the ledge above
and stepped onto the bed, using it like a foot ladder. He poked his head into
the attic and waved the candle in front him, but even with the flickering flame
the attic was too dark to see very far. He could only make out approximately
two feet in front of him, which only revealed a few crumbling cardboard boxes
and pink insulation resting on the flooring.
“What the hell am I doing?” he asked himself as he
rested the candle on the ground surface where it wouldn’t set any of those
fluffy pads around him alight.
With more struggle than he had expected Riley heaved
his out of shape body up and into the attic proper, resting his tired behind on
the ledge with his feet dangling into the room below.
“Reminder for later, I need to eat more vegetables and
less ice cream,” he muttered to himself as he lifted the candle back into the
air to find his way.
It was one carefully laid step after another as he
explored the cavernous room, cautious not to fall through a rotten floorboard
or step on any rusty nails. With every inch further from the safety of the
light below, Riley realized that he wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or
pleased that he wasn’t discovering anything in his foray into oblivion. While
he was curious as to what else that the strange house might hold, his nerves
weren’t exactly ready to find anything truly horrific. The creepy doll was
enough to alarm him, his heart probably wouldn’t survive finding a human
skeleton.
His luck soon changed when he spotted something on the
edge of his peripheral vision, something small and dark low to the ground
resting against a structural partition mostly hidden from view. With a deep breath
Riley bent down and inspected it closer. The object was rectangular, about the
size of a VHS tape, covered in what appeared to be a black garbage bag and
wrapped in razor wire.
With wary fingers Riley grabbed onto a part of the
wire that wouldn’t splice him open and picked up the object that seemed to
weigh less than its appearance suggested. A small shake revealed nothing in
terms of its contents. Turning it at all angles in the light helped just as
much. It was then that he heard a shuffling sound from somewhere behind him,
quiet and low as if not to gain his attention. Riley’s mind raced as to
possibilities. It most certainly was some sort of vermin that had woken up by
his presence, or even a sleeping bat.
Surely it couldn’t be anything more dangerous. And yet
his pulse quickened and his breath became shallow as he debated turning around
into the dark. What if it wasn’t a small, furry critter? What if it was
something far more sinister?
“What on Earth are you doing up here?” asked the voice
raspy and weak, much to the instant relief of Riley.
He turned around and spotted the head of Violet barely
sticking up from the hole to the tiny room below, her face contorted in the way
that only the sleep deprived are able to manage.
“Um. I’m not really sure. Exploring I guess” he said
as he stood up with the object still in hand and began his trek back to the
world of the normal people who don’t hang around in peculiar attics.
“I woke up and you weren’t there. I figured you were
in the bathroom, but after a while of you not coming back I got worried,”
Violet said as he stood above her trying to figure out a safe way to get down.
“What would you be worried about?” he asked, handing
her the mystery item without any sort of explanation or warning.
Riley blew out the candle and proceeded to hop back
down into the room, using the cot as a safety net.
“I don’t know. I...I was having a bad dream. And I
guess it got to me a bit,” she said, flipping over the package to try to figure
out what she was just handed.
“I found that up there. Didn’t get a good look if
there was anything else...thought I heard a bat. But I figure it will be easier
to look around there again during the day with the sun shining through the
cracks” he
and stepped onto the bed, using it like a foot ladder. He poked his head into
the attic and waved the candle in front him, but even with the flickering flame
the attic was too dark to see very far. He could only make out approximately
two feet in front of him, which only revealed a few crumbling cardboard boxes
and pink insulation resting on the flooring.
“What the hell am I doing?” he asked himself as he
rested the candle on the ground surface where it wouldn’t set any of those
fluffy pads around him alight.
With more struggle than he had expected Riley heaved
his out of shape body up and into the attic proper, resting his tired behind on
the ledge with his feet dangling into the room below.
“Reminder for later, I need to eat more vegetables and
less ice cream,” he muttered to himself as he lifted the candle back into the
air to find his way.
It was one carefully laid step after another as he
explored the cavernous room, cautious not to fall through a rotten floorboard
or step on any rusty nails. With every inch further from the safety of the
light below, Riley realized that he wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or
pleased that he wasn’t discovering anything in his foray into oblivion. While
he was curious as to what else that the strange house might hold, his nerves
weren’t exactly ready to find anything truly horrific. The creepy doll was
enough to alarm him, his heart probably wouldn’t survive finding a human
skeleton.
His luck soon changed when he spotted something on the
edge of his peripheral vision, something small and dark low to the ground
resting against a structural partition mostly hidden from view. With a deep breath
Riley bent down and inspected it closer. The object was rectangular, about the
size of a VHS tape, covered in what appeared to be a black garbage bag and
wrapped in razor wire.
With wary fingers Riley grabbed onto a part of the
wire that wouldn’t splice him open and picked up the object that seemed to
weigh less than its appearance suggested. A small shake revealed nothing in
terms of its contents. Turning it at all angles in the light helped just as
much. It was then that he heard a shuffling sound from somewhere behind him,
quiet and low as if not to gain his attention. Riley’s mind raced as to
possibilities. It most certainly was some sort of vermin that had woken up by
his presence, or even a sleeping bat.
Surely it couldn’t be anything more dangerous. And yet
his pulse quickened and his breath became shallow as he debated turning around
into the dark. What if it wasn’t a small, furry critter? What if it was
something far more sinister?
“What on Earth are you doing up here?” asked the voice
raspy and weak, much to the instant relief of Riley.
He turned around and spotted the head of Violet barely
sticking up from the hole to the tiny room below, her face contorted in the way
that only the sleep deprived are able to manage.
“Um. I’m not really sure. Exploring I guess” he said
as he stood up with the object still in hand and began his trek back to the
world of the normal people who don’t hang around in peculiar attics.
“I woke up and you weren’t there. I figured you were
in the bathroom, but after a while of you not coming back I got worried,”
Violet said as he stood above her trying to figure out a safe way to get down.
“What would you be worried about?” he asked, handing
her the mystery item without any sort of explanation or warning.
Riley blew out the candle and proceeded to hop back
down into the room, using the cot as a safety net.
“I don’t know. I...I was having a bad dream. And I
guess it got to me a bit,” she said, flipping over the package to try to figure
out what she was just handed.
“I found that up there. Didn’t get a good look if
there was anything else...thought I heard a bat. But I figure it will be easier
to look around there again during the day with the sun shining through the
cracks” he
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