Author's note: I had published this story on here back in 2009 but took it down for some reason that I don't remember. I have this whole story written and another that I'm currently editing. I honestly have no idea why I took it down, so I decided to put it back up again! I'll update this every few days, and since it's already fully written, you don't have to wait for ages like with my other stories. Yay!

Part One

Dead in the Night

Ghost Stories

Haskins, Ohio

June 22, 2007

"Kind of spooky, isn't it?" Rae commented to her best friend and roommate. She pulled off her shades and stepped across the groaning floorboards.

"Yeah…" Ever since they had set foot in the house, Elizabeth had felt goose bumps creeping up her arms. "Why did we pick this one again?" She shut the front door with a creak, leaving them in darkness. "Notice the lack of windows, for instance…."

Rae sighed. "The rent was cheap, and I mean dirt cheap. The old man who owns this place obviously doesn't know anything about the market these days. Besides, there are windows, just not in this hall." Walking confidently down the dark hall, she entered the living room. "We just need to turn on some lamps," she said, flipping the switch and throwing the room into artificial light.

Elizabeth walked over to the window, throwing open the dusty curtains and letting in the harsh daylight. "Much better," she said to herself.

"Why don't you crack a window? It smells like a rat curled up and died in the wall," Rae commented, holding her nose.

"One probably did." Elizabeth opened the window with a sickening creak. "Did he even clean the place before we moved in?" she asked. "Look, there are layers of dust everywhere."

"Well, maybe that's why the rent was low. I mean, he's pretty old. He was in a wheel chair, remember? Take pity on the guy!" She rolled her eyes.

"Let's see the rest of the house," Elizabeth suggested, tugging on Rae's sleeve. They entered the kitchen next which sat off of the living room. Rae pulled up the blinds, sending out a spray of dust. "I bet he bought that refrigerator when refrigerators were first invented."

"Well, good thing we brought the mini-fridge," Rae said, smirking.

The rest of the house proved to be just as dusty as the previous rooms. The stairs creaked so loudly Elizabeth expected her foot to fall through the wood at any moment. "Next time, I pick the apartment, okay?"

"Two bedrooms," Rae noted, ignoring Elizabeth's comment. "Do you want to draw straws?"

"No, I don't care which one I get. I'm sure they're both equally creepy." She peered into the room to the left. "This is fine." Entering, she went straight to the window and pulled open the curtains, cracking open the window. There was a dusty queen bed and a tall armoire that sat across from each other, taking up most of the small room. A vanity sat against the other wall. The mirror was so covered in dust Elizabeth could not see her reflection. It looked as if the house had not been lived in for years. She shivered involuntarily.

"Find any ghosts?" Rae said, appearing suddenly. Elizabeth jumped, making Rae laugh.

"No. Don't do that, you know I hate being scared like that."

"Cheer up, grumpy." Rae flipped back her long, auburn hair. "Come on, let's get some dinner, I'm starving!"

"When did the movers say they'd be here?"

"Tomorrow morning. Until then, we're stuck with what we have." Elizabeth dumped her backpack on the bed, sending up more dust.

"Great. We have to clean the freaking house before we can even sit down. And we have no cleaning supplies."

"Look, I'll run to the store after dinner," Rae said, tugging Elizabeth down stairs.

After a light dinner of mac and cheese, Rae started toward the door. "I'll be right back," she said, jangling her car keys.

"Wait, you're not leaving me here alone! I'm coming," Elizabeth yelled, grabbing her coat. Rolling her eyes again, Rae waited for her.

"You are so chicken."

"You cannot truthfully say this place doesn't give you the creeps at all!" Elizabeth retorted.

"No, not really."

"Well, we'll see what you say after it gets dark," Elizabeth muttered, climbing into the passenger seat of the black Honda Civic.

At the supermarket, they bought cleaning supplies and stocked up on macaroni and cheese and Spaghetti O's. At the checkout, the woman asked if they were new in town.

"Yeah, we just moved into the old house down Warut Street."

"The Riggle House?" the lady asked, looking slightly spooked.

"Yes, what do you know about it?" Elizabeth asked, once again feeling goose bumps up her arm.

"Not much," the cashier said, shifting her feet. "It once belonged to Mr. Riggle, but after his wife died, he moved out; into an assisted living facility. A few families have lived there over the years, but they haven't stayed long."

