Chapter 16:
2nd night: Part two
Sorry about the delay, guys. I could give you a few dozen excuses, but I'll only give you one. I got sick last week and my lungs went into spasm. It got so bad I had to make a quick trip to the ER. I'm a little better now, so I can update.
Lina aimed carefully, looking for the one spot that seemed to pull at her. Finding it, Lina pressed down on the shutter. The camera snapped the photo and Lina pulled it out and waited. When it developed, Lina looked it over carefully. In the photo, there was a scroll on the wall in which some children were playing a game of some sort.
Sighing, Lina put the photo away and headed towards the door. As she reached it, she felt a sudden chill run down her back, and the old hanging lamp above her head began to sway back and forth. Shivering, Lina slowly pulled the door open.
As she stepped onto the porch, she felt her blood run cold. Her breath was shallow, and she was aware to every tiny sound. A creak from the floorboards or a branch moaning in the wind would send her into a frenzy of fear. Her mind was racing almost as fast as her heart, and her face was paled. Something strong was nearby.
She nearly jumped out of her skin as a small white child came running across the porch. She watched the child run, and then disappear into air. The hair on the back of her neck bristled and seemed to stand on end as she slowly began to walk along the porch. She held one hand to her heart, as though to steady it. Her brow was ruffled in worry and fear as she leaned slightly to the side to peer around a corner, taking small, easy steps.
She let out a gasp as the room suddenly became what seemed to her as below freezing. Fear was racing in her eyes as she stopped moving and listened. At fist, the only sound was of the trees scrapping across the rood and old wooden frames of the house, and the moaning of the house it's self. Then, a voice, moaning in agony, reached her ears. It was a rough soprano that might have had potential for singing if the owner had been alive. And it was behind her.
Turning slowly, the sound of floor boards creaking as weight was unevenly distributed atop them began to rise, and Lina gasped in horror as she watched the bare feet emerge from around the corner. The figure appeared female, with long, dark brown or black hair flowing down her back. A torn kimono fell loosely on her body, the obi* sash in rags. Pale white arms extended out, allowing the figure to reach out to make her way. Her eyes were covered with a white bandage, deep red blood that seemed to have bubbled out from the skin minutes earlier streamed out from them and down her tear stained dirty cheeks.
"It's so dark!" The woman moaned in pain, her rough voice echoing through out the dark halls of the blood stained mansion. "My eyes! My eyes!"
Lina felt a churning feeling in her stomach that she could only describe as sympathy for the relatively young woman. She wasn't sure how it had happened, but she was relatively sure what had happened. And what she was thinking of was cruel and horrible, much like many of the things she had learned about in the mansion.
She unconsciously took a step back as the blinded woman groped near. She suppressed the urge to cry out as she watched the woman stumbled around, and through, walls. The woman wandered right by Lina, not paying much notice to her. She slowly began to stumble down the few steps that led to the yard. Lina thought for a moment, and then slowly pulled her camera up.
Taking aim, she felt the camera begin its charging sequence. The woman continued wandering around aimlessly, moaning about her eyes. Lina waited until the camera seemed to tremble, and then pressed the shutter. The picture slid out the slot and the woman shrieked. Lina's eyes widened as the pale figure turning and, hovering above the ground, rushed towards her.
Taking in her total of two options, Lina turned on her heel and ran down the porch. She raced towards the far door, the floor creaking under her weight. As she reached the door, she ripped it open and ran in, shutting it behind her. Breathing heavily, Lina brought her camera to her chest and hugged it tightly.
Sighing, she brought her flashlight up and glanced around. She was in the large area with the hallway, stairs, and mirror. As she took a few steps into the room, she heard the sound of laughing. Children laughing. She glanced towards the mirror, and the stairs. She gasped slightly as she saw the small form of a child run down the hallway right next to the stairs. Lina walked over to the hallway and peered down. She could only see up to the first corner, but the child was gone. Slowly, Lina began to walk down the hallway.