The familiar creak of the old wooden door opening brought a sad smile to my face. I pushed through the entranceway and proceeded down the hallway. There were several doors leading off from the main hall, but I knew which room belonged to my brother. As I approached the end of the hall, a faint, yet recognizable smell... the aroma of chalk, paint and charcoal... wafted past my nose. "Mmm... this must have been his art studio..." I quietly mused. I opened the door and stepped inside. The walls were covered with sketches of various robots and vehicles, but it was the large easel in the center of the room that caught my attention. On the easel lay what must have been his last piece. It was a charcoal sketch of Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader and one of his favorite characters. I moved closer to inspect it.
"Good lord... it's amazing." I muttered in awe. The artist's rendering was life like... a true work of art. The shading was exquisite... the details breathtaking. I couldn't help but remember my own youthful attempts at drawing and how terrible they came across. This man had an incredible talent...or at least he did... My eyes started watering and I moved back so my tears wouldn't ruin his masterpiece. I left his studio and closed the door behind me...I think I'll leave that room for last. I made my way down the hallway to the first door on the right. Inside was a spacious master bedroom... complete with a walk-in closet and a plethora of nerdy memorabilia. A quick glance around the room revealed that everything was in pristine condition... a testament to my brother's love of the place. I smiled at the thought of it. He was always the cautious one. I continued through the room and into the attached bathroom. I paused as I passed the vanity. superheroes everywhere; Batman toothbrush holder, Superman nightlight, Ironman soap dispenser and even a Spiderman soap dish... all pristine...like they'd just been polished.
My footfalls echoed on the hardwood floor as I walked out of the bathroom and headed for the next door on the left... the kitchen. It was well stocked and again spotlessly clean. I opened cupboard doors and cabinets looking for any sign of food or drink, but found nothing. I decided to check the fridge first. It was full of mostly fresh produce, but also had some bottled water and sodas. I grabbed a bottle of Mountain Spring and popped the top. I carried it to the table and sat down. I needed something to do with my hands and the cold can felt good against my skin. I took a sip and let the coolness wash over me... I'm hungry. I thought as I peered into the fridge again. I saw a box of cereal on the top shelf and scooped it down, taking a bowl out of the cabinet above. I poured a bowl and sat down to eat while I thought about this whole situation.
I should really call my dad; let him know I got here safe before I go to see him tomorrow. I thought. I looked at the clock on the wall. It's almost 3:30. I stood up and walked over to the phone. "Hello?" I heard my dad's voice say from the other end. "Dad...it's me...I made it ok...everything is going to be alright..." I tried to reassure him but I could hear the defeat in his voice. He wasn't buying it. I could tell. "What happened? Did you run into any trouble?" He asked. "No, no problems... I'm just taking stock and I'll be by tomorrow." I wanted to talk to him about everything, but I knew it would take time. "Ok kiddo. I'll see you then." The phone went dead. I hung up and put the receiver back in its cradle.
"I guess I should start settling in," I said to myself. I started to head for the front door where my travel case sat when my eye caught sight of the entertainment center in the living room. I walked over and began opening drawers. The first drawer was empty except for a few DVD's. I pulled them out and examined the covers. They were mostly recent releases, but a couple seemed older... "Transformers The Movie, Gundam Wing: The Endless Waltz and Super Fortress Macross." I rolled my eyes. My brother and his never-ending obsession with giant robots.
I looked inside the second drawer and found more DVDs. Most of the cases were empty, but there were a few that contained episodes of several TV shows. I opened the DVD player and flipped through the menus until I found the episode guide screen. It looks like the latest was Transformers Prime. Shrugging I pressed start and watched the last episode in the que. I watched the action unfold as Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee, Bulkhead and Arcee fought against the evil Decepticons; Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave and Knockout. I was engrossed in the story line, the fight scenes and the music when I heard a knock on the door. I turned off the TV and headed to answer it.
Rather than finding someone standing at the door there was a woman in the foyer. "Whoa!" I exclaimed. She had long black hair and a very slender frame. Her eyes were a deep blue and her lips were painted red. She wore a rather form fitting beige dress. As she stepped closer, I noticed that she was wearing high heels. "Um...hi," I greeted her. "Uh...hi, um, I'm sorry if this is a bad time?" she stuttered. "Oh, uh, well, no...Why?" I replied. She kept staring at me as we talked. I don't know what it is, but something about her is familiar. Is she someone from I met at the funeral? I thought to myself.
"Umm...I'm here to pick up my things," she said. I raised an eyebrow. "Your...things?" I asked. She nodded. "Yes, I'm so sorry but I'm in a bit of a hurry." I crossed my arms in front of myself. "Who are you?" I asked curiously. "I'm Andria, Eric's fiancé." I didn't know how to feel about that. I mean, sure he said he'd been lonely, but I didn't think he'd gotten a girlfriend let alone a fiancé. I took a step closer to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "Eric's...what? I asked, hoping for some sort of explanation. She sighed and moved away from me. "We met after his mother...died. He needed someone...and that someone was me. Anything else?" She asked coldly.
"Nope, I think that's all I need to know," I responded. She stared blankly at me for a moment and then said "Well...I better get my stuff." With that, she walked past me. Curiously protective now, I followed her through the house. We stopped at the main hallway and I saw her looking at the pictures hanging on the walls. "Where are they?" she asked as I approached. I looked around and realized that the frames were empty. There weren't any pictures of Eric or I, or anyone else in the family in the ones that were still there. Only a few art pieces and autographed photos remained. "I'm not sure, didn't even notice till now" I told her. She frowned and continued down the hall. When we reached the stairs, her face twisted in a grimace.
"What the hell is this?" She asked quietly. "What?" I replied confused, looking over her shoulder. There were the missing photos. Arranged near the base of the wall in some weird collage. Faces circled and lines connecting some with some sort of writing that I couldn't read. "Did you do this?" she said, turning to face me. I looked at the pictures and felt even more confused. "I just got here. Why would I do that?" I said. "Don't play stupid." She snapped back, angry now. "Are you some sort of nutcase?" I shouted back. Before either of us could escalate the argument further the lights went out.
I stood in the middle of the darkened hallway with Andria still in front of me. "What was that?" I asked. "How should I know?" she responded, looking rattled. The sound of the basement door opening cut short anymore questions. "Who's there?" we both inquired. There was no answer. I heard Andria shriek as something bushed past out feet. Two small beams of light circled us about half a foot off the ground. Remembering my cell had a light I shined it around us. I saw two little creatures, one much bigger than the other. One looked like a black feline and the other was a blue, boxy sort of robot.
"Ravage! Attack!" The blue one spoke and the feline pounced on Adriana's left foot, sinking tiny teeth into the material of her shoe. I could hear her squeal in shock and confusion. The small feline began tearing away a strip as she kicked at the cat. It yelped and was sent flying down the hall. She sprinted for the door and slammed it shut before I could respond. I was now alone with these things, the light from my phone showing the feline picking itself up and snarling.