Post #5665

Author's note: I wrote this story as part of a challenge to write suspense-thriller-horror in 1000 words. Guilty Conscience Part 1 The house is empty, the footsteps of passerby on the adjoining road echos hauntingly. Finneas walks with careful steps, his knees shaking like jelly. Then he faces his arch enemy, the door to his study room. Finneas's study room is located in the darkest part of the house, even in the day time there is no natural light here. Finneas stops right outside and looks over his shoulder, his whole being trembling with the fear of unknown. "Relax, you are just overreacting, there's nothing here." He solaces himself and pushes the door only half way through. The darkness inside the room overwhelms him and the courage in him dies, he couldn't tell if he is being coward or careful; afterall, those who are too brave die first in horror movies. He discards the thought and with trembling hands searches for the light switch in the darkness located right beside the gate. He makes it a point to not set a foot inside before light is turned on. He does it with such anxiety as though he has put his hand inside a hungry lion's mouth. He sighs audibly with relief when finally, he reaches the switch he wanted to turn on. His heart still hammering inside his chest he steps inside the room almost reluctantly, he avoids glancing at the mirror for the fear of finding anything around him that he couldn't bear to see. Finally, he starts studying almost simultaneously cursing his parents to have left him alone for a week and they are due to come only after two days. Hours pass, he forgets his fear and immerses himself in studying, the silence, the paranoia, everything is forgotten. He almost falls backwards with his chair on the sound of a loud crack coming from the cupboard that sits beside his table. He holds his heart, racing faster than any F1 car, his lungs contract. With bated breath he looks apprehensively towards the cupboard for a while, no other sound issues. "Old cupboard are like that, it could be a r-rat o-o-o-or could be wood cracking, t-t-that happens with old wood all t-too often" he talks loudly with himself trying to suppress the silence lingering after the loud noise. The lights go out, there is nothing else left to do, his legs shiver and he runs but where!? The door is locked, he bangs on the door, pushes and pulls but it's hopelessly shut. “Going somewhere?" The voice asks him from behind, but how!? He was alone in the room, in the house! He looks behind him, terror clutching at his insides like a fist of steel. His knees give out when he sees a broad figure standing in front of him, the scar on her face glinting like lava in the dark. "Please. I'm sorry," he begs "I didn't know....." his voice trembles. "I begged you same way." #tm#review#shortstory