The Past (12) The Haunted House 1

Delilah and Ezekiel walked at the same pace Delilah had no idea of where she was going, but she at least felt a bit of ease helping someone. She just couldn't wait to see him regain his sight, not minding that it was strange that the blind boy could see at night.

They kept going from one place to another, passing through different turns and shops. As they kept going, she took a quick look at him, seeing that he somehow felt uncomfortable walking without his stick, she felt the need to help him. It wasn't her fault though, the blind boy had said without the stick, he knew where he was going.

She stared at the stick in her right hand while her left hand was facing the blind boy, she thought for a while before taking his arm in hers. This action made him stop abruptly. She looked at him a bit flustered, "huh what? Am I not trying to help you?" She pouted, "Of course, I am. I could have given you the stick but still, I don't completely trust you."

He nodded dumbly and they continued their journey. After a few minutes, they were standing in front of a house. The house looked haunted like there was no one living there for the past one hundred years. She looked at the surroundings, feeling like there had been people waiting for her there, "Ezekiel, are you sure that no kidnappers are littering around here? Why then are you standing? Let's keep going."

She said all at once, her heart beating much faster. She looked sideways and saw some white bird playing around. Those were doves! She remembered doves living in marshy areas. Why were they here?

"This is the place," Ezekiel said, airily, pulling off his arm from hers.

Delilah shook her head and laughed at the same time, but her laugh suddenly grew to terror, "Tell me you are kidding. This place looks like the entry of a desolated cemetery or a haunted house."

He chuckled and moved closer to the door while Delilah didn't even move a finger. He touched the door, "This is definitely the place. I came here seven days ago, it is painted blue and ash right?" He asked, to tell her that they have gotten to the place. Still, she didn't utter a word, he turned around, "I remember telling you that you might be scared but you just have to trust me."

Delilah looked around. She couldn't believe that she had stepped on those green grasslands she was looking at now. How could this building look so desolated and the surroundings blooming? And at the same time, she felt terribly cold. All these aren't good signs after all but she didn't understand how she had trusted this boy she just met. Maybe it was her zeal to help poor people that drove her here. If not, what else could it be? And for the fact that this boy could one day end up being related to her because of his uncle and her mother's relationship. Could it be that her mother likes Uncle Landon that she thought of marrying him? Or was this blind boy just feeding her lies?

"Are you okay?" She heard the blind boy say.

She looked at him suspiciously, "How could you tell if I am not? Why do I have a feeling that you are just a pretender?"

"A pretender?" Ezekiel smirked, "I know that you aren't okay because you aren't following me behind after I opened the door."

Realising what he just said, she almost wanted to slap herself so hard. Why was she being so hard on him for nothing? She peeked inside before walking behind him, "I am so sorry, to be honest, I don't completely trust you not like I am wrong, can you even trust someone you just saw today? If I told you the same thing, would you follow me if you were me?"

The boy looked blankly at her and then replied, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you saved my life. I can trust anyone who saves me."

It was true that she helped him but she only helped him by sending those boys away, besides she wasn't even the one who sent them away, he did it himself. But he had also saved her from getting hit by a vehicle. "But that does not guarantee. My mother told me not to trust people easily even though they are being kind." She stopped a second before proceeding, "She said your enemies can be kind to you, and then when you lose your guard, they capture you and let you rot before dying." She said those words as if she had crammed them.

Ezekiel nodded, "You might be right, but should you be scared of me? You shouldn't! You should be scared of the house we just entered right now!"

She furrowed her eyebrows, "I...I don't understand?"

"Guessed you are too intoxicated with this little conversation that you didn't hear the door locked us in."

"What?" Her voice trembled and she looked around, her gaze landing on the closed door. "What are we going to do? I shouldn't have followed you. How are we going to come out?"

"I am not trying to scare you, but stay by my side and step on only the tiles I step on."

She looked at the floor and saw that everywhere was plastered with tiles. "Why is that?" Her voice shook.

"You see those weapons from that angle?" He pointed at a small-looking built doll. "Arrows or bullets come out from there whenever you step on the wrong tile. Just hold unto me if you want to be saved. Or I mean, if you want both of us to be saved."

She looked carefully at the doll, "I...I don't care, I would just get out of here!" She screamed, she was even more terrified by her scream as it echoed.

Ezekiel looked into her eyes, she made sure she didn't look too closely so that she could prevent those terrifying things she saw. "Just trust me. We can get out of here if you do."

She nodded, trying to assure herself. She waited calmly and held unto him, this time she wasn't just holding unto his arm, she was spreading her arms unto his waist, like he wanted to squeeze his blood out. "Like this?"

"You are going to kill both of us by doing that," Ezekiel said, his hand releasing her other arm so that it was only one of her arms that were holding his waist. She nodded in response.

Ezekiel smiled, feeling her body against his and perceiving that aura. He tried to control himself because of her proximity. He was feeling somehow now. It would have been better if he was just around her age, that way he wouldn't be having the missed emotions that he was having right now. He cleared his throat and took a step, "take the same step."

She also took the same step but due to the small square that the both of them stepped on, she unintentionally stepped on another tile too, and with this, a liquid fire roared out from the doll whose mouth was now as wide as a huge pipe. "That was close." Ezekiel smiled but Delilah looked more than terrified by now. Her eyes fluttered close when she saw the fire that looked like it was about to roast them.

"I can't do this," she said opening her eyes and looking at the terrifying doll, and of a sudden, she removed her grip from him and ran towards the door while turning a blind ear to Ezekiel's calling.

She didn't even bother about misstepping until she had reached the door, and just immediately like the call of an ocean, about five arrows from nowhere pointed towards her.