayley asked, looking back at me and I shook my head.

"Nothing's wrong," I said softly, tracing my fingers over a sign. Andrulia Manor, it read, the name that the original owners had given the house on the day of it's completion. It's was a unique name that was beautiful in its archaic simplicity.

"I bet he's scared," quipped Jayce with a sneer, which I responded to with a quick slap to the back of the head.

"Ow, jerk," he muttered.

The yard was hard to navigate. Grass and shrubs were over grown and there was no direct path leading to the front door. This place is in shambles, I thought as I pushed through the over grown scrub, there's no way anyone in their right mind would crash here.

Eventually we managed to step out of the foliage and onto a stone path that lead to the house. Jayce stepped out in front and tested his weight on the ancient wooden steps leading up the porch. "It doesn't feel very strong," he said, the step buckling obviously underfoot, "I wouldn't be surprised if the whole place is rotten to the core."

"Oh, you should feel right at home," quipped Hayley. Sara and I both laughed at the look on Jayce's face. He kept his mouth shut as he offered a hand each to the girls before stepping up after them himself. I followed just behind, taking the step as near the side as far as I could so my weight would be spread down the side of the step as well.

"You hear anything in there?" I asked Jayce as I took a few steps along the porch, peering in a the darkness through one of the boarded up windows.

"Not a damn thing," he replied, looking back out over the yard, "though I can hear a lot of crickets out there."

"I think you're just hearing the echo from inside your head," Sara said, making Hayley and I laugh.

"What is it, make fun of Jayce night?" Jayce said exasperatedly, pouting.

"Hey, hey," I said soothingly, patting his cheek lightly, "the girls love a guy who can take a joke."

"I guess that's why you're so popular," he muttered, "you're a just a joke."

"Funny," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Can we just get in there already?" asked Sara, her voice tipped with the slightest hint of desperation, "I need to get Peirre before he gets hurt."

"Sure," I said, turning to the door, "let's get this over with."

I reached out for the door but before I could get to it a loud creaking filled the air. We all looked up and saw the door slowly opening. The hinges wailed as we all stared at the darkness within.