CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

[ xiv. emotionless fear ]

     HARRIET WALKED SLOWLY down the dark hallway as she kept crying silently to herself. She clutched the switchblade that ultimately, ended Caroline's life. Harriet's eyes were glued onto the entry of the hallway. Her eyes were bloodshot and almost swollen shut from how hard she was crying. She felt nothing besides grief and guilt, something that she would have to live with till the day she died.

     She started to tremble from the overwhelming sadness, but locked her eyes on the entry way of the hallway. Harriet gripped tighter onto the handle of the switchblade, feeling how slick it was from Caroline's blood. She cringed internally, but didn't show it nonetheless. She couldn't, she refused. Her expression was empty, like she felt nothing.

     Harriet bit down on the inside of her cheek and thrived on the pain. She told herself she deserved it and it didn't hurt. She released her teeth from the inside of her cheek, feeling a metal taste on her tongue. The mixed girl disregarded it and continued to step down the hallway.

     The picture of Caroline's body going limp haunted Harriet. The way her lifeless body fell into her arms, how cold her arms began to feel. How the she was dressed in the red crimson that was once inside of her best friend/crush's body.

     Harriet stepped out into the open, clenching her jaw as she saw Ingrid, Scout, Liam, and Layla all huddled together. Tears instantly formed in Harriet's eyes.

Ingrid looked up from pulling down her sleeves over her frigid hands and saw a too familiar girl standing at the edge of the hallway. Ingrid started to shake in disbelief, her eyes widening. "Harriet!" The dirty blonde ran past Scout and towards the Orman girl. Scout, Layla, and Liam watched in shock as Ingrid engulfed Harriet in a hug.

Harriet didn't hug back.

Ingrid noticed this and pulled away, sniffling. She noticed fresh blood covering her shirt and her eyes trailed all over her. Her eyes glanced over at her hand holding a knife covered in blood, as well as her hand. The shorter girl's mouth dropped and her eyes landed on Harriet's. "What happened?" Ingrid trembled as she stared into Harriet's empty, brown eyes.

More tears formed in the silent girl's eyes as she held back her emotion. "Where's Caroline?" Layla questioned loudly, pulling away from Liam. Harriet stumbled back after hearing Caroline's name aloud. Harriet tried to speak, but her throat closed up to where nothing was able to come out.

Ingrid could see it in her eyes. She could see the grief and guilt. She could also see the evidence on the knife. The dirty-blonde girl covered her mouth in horror, shaking her head. "No . . ." Ingrid trembled as she was on the verge of tears.

Before they all could have a chance to react, pounding was heard on the front door. They were frightened at first, but relieved it was the front door. "Hello? It's Calum Davis and Melina Lawson!" They heard a boy their age yell from the outside.

     "Jonah sent us! If you don't mind, we're here to help!" A girl also their age yelled politely. Scout ran quickly to the door and started pulling on the knob.

     "The windows are all boarded up and the door isn't opening," Scout grunted as he kept pulling on the doorknob. Calum sighed and looked worriedly over at Melina, who was biting on her bottom lip.

     "There's an entry way through the basement," Harriet whispered under her breath as she blinked away her tears. Ingrid whipped her head around in confusion. Harriet let out a shaky sigh, not making direct eye contact with the girl. "There's a door in the basement that could let us out," the mixed girl explained softly.

     "Why did you just wait to tell us?" Ingrid asked as she turned her whole body around, folding her arms. Harriet looked at the blade that was in her hand. Seeing how the blood covered her hand and the blade.

     "Because the basement is the most haunted and gruesome place in this house," Harriet explained in a serious tone. She swallowed the thickening lump in her throat as she watched Ingrid's expression become mortified. "It's our only option now."

     "What if we wait till daylight and have someone find us in the morning?" Layla questioned as she walked up to the group. Her eyes instantly landed on the blood coated knife in Harriet's hand. Her posture stiffened uncomfortably.

     "It's three in the morning. We can't risk sitting here till six in the morning," Ingrid informed before walking in the direction towards Scout. Layla looked up at Harriet, who looked away. The pale girl went to open her mouth, but didn't have anything to say. So, she turned around and walked back to the group.

     The curly-headed girl lifted the knife in front of her view, staring at it. She needed to get rid of it or it would haunt her even worse. But instead, she flipped the blade back into its spot and stuck it in her back pocket. She wiped the drying blood onto her jean leg and tried to forget about it. But everyone knows nobody would be able to forget about such a thing.

     "What's our shitty plan?" Liam asked tiredly, folding her arms. Scout shrugged as he was completely clueless.

     "Calum?" Scout asked loud enough so the boy on the other side could hear.

     "Yeah?" Calum answered as he pressed his ear up to the door.

     "Do you two have your phones charged?" Scout asked, secretly hoping the automatic answer would be a 'yes'. Calum's heart dropped as he felt his pockets. Melina checked her pockets as well and sighed disappointingly.

     "We failed to recall them!" Melina hesitantly answered, fearful what their reaction may be. Scout threw his arms up in the air.

     "So much for help," Liam muttered under his breath upsettingly.

     "There's a door in the back of the house. Stairs lead to it," Harriet mentioned as she approached the group nonchalantly. Ingrid was shocked by her sudden change of emotion, but didn't question it. "When you find those stairs, there's a door at the bottom. It leads to the basement."

     "What if it's locked?" Calum questioned fearfully.

     "If it's locked and you did everything you could to open it . . ." Harriet trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence. The things she has heard about he basement was nerve wracking and it sent chills down her spine. "Two of us will go down there and unlock it ourselves." Melina and Calum looked anxiously at each other, their eyes wide. "Tread lightly. The basement is a place nobody wants to be in," Harriet truthfully added.

     "Okay, got it." Calum stepped back from the front door and took a deep breath.

     "We'll rescue you, don't fret," Melina reassured as she backed away just as Calum. He stepped off the porch and started around the house, Melina trailing behind him. "Do you believe her?"

     "Believe that the basement is haunted or something?" Melina nodded without a word. Calum didn't even have to see her clarification, he knew he was right. "I don't know."

     As they walked around the side of the house, Melina tripped unexpectedly and fell onto the grass. Calum turned around and saw her on the ground, rubbing her head. "You okay?" He asked worriedly as he walked over and stuck out his hand.

     "Yeah, I believe so," Melina groaned as she grabbed his hand. He pulled her up and saw her wince in pain. He noticed a small cut on her forehead already, wrinkling his nose. She saw his expression, licking her lips anxiously. "Is it bad?" Calum shook his head and pulled her hand down so she wouldn't touch it anymore.

     "What did you even trip on?" Calum asked, changing the subject. Melina looked down at where she fell to try and see what caused her to fall. She was convinced she tripped over nothing, till she saw something poking out of the grass. What she saw made her let out a loud scream that filled the silent night sky.

     She saw a leg that didn't look old at all. An amputated leg covered in fresh blood and hadn't yet started to decay. The smell was repulsive, of course, but it looked like it just happened hours ago. The leg exposed muscle and tissue and bone, making it even more frightening. Melina cowardly ran and hid behind Calum, who almost threw up at the sight. "We-We gotta get out of here," he panicked shakily as his heart started to pound.

     "We can't just leave them here," Melina sobbed frantically as she clutched onto Calum's shoulders.

     They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. They had no idea what they were going to see that's more gory than the leg they saw hidden in the grass. They had no idea they were going to feel the fear they would feel once they opened the door into hell.

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I FINALLY UPDATED UWU. MY WRITING IS GETTING WORSE AND IM JUST TRYING TO FINISH THIS STORY OFF IM SORRY. THIS IS UNEDITED.