House of Horrors : Room 2

Room 2: The Nursery

HA HA! WRONG CHOICE. GAME OVER.

A chilling Joker-like laughter came from the TV. Tim was at it again with his ridiculous video games. It was nearly midnight; way past his bedtime.

With a sigh, I got up from my desk and switched off the TV. This resulted in a scream from Tim. “DAAAAAAD! I had almost completed the mission. You ruin everything.”

The last sentence made my heart drop. Annie's death hit me hard, leaving me on my own to bring up our eight year old son, Tim, in her family home.

“Tim, son, it's time for bed.” I said flatly. “No excuses.”

Timmy groaned but didn't say anything as I picked him up and carried him to his bedroom. The stairs creaked with every step I took, making me wonder how old this house was…

Nevermind. Not important.

Tucking Timmy into his pillow-covered bed, I pulled his Bob the Builder blanket right up to his shoulders.

“Daddy, I'm not sleepy…” He murmured. “Read me a story. Please?”

I sighed again, rubbing his cheek lightly, “Tim, I've got tons of paperwork left to do…Goodnight son.”

Saying that, I made my way downstairs back to my desk.

A few minutes later, I heard the grandfather clock in the living room ring. Ding dong, ding dong. Twelve times. Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong… AAAAAAAAAAAH!

On the twelfth tick came screams of my son's voice. A tremble crept through my body. This wasn't any ordinary wail… Timmy never screamed like this.

With a newfound energy, I ran to the kitchen to grab the sharpest knife my hands could find. As stealthily as I could, I made my way up to my son's room. The room was nearly pitch black barring certain areas where the moonlight fell softly. I went near his bed.

Tim's eyes were wide as saucers. “D-dad, there's someone… there's someone under my bed. He looks just like me! Dad I'm so scared. Are we going to die?”

My heart skipped a beat.

Annie had told me about what she saw in the Library. About how it was haunted by her dad's friend's spirit. I didn't expect it to come here too.

I had to be brave.

Holding my breath, I looked beneath Tim's bed. He was right. There was another boy, identical to Tim.

“D-dad, there's someone on my bed… He looks exactly like me. Dad, am I dreaming? Please tell me I'm dreaming! I don't want to die tonight. I'm so scared, daddy.”

I didn't know what to do. All of a sudden, I heard a raspy voice, “You have five seconds to make a choice. Choose wisely.”

My instincts took over me. Going with my gut feeling, I brought the knife up high and slammed it down into the chest of the boy below. Crimson blood oozed out, staining his bright yellow t-shirt and the light in his eyes faded. I blinked and in a second the boy disappeared.

I hoped to God I had made the right choice.

I looked up at little Timmy, his eyes still wide. “Hey Timmy, everything's okay. It was just a dream. Go back to sleep, baby. I love you.”

He nodded and gave me a small smile. “I love you too, dad. Goodnight.”

With another glance at him, I went back to my work. This night didn't happen. I was hallucinating.

 I was halfway done now. I checked my watch. 3:13am. Oh well, looks like another all nighter.

All of a sudden, the TV came on. Tim's deadly video game popped up. Was it just me or did the air get slightly chilly? The same Joker-like laughter rang through the hallway, coming from Tim's room.

Oh no.

I blinked again, and suddenly Tim was in front of me. Only this time, he wasn't the same. Blood, thick like cream trickled down from his eyes. His mouth was stitched with needles, forming an inhuman grin. His heart was replaced by a giant ruby.

“Wrong choice, daddy. Game over.”

-Rtr. Beverly Menezes

Next, the bathroom awaits your arrival...