Chapter 14

"Why are we going to Jack's house?" Jessie demanded, her voice shaking not only from fear but from the jolts she was receiving while being carried by Chris while he ran.

"It's a long story, but you'll see when we get there. Right now, you make sure nothing is behind us." Chris's legs were tired from the running and the strain of carrying Jessie, but right now was not a time for a rest. He needed to keep moving, to gain some distance from them and Freddy.

"I don't see anyone yet," Jessie observed as they ran. "It seems like he's not following us. Maybe he went after someone else."

"Or maybe he's just toying with us."

The steps glistened in the light from the house. The ivy grew up over the walls, seeming to crawl up and up, trying to reach the prize on the roof. Wilted flowers, dying from the oncoming rush of fall, lined the sides of the house. Maybe it wasn't just because of fall. It was also likely that Jack's mother didn't care for them as needed.

The lights glared from the house, a tunnel to Hell, it seemed, from the street. The weeds had seemed to grow, because they were higher than when Chris had first visited the house that afternoon.

In fact, Chris could not remember anything being the same as it was before. The ivy hadn't stretched that far, the lights not on. The flowers had not been wilted beforehand, and it seemed that during the past few hours, the house had aged gradually. It seemed it had somehow went forward in time, increasing the speed at which the living grow and the dead recede.

Putting Jessie down and stepping towards the brighty lit house, the lights cutting through the gloom and mist like a lighthouse ushering in ships to port, Chris couldn't help a shiver run up his spine. Jessie must have felt it also, because she said, "This house has never looked so creepy as now."

"Something's wrong. The house has seemed to change in the past hours, because when I was here before, none of the shrubbery was like this."

"Chris, I'm already scared. Please stop with the nonsense." Jessie could almost feel her heart beat against her chest, and put two hands against it, wanting to muffle the invisible noise.

"It's OK. We'll be careful. Jack's parents might even be home." Chris said this, but in his head, he knew that it wasn't true. The garage was bare, the car gone. The garage looked the same as it had earlier, but now the paint was peeling, the door slightly crooked.

Jack couldn't help but wondering why the light was on. It seemed like it was a sign, like someone was waiting for them. An old friend.

Jack stepped up to the doorjamb. The steps creaked as he shifted his weight. "Everything seems so old. What has happened here?" As Jack took another step, the steps before broke, the wood cracking and shifting down to the ground. "We had better be careful here. Seems like things are breaking everywhere."

Jessie stepped up over the broken step, onto the next one. Being careful, she stepped up to where Jack was and grabbed onto him. Climbing up to the house, they entered into the hallway.

Now brightly lit, the hallway also seemed like it had aged. Moss and mildew crept up the sides, water stains on the roof and floor. More water could be heard dripping farther off in the house.

Upon entering the kitchen, Chris and Jessie were treated to bad smells, rust, and more mold. The kitchen sink was covered in rust, giving the slight appearance of dried blood. The floor reeked of sweat urine, and rat droppings. The refrigerator had ceased to work, and for curiousity's sake, Jack went to it and opened it.

Horrid smells leaked out of the open fridge, a mix of dankness, musty air, and spoiled food. But the worst thing, worse than the smells and the musty air, was the eye preserved in the fridge. It had been planted there, a treasure that curious and sneaky pirates were meant to find. Jessie and Chris were those pirates. But they sure didn't want that treasure.

Chris quickly closed the door before Jessie had a chance to see. The eye would continue to haunt him in his dreams. He still felt like it was staring at him through the metal refridgerator door. And somehow he knew that it was planted by Freddy, some sort of sign. A message, saying that he was watching them.

Moving on to the staircase, Jessie and Chris smelled the odor of stale urine. Gagging on the stench, they moved on as quickly as possible, reaching the top of the staircase and the closed door leading to Jack's room.

Chris knew that he had not closed the door, being to scared and frightened for Jessie to have thought of closing it. His manners had been overridden by fear and adrenaline. But someone, something, had followed their manners and closed the door for him.

Jessie stepped behind Chris, hiding, like she would have when she was eight. It reminded her of the time when she had awoke from a dream, screaming and drenched in sweat, and she had gone running to her dad. Leading him to her room, she had made her father search the room, insisting that the boogeyman had been there. Upon closer inspection, finding nothing, Jessie had been reassured and had gone back to sleep. But after the events that had unfolded in these past hours, she was now not so sure that there was no boogeyman.

(The boogeyman is coming)

Chris reached forward touching the door, but scared to push it open.

(The boogeyman is coming)

Gathering up all his courage, Chris pushed on the door.

(The boogeyman is coming)

The door slowly swung open.

(The boogeyman has come)