"What's she doing here?" I said as I contorted my face. Valentina was standing in at porch of an old wooden rickety house. She was talking on the phone while her bodyguards stood around her on the house's lawn.
"Are you sure that's the house Maine's phone last got a signal?" I asked. Zen and I were watching from our car, a few blocks across the house.
"Yeah," Zen said. "Look." They handed me their phone. I grabbed it looked at it. I gave it back to them.
"We should just go down and confront her," I said.
"Baby no," Zen said.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Look," Zen said. "She's leaving." I looked back towards the house where Valentina was. She was walking down the pathway in the middle of the lawn towards her van. Her bodyguards were following behind her. What was that call about? I thought. She got in her van. The bodyguards got in after her. I looked back at Zen.
"Baby," Zen said. "I know what you're thinking. She's not the kidnapper."
"How are you sure?" I said. "We found her here where Maine seeming was last at before her phone died."
"Why would she kidnap Maine?" Zen asked.
"I don't know," I said. "But maybe she's a pawn."
"I know you hate her so much but I don't think we can conclude that without heavy evidence," Zen said. "She's also a superstar you know. If we accuse her of being Bea's and Maine's kidnapper, we'll just be called crazy. Not to mention her fans will probably kill us."
"Why do you always have to make sense?" I said. Zen laughed.
"I just know you," Zen said. "So I know you're not entirely convinced that Valentina's not the kidnapper." I clicked my tongue.
"Yeah," I said.
"Let's go investigate the house now," Zen said. "They left already." I looked to the house. The van was indeed gone. Zen turned the key started the engine. They looked to the right and left before they started driving. We passed a few cars to our left and right before we reached the sidewalk in front of the house. Zen slowly parked the car.
"Are you ready to go in that for surely haunted house?" I said. Zen glared at me.
"I'll take that as a yes," I said. Zen opened their car door and got down. I did the same. I started walking through the pathway towards the house. The lawn on either side of it was decaying - it was all soil, no grass or anything. I climbed the few steps up the porch and stopped right in front of the door. I turned around and saw Zen taking long slow steps.
"Are you sure you want to go in?" I asked.
"Yes," Zen said. "I'm not letting you go in alone." I smiled.
"Better hurry up before the moon comes," I said. "Or we'll be investigating a haunted house at night." Zen ran towards me, stopping an inch in front of the door. I turned around to look at them.
"I'm here," Zen said. I grabbed their hand with my left hand while I used my right hand to turned the knob on the door. I slowly pushed it open. We were greeted by a nearly pitch black room. The only light coming in the house was from the two windows on either side of the door. I stepped in, pulling Zen closer to me. We walked forward a few steps when the door behind us slammed shut. I felt Zen trembling beside me.
"It was just the wind babe," I said.
"I know," Zen said. I stopped walking. I grabbed my phone from my inside my jacket's pocket. I turned on the flashlight setting. A low glow appeared from my phone towards the floor in a cone shape.
"I should do that too," Zen said. After a few seconds, I saw another low glow appear to my left. I moved my phone's flashlight up, down, left, right, and around the right side of room. Nothing, I thought.
"There's three doorways here and a staircase," Zen said. I turned to the left. The staircase was attached to the right corner wherein there was a doorway underneath. To its left was another doorway, directly opposite of us. The third doorway was by the left corner, near the window.
"Let's go," I said as I started walking towards the third doorway.
"Shouldn't we start from the second floor so its faster?" Zen said.
"It's more fun this way," I said. "Plus we can double check this floor again after we check upstairs."
"Okay," Zen said.
"Don't worry," I said. "Nothing is in this house. Only us." We reached the doorway.
"What was that?" Zen said.
"The house is old," I said. "Just a touch of wind will make it creak."
"But the windows are closed," Zen said. Shit, I thought. Don't panic.
"Well," I said. "Whatever it is. I'm sure its nothing to be afraid off. Okay?"
"Okay," I said. "Let's look."
"I don't want to," Zen said as their grip on me got stronger.
"Come on," I said. "Nothing to be scared off." I nodded at them. They nodded back.
"1,2,3," we said. We turned around. I sighed.
"See," I said. "There's nothing here."
