Chapter 12:

I slowly scurried along the first floor, leading to the stairwell to the second. The second floor hadn't been properly touched or cleaned since it was my room and I had barely been in it. 

For some reason, I felt more anxious than I should, like a school kid ready for his first day of high school. The house seemed to press in on me, the shadows lengthening with each step. It seemed to get colder as the altitude got higher, causing the hair on my skin to rise. 

I climbed the stairs, each creaking louder and more ominous than usual, making the ascent feel painstakingly longer than the mornings I had been here for a short time. The house seemed to be amplifying my every move as if resenting my intrusion.

The sound of my parents has quieted down (which is strange), it may be that they have returned to their usual ritual before tuning down, which is reading for my mum and watching the game or highlights of the game for my dad. In any case, they had stopped fighting. 

I looked around, tracing the wall for a hall light out of muscle memory. My heart skipped a beat when I couldn't seem to find it for an abrupt minute. After fumbling around like a clown for a few moments, I found it.

"TAK!" The switch did its function and turned on, again with much more noise than in the morning. It seemed like the house was having its revenge on me.

I looked around for a second, scanning the room properly. Even though I do not possess a photographic memory, I didn't know where to start or what to look for. What could I find in this house that would possibly explain the sinister presence as my mother had narrated?

Even though she has yet to give me an explanation, I decided not to ask her since she shut down completely. It has always been her defense mechanism. She did it then too, when she couldn't bear to face the world.

I sighed, brushing those thoughts away. It's not the time to think about it anyway. I went to my room, looking through my (awesome) posters, disks, and a bottle of beer I stole from Dad's stash. It was the only one from the raid before moving and somehow ended up safe and sound hidden under those boxes.

"Might as well not waste it." I took a sip and hid it under my bed. It was lukewarm, the worst way to down a beer. Good thing I didn't have it in one go. 

The beer reminded me of my friends in the city, who always invited me to parties and fights at night. The times I snuck out were awesome, and for a second, I paused, thinking if I would ever find buds like that here. Friends to steal beers with and play music at full volume. To laugh at those weird jokes Tom tells in that group chat and share dark memes. Friends to take photos with and post on Vipernet. Friends to go camping with. Friends to sneak into clubs with, who have your back no matter what.

Friends who stick with you when there is no light at the end of the tunnel. 

It'll be gone, faded away, and we've come back to where we once were. I can't believe it. I thought Mom promised me that there would be no moving anymore and we'd stay wherever we were, without any worries and fights. There has been nothing but fighting since we moved. It's like someone is whispering to you to start one for no reason at all. Mom has been visibly paler since we came. It might be because she hasn't worn any make-up like she does without failure every single day, but also her body language suggests otherwise.

I heard a quiet, faint creak from upstairs. What I thought was the roof was not the roof. There was a space enclosed in between. In those times we visited our grandparents, I did not get to go up this far.

I stacked up a chair and placed some random boxes on top, hoping they would form a ladder to get up, but they just toppled down under the weight of the air itself. I tried to jump up, but I wasn't a pole jumper, so I fell twice as hard as I jumped.

"OW!" I cried out, the pain sharp and immediate.

After a few moments, I rose and jumped again, this time placing the chair on top of my small bed.

"Ngh!" I finally caught hold of the handle and painstakingly slid it open while hanging on it. It was surprisingly strong.

"Damn it," I coughed. Even in the dark, I could see dust floating throughout the whole room. The air was thick with it, making me feel like I was stepping into another world.