The Basement

“What’s in there?” I curiously asked the real estate agent, pointing at the tightly closed door. It was just a few steps away from the kitchen countertop.
My middle-aged mother and the lady, both wearing corporate outfits, turned to look at me. The latter gave me a tight smile. She had reddish hair, freckled cheeks, pale skin, and a voluptuous body.
“Oh! It’s nothing. It’s just... uh... part of the interior design of the kitchen,” she said. Her gray eyes widened. “You see, it’s right across the kitchen door. It’s like a mirror.” She gestured behind me, and I followed the movement of her hand.
I tilted my head sideways, still finding it weird. My mom and I didn’t see it in the pictures posted on the real estate’s website.
The bathroom door was on my right, while the hallway toward the living room was on my left. Upstairs were a couple of bedrooms and another bathroom.
The house was a typical modern style painted in white with a red roof, but it was small with a huge lawn and a backyard. It had no fence surrounding it. Our neighbors were like two hundred meters away.
Or more. And I found it... lonely. Somehow.
Since my father died a month ago, he left a huge debt that we inherited, and my mother had to sell everything we owned. No more luxury for us, especially for my sister. And not only that, but we also had to move to a cheaper-cost-of-living city—or rather town. Besides, my mom was transferred here as an ad campaign manager from their head office in New York—and so here we are in Tennessee.
“Hmm... that’s quite unusual,” my mother murmured to the realtor named Lycia, who looked older than her. “But I find the place quite cozy, and it’s good enough for us three. I’ll sign the papers right away.”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak. We’ve seen all the parts of the house, anyway. It was spotless, and the furniture was all new.
“You can never get a better bargain than this house, Mrs. Craig. It’s sold way cheaper than the other properties we offer on the market. The previous owners, a family, are just... uh... desperate to sell it. Like you, they have to move to another city. That’s just life, isn’t it?” the realtor explained quickly, with a small smile on her maroon-painted lips.
“Right,” my mom agreed with a nod.
“Mom! Can I not share the room with Wrenna?” My sixteen-year-old sister Wynslow bounded down the stairs. She came up to us, flipping her past-shoulder blonde hair. Her blue eyes, like mine, pleaded with our mother. She looked girlier than I am and was two years older than me. She always wore a dress, whereas I liked jeans, jumpers, and shirts.
“No!” Mom said firmly, with a warning tone and look in her eyes. She then left the kitchen together with the realtor to go to the living room and sign the papers.
I stuck my tongue out at my sister. She gave me a haughty look. Then her eyes were pulled by the brown-painted door next to the sink. She sauntered toward it and held the doorknob, turning it. However, it didn’t open.
“It’s just a decoration,” I informed her nonchalantly and turned to leave her. “I’ll go get my things from the truck,” I told her, referring to the movers’ vehicle, throwing a look over my shoulder.
Wynslow seemed to be hypnotized by the door, but I just ignored it and left her.

***

I came downstairs to the kitchen, dragging my feet. I woke up feeling parched in the middle of the night. I scratched my throat and froze when I heard a knocking sound coming from that door. My heart thumped against my chest, and my eyes went round. But curiosity got the best of me. I hastily turned on the kitchen light, and the knocking stopped. Reluctantly, though, I slowly approached the door. With prayers in mind and shallow, fast breathing, I slowly lifted my hand to hold the knob and turn it.
My mouth gaped open, and my heart beat even faster than before.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
I literally jumped when I heard Wynslow’s voice behind me. I turned to look at her, oblivious to something dark creeping out of the door that was slightly ajar. It was right at our feet, but we didn’t notice anything.
“It’s open!” I informed my sister.
Her beautiful face turned sour. “Yeah, right!”
I turned to look at the door again but found it locked.
That’s weird! I thought.

***

“I won’t be back until midnight, ladies. I’m sorry. You’ll have to be on your own ‘til then. I have a lot to finish at the office for the transition,” our mom informed us during breakfast.
Her long dark hair was tightly pulled into a neat bun; her slightly angular face was prominent, showing off her almond-shaped eyes, long nose, and thin lips. We got her features, except for the hair that my sister and I got from our father.
I sighed when I remembered him. Without our knowledge, he got addicted to gambling in the casino. We hated and missed him at the same time.
When Mom left, my sister sat in front of the TV, and I was left in the kitchen to do the dishes.
Urgh! Where’s the dishwasher when you need one?
Despite the running water from the faucet, I heard a creaking door open. I went still and slowly moved my eyes to glance at that mysterious door. It was that door that made a sound.
“Wynslow!” I hollered at my sister a few times, in a panicked voice.
I heard her coming. “Wha—,” she said irritably, not able to finish speaking. Her jaw fell, looking at the now wide-open mysterious door. “I wonder what’s inside...” she muttered, walking towards it.
I held my sister’s hand. “No! We don’t know what’s in there!”
She turned to look at me. “Duh! That’s why we’re going to check it out!”
I hesitated for a moment, but I still held her hand. She continued to walk, and I moved my feet, too.
When we were right at the open doorway, we could not see anything as it was pitch dark. Wynslow felt the wall on the right and found the switch. The light flooded into the room. We realized it was the basement!
Why didn’t the realtor know about this basement? Wasn’t it in the blueprint? Well, I kinda know that stuff since my father was an architect.
We followed the stairs, and we found the basement empty. We sighed simultaneously, and I let go of my sister’s hand.
“I told you last night that the door was open!”
“Yeah, yeah. But how come it opened by itself?”
“I don’t know!” I shrugged and shook my head.
“I think I’ll make this my room,” she said excitedly.
I looked at her like she grew another head on her shoulders. “Mom won’t agree with you! How can you—”
Both of us covered our ears when a loud ringing assaulted our ears. The light went off, and the door banged shut. We both panicked and held each other’s hand.
“What’s happening, Wyn?” I asked with a trembling voice.
“I don’t know, Wrenn! Let’s get outta here!” She tried to drag me toward the direction of the stairs.
The basement suddenly grew cold, and we couldn’t see anything. It was like countless hands were holding us in place. The humid air grew thick, suffocating us, and it reeked of rotting... I wasn’t really sure, but maybe something like rotting flesh?
My sister and I both screamed at the top of our lungs.
“There’s no escape!” A feminine but monster-like voice growled, sending goosebumps all over our bodies. “Thanks to my ever-loyal servant Lycia. She keeps feeding me and my children fresh, innocent humans. We’ll devour your bodies and souls for eternity!”
Wynslow and I kept screaming and flailing while her evil laugh seemed to echo throughout the entire basement. We tried to get away, but the hands seemed to turn into icky mouths with sharp, big teeth! They started biting our legs, and we could feel our flesh being forcefully torn from our bodies.
The torturous pain was too much for us to bear! I felt my sister and me being lowered to the cold floor, and those sharp teeth that we couldn’t see continued to devour us.
My sister and I continued groaning and screaming in agony.
“Don’t worry. Your mother’s next!” said the evil voice and laughed.
Then all I could smell was the mixture of our blood and that indescribable stench.
There’s no escape... We’re going to die here. Oh, God... please take care of our mom!
My last tears rolled down my cheeks, and I felt the invisible sharp teeth sink into them and mercilessly tear them away from me...
 

The end