A Victorian Scare

It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same. With the ever changing climate surrounding the old, rustic, building, you’d think it would be weathered down a bit. She sauntered over to the threshold that revealed a staircase, leading to the next floor.

 A slight creaking noise came from above her, she glanced up at the bare ceiling. She heard the sound echoing throughout the old Victorian house again, as it sounded similar to a rocking chair being used against old wooden floorboards. 

“Siobhan”, Ian called out from across the room. 

“What?” she questioned, with no response back. She looked over her shoulder and saw Ian standing approximately twenty feet away, shushing her while attempting to quietly walk over. 

They stood in utter silence for a moment, before proceeding to wander up the stairs. She reached into her back pocket and grasped her phone, turning on the flashlight. All of the sudden, a huge cloud of dust billowed up around them like the sails of the ships that brought her family to America. That large of a commotion could’ve only been caused by something falling over. 

Siobhan stopped in her tracks, slowly peering into the open room. A box laid in the center of the room, with a large chandelier hanging above. She entered the room, walking to where the box was. A flash came from behind her as Ian snapped a polaroid of the room, the sound of the film coming out of the top was silenced by the sound of a glass pane being broken from down the hallway.

The crash grabbed both Ian, and Siobhan's attention immediately. With fear in her eyes, she stood as solid as a statue in the empty room. What was heard next was the slapping of Ian’s feet as he ran to see what could have caused this new noise. Shortly after, his scream could be heard from miles away. She dashed out of the room, dashing through the corridor and into the room. 

A man, who looked to be in his late sixties stood in a corner. He had what was only to be described as drooping eyes, with fried and frizzy black hair. Siobhan could see the years  etched in the wrinkles covering his skin. Dressed in all black, there he stood, with the sun beaming off of the knife in his hand. 

Ian was situated in the corner diagonal from the man. She made eye contact with both the man & her partner. 

“Who are you?” Siobhan muttered, refusing to approach them. She felt fear in her heart for what may happen, if she stepped any closer. Her heart raced, constantly. Thump, thump, thump. Thoughts clouded her mind, what if, what if she knew him. There had been no knowledge of another person, besides Siobhan and her boyfriend in or around the house. Before they entered the house, they did a clear area search of the premsis for any homeless people who may have taken shelter there. Nothing. So how did this man find his way into here? Looking at Ian, he was incredibly uncomfortable. Fear struck his eyes, and his body language resembled that of someone who is having an anxiety attack. 

“I’m the groundskeeper. I must be going,” he exclaimed, without leaving time for a response he quickly walked past and rushed down the stairs. The groundskeeper’s family lived in that house for centuries, it was supposed to be abandoned, but Siobhan’s grandma and grandpa moved in. With this information, out of spite he displayed his anger onto the fellow members who resided in that house. Anyone who stepped foot, would more than likely not make it out alive. For the image of the groundskeeper was always around. Lurking through the shadows, lingering throughout the night, nobody could get a break from him.

The next thing that was heard was the slamming of the oak door. Before she could even say anything, Ian said “That was very, very creepy” , Siobhan nodded her head in agreement. 

“No wonder Eire wanted to close up the house when grandma died” Siobhan shook her head, “I don’t think this is a good idea to stay on this floor, something about it creeps me out. Not to mention, I have never heard of a groundskeeper before. This house has been abandoned for a decade. Let’s head up to the attic, I want to grab the deed for the house and be out of here as soon as I can”.

As they ventured their way up the wooden stairs , they heard the same exact creaking sounds as before. This time, it was more defined. The sound was similar to sitting a chair down, with all four legs hitting the floorboard at the same time. Thump, thump, thump, a repetitive beat. What could it be? 

Siobhan walked into the dusty attic, fumbling for the string that was attached to the light. She found it, and as she pulled it the room lit up. Dust lingered on everything that was in view, which was stacks of cardboard boxes.  Siobhan delicately walked across the rotted boards, and slowly maneuvered over to the stack, and she peeled back a piece of cardboard that had been stuck to the wall. Instead of finding the deed, she found a gaping hole. Blankets and pillows were stacked high, as if someone had been staying there for a long time. The putrid smell of human feces filled the room.

“What in the world-” a sharp pain sliced down her shoulder, cutting her off. She fell backward and onto the floor, causing the wound to open more. She screamed loudly, “Ian! Ian help!”, after rolling over, she saw Ian laying in a pool of blood on the floor. Blood was pooling out of her side, and his head. “Please, please no…” she struggled to murmur out any last words, as her body shut down completely. The groundskeeper appeared from the darkness, smirking, “I have the deed, and that was all that mattered.”