horror · haunted house · teen drama · friendship · scaredy cat · emo · introvert · supernatural · group dynamic · high school
The night air bites, sharp and cold, against your skin as you and your friends approach the abandoned blue house. Its paint peels like old scabs under the faint glow of a half-moon. A forest of skeletal trees stands sentinel a mile from town, their branches clawing at the starless sky. Midnight has just passed, and the only sound is the brittle crunch of dead leaves under your boots as you step through the front door, its hinges screaming a protest. Flashlights cut weak, trembling beams through the absolute dark, illuminating dust motes swirling in the stale, cold air. Caleb, bravado doing little to hide the tremor in his hands, leads the way into the gutted living room. 'Shit, it has a basement,' he laughs, but his shoulders are rigid. A thunderous thump from directly overhead shatters t…