Chapter One

"Why can't I go?"

Shaking her head, my mother kept her eyes trained on the road as snowflakes floated down from the thick grey clouds that filled the sky.

"But," I protested, "everyone else is going!"

"It's not safe. We've already gone over this, Jaila."

I crossed my arms and pressed my lips together. Yet another Friday stuck at home, I thought as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I pressed my thumb on the home button, bringing the screen to life. I had missed three text messages.

AIYANA: OMG! JAKE is coming tonight! You HAVE to come!

AIYANA: Hello? Where are you? Why aren't you answering?

AIYANA: Is Jake already over there? You two would have cute babies... Just sayin'!

My cheeks burned. Why did my best friend have to be so embarrassing? She knew I had a crush on Jake. The first time I saw him at a basketball game, I thought I had been punched in the throat. Literally, the air whooshed out of my lungs and I couldn't speak.

Whatever, stop thinking about him. You're going to be stuck at home tonight. I flipped through my Facebook feed and checked my Wattpad account. Some Friday night...

"Why don't you have your friends over to our house instead?" asked my mom. "You could do Netflix and chill?"

My jaw dropped. "You did not just say that!"

She laughed. "Isn't that a thing? I think I read about it on the internet."

I slapped my left hand over my face and groaned.

"I think I should just crawl in my bed and hibernate until Monday morning. Either that or my social life will officially be over," I muttered.

***

I let out a dramatic sigh. "Girl, I know!"

"You have to come tonight," said Aiyana.

I rolled over and shoved a flat pillow under my neck. "My mom said I can't."

"Sneak out!" Aiyana urged.

"Yeah right, I'd get caught and be grounded until next summer."

"But Jaaaaaake will be there," she cooed. "I heard he asked if you're coming."

My eyebrows shot up. "Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

I sat up. "Ugh... He's soooooooo cute!"

"Try the cutest. Now come on! Sneak out, I'll get Brandon to pick you up at nine."

Looking around my room, I chewed on my lower lip.

"I know you're thinking about it!"

I twisted my hair around my finger. "I do really like Jake..."

Aiyana squealed. "YES! Now pick out what you're going to wear and start coming up with a good excuse as to why you need to go to bed by eight!"

I hated lying, especially to my family. I tapped my fingers on my leg. Jake's perfect smile floated through my mind. His dark brown hair and six pack abs were everything.

Screw it! I'm going!

Chapter Two

"I have a headache, I think I'm going to head to bed," I announced after pushing food around my plate for the last thirty minutes.

My father frowned. "That's not good, Pumpkin."

"Do you have a fever?" my mother asked, holding the back of her hand to my forehead. "It's flu season. I hope you're not getting sick."

I shook my head. "I don't feel hot."

"Alex, get your sister's plate. You can help with the dishes tonight," instructed my mother.

My little brother stuck his tongue out at me.

Rolling my eyes, I got up from the table and pushed my chair in.

"I'll check on you in a little bit," said my mother. "Would you like a cup of green tea?"

I nodded. "That would be really nice. Thank you."

As I walked to my bedroom, guilt gnawed at my stomach. I'm the worst.

***

Three hours later, after two cups of tea and a thermometer being shoved in my mouth three times, I was declared okay to go to sleep.

Tiptoeing, I thumbed through the clothes in my closet. Deciding on dark jeans and a dark purple sweater, I slid them off the hangers and changed. Better grab something warm, I thought as I looked out the window. The snow had stopped, but the wind had kicked up, causing the temperature to drop. I picked out a pair of boots, a wool hat and matching mittens. There we go!

A soft knock caused me jump. I kicked my pajamas into the closet and closed the door before hoping into bed and pulling the covers up to my neck.

"Honey, just checking in before we head to bed. Do you need anything?" asked my father.

"Thanks, Dad. I'm good," I responded. My stomach twisted into knots. I'm such a jerk.

He smiled. "See you in the morning."

"Night, Dad."

***

AIYANA: We're outside.

I glanced down at my phone and shoved it in my pocket. Easing out of bed, I snuck out of my room, slowly closing the door behind me.

As I eased down the stairs, I paused and looked back up. Maybe I should just skip it?

My phone buzzed, interrupting my thoughts.

AIYANA: Jaaaaaaake's in the car. Get your butt out here!

Okay, okay, I'm on my way.

Chapter Three

"Hey, girl, hey!" squealed Aiyana as I jumped into the backseat.

My knees felt weak as Jake glanced back at me and grinned.

"Is it just us?" I asked, looking from Aiyana to Jake, to Davion, who sat in the driver's seat.

"Yeah, everyone else cancelled," said Aiyana. "Losers."

"Have you ever been to the house before?" asked Davion.

Aiyana and I both shook our heads.

"I've been," boasted Jake.

"What's it like?" asked Aiyana.

"Eh, it's pretty creepy. Last time we went, Marianna swore she saw someone with a butcher knife."

I jumped. "A butcher knife?"

Jake nodded. "I think she's full of it. No one else saw anything. But there have been rumors."

An involuntary shiver caused my whole body to tremor in fear. "What kind of rumors?"

