The wind howled as the hour of midnight began on this All Hallows Eve. A group of friends decided it was a great idea to test their might by exploring the long-abandoned mansion on Fifth Street. There were rumours about this mansion being haunted by echoes of the past, it's said that anyone who enters never leaves. 

This story begins with Alice, a 17-year-old girl arguing with her friends at the gate to the fabled mansion. The old, multistoried building loomed in on them from a distance. Her hand clenched in the fabric of her costume. She shook her head making her flowing red locks bounce as a scared expression crossed her features. Her eyes pleading with Mark and Eddie.

"I don't think this is a good idea. It's already late, we should be heading home." She glanced at the eerie building.

The grounds were untamed and left to grow wild. The once well-kept pathway to the mansion was now filled with weeds, overturned slabs and broken stones. The steps leading up to the double doors were worn and tarnished, looking as though they were ready to rot through. The windows were covered in filth and grime making it hard to see inside, many were cracked and broken only showing a hint of torn curtains on the other side. It was anything but inviting.

"What, you scared!?" Mark teased.

"No shit she's scared!" Raylie piped in coming to her defence. "Any sane person would be. The place is barely holding together, it's a death trap, especially at night!"

"Maybe if the girls don't want to-" Eddie tried to inject only to be cut off.

"Not you too!" Mark took his hat off, he ran his hand through his short black hair as he groaned in protest. The loosely fitting black shirt he wore was tucked into his slacks, they were all in costume tonight. "Come on guys! We're meant to be out tonight to have a little fun, aren't we?"

Raylie huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her long black hair was sleeked back for her own costume, which hugged her figure perfectly. "If you want to prove your mettle, be our guest!"

"Raylie! Come on, I know you want to as well. It's just Alice that's holding you back." The boy protested.

Mark's remark stung causing Alice to cringe, she knew Raylie was into this sort of thing. "I could just wait outside." Alice offered in a quiet tone.

"Not by yourself!" Raylie objected rather loudly.

Eddie stepped in. "I'm not too keen on the idea either. I can stay with her."

Raylie appeared hesitant, so Alice attempted to push her. "I'll be fine with Eddie, go."

"No! Either we all go, or none of us go." Raylie shook her head holding her ground.

"Come on Alice! There's no better way to get over your fears than to face them head-on!" Mark pushed again.

Alice sighed, she wasn't going to get out of this, was she? But maybe if she was brave enough she could find some answers to some long-forgotten questions. Besides, she could just leave when she wanted to, right?

"Okay fine! But I reserve the right to leave when I want." Alice furrowed her brows as her shoulders grew tense.

Mark squealed and vaulted over the gate headed for the entrance in a flash.

Eddie rolled his eyes and proceeded to help the girls over the rusted metal that was bolted heavily shut. "Ever the gentleman." He muttered.

Raylie giggled, accepting the help she easily flung herself over and proceeded to follow after their ever-so-fearless leader.

"I don't know what she sees in him," Alice commented as it was her turn to take Eddie's hand and hop over the gate.

"You and me both," Eddie added with a frustrated sigh. "Are you sure about this? We can just stay outside." Eddie offered as they made their way up what remained of the pathway.

"I... I honestly am a little curious about this place, but do I want to go inside? Hell no!" She responded.

"You know, they want to go inside for you right?" He added in a tentative voice.

She nodded. After what had happened ten years ago her parents told her never to come near this place again. Eddie, Mark and Raylie had been her closest friends since she was 5 years old. They had all lived through it and yet...

"You still can't remember anything?" Eddie asked.

She shook her head. "Maybe by going inside, I can find something out. It's just... every time I look at this place I start to feel nauseous. Every fibre in my being is telling me to run away." She wrapped her arms around herself as she looked up at the daunting building.

"We're all here with you," Eddie added as he reached out his hand for her. "Always will be."

Taking a deep breath she exhaled slowly before reaching up her shaky hand and accepting his aid. "Please don't let go."

