A Paranormal World

House of Horror

Matthew Hansen spun around, mentally scanning the room. Where the hell was that coming from? By the sound of the howls and cries, hell seemed a good guess and a cold sweat dripped down his back at the thought. Maybe it was that girl he had picked up from the night club playing some bad joke on him. Then again the noises had started a few days ago so it couldn’t be her. He had thrown her out as he was in no mood for a sleepover. The girl had looked at him with wide disbelieving eyes, and then her look turned to hatred. Not that it bothered him; of course, she was just a bit of fun. Matthew slammed the door in her face and didn’t give her a second thought.

But as he padded back to his bedroom, the cries had started. Voices started to float from the walls, slow and barely audible at first, and then they became faint mumbles. Matthew couldn’t make out what was being said, but from their high pitched timbre he thought they were female voices. When the heartfelt pleas began to echo throughout his room, as if they were bouncing off his walls, he sprang into action and darted out of the bedroom.

The door to the kitchen banged shut with so much force the entire living room shook and pictures fell from the walls. For a moment, he was paralyzed by fear, watching helplessly as his home became a nightmare. Dread crept over him like an icy chill and numbed his brain. He told himself that this wasn't happening. It wasn’t real. Deep inside, he knew that was not true. He tried to convince himself that he had drunk too much, but he knew that was a lie.

Then the walls started to decay. Cracks appeared and the plaster became chipped and worn. The cream paintwork turned dull, caked with grime. Debris was scattered on the floor and he found himself standing in a place that looked like his flat, but also, like a long ago abandoned building. He opened and closed his eyes a few times, but everything was still the same. His once familiar home had somehow gotten lost in time.

His body felt like stone and was rooted to the ground. The terror he felt locked him in place as things in the room moved and danced in the air. He heard a loud rumble and what sounded like a crack of a whip coming from the walls, followed by a high-pitched scream.

That was when the adrenaline seared through his veins and kicked his brain into action. He ran for the door. Matthew didn’t know what was causing this madness or what it wanted. He knew one thing. He didn’t want to find out. In his haste to get out, he almost ran into the door of his flat, tripping over the clutter on his way. The panic he felt inside made his swift movements clumsy. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end and his stomach spun out of control with fear.