The Black House around the Corner by Seraph Wedd (ebook audio reader .txt) 📖

as I felt the sound of footsteps coming closer.

Don’t come near the wardrobe!!! I shouted from deep inside my heart.

As the sound comes closer, I slowly inched further inside. Repeating this, I finally reached the other end. There’s nowhere else to go. This is the end. I felt that these two sentences are going in circles in my head.

A loud screeching sound followed by a loud banging. It probably threw the bed out of the way. Surprise by the sudden sound, I pressed my back against the inner wall of the wooden wardrobe. The grim ripper is laughing at my side right now. No matter how I think about it, I won’t make it.

Then, a sound similar to the high pitched beeping sound of the television rang loudly. I quickly covered my ears, avoiding this ear-splitting sound. It lasted for about a dozen of seconds. After it faded, nothing but silence remained.

Seconds passed. Nothing changes. Minutes, and even an hour passed. There’s no movement. However, I am too scared to even venture outside this old wardrobe. As time passed, the tension slowly faded. When I notices, slight presence of light could be seen from the gaps of the wardrobe. At the same time, my stomach rumbled.

Having no choice, I slowly peeked outside. Surprisingly, it was already morning. The devastation that my room received is far more severe that the other day. The door is completely useless now. The bed is upturned with two legs broken off.

I picked up the flashlight and this time placed it in my waist pouch. The data from my phone’s still recoverable but it is not in a usable state as of now. In other words, no support will come. Thinking about it, even if I told the police about it, they probably wouldn’t believe me.

Honestly, I don’t want to spend even another second inside this building. My freak-o-meter has already passed the maximum since yesterday. Every cell in my body is telling me to get out of here.

I would love to get out of here as soon as possible. However, that will make the money I spent buying this house go into the drain. That’s one thing I would like to avoid at all costs. Ignoring the chaotic state of the room, I headed downstairs. I sat at the sofa with only a glass of coffee and a toast.

Now, instead of fearing the unknown, I should crack down how to stop it. Or maybe, how to eliminate it. To do this, I need to analyze the events that occurred. I arranged my thoughts. After an hour of pondering, I decided to head to the local library. I didn’t bother changing from my clothes anymore. Ease of movement is the best.

I spent a long time in the library. When I finished my research, the time was already two in the afternoon. Still, my time was not wasted. I finally found a way to deal with that beast. Even if I say “to deal with”, it’s more like a gamble. If my conjecture is correct, I’ll get a fifty-fifty chance. If not, then death will be the only conclusion.

Before heading home, I bought some countermeasures in a nearby hardware shop. Since it was quite a lot, I had them to deliver it to that damned house. The moment I reached the house, the delivery van was already parked in front of my yard.

Without wasting a moment, I quickly started preparing for our last confrontation. There are too many things to set up that the whole procedure took around 4 hours. I worked patiently and diligently. Making sure that nothing will go wrong in the crucial moment.

It was already dark outside. And so is inside the house. I didn’t turn on the lights. I just sat down silently at the sofa that is facing the stairs towards the second floor. Food was set in an arm’s length away. From now on, it’s a test of patience.

My eyes slowly got used to the darkness to the point that I can vaguely see what was around me. In estimate, the time should be around nine in the evening. All the plates full of food was swiped clean by me. The current moment is so peaceful that I started to feel drowsy. However, in another three hours, the situation would change greatly.

The same beeping sound of yesterday was heard. I immediately grabbed my prepared weapons. It was a 3 yards long wooden stake with a metallic pointed tip. A battered flashlight was tied carefully on its body. I switched on the light and pointed the makeshift spear towards the stairs.

Despite the fear creeping in and numbing my face, I stood still and tried to remain calm. Wild, running sound could be heard from the second floor. However, it stopped right before reaching the stairs. Looks like I was spot on.

Theory 1: It is afraid of light.

I didn’t waste any moment and started phase 1. Using my left feet, I stepped on a switch, turning it on. At the same time, I turned off the flashlight. The second floor was suddenly flooded with blinding amount of light. Again the beeping sound was heard. This may be the sound of the monster’s growl.

Just as planned, something fell from the second floor and landed at the bottom of the stairs. At that moment, I pressed another switch. Above me, a beam of light acted like a barrier. Separating me from the dark surroundings.

With this light, I could barely see the silhouetted of the monster. It was large. Over a dozen feet tall. No wonder it could send a door flying. Before ending up wasting this chance, I immediately stepped on another switch. This time, light illuminated the basement’s door and the door leading to the kitchen. There’s no other escape route other than outside the house.

