Chapter 1: The House on Hollow Hill
The dilapidated ancient mansion, forgotten by time, stood lonesomely atop Hollow Hill. Its walls were crumbled, its roof sagging like an old man, its windows smashed, and it had been abandoned for decades. Briarwood’s residents whispered stories of unusual noises, eerie apparitions, and a curse that had followed the mansion for decades, so they knew better than to approach it. Only those crazy enough to test their bravery dared to approach the mansion.
A group of four friends, Tom, Lisa, Mark, and Emily, were standing at the side of the overgrown walk leading to the house one cool autumn afternoon as the sun sank below the clouds. Since they were young children, they had been buddies, connected by their a passion for exploration and a common desire for excitement. They had been talking about the ancient home on this particular day, and before they realized it, they were daring one other to go inside.
“Come on, guys,” Tom shouted in a phony brazen tone. “It’s only an aged residence. What could possibly go wrong?
Lisa shuddered and pulled her jacket closer to her body. “Tom, they say it’s haunted. Individuals have entered and never left.”
Mark attempted to sound confident but was unable to cover up the trembling in his voice. “Those are just stories,” he said. “Ghosts aren’t real.”
Usually the most reserved person in the group, Emily shocked them all by taking the lead. With a simple “I’m going in,” she said. “You can stay out here if you want, but I’m not backing down.”
The others shot uncomfortable looks at each other, but none of them wanted to be the first to back down. So, with a collective deep breath, they started up the path toward the house.
Chapter 2: The Entrance
As Tom opened the front door, it made a loud creaking sound. The boom reverberated throughout the deserted house, heightening the atmosphere of dread. The air smelled of mildew and decay, and dust motes danced in the shafts of low light that crept through the broken windows. As they entered, the floorboards creaked beneath their weight, every sound seeming abnormally loud in the suffocating silence.
Mark said in a whisper, “Stay close,” even though it didn’t seem necessary. Not one of them intended to go too far from the group.
Even though the grandeur had long since faded, they found themselves in a stately lobby. A chandelier that had once been exquisite hung teetering from the ceiling, its crystals dulled and filthy. The walls were covered in flaking wallpaper displayed signs of deterioration and misuse. The upper stories were accessible by a spacious stairway that had a cobweb-covered banister.
“Which way?” Lisa inquired, hardly raising her voice beyond a whisper.
Emily gestured to a left-hand door. “Let’s start there.”
A drawing room, or what had been a drawing room, was beyond the door. The air was heavy with the musty smell of disuse, and the furniture was covered in sheets full of dust. In the corner stood an ancient piano with chipped and yellowed keys. The temperature seemed to drop as they went more inside, giving Lisa a shiver down her spine.
She rubbed her arms and asked, “Did you feel that?”
“Yeah,” Mark answered, darting a worried glance around. “The temperature is lower within this.”
The piano seemed to have someone hit a key when all of a sudden it produced a low, discordant tone. With their gazes fixed on the instrument, the group froze.
“Did you touch it?” Gazing at Emily, who was the closest to the piano, Tom questioned.
Pale on her face, she shook her head. “No.”
The group leaped back in panic as a second note, this one louder than the first, rang out. The shadows seemed to stretch out and enclose them as the room grew darker.
Lisa trembled in voice and said, “Let’s get out of here.”
However, the door slammed shut with an unbearable clang as they turned to go. As the buddies stood there in the pitch-black, their hearts thumping with fear, the room suddenly went dark.