The large wooden entrance loomed down at her. With each step closer an increasing feeling of dread seeped in. She felt dwarfed as she stood before the splintering wooden panels that housed a delicate square of stained glass at its centre. The house would have been beautiful in its prime, but now it held an uninviting darkness that she couldn't shake. A shiver ran down her spine as she heard the lightest of laughter, like innocent children giggling as they played.

"You okay?" Eddie asked.

Her free hand balled into a fist and her eyes were wide. "No..." She managed to squeeze out in a whisper. "Did you not hear that?"

"Hear what?" Eddie blinked down at her genually confused.

"The laughter!" She exclaimed taking a step back.

"Probably just Raylie and Mark." Eddie tried to sound reassuring.

Every bone in her body was protesting as he gently pulled her closer to the door. She didn't want to be here, nothing good would come of this. Reaching for the eroded door handle with shaky fingers she gently pulled the door open. It groaned and creaked in protest as the ancient-looking wooden panels were pulled open. She peeked inside to try to make out anything in the sea of black. Darkness greeted her.

"We really needed flashlights or something if we were gonna do this." She muttered as she willed one foot in front of the other and made her way inside.

"I have a lighter." Eddie retrieved the small orange lighter from his pocket and handed it over. "It's better than nothing I guess."

"Yes, because this tiny light isn't gonna make the crepy shadows ten times worse or anything." She sarcastically pointed out.

"It's not like ghosts are real or anything." He added with a sarcastic tone and shrugged.

"You're not helping!" She retorted. She gasped and jumped back colliding with his form as the floorboard beneath her foot squeaked when she'd put her weight on it.

He patted her on the shoulder as he shook his head. "How are you gonna remember anything if you jump at every little sound?" He pointed out.

"I can't just wish the fear away!" She exclaimed in protest.

He spun her around, surprising her as he took both her hands in his. "Who says you can't?"

Blinking up at him in confusion she watched what he did next and was overcome with an intense sense of déjà vu. He traced the letters that spelt 'fear' in the palm of her hand.

"Now, make a wish and blow! The letters will disappear and you don't have to feel it anymore." He intrusted.

She felt tears well up, how could she have forgotten this? When they were younger he would often help her this way when she was scared. Taking a breath she blew air over her palm and wished to be less fearful. "I-I think remember you doing this before..."

"Good girl, it will come back slowly. Come on let's find the others." He took the lead allowing her to stay one step behind him.

This felt all too familiar, the little wish, his walking in front of her. She could have sworn for a moment he appeared as the cute little boy he once was, but she blinked and the vision was gone.

"You were with me." She breathed surprised.

He let out a little laugh. "I was."

"Then you can tell me?" She pulled him to a stop.

He turned to face her with a sad expression. "I can't. I don't actually know what happened to you after... We were separated."

"Oh..." was all she managed to say.

Advancing through the hallway hand in hand they had to dodge holes in the floor and fallen beams that had collapsed. The inside was falling apart, the wallpaper was torn and peeling, and broken photo frames with splintered glass lay scattered across the floor. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dirt and dust, the deeper they went the harder it became to breathe.

"Where did they go?" Alice turned her head to the side to cough gently. "It feels like we have been walking for ages, how big is this place?"

"Maybe the house is playing tricks on us." Eddie also appeared a little nervous.

"What do you mean?." She asked.

"We've mostly been walking in a straight line, we should have reached the back door by now right?" Eddie had a point.

Alice looked behind her, they could barely see in front of their faces with the tiny lighter as a beacon. All the walls looked the same and as they continued forward they released just how much.

"That's-" Alice's body stiffened.

Impossible, before them was the front door. To the left the same lounging area with the broken windows that peeked outside. They hadn't taken any sharp turns and had continued straight, but somehow they were back where they started.

The rumours about this place trapping its victims inside an endless maze suddenly rang true in her mind. Panic set in, she ran for the door to try the handle.