"Why not?" Elizabeth asked, her interest peaked.

"Well, I don't want to scare you, but the former occupants complained about disturbances in the night. They thought the house was haunted. But that was never proved." She smiled. "I'm sure the house is perfectly fine."

"I'm sure," Elizabeth said, forcing a smile back. Inside she was wishing she hadn't asked about the house.

"Did you leave the upstairs light on?" Elizabeth asked Rae as they pulled into the driveway. "That costs money, Rae. Money we don't have."

"I didn't leave a light on. That's coming from your room," Rae defended herself.

"Well, I didn't leave it on." Elizabeth gasped. "You don't think it was-"

"A ghost? No." Rae laughed it off, slamming the car door shut and clicking the automatic lock button. "Come on!" Rae went up the steps, unlocking the door and switching on the hall light. The bulb flashed on and then suddenly flickered, going out. "Great. Well, hopefully there's a new bulb in the cupboards." She walked down the dark hallway, groping the wall for support.

Elizabeth stood frozen to the doorstep, afraid to walk in. She heard Rae call her from within and finally, with a deep breath, she walked in and shut the door. At once she was thrown in utter darkness. She felt her way along the wall, her heart beating quickly. "Rae?" she called out. There was no answer. She quickened her steps, the floorboards creaking loudly beneath her. "Rae?" she shouted.

"What?" Rae flicked on the kitchen light, poking her head into the hallway. "Scared?" she asked, smirking.

"Yes, I am actually. Didn't you hear that lady?"

"You mean you actually believed her?" Rae asked.

"Yeah, I did."

"She was probably just making the whole thing up. Anyway, here's a spare light bulb. Go see if it works. Or are you too scared to wander into the dark hallway alone?" she mocked.

Elizabeth glared at her, taking the light bulb and heading into the hall. She unscrewed the burned out one and screwed in the new one. The hallway was suddenly thrown into light. Blinking, Elizabeth turned toward the kitchen. Suddenly a dark shadow caught her eye. Looking up the stairs, she saw a shadow disappear into her room. "Rae?" she asked. How had her friend slipped past her?

"What now?" Rae asked from the kitchen. Elizabeth stared up at the staircase, but the shadow was gone. Just my imagination, she told herself. In the kitchen, Rae was putting away the groceries. "Did the ghosts get you?" she asked.

"Not funny." Elizabeth didn't mention the shadow.

"Come on. We've got a lot of cleaning to do before bed. Let's go." Rae grabbed the cleaning supplies and headed upstairs. Elizabeth followed, looking around everywhere for a hint of a shadow, but nothing was there. Sighing, she set to cleaning off the queen bed, making sure to check under it before she climbed in for the night. Despite the fact that every door and window was locked, it took Elizabeth hours to fall asleep. She pulled the covers close to her head, eyes darting around the room until she finally drifted off.

The clock glared 3:14 a.m. at Elizabeth. She moaned, turning over. It had been this way all night, waking up every hour, tossing and turning over and over. Elizabeth curled her legs up to her stomach. She stared at the wall, feeling wide awake instead of sleepy. Suddenly a motion caught her eye. She looked to the left a little, at the small, dusty vanity. Sitting upon the old chair was a thin, ragged woman. Elizabeth opened her eyes wide in horror. The old woman was wearing grey rags that hung off her skeletal frame. She was brushing her wispy, white hair with a hairbrush that had sat on the vanity. Elizabeth's breath caught. The woman stopped brushing, slowing setting down the brush. Elizabeth sat horrified as the woman slowly turned toward her. Rotting flesh covered her face and her throat was slit, dried blood lining the cut. Her eyes were white. Her teeth had fallen out. She reached out a hand to Elizabeth. All the flesh was gone from her hands showing the rotting bone beneath. Elizabeth screamed.

Throwing the covers from her, she ran for the door. "Rae!" she shouted, tripping into her friend's room. "Rae!" She flipped on the light. What she saw made her scream over and over. Rae lay on her back in bed, eyes wide open and mouth agape in a look of horror. The front of her white nightshirt was covered in thick, red blood. Her neck had been slit. Elizabeth fled from the room, not stopping until she was outside. She screamed for help.