"Then what made that noise?" they asked.
"Maybe a rat crawling through the inside of the house," I said. Maybe, I thought.
"That makes more sense," Zen said. Their grip lightened on me.
"Let's continue?" I said.
"Yeah," Zen said. We turned back and started walking around the room. There was a huge window on the left room that shone a bit of light in the inside of the room. Good, I thought. We can see better.
"There's still nothing here," I said.
"Yeah," Zen said. "Seems the owners vacated a long time ago."
"How is it still standing then?" I asked.
"Not sure," Zen said.
"Let's go back out now," I said. "To the next room." We made a u-turn at the back of the room and started walking towards the doorway.
"I hate this," Zen said.
"I know babe," I said. "I'm sorry. Let's just be quicker."
"I hope we find something that will point us towards where Maine is," Zen said. "So that this is all worth it." We stepped out of the room through the walkway. Shit, I thought.
"Okay, okay, okay," Zen said as they pulled me closer. "That was a second one - a second creak! Can we get out of here please?"
"No," I said. "But come on. Let's finish this already so we can get out. It's going to be fine. I'll protect you." We treaded near the wall to our left and walked quickly. We stopped in front of the doorway. I shone my phone's flashlight on it.
"A bathroom," I said. "Okay, next." We continued walking towards the next one. We stopped in front of it and moved my flashlight. There's still a door, I thought. I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.
" Stairs," I said.
"Not a basement," Zen said. "Definitely not down a basement!"
"We'll make this the last one we check," I said. "Let's check upstairs first. Would that be fine?"
"No, please," Zen said. "I still don't want to go down to the basement."
"Then," I said. "When we got back, you can wait for me."
"That's worse," Zen said.
"Then-" I said.
"I'll go with you," Zen said. I turned to them and started brushing their hair.
"We'll be fine Zen," I said. "I promise." They nodded at me.
"Let's finish this?" I said.
"Yes please," Zen said. I turned left and started walking, holding Zen's arm tightly. We got to the stairs after a few steps.
"Do we really have to?" Zen said.
"Just a quick look," I said.
"Okay," Zen said. We shone the flashlights on the stairs. Oh, I thought. I tapped my right foot on the first step. It made a light sound.
Its solid enough, I thought. I climbed the stairs slowly, pulling Zen behind me. We turned twice doing so. When we reached the top, I sighed. We shone the flashlight towards the hallway in front of us. We started walking through the hallway.
Five doors - two on the right, three on the left, I thought. These are obviously the bedrooms. We peeked in each door way alternatingly, as we passed them. "This whole place is seemingly empty," Zen said.
"Yeah," I said as we finishing peek at bedroom number four. "Last one." We walked to the last door on the left and peeked inside of it. Two small windows were shining some light inside of it.
"There's something there," I said. We walked inside the room. I knelt down on the floor where the lights were.
"A torn piece of paper," I said. "Several pieces of it."
" Yikes," Zen said.
"Hold this," I said as I handed them my phone. They took it and I slowly picked the pieces of paper one by one. All of them are too ripped up and small to read except this, I thought. I let go of all the other pieces of paper. I stretched the readable piece of paper on the floor.
"Zen," I said. Zen quickly shone the flashlights on the piece of paper.
"Make sure you do your part this time, Valentina" I read aloud. " From Z ." I looked at Zen.
"See," I said. "Valentina may not be kidnapper but they're helping the kidnapper."
"Maybe," Zen said. "Okay. Let's get out of here." Zen stood up and pulled me to stand.
"Okay, okay," I said as I stood up. I put the paper inside my pants' pocket. Zen handed me my phone back.
"AHHHHHHH!" Zen said. "Something touched me!"
"Where?" I asked.
"My neck," Zen said. "AHHHHHHH! There it is again!" Zen ran out of the room pulling me behind them. We quickly ran through the hallway.
"Be careful," I said. We started climbing down the stairs. Shit! I said.
"Faster!" I said. "Something's breaking the stairs behind us." I turned around and shone my flashlight on it. Nothing? I thought as I watched the steps break in half one by one with a loud crack and stomp. When we reached the ground floor, it stopped.