"No, no no no." Pulling with all her might the wood wouldn't budge. Some unseen force was holding it shut. "It won't open!"

"You gotta be pulling my leg?" Eddie shook his head.

She heard the sound of the floor cracking behind her the unthinkable happened. She could see it happening at a crippling slow speed, but she wasn't fast enough, she couldn't stop it. She turned to face Eddie as the floor under his feet bowed in. Her eyes widened as she attempted to grab him. Her hands grasped air as the boards beneath his feet snapped, it was like the floor beneath gave out and swallowed him whole.

She cried out, screaming his name as she plummed to her knees looking down into the newly forced abyss of darkness. Her body cringed as she heard his body land with an uncomfortable thud below.

"Eddie!" She screamed.

Her answer was a spluttering cough that confirmed to her that he was hurt. Her bottom lip trembled as the crushing realisation came that she was now alone. Alone, in a mansion that no one had ever gotten out of before. No, that wasn't true, she was living proof. She'd gotten out of this place once when she was seven and she'd do it again.

"Eddie! if you can hear me, hang in there! I'll find the others, we're all getting out of here!" Bolting upright she was careful with her footing as she rimmed the whole. She forced her body to move against its will and ran for the centre of the house.

"MARK! RAYLIE!" She screamed for her friends as she ran. Her voice was dry, her throat coated in dust particles from the thick air.

She hissed as the lighter burnt her finger, she immediately let go of the trigger plumping her surroundings into darkness. The metal was still hot as she tried and failed to flick the tiny light back on.

Flick. The lighter sparked but didn't catch alight.

Flick. It caught for a second before smouldering out, she could see the condensation of her breath in the air, it was getting colder.

Flick. She shivered as her teeth began to chatter and still the lighter wouldn't work!

Flick. A face, not her whole flashed into view as the tiny light roared to life. The face smiled eagerly at her with blood streaking down its face, running over its teeth and dripping to the floor. She screamed and dropped the lighter. The small device bounced on the ground sending her into darkness once more.

Drip... Drip... She could hear the sound of something hitting the floor in front of her. Only inches away from her, she took a step back in an attempt to retreat. Her foot snagged something and she stumbled backwards falling to the ground.

Drip... Drip... It was getting closer.

A whimper escaped her lips. Clamping her hand over her mouth in an attempt to not make a sound. Her body was shaking as she felt tears running down her cheeks wetting the hand that was covering her mouth.

Something touched her shoulder from behind and she spun on the spot throwing her hands into whatever it was that was touching her and screaming.

"Alice! It's me!" A familiar voice sounded. It was Mark.

She flung herself into his arms and began to sob, this ordeal was just too much for her.

"Hey, you okay?" His voice was soft.

Pushing back from the embrace she proceeded to repeatedly hit his shoulders with her fists. "No! I am not okay! You left us!"

"Sorry, got excited and ran ahead. Besides, I knew you would be fine. Raylie headed back for you a little while ago, where is she?" Mark pulled out a flashlight from his back pocket and clicked it on.

Alice couldn't help but look around the space, the thing from earlier was gone, as was the dripping sound. Had she imagined it? Thinking that her mind could be playing tricks on her and using her fears against her.

"I've only been with Eddie-" She gasped. Her fear had made her forget for a moment. "Eddie's been hurt. He fell through the floor, we have to help him!"

"Eddie?" He asked confused.

Stumbling to her feet he followed. She pulled back toward the front of the mansion. "By the front door, hurry he needs help."

He shook his head with a frown as he approached the entrance. "Are you okay Alice?" He asked.

She couldn't hear him, her eyes focused on the floorboards. The ones she knew had broken, the ones she knew he had fallen through. And yet they were completely intact like nothing had happened.

"What?" Her hands clenched in her cape as she shook her head unable to make any sense of this. "It was right here! There was a huge hole and he fell!" She was hysterical.

"There's no way he could be here with us, you know that." Mark stepped beside her, his head tilted slightly down as he studied her.

