Within The House

Christopher Lim Yong Kai (S2 Paris) 2019280

        "I'm going in, over." It was nighttime and the emergency dispatcher commanded me to inspect this derelict house as some pedestrians heard disturbing clangs and shrieks within it. I knocked on the locked front door while awaiting responses. 

        "Police, open up! " 

        No answer. Time sweeps, and urgency forces me to kick down the door with my muscular leg. Once inside, darkness deluged me. I extended both my arms forward while clenching both my pistol and flashlight in my fists. The flashlight was my only source of illumination as the house's electricity was dead. 

        Examining the ominous house embellished with abandoned heritage, grimy walls and the silent ambiance, which didn't actually intimidate me, I discovered… nothing but shattered plates. While meditating to declare it a false alarm, a horrendous odour wafted through my nostrils. 

        It ushered me to a basement, descending into an enormous room. The odour deteriorated to the point where I could feel my brain decaying. I reluctantly switched on my flashlight, illuminated the area, and witnessed… corpses. Mangled, mutilated, decapitated…Stunned by the grisliness,I held my ground and attempted to contact reinforcements. Unexpectedly, a lady emerged from nowhere wielding a bloody knife. 

        "Freeze!" 

        I bellowed at the top of my lungs, but she persistently approached, compelling me to aim my pistol at her and pull the trigger rapidly. She collapsed among the corpses, and I fled. Backup arrived subsequently and retrieved the corpses, but the lady absconded despite being severely injured. 

        I returned home to reassure myself after this wretched experience. I found my wife slumbering recumbent on her bed,I scooted over and wrapped her in my arms euphorically. My phone rang suddenly, and I unhesitantly answered it. 

        "Honey, I'm coming back home." 

        The sweet voice incentivized my sympathetic nerve as I recognised it was… my wife. ■