A day passed after the news about the abandoned house possibly being haunted. They refused to talk about it and tried to abandon the plan, but curiosity got the better of Jake. He started digging into its past, trying to find out why it seemed so worn down and abandoned even though it could have been repaired.
Then he found something.
In 1979, a young girl named Mary Scotts had lived there. A year later, she was found dead—brutally stabbed and gutted. Two years after that, her killer was found dead in prison, killed in the same way she had died. The next three people who lived there were also found dead in similar ways. After that, real estate agents stopped trying to sell it and left the house to rot in silence.
When Jake learned this, he immediately called Jackson.
"Pick up… pick up… pick up," Jake muttered, nearly shaking.
"Yeah, Jake?" Jackson said, clearly tired and already uneasy.
"Yo, you won't believe what I found out about that house."
"What did you find out? And you know we aren't going," Jackson said, his voice tight at the mention of the place.
"Four people died there. Three were unknown, but the first one was Mary Scotts," Jake said.
There was a long pause.
"Okay… and?" Jackson said nervously.
"I think we should go there and explore for a bit," Jake said.
"Jake, are you out of your mind right now?" Jackson snapped.
"Trust me, okay?" Jake said, sounding desperate.
"I don't know, man. I gotta think about this," Jackson said.
"Please. We can bring Emily and Ava so we'll be safer," Jake pleaded.
"If they even agree to come," Jackson said.
"I'll ask them," Jake said.
After hanging up, he called Emily. She said she needed time to think. Ava said the same.
A day later, they all came over to discuss the plan. They chatted, played some games, and watched movies. Later, while a horror movie played in the background, Jake stood up.
"Okay… y'all, so when are we gonna talk about the abandoned house situation?" Jake asked.
"Well, right now, I guess," Jackson said quietly.
Emily and Ava sat stiffly on the couch, looking uneasy.
"What about next Saturday?" Jake asked.
"Why not," Jackson said.
Emily and Ava nodded silently, exchanging worried glances.
They spent the rest of the night watching horror movies and playing games like Ouija board. The next morning, they ate breakfast and hung out before the girls left. Soon, it was just Jake and Jackson.
"So now what should we do?" Jake asked.
"We could ride around," Jackson suggested.
"Yeah… we should go to the abandoned house," Jake said.
Jackson hesitated. "You know what… forget it. Let's go."
They rode over and went to the backyard. The swings on the old playset hung crooked and creaked in the wind. More windows seemed shattered than before. Inside, a flickering light blinked repeatedly, like a warning. The back door creaked open by itself and then slammed shut. A piece of paper blew out and landed at Jackson's feet.
It read:
".... . .-.. .--. / -- . / .--. .-.. . .- ... . / .. / .- -- / ... - ..- -.-. -.- .-.-.-"
They ran to their dirt bikes and sped away.
Back at Jake's house, they rushed into his room and put the sequence into a Morse code translator.
It said:
HELP ME PLEASE I AM STUCK.
"Tomorrow, we go back," Jake said, his voice tight.
"But Ja—" Jackson started.
"No. Someone's trapped, and we need to help them."
Jake called Emily. No answer. Then he called Ava, who answered.
"Is Emily with you?" Jake asked urgently.
"Yes," Ava said.
"We're going tomorrow. Be at my house at 4:50 p.m. No arguing."
"…Okay," Ava said quietly.
The next day dragged on. Every minute felt like hours.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," Jake called.
Emily and Ava entered his room.
"So… when are we going?" Ava asked.
"Right now," Jake said.
Jake and Jackson got on their dirt bikes, and the girls climbed on as well. They rode to the house. When they arrived, they went to the backyard. The back door creaked open, squealing with every inch, while Emily and Ava stayed close behind Jake and Jackson.
The house seemed to breathe around them, waiting.