• I stood in front of the old house and wondered what it's story was. The wind whipped around me, causing me to wrap my jacket tighter around myself. I wished more than anything to be in some kind of shelter, as to shield me from this troublesome cold winter air. As if the gate knew of my wishes, it opened slowly, creaking slightly, inviting me into the old house. Thinking nothing of it, I ventured, willing, yet cautiously, up to the front door. I knocked once, twice, then waited for an answer. No one came to the door, so I carefully pushed the ancient door open. It creaked, louder than the gate did, causing me to jump. I stepped into the house and looked around. It appeared to be abandoned. I took a few steps forward until I cleared the doorway. Just as I did so, the door slammed with such force, the house shook, threatening to cave in on me. It has to be the wind I thought, looking back at the houses layout. It was dark and had a faint aroma of a dead animal. At least I hoped it was only an animal. I began to get goosebumps on my arms just thinking about it.
    Having nothing better to do, I decided to explore the place. Not knowing where to start first, I got out my lucky penny. Heads I would go right, tails, I'd go left. Tossing the coin in the air, I caught it, flipped it over and looked. It read tails. I turned to the left, and began my exploration. I came upon a corridor. It was darker and had a stronger odor than the rest of the house, with a large wooden door at the end of it. It had gold trim, and deep engravings, forming exquisite patterns. Slowly I reached for the golden doorknob, afraid to see whatever secrets may await my finding. The doorknob was cold and smooth. My insides clammed up at the touch of it. Pushing the door forward, I gagged from the odor. Holding my breath, I slipped into the room, as so no one would have known of my existence. The stench stung my eyes and burned the inside of my nose. Squinting through the tears that formed from the odor, I made out a body like figure on the floor. There was not just one, but many. The smell was sickening, but I had to know what was in the room. I forced my eyes open and thought I would vomit. Dead bodies littered the floor in heaps. It was horrifying. The skin was rotting off on most of the bodies, rats were scurrying across the floor, and grubs were crawling in and out of the corpses empty eye sockets and gaping mouths. I screamed and called for help, but no one came. The house was abandoned, so why would anyone come? The door leading into the room slammed shut and locked. Stumbling through the darkness, that now surrounded me, careful not to step on any of the bodies, I made my way up to the door. Pulling at the door, I realized it was locked from the outside. I was now trapped in here. There was a slight movement to my right. Turning too quickly, I slipped and fell. Scrambling to get up, my hand touched something warm and moist. Snatching my arm back, my left foot was grabbed. Jerking my foot away, what felt like a hands, pulled me on my back. Thrashing about and cursing, whatever held me down let go. Then it was quiet. I strained my eyes to catch anything that resembled an escape. There! In the corner of the room, was a boarded up window. Jumping up with what little energy I had left, I ran to it. Tearing away at the boards that blocked my freedom, I grinned. I was free. Soon, I would be away from this house. The last of the boards fell away, and I jumped. That's when I saw how high I was from the ground. But it was too late.
    "I remember hitting the ground hard and seeing one of the many graves I made for the people I killed, whose bodies currently remain in the old house." I tugged at the white jacket that kept me bound tightly.
    "Thank you, that's all I need to know." The doctor wheeled me away again, to the room, my new home.