Chapter 22
Sunshine does eventually call the police and they look around the house. They report not finding anything and explain that it actually belongs to a family that lives back east. They have nothing to do with — they're not related to her parents or anything like that. It's weird.
Nothing can really be done unless she knows who the creepy dude was, or unless someone calls in a report of seeing the man. It kind of sucks, but — at least she's safe. The ghosts are nothing compared to the terror of being chased by that man.
Sunshine is fairly certain that's the guy that was stalking her, though. If so, that's probably why he followed her out to the house.
(Then again, she can't explain the picture in the basement.)
She also noted that, looking back on the footage, the creepy dude looked like he had some kind of weird infection or disease on his face.
She's not sure. She just wants to forget about all of this and move on.
Except, of course, her mother finds out.
Since Sunshine wasn't able to retrieve the locket, she can't really hide the fact that she took it with her to the terrifying house. She really, really did try not to tell her mother. But she just — she didn't want to go back to the house alone and Sunshine may or may not have confessed to going and now her mother is flipping out and —
Everything is just great.
Maybe it's for the better, though.
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"Okay, so we've been waiting for a really long time, how long?"
Sunshine is in the passenger seat of the car and looks toward her mother. Kat looks over, clearly annoyed. "What are you doing?"
She stares at her mother then waves her hand toward the camera, sighing. "We've been waiting for probably over an hour."
"For a flake."
"For mom's friend who used to be a cop."
"Who now is a flake apparently." Kat tilts her head upward and draws out her lip. "You suck!"
"Um, so." She grunts. "I'm getting bored."
Her mother scoffs. "That's the concern, that you're bored, princess?"
"Well.." Sunshine drops her hands and shakes her head.
"Do you want to go by yourself?"
"Nooo, I didn't like it the first time, clearly!"
"Yeah," Kat mocks, "how'd that work out for you?"
"Hhhhheh." She sticks her tongue out and rolls her eyes.
Kat leans her head on the palm of her hand, brushing her fingers through her auburn hair. "I don't —" She grits her teeth. "Why did you go, why didn't you tell me?"
Sunshine looks away and all emotion drops from her face. "Because you wouldn't have let me go."
Her mother grunts. "Damn straight."
She rolls her eyes at the camera.
After another moment of silence Kat lifts herself up, sighing. "Let's just go. Roll the camera in case anything happens, how about that."
"Okay."
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"Okay, this is it, that's it, right there."
They've been driving for about a half hour when they reach the gravel road, familiar enough to Sunshine that she knows where they are. Kat ducks her head and looks around, squinting. She can see the familiar wooden panels of the house expertly hidden behind the foliage and tries to point it out to her mother.
"Where?" Kat draws forward, narrowing her eyes.
"Right there." She shakes her head as her mother spots the decrepit house.
"Oh." Sunshine looks around at the beautiful painted greens and yellow spotting the area. "How'd you even find this, honey?"
"Very, very carefully."
Kat sighs and stops the car, hands shaking. "You know what," she murmurs, pulling the gear in PARK and biting her lip. "It kind of does look familiar."
Sunshine's eyes widen. "Really?"
"Just —" Her mother slips the keys out. "Let's just get it and get out."
She jumps out of the passenger seat, feet falling on the soft grass under, blinking at the more or less familiar atmosphere. There's the rose bush over there, and she can see the twisted trees towering above their heads. Everything here is so bliss — or, well, was. But after that experience with the creepy dude... she's not too sure she can see the house in the same light anymore.
Sunshine tucks her jacket in to her body and pulls her hair back, following her mother toward the front door. They both whip their heads around to see if there's anyone — or, more importantly, the creepy dude — lurking around. They're both on high alert. Maybe that's good.
She instinctively pulls closer to her mother, breathing out heavily as the frame of the house comes closer to their view. "It's alright," Kat whispers, squeezing her daughter's hand protectively.
Sunshine really, really doesn't want to be back here.
Kat peels open the screen and stares at the hand prints scraped against the dirty window. Sunshine looks down and her mother doesn't hesitate to throw the door open. It creaks and rattles and Sunshine winces, thinking back to the man chasing her, to slamming the door, to —
When they enter, it looks the same, but there's an aura of panic and fright here. Sunshine doesn't like it, and neither does her mother. "Let's just get the locket and get out of here," Kat says, moving to the hallway where the man had — had been kneeling with the bag over his head, unnatural movements dancing over his hands. "Where'd you go?"
Sunshine stumbles over her words. "All over." Her throat is dry and her mouth is parched. "The only room that wouldn't open is that one." She points to the locked door, pursing her lips.
"Okay, so we know the locket's not in there." Kat walks in to the room Sunshine had been hiding in. "Did you open any drawers?"
She glances over at the 2000 calendar and shakes her head. "No, I don't think so — I mean, I looked around in the kitchen and stuff and.." She hesitates. "I went in the basement."
She strides to the kitchen, Kat's footsteps behind her, and Sunshine stares at the basement door before tugging it open. She glances at the chair leaning against the wall. "Yeah, through here."
Sunshine looks through the darkness under the house before realizing something isn't right. "Mom?" She turns and holds her breath, rushing back through the kitchen and to the hall. Hadn't she — hadn't she been right behind her? "Mom?" Her voice has a hint of terror that trickles within. She doesn't want to be alone.
She pries through the front room before realizing the door is open. Sunshine grits her teeth, pushing the anxiety down. "Mom..!" She's more annoyed than anything now, but feels something darker here.
When Sunshine exits the house in to the beating sunlight, her body freezes and her shoulders tense, eyes growing wide. "Mom." She begins to tremble. "Mama."
She's no where in sight. "Mom?" Sunshine advances through one of the wide, winding trails, heart pumping way too fast for her little body. She stumbles up to a side door she didn't know existed and gasps when her mother walks out.
"I found the locket," Kat says, holding it in her hand. "Let's go."
"What?" Sunshine is confused. Why — why did her mother just leave her like that? Why is she so serious, and rushing out?
"I heard voices." Her mother begins running to the car.
"I don't understand — what?" Sunshine sprints after.
"I heard voices! Come on!"
"What?!"
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Three days of recurring nightmares later, Sunshine is thinking. Mostly, thinking about the house videos. She has some... unanswered questions that she wants to know the answers to, to say the least.
What are they?
Well, question number one: Mom is acting weird. She's completely ignoring the fact that she said she heard voices and she won't talk to Sunshine about it. It's kind of.. strange. It leaves a foreboding feeling deep in the pit of her stomach.
The other thing, why does Mom have the address to that house? If they don't know those people, and Kat doesn't even fully recognize the place or know where it's located, then there should be no reason it was tucked away in her drawer.
I mean, the people that own the house — they live in the east coast. They just have a house here. Strange.
Question number two: why was that guy there? Why was he — she, she feels like it's part of something else. Like, it had something else to do with something else. Not entirely to do with this. Sunshine doesn't know. But he was there, and it was frightening, and she's glad she'll never have to see him again.
Question number three: does the house, the address, the phone number have anything to do with her dad, or is it just... nothing? And why was the photo in the basement?! That was creepy and it keeps popping up out of no where. It makes absolutely no sense.
Sigh.
Sunshine really, really needs some answers.
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Two days have passed and Sunshine is growing more and more worried. Her mother is still acting — well, strange, and she won't talk to her daughter about the house. She's just kind of, of ignoring the whole thing like it didn't even happen. Like she said, it's weird, and she's not liking it.
Oh. She's also meeting with the local paranormal cult expert soon — and also a medium! — so that's something to look forward to.
Something...
mom is getting weird y'all
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