"He came into the mansion with me, I told him not to let go of my hand. He was here, he fell, I swear!"

"Alice..." Mark gently turned her to look at him. "Eddie has been dead for over ten years now."

Her blood ran cold and her breath caught, no, that couldn't be true. "But..." Words escaped her as her bottom lip trembled.

"You're describing the day he died." His tone was soft as he spoke to her. "Did you remember? are you confused? We shouldn't have left you like that, I'm sorry."

"But he was grown, like you or I. That can't be true. It's this place! The mansion is doing something!" Alice pleaded with him to understand.

"He is here, they never found any bodies on that day." Mark's sorrow-filled gaze hit her hard. He wasn't lying, but none of this made any sense.

She collapsed to the floor and wept, why was this happening? Mark gently hugged her as she cried. She didn't want to believe his words, she couldn't.

"Maybe we should call it a night, you should go home," Mark commented.

Alice shook her head and pointed out something important. "Raylie is still here, we can't just leave her."

"Think you can handle it?" He asked sincerely. His usual joking self was replaced with compassion, a side to him she wasn't used to. "This place holds a lot of bad memories for you..."

"I'll be alright. I don't want to leave Raylie behind." She concurred.

A whisper on the gentle wind entering from the broken windows caressed her ear. 'Alice... where are you?' The faintest female voice could be heard.

"What was that?" She asked.

"What?" He seemed confused.

"I thought I heard something..." She furrowed her brows as she stood.

Stumbling on unsteady feet she entered the lounge room on the left. This room was furnished with antique-looking seating, the cushions were torn and the once white fluffy insides were popping out and scattered across the floor. There was a rug lying on the floor which was covered in dust and fraying on all sides at its center an old coffee table.

"Raylie?" She called.

Walking into the room she didn't notice the small table and bumped into it. A dusty photo floated to the ground. Picking it up she couldn't make out the small faces staring back at her. Wiping the dust off she tried her best to clean the little memory.

"I remember that." Mark's voice came from behind. "We were so young back then."

"I- I Don't recall this. This all feels so surreal." Holding up the fading image it was a picture of the four of them, dressed in Halloween costumes standing out the front of this very mansion.

"You always stayed away from this place after that day." Mark's voice appeared to be moving farther away as she focused on the image.

"What happened here? Why did I forget, what did I forget?" Something deep within told her she didn't want to remember.

"Our parents never should have turned their backs on us that night. We were just kids and just wanted to play." Mark added.

The creak of the couch behind her told her that he had sat down. Looking at little Eddie's face filled her with sorrow. Had that truly not been real?

"Eddie..." She muttered.

Mark sighed from behind her, as though reminiscing alongside her.

Taking a deep breath she steeled herself as best as she could. "Where was the last place you saw Raylie?" It was only logical to start there right?

About to turn around Mark stopped her as the light began to flicker "Don't turn around!" He firmly commanded.

Drip... Drip... Drip.

Her body froze as the sound echoed through the room. It was back? And she wasn't the only one seeing it this time. She couldn't speak as the dripping grew closer one agonizing step at a time. The room filled with cold air making her shiver and her bones ache. Something was breathing right behind her, she could feel it inch closer. She slammed her eyes shut determined to stay still, not scream and not run.

"Alllliiiiiccccceeee." It hissed in her ear.

Alice was distrot, tears streaming down her face as she held her breath and wished it to go away. She felt the shift in the air as it retreated, but still, she waited until she could no longer hear the dripping. She let out the air she had been holding in her lungs with a huge gasp and Mark was once again by her side.

"Your okay, your okay." He told her trying to comfort her.

"What is that!"

"That's Raylie. I told you she's looking for you." Mark's sad expression only confused her more.

Her knees grew weak and she clung to Mark's loose black shirt as they sank to the ground. "Her too?" She whispered.

He nodded grimly. It was only then that she noticed that her hand was becoming soaked with a warm sticky liquid. Untangling her hand from his shirt she held it up to see what it was in soft light, blood.

