Chapter 5

Zoey woke up the next morning, still afraid, but happy she got some rest. The ceiling around her was dingy and the walls around her were just as cracked as the night before. Although it's been a few hours, her mind felt just as terrified as before. Zoey immediately ran to reopen the door that was once locked. To her surprise, it did. Into the hallway showed only the hallway she expected to be there. The same painted walls, the same armchair that seemed parked in the hallways, and the same old pictures that littered the walls as well.

Zoey drew in her surrounding air. She needed something to eat. She did go to bed hungry, maybe she could order something online. Zoey ventured downstairs to see if anything had changed. It had. The mover earlier this morning had placed all the living room furniture where she had planned it. Closer to the kitchen arch was the dark brown TV stand that she had collected a few years ago. Placed on top of it was a 43-inch TV that was probably shattered by the travel. All of this was completed with a teal rug. The edges of the fabric tapered off a bit with ragged edges. The hardwood floor below her felt cold, so having someplace soft to place her feet felt nice. Placed in the middle of the room was a light brown couch. Zoey grabbed a hold of the remote before flipping through a collection of channels.

"Sports, Horror, nothing... good." Zoey's boredom had reached its peak before she had heard the news. What lay before her was the face of someone she'd seen years ago.

"Welcome back, this is Asvern City News! Back on the topic of a random lady being caught dead in her home."

"Today is the tenth anniversary of the abandoned house killer." The two speakers of the desk both made childish oooh sounds to imitate a ghost.

"For the last ten years, police have been investigating the murders of three people. On the screen, three faces flashed up for a quick moment. The first one was the face of an old white woman. Her olden face looked almost at peace from the absence of life. The second face was a middle-aged black woman with a few gray streaks rippling down the crown of her head. Below her Windsor Tan eyes that were pierced wide open with shock, were bags that showed that she had never lived a good life. Lastly, was a nearly twenty-one-year-old woman. She wore her hair in locs that ran from her head to her hips. Around her eyes were light blue glasses that were heavily shattered from what can only be assumed as an impact.

"Do you think the murderer has returned?"

"No, of course not," The man behind the camera laughed as he spoke. "It's been ten years."

"You never know John." Arguing between the three seemed to go on for a few minutes before the camera shut off for a commercial. Murderer. They didn't see her like that, right? A murderer. Zoey placed her hand on her chest to balance her shaky breathing. Her eyes felt as if they would burst from the despair that consumed her. The air around her seemed twiglike as she sucked in and out. I didn't kill them. Mom maybe, but I didn't kill that old woman, I didn't kill... Amire. She placed both her hands on her face in agony. What happened to Hemmingway? When did she die? How? Was it after they left? Zoey knew the situation was bad, but she never imagined the extent of this terror.

"Ohh god," She continued to stammer as she spoke. Sweat had completely consumed every surface area of her face. If it wasn't for this situation, Zoey would've feared that her hair would draw up. But it was this situation. She... killed, no she was known for killing three people. "Same thing is it not?" The sound of a soft voice appeared in her head. Although it was soft, it was enough to send Zoey over the edge. "No, no, no, no!" Her voice strained as more and more words came out of her mouth. It couldn't be back, not now, not ever. Zoey's eyes felt like they were bound to burst out of her head. I have to hide. I have to l-

~ring~

The sound of the doorbell stole the woman's attention.