"What the fuck was that?" Zen asked breathing heavily. I looked at the now broken stairs.
"I don't know," I said.
"We should get out of here," Zen said. "We'll just come back."
"It's just one more room Zen," I said.
"What is that thing comes back?" Zen said.
"We'll be quick," I said. "I promise."
"No," Zen said. "This is more than what we expected! I actually felt a hand on my neck!"
"Babe please," I said.
"No," Zen said.
"Then wait for me outside," I said.
"That's-no," Zen said.
"But-" I said.
"Fine," Zen said. "Let's get this over with." They grabbed my left arm and pulled me towards the third door a few feet to our right. They let go of me and grabbed the door knob. They pushed the door open.
"Actually," Zen said. "You should lead."
"I know babe," I said. I walked past them and tapped my foot on the first step. That's oddly sturdy, I said. Too sturdy. I shone my flashlight on the stairs.
Metal? I thought. This was recently renovated. "I got a bad feeling about this Dos," Zen said.
"I know you do but we have 'to check," I said. "I feel like the clue is down there. Hold on tightly to me." I extended my left arm towards them. They grabbed it. I started walking down the stairs, Zen following behind me.
"I seriously fucking hate this," Zen said.
"I know," I said. "I'm sorry."
"We need to save Bea and Maine so," Zen said. We finally reached the landing after several more steps.
"This place is deep below," Zen said. "Ugh." I shone my flashlight around the room. We started walking around the room.
"This room is weirdly dust free," I said. "Clean even."
"Hold that thought," Zen said. I felt Zen let go of my hand. I faced left. Zen was kneeling on the floor a few inches in front of me. I stepped forward. Shit, I thought.
"Blood!" Zen said. I turned around and shone the flashlight on the walls. Those aren't streaks for decoration, I thought. They're blood! I looked at the many streaks of blood scattered around the wall. The light bulb of the room flickered.
Shit! I thought. "FUCK!" Zen said. "There's blood everywhere! I seriously think we should get out of here. Now!"
"Yeah," I said. "Let's go." I felt Zen grab my left hand, pulling me towards the stairs. The lights flickered once more.
"Wait!" I said.
"What?" Zen said.
"There's a door at the side of the room," I said. "And there's something hanging from its door knob."
"Quickly!" Zen said. We ran towards the opposite side of the room. As soon as we got there, I bit my phone and started pulling on the key chain hanging from the door knob.
"Faster," Zen said.
"I'm trying," I said. "Its stuck!" I continued yanking on it. The lights started to flicker continuously. Creaking and clanking started to fill the room.
"Come on," I said. I gave the next pull my entire strength.
"Finally!" I said. I grabbed my phone from my mouth and put the key chain in my jacket's pocket.
"Let's go Zen," I said as I turned around. Shit! I thought. Zen was floating mid air in the middle of the room. They were trying pull something off their neck.
Uhh, I looked around the room. Nothing I can use. Here goes nothing. I charged towards the middle of the room where I assumed that the something choking Zen was. I bumped into something as I did. It flew away. Zen started falling to the ground. "Zen!" I shouted. They stopped falling midway.
The something got back up so fast, I thought. The something was holding Zen by their neck again.
What do I do? I thought. Shit! An invisible hand wrapped around my neck. I tried pulling it off. The something brought me and Zen closer together up in the air.
Zen's barely conscious! I thought. There was suddenly a loud shriek followed by a person talking in a language I didn't understand. I felt the grip lighten around my neck. The something slowly descended us onto the floor. When we reached the floor, everything became silent - no flickering lights, no creaking and clanking, no something. "Zen!" I whispered. I crawled towards them. They were laying on the floor a few inches in front of me. I pushed myself to kneel. I shone my flashlight on them.
"Aw," Zen whispered. "Not in the eyes."
"Good," I said. "You didn't pass out." They started sitting up. I helped them.
"I hope getting that key chain was worth it," Zen said.
"It actually was," I said. I grabbed the key chain from my pocket and let it dangle in the air.
"That belong to Maine," Zen said. "That's the lion key chain she always has on her backpack."
"Yeah," I said. "She was here."
"But where is she now?" Zen said.