LIVE OR LEAVE PART 3 - by The Silent Pen 🖊

Hey guys, Im so sorry it took so long to send this over, been overwhelmingly busy with work and school and life, but I promise from now on, ive repented. Let’s get spooky shall we? EPISODE THREE — THE FIRST ONE The staircase creaked again. One step. Then another. Creeeak. Nobody moved. David stared at the staircase. His breathing became heavier. “Why una dey look me like this?” Tomi shook his head. “Nobody dey look you.” “You dey lie.” David pointed at the stairs. “That thing just call my name.” Efe’s voice trembled. “It didn't call your name.” David turned. “What?” “It said…” She swallowed. “Bring am upstairs.” David laughed nervously. “Exactly. Bring who?” Nobody answered. Then— CREEEAK. Another step. This time, everyone heard it. Something was climbing. Something they couldn't see. Baba suddenly stood. “Everybody…” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Leave this house.” Tomi stared at him. “How?” Baba pointed at the front door. “Run.” Tomi rushed toward it. He grabbed the handle. Pulled. Nothing. He pulled harder. The door didn't move. “E don lock!” Baba's face went pale. “I know.” “Then open am!” “I cannot.” “Why?!” Baba looked at him. “Because I didn't lock it.” Silence. A soft giggle came from upstairs. A child's giggle. Efe covered her mouth. “There’s a child here?” Baba slowly shook his head. “No.” The giggling stopped. Then a little voice whispered from the darkness above them. “Daddy?” David froze. His face changed. Everyone noticed. Tomi stepped closer. “David?” David didn't answer. “David, wetin happen?” He stared at the staircase. His lips trembled. “That voice…” He swallowed. “I know am.” Baba's eyes widened. “No.” David whispered— “That is my sister.” The entire room went silent. Efe frowned. “You have a sister?” David nodded slowly. “She died when we were children.” Another giggle. Then— “David…” This time, the voice was louder. “Come upstairs.” David took one step forward. Baba grabbed him. “DON'T!” David struggled. “Leave me!” “That's not your sister!” “How you know?!” “Because…” Baba's grip tightened. “…your sister never died here.” David stopped. “What?” Baba looked toward the ceiling. “She died in this house.” David's expression collapsed. “No…” “Yes.” “You know my family?” Baba said nothing. David pushed him away. “Tell me!” Baba looked at him. “I was there.” A violent wind tore through the room. Every candle went out. The mirrors began shaking. Then one mirror cracked. Not from the center. From the inside. A hand pressed against the glass. Everyone screamed. The hand was small. A child's hand. Five fingers. Wet. It dragged downward. SCREEEECH. A second hand appeared. Then a face. A little girl. Pale. Soaked. Her eyes were completely black. David stepped backward. “Sarah…” The girl smiled. “Big brother.” David began crying. “No…” Sarah placed her palm against the glass. “Why did you leave me?” “I didn't…” “You did.” “I was a child!” “You ran.” David shook his head. “I was scared.” Sarah's smile disappeared. “So was I.” The mirror suddenly exploded. BANG! Glass flew across the room. Efe screamed. But the girl wasn't inside the mirror anymore. She was standing behind David. David slowly turned. Nothing. Then something cold touched his shoulder. He froze. A whisper entered his ear. “You came back.” David screamed. The lights suddenly returned. Everyone looked around. David was alone. But there was something on the floor beside him. A photograph. Old. Yellow. Baba picked it up. His hands began shaking. It showed six children standing in front of the mansion. Five boys. One girl. David stared at it. “That's us.” Tomi pointed. “Wait…” He counted. “One…” “Two…” “Three…” “Four…” “Five…” His finger stopped. “There are six.” Efe frowned. “Who is the sixth person?” Nobody knew. The face of the sixth child had been scratched away. Baba dropped the photograph. David picked it up. His eyes widened. “Baba…” The old man didn't answer. David looked at him. “Why is your name written behind this?” Baba went completely still. “What?” David turned the photograph over. Written in faded red ink were four words: THE FIRST ONE WAS BABA. Baba stumbled backward. “No.” Tomi stared at him. “Baba…” “No!” “You brought us here.” “I didn't!” “You knew this house.” “I told you to leave!” “Because you knew what was inside!” Baba suddenly screamed. “BECAUSE I BUILT IT!” Everyone froze. The mansion groaned. The floor shook. Dust fell from the ceiling. Baba's eyes filled with tears. “I built this house forty-three years ago.” He pointed upstairs. “But I didn't build…” His voice broke. “…that room.” Efe whispered. “What room?” Baba looked at the staircase. “The room that doesn't exist.” A door slammed upstairs. BANG! Then another. BANG! Then another. Doors appeared along the hallway. One. Two. Three. Four. Where there had been nothing before. Tomi whispered— “Jesus…” Baba stepped backward. “Don't open any of them.” David stared at the new doors. “Why?” Baba's face twisted with fear. “Because each door belongs to somebody who entered this house…” He looked at David. “…and never left.” A door at the end of the hallway slowly opened. Inside was darkness. Then a woman's voice spoke. “Baba…” The old man's knees buckled. “No…” “Baba…” He began shaking. “Please…” The voice became louder. “You promised me.” Baba covered his ears. “I am sorry.” The woman laughed. Then— ALL THE DOORS OPENED AT ONCE. Every room was empty. Except one. The room directly opposite David. Inside stood a little girl. Sarah. She pointed at him. “Come.” David didn't move. Sarah smiled. “Or they all die.” Suddenly— Tomi screamed. Something grabbed his ankle. He was dragged across the floor. “HELP ME!” Efe grabbed his hands. David grabbed Efe. Baba grabbed David. They formed a chain. But whatever was pulling Tomi was stronger. His fingers slipped. “DON'T LET GO!” His body disappeared halfway through the doorway. Then Tomi screamed one final sentence. “DAVID IS NOT THE ONE SHE WANTS!” Silence. His body vanished. Efe stared at David. David stared at Baba. Baba whispered— “Then who?” A woman's voice answered from directly behind them. “You.” Baba slowly turned. The woman from the ceiling was standing there. But this time… she wasn't smiling. She pointed at Baba. “You were the first.” The lights went out. And somewhere upstairs… a child began counting. “One…” Two… Three… Four… Then— “Five.” A pause. The child's voice became excited. “Found you.” A scream tore through the mansion. Not Tomi's. Not Efe's. Not David's. Baba's. And when the lights came back… Baba was gone. Only his white cap remained. And written across the floor in fresh blood were three words: ONE LEFT TO LIVE.<img src="/media/inline_insight_image/f0889a12-3e05-4d33-9bd6-5b6b414278f7.jpeg" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"/>

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