"We died that night Alice, everyone but you. You need to remember." He gently coaxed.

Shaking her head in disbelief her breath was coming in short sharp gasps. "No! No! We've been together all throughout primary school and high school! Quiet playing this joke, it's not funny!"

However, she knew it to be true. Flashes came to mind of her being surrounded by her friends in the cafeteria, only to have them fade away and disappear. She'd been talking to herself this entire time, imagining and pretending that her friends had still been with her, alive and well. The countless Dr visits her parents forced her to go to, the constant medication, it made sense, she'd been living a lie.

It was coming back to her...

On that fateful, night ten years ago, they had all snuck into this very mansion. Little Eddie had taken hold of Alice's hands and told her not to be afraid and even showed her how to wish away her fear. They had started the evening by playing chasey around the front of the mansion. Their little feet pounding on the already degrading floorboards, with not a care in the world. Alice had noticed that one area by the door was slightly bouncy. Showing the others they all began to bounce on the area enjoying themselves, until it gave out beneath them.

Eddie had fallen through to the basement as the others managed to get out of the way in time. Frantic to try to help their friend they searched for an entry point to the lower level. A door in the kitchen led down to the place they needed to be. Little Mark had a flashlight in his backpack and volunteered to go down to check on Eddie.

However, the stairs were rotted out and splintered in several places. On his way down one of the steps had broken, he'd screamed shocked causing the girls to come down after him. Mark was holding onto the railing, dangling in the air with the wooden stairs crashing to the ground beneath him. The added weight from the girls only caused the stairs to collapse more. Mark had plummeted to the ground and impaled himself on the protruding pieces of wood below.

Little Alice had panicked and ran for the front door only to find that it was sealed shut, the night moist air causing the wood to warp and swell. The little strength she had wasn't enough to open the door. Raylie tried her best to calm Alice down but the anxiety and panic only grew worse the more trapped she felt.

Alice ran upstairs and hid, locking herself away from the wailing cries of the two boys who were bleeding out in the basement. Raylie trying to find her, was yelling throughout the house pleading with her not to give up and they needed to work together to find a way out.

Noises, cries and screams plagued Alice. Sounds of snapping wood, breaking glass and unghastly gurgling forced her to wrap her arms around her head and try to block it all out. She wasn't sure how long she waited, but eventually, the cries and screams stopped and silence filled the mansion. Less panicked and slightly calmer she emerged from her hiding stop and slowly crept her way back downstairs to the front of the house.

The scene that awaited her was what had sent her over the edge, it was the reason she had blacked out the entire night. Raylie had used an old chair to smash open a window. The windows in the house were not floor length, and for children of their size, a boost was needed to get out the broken window. Raylie had used the chair to help hoist herself up onto the window sill of broken glass.

But the old chair had broken under her weight...

She had slipped...

The broken glass jagged and extremely sharp...

Blood driped from the corpse that lay lifeless dangling from the window sill. The shards of glass had gouged right through the young girl's eyes, taking her life.

Alice did the unthinkable. She retrieved the broken chair, propped it up against her friend and climbed over her body and out of the Mansion.

She was found the next morning sitting in front of the gate with a blank blinking expression and no memories of what had happened the night prior. The other children were pronounced missing and the whole ordeal a mystery that had never been solved.

"I-I left her." She muttered as her memories came flooding back.

"That's not how she sees it." Mark coughed as he appeared to grow weaker.

"What do you mean?" She tried to press on his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding as he fell backward. "What's happening?!"

He laughed at her frantic attempt to help. "I'm already dead." He reminded her.

"None of this is making any sense!" She exclaimed.

"We're trapped here, reliving our deaths because she's trying to find and save you." He explained.

"But I'm safe, I survived." Her bottom lip trembled as she thought about the fact that she didn't deserve to live when all of them had perished that night.

"She doesn't know that, she died still thinking that you'd locked yourself away somewhere. Her regret, her determination, it gave this mansion a life of its own that night." He smiled up at her.

