When her radio alarm went off at seven am the next morning Cara all but leapt out of bed. She hadn't slept at all throughout the night, scratches and moanings starting up every time she closed her eyes, although they didn't trouble her so much when she was awake and terrified. She stumbled groggily down the stairs, looking over her shoulder at regular intervals, although she knew no-one would be there.

She settled down at the kitchen table and poured herself some Rice Krispies and a cup of tea and sat cradling the two of them munching and drinking slowly. 'What... Was that? That noise, that moaning... I could have sworn it was asking for help...' Her scientific mind went through all the logical theories. 'The house is settling... It's had about 200 years to do that. It's the wind... It was a perfect night last night. I was imagining it... I'm not quite that insane yet... I don't think...'

She jumped when the door went, sending her empty bowl clattering to the floor. She sat still for a moment, chest heaving before she realised how stupid she was being. 'I am paranoid!' The door went again and she stood up shakily and walked to it confused. Who was coming to her new house? A friend of her uncles' maybe? Unlikely, the family had cast him out as they had cast her out because she refused to believe those stupid legends... The bell this time and she was jolted out of her thoughts, opening the door only to see...

A man there. His eyes were red and filled with agonised pain, pale faced and covered in deep dark bruises. He was in a navy and white suit dirtied with mud and blood, with dank, unhealthy looking black hair. But what was scariest of all was his body. His arms were chained in silver, crossed across his chest and his legs were bound in the same. He couldn't move. Underneath all the chains she could see his beautiful pale skin was withering and burning away, she could see and hear it hissing slightly. There were large wooden stakes stabbed through his shoulders, hands, thighs and feet and he was screaming in pain. His fingers scraped and scratched at some unseen barrier between them, slow and lethargic.
"Help... Me." He whispered, screeching slightly. "Mercy! Save me!" Cara screamed and staggered back her hands over her mouth. Bile rose to her throat and she began hyperventilating. 'Oh my God, oh y God, oh my God!'

"Hey. I know I'm ugly but come on, it's not that bad." Cara blinked on reaction and the man was gone and the estate agent was standing there, once again looking at her as if she was a lunatic. Cara's chest heaved more as her eyes darted around, expecting to see blood stains on the wall or zombies dragging themselves out of the cupboard under the stairs. Everything was normal. She forced herself to take a couple of deep breaths and closed her eyes, opening them again. Everything was still the same...
"S-Sorry." Cara said shaking her head. "I thought I saw a rat..." The estate woman chuckled.
"Wow, you really do have issues with the, don't you?" She chuckled before holding up the papers. "Finalisation?"

Cara signed the final paper with a somewhat heavy heart, trying not to think of the term of phrase 'sign away your soul'.
"Is everything OK?" The estate agent, who she now knew was called Emma, said. Cara nodded slightly.
"Yeah." She smiled weakly. "Everything's fine. Still in shock from the possible rat attack I guess." Emma laughed.
"I can assure you, this house may be ancient but it's a 100% rat-free zone." Cara smiled and nodded.
"Trust me that is so reassuring you'll never know." She laughed again and gathered up the papers storing them.
"Well, that's it." She said. "The house is all yours. Are there any questions?" 'Don't ask. Don't be as so stupid to ask...'
"Not really." Cara chuckled leaning back in her chair. "Ummm, any reports of theft or break-ins?"
"Nope. No one bothers, not even the kids. Everyone loves this house, and they all loved your Uncle." Cara smiled.
"Uncle Hubert was a great man." She agreed. "Umm... Any recommendations from housing authorities on structural work?"
"No again. The house is sound and solidly built. Although you may have a few cracked roof tiles that would need sorting to prevent leaks."
"OK. And..." 'Don't do it, you'll embarrass yourself...' "Any reports of hauntings?" 'You... IDIOT.' Emma laughed loudly.
"No." She chuckled. "Why, are you reporting one?" Cara laughed playing it off.
"Well, you can't be too careful can you?" She said. "These old houses tend to have histories." Emma shook her head.
"If you're interested in the history of the house I have a file on it back at the office." She said. "But no gruesome murders or emotional suicides or crimes of passion as far as I know."

"No, creepy voices or ghosts or poltergeists or moaning in the night?"
"None that I've heard." 'Of course.' Cara thought bitterly. 'They never do. I should have known that from the movies...'
"Good!" Cara and Emma laughed together as they walked to the door.
"Well, I hope you have a pleasant time here Ms. Harvey." She said. Cara nodded.
"It's been nice meeting you." They shook hands and Emma left, not looking back. Alexia turned back around and took a deep breath shakily staring at the doorway as if waiting for the man to appear again. He didn't. "I am officially going crazy." She muttered shaking her head. "I need a shrink... No! I need books."

Uncle Hurbert's library was vast to say the least. Hundreds of thousands of books stacked through bookshelves and around the walls of the circular room. In here, with the door locked, it was so easy to believe that her nervousness and edginess was all unfounded. She settled down at the desk with something she'd found. Old scrolls that when unravelled showed the original plans for the house. She'd been pouring over them for hours excitedly absorbing all the secrets the mansion, her home, had to offer. Most of it was still in perfect dimensions, a couple of rooms had been moved and one of the three drawing rooms had been converted into this library, but other than that it was an exact replica of the house.

Cara settled down and looked over the next sheet, a map of the ground floor. She frowned. There was still one scroll to go, but she'd seen all the floors... Maybe that one was something different. Shaking her head briefly she looked over it, smiling serenely to herself. She was much too lost in her own thoughts to hear any creepy scratchings or moanings or see any visions. It was only when she looked to where the living room was now did she get a mild surprise. There was an extra tunnel and stair case into one of the walls. But she hadn't seen any extra doors from the living room...
"A priest hole..." She whispered before grinning excitedly. "Oh wow..." She gathered the scrolls up rapidly and storing them safely in a desk drawer before rushing to leave the room before stopping. She glanced back and saw an old gas lamp before smiling childishly to herself. She walked back and picked it up, finding some old matches and lighting it. "If a job's worth doing it's worth doing properly." She said before going down two flights of stairs and into the living room. Following the map she found a wall where a large tapestry hung and, pulling it back slowly, came face to face with a wooden door. She smiled. "Time to investigate." She pulled the door handle, listening to the slight creak as it swung open.