The treasure

“You told me you like the dark, so I know that you are going to love this!” That was the last thing he said to me before he dragged me over to the basement door and pushed me down the stairs.

I have been locked in this horrible, abandoned house for close to three days now. Or I think it has been that long. Thankfully I had some food and water in my backpack, but it will soon be gone and then I will starve. I am truly starting to hate this place. It’s pitch black and full of stuff. Just getting around has been so difficult, even after I found some candles that I can use. I found the remains of two other girls, propped up in display cases. It’s horrible. I’m going to try to force the door open. Whoever finds this note, please help us…

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“This is it. As far as we can go in the car.”

Sam looked at the old gate and smiled excitedly. Behind it she could see a short driveway and an eerie-looking mansion half hidden in the evening shadows. “Are you sure we are allowed to be here?” She looked over at Brock who was already out of the car, putting on his backpack and testing his flashlight.

“Of course we’re not. What would be the fun in that.” He flashed her a big smile and looked up at the house. “But we must be careful. The story is that there is a hidden treasure somewhere in there, left by the first owners. Some big wig European guy bought it months ago but hasn’t been here yet to look for it. He might have hired some guys to keep an eye out for treasure hunters like us.” Brock motioned for her to get out and join him. “With a bit of luck, we will find it and be long gone before anyone notices that we were ever here.”

Sam reached over and got her bag from the backseat before getting out. “All right, I’m ready. But you will have to help me climb over that gate.”

Brock said nothing. All his attention seemed to be on the house. That made her all the happier. She knew that she was taking quite a risk going off with him like this. They hadn’t known each other for that long. This was the first-time meeting in person after chatting online for months, drawn together by their joy of exploring urban landscapes, old houses, tunnels and really just about anywhere that you could find spooky atmosphere and rich history. When he got that tip about an old treasure in a supposedly haunted mansion Brock had been so excited. Finally, the adventure of a lifetime had come knocking at his door. And in the middle of planning everything out he had invited her to tag along with him.

Her parents hadn’t been very understanding of her friendship with him, so she made up a story of a girl’s trip to Florida. She was 19 after all and more than capable of making decisions for herself. And he was quite cute which didn’t hurt either.

The walk up the driveway was harder than she had expected, and Sam tripped a couple of times trying to keep up with Brock. As they came up to the front door, he pulled out a set of lock picks and quickly had the door open.

“Here we are. Ladies first.”

Sam held her flashlight up and walked slowly into the foyer. She felt a tingle of anticipation race down her back as the room seemed to be completely undisturbed. It was like the owners had just walked out and left everything behind.

The beam from her light revealed cobwebs and dust and she couldn’t help but search for the light switch. This room, and probably the whole house, would be breathtaking when properly lit up.

“Brock, do you think that it would be all right to turn on the lights? This place is so big. I’m not sure that our flashlights will be enough.”

“Sorry but no. We can’t take the chance. We will just have to stay together while we are searching. Two lights will be better than one.”

On the way up to the second floor they saw marks in the dust on the floor. “Apparently, we aren’t the first to search this place. Are you completely sure that the new owner hasn’t been here already?” Sam looked over her shoulder and glimpsed Brock walking back into a bedroom they had already searched.

“Hmm…? Sorry I wasn’t listening. What did you say?” His attention seemed to be somewhere else. It didn’t even look like he was trying all that hard to find the treasure. All hid did was poke around a bit. Look into closets and drawers when she was way more thorough, all but knocking down the walls.

“I was asking about the current owner. If he had been here before us. It’s clear that the house can’t be as abandoned as you said.”

This comment really got his attention. “What do you mean?” He stopped looking around and came to stand a bit too close to her. When she didn’t respond straight away, he tilted her head up to look at him. “Honey what did you mean? You really have me curious now.” Sam felt herself blushing and took a small step back without meaning to. “Well, it’s hard to say just from looking around now but don’t you think that there is something funny about this house? It still looks like someone lives here.”

“But it has been abandoned for 40 years! Just look around, everything is filthy. No one in their right mind would live in it like this.”

“It’s not that bad. They manufacture dust like this all the time for movies. Just look around. Really look. If no one had been here for 40 years the house itself would be a lot worse for wear. Yet it is still almost ready for the owner to move in.”

“You are overthinking it. Everything looks better covered in shadows. I’ll bring you back in daylight and then you can see how bad it looks.” Brock winked at Sam and continued the search.

They searched the house for two hours, going from room to room, but finding nothing close to being a treasure. A lot of sellable things but Sam knew that she would feel like a real thief if she took any of them. Under one of the beds, she had found a beautiful necklace that Brock had insisted that she keep and even that made her feel a bit guilty. Maybe it was for the better that they didn’t find that supposed treasure. 

Back on the ground floor, Sam walked into the foyer and couldn’t help but feel like this house had, in a way, been made for her. All the old, heavy, antique furniture, the thick curtains hanging in front of the windows. Those beautiful hardwood floors that peaked at her through the filth and the grand chandeliers that adorned the ceilings. Living here must have been like living in a castle and she could almost see herself as the princess of the house. Bossing the servants around, floating through life, flirting her way through countless marriage proposals, only to decline them all and living happily out her life here at the estate.

A loud cough from Brock brought her back out of her fantasy.

“I’m sorry but this story of a hidden treasure seems to be just that, a story. And I brought you all the way over here for nothing.” He seemed to be truly sorry, looking sullen and pouting with disappointment.

