4 Chapter Four: The Calamity

Chapter Four

The Calamity

We all scrambled out of the room. Josh and Borris were the first one to check the front door. I turned around to look at the room we entered in haste. The room doesn't have any furniture inside. There was a large window in the centre but it was covered by heavy looking curtains. It would have helped us see in the dark when we were hiding from those two walking around the manor, but since there was no sign of the moon or any lights outside, we waited in bated breath for the footsteps to stop.

"You wouldn't believe this," said Borris, he had this huge smile plastered on his face. Josh came next to him with the same smile.

"The doors are open. We checked for signs of any lock being placed or if the chains were put on the handle minutes ago, but we found none. The chains were in the same spot where Tristan put them," said Josh, laughing in amusement.

Borris turned around and spread his arms wide. "If you're hiding here, you're dead meat. Pulling us a prank, eh? Just wait and I'll find your cowardly arse," said Borris in a loud voice.

Marlene told him to not shout here, but Borris paid her no heed. The drunk boy kept on doing it shouting swear words every now and then. I look over Tim, who's standing beside me quietly. I placed my hands on his arm to catch his attention and it might have worked when he lowered his head to look at me.

"Are you all right?" I asked, concern flashing in my face. He gave me a small smile and nodded. He handed me something and looking at his outstretched hand, it was the old camera that he took in that room. I took it carefully from his hand and examined it. I noticed an engraved initials at the back of the camera.

I.J.B.

The camera, even though it was old, seems like it's still working. I checked if a film was loaded to the camera and it was. Before I could even check if it was still working, a hand took it from me. Checking who it was, Felix's curious face greeted me as he stood in front of me the camera in his hands and his eyes checking the old thing.

"Out of all the things in this old place, this one seemed like brand new even though the model's outdated," said Felix, he laughed a little as he continued to look in fascination at the camera. He tore his eyes away from it and settled on me. He lifted the camera a little to give emphasis on it before saying, "Does this have a film?"

I nodded.

"Sweet," he said.

Felix lifted it and placed it to his eyes. He pointed the camera towards Borris and a flash erupted to the small object as it took a photo of the boy who stopped shouting and was looking at Felix's direction. Felix laughed hard and lowered the camera a little.

"Where'd you get that?" asked Borris.

"I dunno. Ask them," Felix shrugged, he pointed his finger to us. Borris turned his head to me and Tim and ask the same question. Tim answered for the both of us. "We found it in that room. Hannah kicked it as she backed away."

"That's the bugger who created that small scraping noise when that unknown person stopped in front of the door," said Tristan.

"Well, that bugger seems to be still working," said Felix, he handed me the camera and tuck his hands on his pockets, "Take a picture of all of us. Let's use its film and you can develop it."

I took the camera and eyed it carefully. Wren interrupted my forming thoughts. "Yeah. You can add it to your photographs of us," she said enthusiastically. Every one of them agreed, but not Tim. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he eyed the camera in my hands.

I sighed. Even if I have a pretty bad feeling about this, I can't voice out what's in my mind. They would think that I'm being a worrywart and thinking nonsense. I held the camera properly and looked at all of them who's staring expectantly at me.

"All right," I said. They all cheered. All of them positioned themselves to fit in the shot. Tristan called Tim and that seemed to pull him out of his reverie. He turned to look at them and Tristan chuckled at his cluelessness.

"Come here, idiot. Hannah's taking our photo," said Tristan. Tim didn't moved. He looked back to me and back to our friends. Wren, who look exasperated, said in a loud voice, "Oh, come on Timothy. Han, is there a timer in that old thing?"

I shook my head. Wren stepped away from our friends and walked towards me. Grabbing the camera from my hands, she asked me how to operate it. I explained it to her in a simple way and she nodded. She ushered me towards the group and pushed Tim to my side. When we were all standing side by side, she lifted the camera high pointing the lens to all of us.

"Now, everybody smile," exclaimed Wren. Borris and Felix made howling sounds while the rest of us smiled at the camera. Wren clicked the button and a flash blinded us for a moment.

We were clearly living in that moment not knowing what will happen to us because of that photograph.

*

The next morning, I worked on developing the photo we took last night in that abandoned manor. I haven't told my dad what we did because I know he will be upset. He keeps on telling me every single time that I should never set my foot in that place. I didn't questioned him and just agree to it. Even though I ask him questions as to why he forbids me to go there, he would dodged my questions and change the subject.

I only thought to develop our group picture, but half of the film was filled with photos that were probably taken long ago. Instead of ignoring it and placing it back to the camera, I decided to develop all of it.

Once I was done, I took all the photos to the living room. I placed our group photo and the photograph Felix took of Borris shouting. I focused on the photographs that were took long before ours. When my eyes skimmed through all the old photographs, I noticed that six of it had the youngest Moore.

Victoire seemed to be happy in this photographs. She was smiling brightly to the camera or to the person who took this photographs. Her background was all the same but her dressed were a clear indication that these were taken in different days.

The next photographs were different from the first six. Victoire wasn't any of it. In fact, it seems like it was from different years. The people in those photographs were teenagers like us. The first photograph was of a girl probably a year younger than me wearing an eyeglass. She had strawberry blonde hair, a red hairband, and a set of clothes that were probably from the 60s. She was smiling goofily and I noticed that her background was familiar. Very familiar. I tore my eyes away from the photograph I was holding and glanced to our group photo and to Borris' photograph. The place were the same. Only the manor in the background seemed to be decent and clean enough unlike now. I placed the photo of the woman in the table and proceeded to the next one. It was a group photo of a couple of teenagers. Their clothes were different from the photograph of the woman I saw. This time I think they were from the 80s. All of them were smiling happily.

Every photographs were taken with people who were smiling either happily or goffily. There was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary, but I have this unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Something's not right.

