A way out

Ava and Lily burst through the front door, their footsteps echoing as they raced toward the stairs.

"Where do you think the oil is?" Ava asked while searching for oil in the house; although she wasn't moving, her eyes were enough to search the main hall.

Lily, equally on edge, didn't hesitate. "In the basement," she replied, her tone sharp and determined. There wasn't any room for doubt anymore.

Ava nodded, barely breaking her stride. "Okay, let's get it before anything else happens."

The two girls hurried down the hallway, their shoes squeaking on the old wooden floor, making everything feel eerily louder.

They reached the basement door, which groaned on its hinges as Lily pushed it open.

CHARRRRRR.....

The stairway down was dim and narrow, just like a horror movie...

Well, IT IS a horror novel.

As they descended, the sickening stench hit them before the sight did. A cold chill ran down Ava's spine as her eyes landed on Ethan's mangled body, almost eaten by cockroaches that scattered the moment their presence was known. The sight was too much to bear, and both girls gagged, instinctively covering their noses and mouths.

Lily swallowed hard, trying to block out the gruesome scene. "We can't stop now," she muttered, more to herself than Ava.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, the floor dustier than expected, and there it was—four bottles of oil, stacked neatly on an old, forgotten shelf.

Ava grabbed one of the bottles, her hands trembling slightly as she held it up. "I think this is enough to burn the whole place down,"

"Yeah," Lily agreed, taking one of the bottles as well. But then, she paused, her brow furrowing. "Wait… what about a lighter? How do we plan on setting this place on fire without one?"

Ava blinked, looking at her friend, momentarily thrown off. "You don't have one? Why do I feel like you would have one?"

Lily let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh, well… about that. I kind of started smoking."

Ava's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Seriously, Lily? Since when did this happen?"

"Two months ago," Lily admitted sheepishly, avoiding Ava's judgmental gaze as her face flushed with embarrassment. "I wasn't planning to make it a habit."

"You know that's terrible for your health, right?" Ava scolded, though her tone lacked real anger, replaced instead by worry.

"I know, I know." Lily waved her hand dismissively. "I'll stop. I promise, once we're out of this nightmare, I'll never touch a cigarette again."

Ava let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Fine. Let's just get this done."

Together, they started pouring oil around the basement, coating every inch of the floor and walls. Lily approached Ethan's lifeless body, her movements slowing down as she stood over him. Although there wasn't a body, to begin with, if they didn't know that I was Ethan, they would have thought of it as some 1000-year-old dead body.

She hesitated before pouring oil over him too, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Don't worry, Ethan… We'll finish what you started. I promise."

They moved back upstairs, carrying the remaining bottles. The house creaked ominously as they made their way to the kitchen, the sense of urgency growing with each passing second. As Ava began spilling oil across the counters, the sudden ring of the phone made them both jump. They glanced at each other but continued with their task, ignoring the increasingly bizarre distractions.

In the living room, Ava found herself drawn to Noah's still body, the blood on his face having dried to a dark, haunting stain. She knelt beside him, her fingers brushing softly against his cold cheek. "I'm so sorry, Noah," she whispered, her voice cracking as a tear slipped down her face. "This nightmare will be over soon. I swear it. I'll never leave you again." She poured oil over his body, her heart heavy with guilt and sorrow.

Strange occurrences began happening around them—phone calls, the piano playing itself, the TV flickering on and off, and cards mysteriously fluttering through the air like leaves in the wind. Yet Ava and Lily kept their focus, determined to complete their grim task.

Finally, the ground floor was soaked in oil.

"It's taking too long," Ava grumbled, her frustration bubbling over. Every second felt like an eternity, with the house seemingly working against them.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, we should split up. I'll take the second floor while you finish up here."

"Good idea," Ava agreed. "Just try to ignore the house messing with you. We need to stay focused."

"You too," Lily replied, gripping the oil bottle tighter.

They parted ways, each heading to their assigned floors. Ava moved quickly, spilling oil along the first floor, Lily did the same upstairs, though the second floor proved to be much bigger than she expected.

After what felt like hours, Ava finished her task. She stood at the bottom of the staircase and shouted, "ARE YOU DONE YET?"

Lily's voice came from above, "NO, STILL A ROOMS LEFT. THE SECOND FLOOR IS BIGGER THAN IT LOOKS!"

"OKAY! I'M HEADING TO THE GARDEN! DON'T FORGET TO POUR SOME ON THE ROOF!" Ava yelled back.

"ON IT!" Lily called, already making her way to a window.

Ava bolted outside, racing to cover the garden with oil. She worked as fast as she could, her mind racing with thoughts of what would happen once they lit the match.

Meanwhile, Lily climbed out of the window onto the roof, cautiously spilling oil across the shingles. The cool air felt like a brief relief before she climbed back inside, ready to finish the last room. As she entered the bedrooms, the door slammed shut behind her with a violent bang.

"What the hell?" Lily spun around, rushing to the door. She banged on it, panic rising in her chest. "Ava! Open the door!"

The room responded in kind. Furniture shifted, drawers flew open, and cards once again filled the air, swirling around her like a storm. Her heart pounded in her ears as she shouted again, "Ava, please! I'm stuck!"

But Ava, still outside in the garden, was too far to hear her.

Then, a voice echoed through the room, deep and chilling. "There is no way out, Lily."

Lily froze, her blood turning to ice. That voice—it was familiar. Too familiar. Slowly, she turned around, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"No... it can't be," she trembled...