The monster in front of me cannot run away easily, conversely, I too am under the same condition. After testing the air for a moment, I immediately started the second phase. Using my right foot, I stepped on a new switch. This time, a beam light from the top of the stairs lit the surroundings up to my location.

The monster dodged to the side quickly. It was very nimble despite its large build. Another beam light appeared vertically above the monster. It once again dodged beautifully. However, it was now within range.

I immediately thrust my makeshift spear. It quickly tore through the air, aiming for the body of the monster. When it was about to hit, the monster ducked and dodged the attack. Then, the unknown variable started to make a mistake. That was… Me.

Due to the thrust, my body moved forward. When I managed to regain my posture, I was way outside the wall of light. Right in front of me, a large shadow was staring straight at me. Its deep black eyes, darker than its body, was staring at me. I froze for a moment.

The monster raised its arms that is long enough to reach the floor. Then, it flicked it like a whip towards my direction. I, half reflexively, raised the wooden spear in defense. At the same moment, the arm that was about to hit me, stopped before hitting the wood. Looks like another bull’s eye.

Theory 2: It cannot destroy the original house, or anything that is part of it.

I noticed this after knowing the fact that the wardrobe where I hid was actually there since the house was first built. After looking through old documents, I also discovered that the workstation at the kitchen was later added after the house had undergone some renovations. It is the reason why only the door of my room, my belongings and the lights were damaged when I was attacked last night. No damage was actually dealt to the house itself.

In simple terms, as long as it is a part of the original house, it can act as my shield in a moment of desperation. The wooden part of the lance I am using is actually the part of the old wardrobe, where you normally hang your clothes on.

This surprise can only be used once, or so I had decided. Using the chance that the monster stiffened, I once again thrusted my spear. This time, probably surprised, the monster received the attack. The spear embedded itself at the chest of the monster.

The bot of us didn’t move for a moment. Then, I felt a strong impact on my stomach. I was sent flying towards the wall. The air escaped my lungs as I was knocked pretty hard. I felt like crying as the pain I was feeling is far from how I imagined it. It hurts like hell.

Forcing myself, I crawled up into a sitting position and leaned my body against the wall behind me. The monster just stood still on the spot. Staring at me. I too stared back. The fear inside me was gone before I knew it. The pain probably made me forget about my fear.

All of a sudden, violet lights illuminated the surroundings. Not a single spot was spared. The monster, getting bathed in ultraviolet light started twisting in pain. Serves you right. I noted mentally.

A long beeping sound was suddenly heard. It slowly increased in frequency, until it sounded like a whistle. It was similar to the sound of a jet engine, slowly turning into an eardrum-breaking noise. All the lights suddenly exploded. Even the glass window above me broke into a million pieces.

Since I cannot move my body freely from the pain, I received the damage directly. I can feel a hot liquid flowing from my left ear. Probably my left eardrum burst.

After the high pitched noise vanished, it was followed by the sound of loud footsteps. Luckily, it was going away from me. I was planning on giving chase, however, I need to recover first. After a minute passed, I was finally able to move, albeit slowly.

With my right hand pressed above my hurting abdomen, I used my left hand to light a match I had prepared in my pocked beforehand. Using the faint light of the fire, I lighted a candle set atop the table. I prepared these just in case that another blackout occurred. Putting three candles in a single candle-holder, I slowly walked towards the stairs.

I noticed something while walking, a trail of green blood was visible on the floor. I quickly decided to follow it. While skillfully using the wall as a support, I painstakingly climbed the stairs. The trail stopped under the stainless stair towards the attic.

The wooden spear too was left lying on the ground, beside a pool of green blood. I hesitated whether to climb or not. However, I need to see the conclusion for myself. I climbed the vertical ladder while feeling great pain.

After placing the candle-holder inside first, I used both my hands to pull myself up into the attic. I rested to recover from my erratic breathing. I looked around while doing so. There, I noticed the continuation of the green blood trail.

I was tired of walking, but it seems that I only need to keep at it a little longer. Forcing my body, I picked up the candle and followed the trail. It didn’t turn left or right, instead it went straight towards a corner of the attic where the roof is lowest.

The trail led me to a single painting, partly hidden by a dusty white cloth. The cloth was covered with a large amount of the green blood. I tore off the cloth to reveal the whole image of the painting. Under the flickering light of the candle, I observed the painting.

It was a simple oil painting. A pure white woman was drawn at the center: white hair, white skin, white eyes and white one piece gown. She was standing in the middle of a red circle further surrounded by deep darkness.

I peeked behind the painting and saw the name of the painter. Coincidently, it was also the name