Come In

The rhythmic sound of my trainers hitting the ground was almost hypnotic. My arms pumped at my sides as my laboured breath practically drowned out the peaceful sound of the woods I had recently started using for my runs. The mornings were still cold enough to show my breath as I ran and I could feel my bare legs had broken out in goosebumps. 

I narrowed my eyes as I caught sight of the tree that marked the halfway point of my run. At this point, I always pushed myself, so I urged my body on and picked up speed. My shoes continued to beat the uneven ground as every stride brought me closer to the tree. My breath was rasping in my throat as I pushed my body for every additional step. 

Triumph overcame me as I passed the tree. My pace slowed to a walk and I leaned back, resting my hands on my waist and fought to control my breathing. The cold air filled my lungs and I closed my eyes against the morning sun. I could hear the birds in the trees whistling alongside the faint hammering of my heart. I smiled to myself as I enjoyed the rush of endorphins. 

My eyes snapped open as I slipped slightly on a patch of mud. The woods seemed darker. My pace slowed as I looked around before stopping completely. Up ahead was a house. One I had never seen before. “What the,” I said out loud. I must have run this route a dozen times and had never seen it before. 

The walls of the house were covered in moss and vines, giving it a decrepit look. The roof was sunken on one side and several tiles were missing. The two windows at the front were dirty, almost to the point of being opaque. The worst part was its placement amongst the trees left it covered in a deep shadow, as if the house was draining the light. 

I stepped off the path, towards the blistered door, as if drawn to it. My heart continued to hammer in my chest. A thick mist seeped out between my lips and my whole body broke out in goosebumps. The air was freezing. I instinctively crossed my arms and began to shiver. Yet, curiosity overwhelmed me. I continued to approach the house, one step at a time. 

A twig snapped in the woods, making me jump. I let out a sigh and looked around, surprised at how far from the path I had come. The dilapidated house loomed over me. I stepped over to one of the windows and cupped my hands and peered through the tarnished glass. It was hard to make out, but slowly my eyes adjusted to the gloom. A living room, long since abandoned, came into view. A sofa, tattered and frayed. A coffee table, blistered and peeling. I could make out other details. A picture frame lying face down. A mug, missing its handle, lying on the floor. A lamp without a shade and a broken bulb. As I took it all in I noticed something moving out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head in time to see a shadow moving across the doorway.  

I gasped and stepped backwards, nearly tripping over a branch that lay half-rotting on the ground. My eyes darted between the door and the window. Surely there couldn’t be anyone living here. It was just a shadow, I told myself as I tried to get my breathing under control for the second time today. My gaze fell back on the door and lingered. I noticed all of the details. The peeling paint, the tarnished doorknob, the half-open letter box. I felt myself take a tentative step towards it. Then another, and another. 

A nagging feeling cried out in the back of my mind. What happened to the birds? The sounds of the woods that I enjoyed on my morning runs had all but disappeared, leaving nothing besides the faint sound of the wind in the trees and the beating of my heart. As I stopped to listen, a sense of dread overcame me. The beating was irregular. Striking almost completely out of rhythm and at different volumes. With horror, I realised that it wasn’t just my heartbeat I could hear, but a deeper, slower one overlaid with my own. 

I looked back at the door, ominously closer than it had been mere moments ago. My mouth went dry as I realised it was flexing in its frame. Pulsating with the slow beat emitting from the house. The air had turned thick and oppressive and the house loomed over me as if coiled to strike. Every instinct told me to run, but I felt inexplicably drawn to the house. The door continued to palpitate as a low groan escaped the house as I took a step towards it, my hand outstretched. 

Tears welled in my eyes and my back was slick with sweat. My tongue felt fat and heavy in my mouth, like I had been eating sand. I realised I was whimpering slightly and swallowed, but couldn’t clear the lump in my throat. My fingers inched closer to the doorknob. A charge lept out, shocking me and making me draw my hand back. I licked my lips and reached out again. 

Before I could close my hand around the knob a loud crashing sound came from inside the house, causing me to jump back. Whatever influence the house had on me broke in an instant. I stepped back from the door, terror gripping me, before turning towards the path. I stumbled over the debris strewn across the ground, my heart threatening to erupt from my chest The distance to the path was far shorter than it had previously seemed and as I reached it my pace quickened to an all-out sprint. I desperately glanced back over my shoulder at the rapidly fading house as I ran towards home, giving me my fastest run time yet.