“No, no, it’s okey. I’ve been having so much fun with you. And just getting to look around this house has been a true adventure. If you come over here, I might even be persuaded to give you a kiss for your trouble.” She smiled at him and slid the bag off her shoulder.

A crooked little smile appeared on his face but quickly disappeared again. “I would love a kiss but there is one more place for us to search. How could I be so forgetful. The basement is a perfect place to hide something valuable.”

Sam wanted to disagree. No matter how much she loved exploring, basements, no matter how old, had never been her thing. Just the name, basement, sounded dark and damp, with a promise of bugs and rats in every corner. Brock was looking longingly at the hallway where the basement door was, and she didn’t have the heart to say no to him. It wouldn’t hurt to go with him down there. With his way of searching, they would be back up here in 10 minutes, even faster if she flirted a bit more.

She followed him into the hallway and watched as he disappeared down into the darkness. The only things she could make out from his light were steps and then a stone floor.

For a moment she was tempted to wait up there, letting him have the basement all to himself, but a sudden, excited, gasp sent her curiosity into overdrive.

Sam was already on her way down when Brock yelled for her. “Sam, you must get down here. I think I just found something big.” As she slowly picked her way over to him, through mountains of old stuff, which had been pushed a side to make a tiny path, her flashlight started to give out. It flickered for a while but just as she reached him it gave out and they stood there in complete darkness.

“Damn. Yours is out too. I was hoping that we could use it to look at the stuff I found. Mine died just as I was uncovering it.”

“Sorry. Do you have extra batteries in your pack? Or in your car?” Sam looked where she thought Brock stood and tried to inch her way closer. She frowned when all she found was more stuff to trip over.

“Well, I do own more batteries, but they are at home. Maybe we should try to make our way back upstairs. Then I can come back later.” Sam bit her lips together to hide her relief and started to turn around.

A hand shot out and grabbed her and she let out a scream.

“Relax, it’s only me. Do you have your phone? I left mine back in the car, but we could use yours to get a glimpse of what I found. Then I won’t have to come back if it’s not worth it.”

She felt by the tone in his voice that he already had his hand out waiting so she got her phone out of her pocket, turned the screen on and handed it to him. Brock was bouncing excitedly up and down and for a moment she caught a glimpse of what he had found. But before she could make it out the light was gone.

“Brock is my phone alright?”

There was no answer and as she strained her eyes to listen for him, she could just barely make out footsteps walking away.

“Brock, don’t you dare to leave me here. This isn’t funny!”

After a few moments a cold laughter came from where she guessed the stairs were. “Don’t you worry pretty Sam. You will never be left all alone. But I must admit that I’m quite surprised you fell for this. You are the fourth girl I bring in here for a treasure haunt, but you are the only one that actually went willingly down here. The others had to be tricked or even pushed down.”

He was walking up the stairs now. Slowly and loudly, like he was rubbing it in. He was free and she was trapped. The door opened and she could see brightness when he turned on the lights upstairs.

“Just so you know,” Brock said just before he closed the door and left her, “this is actually my mother’s house. No one has lived here for the last 40 years, after her unfortunate accident, but it has been very well cared for. My treasure story is also true. You girls are my treasure. Collected with great care. More valuable to me than diamonds and gold.”

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For a moment Sam stood still and couldn’t believe it. Was he really going to leave here down here to rot. Most likely to die like the girls before her. This was even better than she had expected. No one had ever tried to outsmart her like that. She couldn’t get the grin off her face. This was so perfect.

Slowly she reached into her bag and pulled out a new flashlight. It was smaller but had a much better light than the previous one. The salesman had promised that it would light up even the darkest of caves.

It didn’t take her long to find his treasures. The three girls had been propped up and posed inside of individual trophy cases. Almost like an exhibit at a museum. On the last one he had included a note, a plea for help that the girl seemed to have written before she died. Sam felt sorry for them. They should have known better that to trust some random man off the internet. You could never know what psychos you might run across.

She took her time walking across the room and sat on the bottom step for a while before climbing up to the door. Brock was walking around up there, singing at the top of his lungs with glee.

Sam had all the time in the world to get out. Even if he tried to leave, he wouldn’t be able too. She had the keys right here in her bag. No matter what he would be seeing her again soon.

Slowly and soundlessly, she got her own set of lockpicks out and opened the door. As she let herself out, she heard him closing the front door behind him.

It was almost like he wanted her to have more than enough time to prepare.

When he came back into the house, cursing her under his breath, she was waiting for him in the foyer. The look on his face was priceless and Sam instantly wished that she had a camera to capture it.

The smugness and confidence that had surrounded him before was gone. Instead, he looked at her like something out of a horror movie.

“How… how did you get up here?”

“Well honey I couldn’t get my kiss if I was stuck down there?” Sam walked up to him slowly and moved to embrace him. Brock let her, like he was on autopilot, while trying to find a way out of this.

Just before he got a good hold of her Sam hit him with her stun gun. Brock twitched against her and fell to the floor where she slowly posed him like she wanted him to be found.

He was moaning softly as he came back to consciousness. Sam was kneeling on top of him, waiting patiently. “Well, hello there. You finally came back to me.”

He locked eyes with her and tried to talk but she shushed him. “You really don’t have to explain anything. I just wanted you to be awake for this.” Then she leaned down, kissed him lightly and cut his throat.