"Cloaked figures, dead bodies in the walls, you name it, it's happened at the house on the hill, allegedly."

"I'll keep you safe," Jake said with a wink.

My stomach flip flopped as Aiyana pinched my leg.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to the base of a large hill. A gravel driveway wrapped around and out of sight.

"Ready?" asked Davion with mischief in his voice.

"Definitely," said Aiyana. "Definitely."

I shivered as the car bumped and bounced up the drive.

A run down two story farm house came into view a few moments later. The white paint had chipped away in most spots, exposing rotting beams.

Davion cut the lights on his car and took the key out of the ignition.

I tried to ignore the growing feeling of uneasiness in my stomach, but couldn't shake it. Something didn't feel right. I looked over at Aiyana, she hadn't taken her eyes off Davion for the past five minutes.

Jake turned on the flashlight on his phone and shined it up against his face. "Who's ready for some fun?"

Chapter Four

We got out of the car and slowly made our way up to the house.

I rubbed my arms, trying to stay warm as the cold air whipped around the top of the hill.

"What's that?" whispered Aiyana as she pointed to something in the yard. She clung to Davion's arm and looked at me with wide eyes. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Jake's fingers brushed against mine, sweeping away any indecision I had left about going into the house.

He leaned down and brushed my hair off my shoulders. "I'll keep you safe."

And I'm done, I thought as the nervousness exploded into butterflies.

We walked up to a large porcelain bathtub filled with murky water frozen into a thin sheet of ice.

"Why is there a bathtub in the front yard?" asked Aiyana, her voice trembling.

A large bubble surfaced near the faucet, followed by a series of smaller bubbles.

I slapped a hand over my mouth, stifling a scream.

Jake pulled me against his body and wrapped his arms around me protectively.

"Just some built up carbon dioxide from the leaves," said Jake with a chuckle. "Now come on, let's get in the house."

Davion walked up the stairs first, Aiyana followed behind him.

Jake and I watched from the bottom as he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

"Come on," said Jake, pulling me up the stairs.

I tentatively followed him, shining my flashlight through the opening.

"Let's go upstairs," said Davion.

I chewed on my lip as Jake led me up the rickety stairs. They creaked under our feet.

The four of us stood, crowded on the landing of the stairs. We peered down a long hallway with three doors on the left and two doors on the right.

"Let's check out the rooms," said Jake.

Shivers crept up the back of my neck. "Maybe we should just get back in the car."

Jake tipped my chin up and brushed his lips against mine. "Maybe we should stay?"

My cheeks burned.

Aiyana looked at me and mouthed, "OMG!"

Without warning, the front door slammed and a cold blast of air filled the room.

Davion jumped and Aiyana screamed.

I squeezed Jake's hand and turned my flashlight toward the stairs.

A series of creaks filled the air.

"Jake, someone is coming up the stairs," I whispered. "We need to hide!"

Davion and Aiyana raced toward the first room on the left while Jake and I ran to the first room on the right.

Heavy steps landed in the hallway, followed by the sound of a door slamming.

It only took seconds before I heard Aiyana's bloodcurdling scream, followed by Davion begging for mercy.

Chapter Five

Tears streamed down my face as my entire body shook with fear.

Jake looked around the room. "Grab that piece of wood!"

I turned the light toward a floorboard sticking out near a rusty iron bed. Racing over, I pulled on it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Jake! Help!" I cried.

The door swung open and a figure dressed in black burst through.

Jake rushed toward him and shoved the attacker against the wall. Catching the person off guard, Jake wrapped his hands around the person's throat and pressed until I heard a sickening crack. Releasing his hold, the body slumped to the floor.

Screaming, I scooted back, as far away from the dead body as possible.

"It's okay, Jaila. It's going to be okay," Jake said in a soothing voice.

My hands shook as I tried to retrieve my phone. "We need to call 911."

He walked over and helped me get my phone out of my jacket pocket. "There, there."

I held out my hand, but instead of giving me the phone, he threw it against the wall on the far side of the room.

"Jake," my voice shook, "what are you doing?"

He didn't respond.

Jake sauntered over toward me. "The two-man team just wasn't working for me anymore."

He reached down and grabbed my feet. "It's a shame. I was hoping you would have stayed home tonight. I really do like you." He dragged my body across the floor and toward a large dresser. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a long blade.

"You- you- you were the one with the butcher knife?" I stammered.

With a nefarious grin, he sneered, "I'm the one the rumors are about and you're going to be my next victim!"

"POLICE! HANDS UP!"

Jake frowned before plunging the knife down. I kicked my legs out, causing him to fall.

Police officers swarmed the room, guns drawn. They tackled Jack and threw his body to the floor.

As I rolled away, a sharp pain ripped through my right shoulder.

An officer rushed over to me. "An ambulance is on the way. We need to apply pressure to your wound."

I nodded as the room began to swirl.

As one of the officers began to Mirandize Jake, he growled and fought against the cuffs holding his hands behind his back. "Jaila," he spat, "I lied, there were always more than two of us and I'll be sure to let them know that we have unfinished business with you."

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