Abandoned

October 16, 2017

It was the middle of the night when we found it. The road had been empty for miles and miles in both directions, we would’ve missed it ourselves if it hadn’t been for the clasp of lightning that lit up the sky as we flew through the blinding storm.

It sat, overgrown and unmanaged. Henry saw it the same time I did and before I had a chance to comment he was veering off the side of the road and turning onto the dirt and dried grass-covered field where this abandoned complex rested.

As we crept closer to this foresakened home, I began to feel a sudden jolt of fear and uncertainty sneak its' way into my body. I coughed a little and rubbed my fleace-covered arms in an attempt to push it away. I didn’t want Henry to notice this part of my anxiety I remember thinking to myself.

Deep breaths I could hear my little brother saying somewhere deep in my memory. I inhaled gently and slowly exhaled feeling some of that weight that was building up quickly slide off my shoulders as I continued this small exercise for the next few moments. I pictured Jimmy in front of me now, coaching me through this anxiety attack. My little brother was always so mature for his age.

After the anxiety had initially subsided I took another look up at the house. We were coming up to it quicker now, I could make out more of the house as lightning clapped continuously behind it. The frame of the house was cracked noticeably from the roof down to the porch entrance. The window that hung from the attic was broken and grey from dust. As Henry’s truck idled at the front steps, I could feel something unsettling brush against my body again. The headlights showed what used to be and also what this house became. I could see vines growing up the side of the house inching towards a front door that was once an intense blood-red color but was now a faded out chipped browning color. Henry reached for his keys and shut the engine off, I grabbed his arm before he had a chance to turn off the lights. He looked at me, confused and concerned, I could feel his eyes as they searched for a reason for my action. I didn’t look away from the house. I reached for the door with my other hand. It opened to the gusty wind and thick blanket of wet air, I let go of Henry and extended a long leg down the opening of the truck. My shoe sank into the wet ground as I swung my other leg out of the safety of the truck.

I was now face to face with the unknown, stuck in a trance as I studied the cracks and veins that could be seen from the steps leading up to the porch of this forgotten home only to be broken momentarily as the bright light emitting from the headlight beams behind me faded into an orange glow as Henry pulled his keys out of his ignition.

I turned to look at Henry, his silhouette disappeared as the wind and the rain picked up. A shiver slid across my back as my clothes became soaked in this storm. I may not have been 100% ready to head into this house but it was time.

I felt Henry’s hand as he reached for me in the dark, it was dripping wet and felt a little slimy against mine. Our fingers laced together before he pulled me up the side steps of the porch. The wooden steps were warped and splintered at the edges. They creaked painfully with every quickened step we took, and the porch was no better.