I placed all of the photographs on the table and glanced at the photos that were taken last night. I examined our photos carefully. No matter how I keep on saying to myself that nothing's wrong in our photos, I can't shake the feeling that's gnawing in my stomach. I shifted my gaze to Borris' photo. I stared at it for a while and then I noticed something behind him. I took the photo and stared at it more.

Behind Borris was a silhouette of a woman and a man standing a few metres away. It seemed like they were watching us. My phone rang pulling me out of my world. I stood up and grabbed my phone lying in the cabinet. I hadn't let go of Borris' photograph and answered the call from Marlene.

"You've got to come here in Borris' house," said Marlene, she sounded a bit scared about something and I grew concern.

"Why?"

"Just-" she stopped talking and I heard a distant voice said something to her and a rustle resonated in the background before Marlene came back to the other line, "Wren and Tim will pick you up. They'll be there in a minute or two."

"Okay," was all I said before we both hung up. I returned to the coffee table where I laid all of the photographs from the old camera. I packed all of them neatly before I went to the kitchen to make a note for my dad. Writing where I will be headed, I tuck the note a to a magnet dad put in the fridge door before I came back to the living room. My feet automatically stilled when I saw the photographs I packed scattered on the floor and a single photograph was lying in the coffee table.

I breathe slowly as I tried to calm myself. Walking towards the table, I picked up the photographs scattered on the floor before I stood up and took the photo that was left in the table.

It was Borris' photo. And the silhouettes behind him were now standing behind him.

I immediately dropped the photograph to the floor. I felt a cold sensation behind me and I turned around to check if there's someone standing behind me. I was only greeted by nothing. I looked down at the photograph on the floor. Calming myself by steadying my breathing, I bent down to take it. I didn't turned it around to face me. I let it remained facing the other way as I placed it with the other photographs. Hearing a car honking outside the house, I didn't waste any time and headed towards the door.

*

Wren, Tim, and I got out of the car and entered Borris' house. Tim led me to the back door and I could hear Borris' frantic voice ringing outside. Tim and I stepped out of the house and joined the rest of our friends who were trying to calm Borris down.

Sensing our presence, all of them turned around to look at me and Tim including Borris. He walked towards me, his eyes were showing the panic and fear written all over his face. He placed both of his hands on my arms and stared at me.

"Please tell me you can help me. Please," said Borris, he looked desperate now. I took his left hand from my right arm and I squeezed his arm.

"Tell me what happened."

He told me everything. From the moment we got back to our own homes to the moment he saw a silhouette of a woman standing near his window. He even showed my the scratch in his side and told me that when he woke up he found it there. After he poured all of the information he had, he sat down on the clean cut grass and buried his face in his hands.

I held all the photographs tightly. The gnawing feeling that I try to shrug immediately pulsate like it was now living in my chest. I cleared my throat.

"I- I develop all the photographs in the camera," I said quietly. My voice was so quiet that I thought they wouldn't be able to hear it.

"And what have you seen in it?" asked Felix. I lifted my head and met his eyes. I stretched my hand to him and handed the photographs. He looked at it as if it's going to bring harm to him, but he took it.

"Come on, guys. Maybe the silhouette Borris saw was just a product of his imagination, and let's not forget that most of us were slightly intoxicated last night," said Tristan, I looked at him and he didn't even have any fear in his features. He was trying to shove to our minds the most rational fact that we're forgetting.

"I reckon you should take back what you said, Tristan," said Felix, his voice lower than before. I shifted to look at him and I saw he was staring at a specific photo. His face contorted in shock and fear.

"Why would I do that when it's the only explanation for this buffoonery?" Tristan remarked. Felix ignored his words and handed the photograph he was staring at. Tristan took it, annoyance written in his face. His eyes immediately flew to me and he held the photograph as if to give emphasis to it.

"What kind of sick joke is this, Hannah?" he exclaimed. I was startled by his sudden outburst. Tim placed a hand on my shoulder and he guided me to his side as if to shield me from what Tristan's about to throw at me.

The rest of our friends looked at the photo and they all looked completely taken aback by what they're seeing. Borris stood up and took the picture to look at it. Ignoring the firm grip Tim had on my shoulder, I moved towards Borris to look at the photograph he was holding.

It was his.

Only this time the silhouettes were not behind him. The silhouette of the woman was now beside him while the other one was nowhere to be found.

*

I didn't stop pacing back and forth in my bedroom. All the photographs were lying in my study desk. I'm clutching my phone firmly as I waited for someone to call me.

After what we've all seen in the Borris' photo and my confession about it when I just finished developing all of it, we came to an agreement that two of us were to stay with Borris. Josh and Felix volunteered. Tristan told them to never leave Borris alone until we find out what is happening.

Borris was the first one to experience weird things since we set foot in that manor. I never called my discovery of those silhouettes as a weird thing.

I only ate a little. My appetite became dull because of my worries to Borris and to all of us. After eating and assuring my dad that I'm just feeling a bit tired, I went to my bedroom and placed all the photographs in my desk to examined all of them. None of the photos, except for Borris', had a silhouette of a man and woman. It was all just normal photographs.

Time ticked by and grew tired of pacing. I sat down in my bed and decided to sleep for a while. A nap wouldn't be too bad, right? After all, this sudden event made me tired. Both physically and mentally.

A ringing tone woke me up of my slumber. I looked at my alarm clock to check the time.

3:30 am.

I grabbed my phone that is still ringing and answered the call without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" I said groggily.

"Hannah, Borris is gone," Tim's voice filled the other line. The sleep coursing in my veins vanished in an instant at his words. I quickly sat on my bed.

"What?"

"Borris," he sighed in the other line as if he's hardly believing what he knows, "is gone. He's dead, Han."