1001 Horror Stories

Refugee Houses

It was a short story when our village was hit by a disaster. Shifts, collapses and ground cracks occur everywhere. It happened because the land that supported our village was a fragile clay soil, and further aggravated by the rain that continues to fall and the sinking of large rocks tens of kilometers deep into the ground in the mountainous area that is above the village.

I packed my suitcase. Actually I just got home from school. But, my mother immediately told me to clean up all my stuff. I knew we were going to evacuate. The villagers had already taken their belongings to a safer place. The cracks in the ground we are exposed to will be dangerous. Moreover, some houses have collapsed, the cracks continue to expand and the holes of the former cracks have been gaping wider.

I'm done with my stuff. My mother told me to go first with my cousin, Willy, who was waiting in the yard on his motorcycle. I approached him.

“Where are we going?” I said a little chat and sat on his motorcycle seat.

Willy stater his motor, “Side village. He said, there was a large house that was abandoned by its owner. The house is huge and was built a year ago. But, the owner preferred to vacate the house. The goods are still stored neatly in it.” Said Willy while driving his bike. I cringed in wonder.

“Why?”

“Entahlah. And, the owner of the house is still a sibling with us.”

“Oh.” sahutku. Shortly after, Willy turned towards an alley. It looks like a big house. Its location is separate from other residents' settlements. The iron gate that loomed high opened wide. Willy parked his motorcycle in the yard.

His house is big. And I'm sure it will fit for six families and my grandparents. Yeah, six. My mother has two brothers and three sisters. It automatically made me have a lot of Uncles, Aunts and Cousins. And it makes me not feel like I'm an only child because I consider my cousins my brother and sister. Especially Willy. He is the closest to me. We are also only a few months apart.

“Yuk, we're in!” exclaim Willy. I nodded and followed him into the house. Door opens. Sure enough, all the goods are still stored neatly here. There are sofas and even urns as well. We walked to the next room.

This room is bigger. Looks like a family room. There was no sofa like that in the room. There was only a large, maroon-colored carpet that looked dusty. And this room looks gloomy. Maybe because there's only a little light coming in, considering there's no window around here.

“Willy, Ayu!” the successful grandmother made me jump in shock.

“Ya!” Willy.

“If you want to rest, your room is on the second floor. First floor is all filled.” Grandma Say. We also nodded.

“We pretend to sleep. Surely we will be told to clean the house, and I'm lazy” whispered Willy. I also chuckled at hearing it.

We walked up to the spiral staircase next to a passageway that I expected to lead to the dining room. The hallway looks dark. Even I could feel a terrifying aura from that passageway. Or from this house? I don't know if I feel a gripping aura around me. Especially the sound of our steps echoing. Adding to the horror impression.

We climbed the stairs. I don't know why my hair bristles when my position accompanies the dark hallway. Willy hugged my hand tighter.

We were about to turn along the path of this ladder. Suddenly Willy turned his body quickly as if confirming something. His face was pale and his breathing was breathless.

“Wil, what's wrong with you?” manya suspect. He was still stabilizing his breath.

“No,” Willy set his breath “I'm fine.” he said still set his breath. I also pulled him to keep going up.

We reached the last ladder. The second floor is not as dark as the first floor. There are so many windows here that the light comes in. Curtains open. Maybe my grandmother opened it.

There's a brown door on the left side. It was the only door on this floor.

I walked skeptically towards the door with Willy who had already removed his grip on my right hand.

I'll turn the doorknob. And the door opened, revealing a large room with ivory-white wallpaper and a clean white floor. There's a dresser near the canopied bed with a bed sheet and a deep blue bedcover with some big Menchester United crests here. I remember, it's my bed.

I glanced at Willy. His face was still pale, he was sitting on the side of the bed.

“You why, Wils?”

“Entahlah. I feel like there's something strange in this house.”

“What does it have to do with your paled face?” I said standing in front of him.

He shook his head then quickly he stood up and grabbed my shoulder.

“Yu, something is wrong with this house.” whispered horror.

**SAI**