"Eddie and I agreed that this year we would try to get you to come back. We had hoped that if she saw you alive we would all be free... but." He trailed off. "Things haven't gone to plan."

"She can't see me." Alice's tears were streaming down her face. "The glass..."

Coughing up blood he nodded grimly. "You need to find a way to get her to recognize you. You can't look her in the eyes either. People-" He coughed again. "That's how people get trapped here, they become trapped within her, it's why no one can leave."

"Mark! Hang on, please!" Stripping off her cape she bunched it up and placed it to the area that was bleeding. The ground was slowly becoming soaked in blood.

He placed a gentle hand on hers and smiled weakly. "Set us free."

His hand slipped from hers as the light faded from his eyes. She gasped as the body beneath her hand became transparent and disappeared. Her body lunged forward and her hands hit the ground. Slowly she lifted them up, even the blood was gone.

The flashlight flickered at her knee, swooping it up she hoped it was real. Her hands were shaking and she felt as though she could barely breathe. How was any of this real!?

'Alice, where are you?' The faint voice sounded again sending chills down her spine.

"RAYLIE! I'M HERE. I WON'T RUN AWAY ANYMORE." She screamed at the top of her lungs.

The flashlight flickered as the air grew cold. She was coming. Alice turned the flashlight off engulfing her surroundings in darkness. If she couldn't look at her then this was the best option. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as the now familiar dripping sound grew closer and closer. She tried to remain completely still but couldn't stop her body from shaking.

"Alice?" Hearing her friend's voice made her heartbreak.

"Raylie, I'm here. I'm okay."

"Oh, Alice!"

She felt a hand touch her shoulder from behind. The fingers were slender and bony. Her body stiffened from the contact and she bit her bottom lip in an attempt to not scream or move. She didn't like the feeling of Raylie touching her. The bony hand slid down her shoulder, over her arm and gently cupped her hand. Against every better judgment, Alice returned the gesture and held her hand.

"Do you want to leave now?" The way that Raylie spoke was different. It was lighter and rather airy.

She nodded. "Yes, we should all leave."

Alice couldn't stop the tears from falling as she was gently pulled in the direction of the front door. She could barely make out the outline of her friend as she was ushered along. Raylie opened the doors for her with ease, Alice was careful to keep her head down as she stepped over the threshold and the moonlight illuminated their surroundings. The fresh cool air a welcome change.

Raylie released her hand as they reached the bottom of the steps. Alice resisted the urge to turn around or ask why she had let go. Instead, she ran for the gate. Her feet pounded heavily against the ground as she moved as fast as she could. She was out! She wasn't going to let this chance go to waste. Vaulting over the metal bars she felt a shift in the air, a moment later she felt as though she had been winded and her surroundings completely warped and changed.

Her eyes widened in fear as she was once again staring up at the two wooden doors. She reached for the door handles, the doors opened. She ran, but as she reached the gate the same thing happened and she ended up back in the mansion, like an endless loop.

Raylie giggled. "Oh Alice, don't you get it. You can't leave." The shuffling of feet told her that Raylie was moving away from her. "You already looked into my eyes and now you're here with us... forever." The last word was spoken with a possessive tone.

Turning slowly she could see Raylie a few feet away, she was crouched down on the ground and looking at something in her arms with a loving hold. Alice took a few steps closer in order to understand what she was seeing. Raylie was hugging someone close to her. The person's head lulled back, her arms were limp and dangling and her body not moving. The eyes appeared to be hollowed out leaving behind empty scorched sockets, black blood dripping down and to the ground. It was a corpse.

Falling to her knees, realisation set in, the corpse was her. 

Her dead body was cradled in Raylie's arms. 

The moment she had seen Raylie's face with the lighter, she had died.

The papers over the next couple of days read: 

"Young teen committed suicide in Masion on Fifth after being unable to cope with the loss of her friend's lives ten years ago."

But will anyone ever really know the truth of what happened that night?