One Dare, One Weekend

[Sleipnir]

One Dare, One Lighthouse, One Weekend.

That's all it was supposed to be. A fun little dare. I mean, it's the coast of the Great Lakes: Every lighthouse has a "haunted" story attached to it, right? Some are even creepy enough to pull off the vibe.

So yeah, of course your friends would make a dare when the conversation came up. One long weekend in the local "haunted" lighthouse. You even got a couple friends to join you. There's four of you total. Of course none of you could say no -- I mean, what's the likelihood, right? Nothing could happen. You just look like a coward. Ghosts aren't real!

...Except, they are. Black hair, bright eyes, black heart. He looks like any other boy. He doesn't act like it, though. They call him a poltergeist. He was killed in that lighthouse, and some said his spirit never left. It didn't.

And you happen to be a trespasser.

Upon the first night, the doors close tight and the windows lock shut. There's no escape for the weekend, and even if you got out, no one would believe you saw him. You can't bale.

Just... Hope the candles don't go out, yeah?

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@minokawa Do you want the first post?

 

[Sleipnir]

"Ugh. It's even creepier up close," Shannon lifted her eyes up the rough white exterior of the ancient lighthouse. You could almost feel a cold draft from inside, and from here, it was obvious the door wasn't fit to shut or open properly: It hung off one hinge, hanging slightly ajar and just barely revealing the interior of the keeper's quarters. Hesitating, the teenaged girl walked up to the door, looking back at her three companions. "Well, you coming? It's not that bad!" she bluffed, glancing anxiously behind her as though she expected a serial killer of some sort to attack her.


On the stairs sat a boy: Messy black hair, bright green eyes, wearing an old-fashioned vest suit and a pocket watch on a necklace. He looked up when he heard the voices at the door, standing slowly. Bael Julius Lake was his name. He didn't move toward them. It was already getting dark: He'd have his fun with them once it was night. He backed up the stairs slightly. He was the lighthouse poltergeist, and at that moment, he was certain he'd kill them all.


@minokawa

 

[minokawa]

"You sure this is a good idea?" Blake muttered, head turned down and eyes glancing up to the lighthouse. "You know what, I think I still have that essay to finish," she said, turning to go.


"Ah ah ah, Blake," Cole drawled, grabbing her by the hood. "You were all for it the other week. You're going in first," he said, smirking smugly. He was the only one who seemed remotely calm about it. Though really, you could never tell with Cole.


Blake swore under her breath. "Fine, fine. Let's just get this over with," she retorted. She sucked all the breath she could into her lungs, puffed her chest out a little, and walked in. The floor creaked eerily under her sneakers. She winced at the sound. Cole slung their bag over his shoulder and followed.


"God, the windows are so grimy. Barely any light's coming in..." she said, her voice echoing slightly.


"I dunno," Cole replied, one hand tucked laxly into a pocket. "I think it kinda looks pretty. Y'know, in a dark, creepy kind of way," he turned to look at Blake and Shannon with that stupid crooked smile of his. Blake gave him an exasperated look.

 

[Sleipnir]

Shannon gave a sheepish smile, then stepped in. In places, she could barely see where there were boards broken in the floor. "Watch your step," she advised. "The floor's a mess. Like, look at it - where'd the boards even go?" She looked around, noting the moth-knawed window-covers and the furniture. They'd never removed it. "We can sleep in the living room," she said nervously. It seemed... less objectable. She eased her way into it, surveying it. The kitchen was across from her, and a few things still remained, including a kettle that was in surprisingly good condition, all things considered. The couch was thrown over and was actually leaning sideways against the wall. She turned, looking up the staircase to the upper level of the house. The staircase leading to the actual lighthouse tower was on the other side of the house - that's where Bael was. She looked at her friends. A second boy had followed her in and was now on the bottom step, looking up as well.


"They say that the kid died up there," he said, grinning at is friends. He looked out from under his messy blond hair. "You know, the boy they say's still around? I heard that they threw his body in the basement."


Shannon scoffed. "No! They buried him! His grave's outside!"

 

[minokawa]

"Well, the grave could easily be empty," remarked Cole. "To throw people off. Stop any investigations. You never know," he said, shrugging.


"You two do know that you don't have to make this stupid dare any scarier, right? God, this is how horror movies start..." Blake trailed off. "What time is it?" she asked her friends. Whether she liked it or not, the sun would set eventually, and she didn't want to even go through sunset without turning a light on.


Cole shrugged. "5 or 6? Did anyone even bring a watch?"

 

[Sleipnir]

Shannon held up a pocket watch necklace she had brought along for exactly this purpose. "It's... Close to 7:00, actually," she said. "Me and Jason brought candles and lanterns and stuff. We should light them." She began moving along the room, hurrying when she passed rooms, pausing just long enough to close the doors. She put the candles and clip-on flashlights in strategic places, minimizing shadows and making the room as bright as she could.


She looked at the propped up couch. "How about we get that on the ground? I brought my portable chargers for the phones," she added. She wondered if the others were thinking what she was: How had the couch ended up on the wall like that?

 

[minokawa]

Cole placed the bag gingerly on the floor; he had brought a portable dvd player in the hopes of entertaining himself. He walked over to the couch to right it. "Eugh, oh God," he blurted upon touching it. "It's all old and moldy," he said, shaking his hands and trying to brush the sensation off of them. He shuddered


Blake managed a little chuckle. "Jesus Cole, just bring the couch down. We've got hand sanitizers." While Cole simultaneously brought the couch down and moaned on about how moldy it was, Blake wen around looking at what was left of the furniture. Everything was old and rotting, of course. But Cole was right: there was a certain beauty to it.


There was a loud thud and quite a bit of creaking. Blake whipped around, thinking Cole had broken a hole into the floor. Cole was standing next to the now upright couch, not even trying to conceal the disgust in his expression.


"God, Cole, be more careful. If you fall into a hole, we're not going to get you, you know?" She reached into the bag and tossed the hand sanitizer to him.


"Yeah, well I haven't yet. Do we have sheets or something? Like a picnic blanket? I have no idea what disgusting things live in that couch and I don't want to know."

 

[Sleipnir]

Jason held up his bag. "Blankets and pillows were my job," the blond boy said cheerfully. "Can someone find a board to put over that hole? It would be bad if someone rolled an ankle or something, you know?" He began covering the floors and couch with the blankets he had brought.


Shannon sat down on the floor. "So, what about sleeping? Do we wanna take shifts, or sleep during the day, or sleep at night...?" She then glanced at the kitchen. "...And I mean, the place is creepy, but I have questions. Like, look at that kettle compared to everything else. Why's it so... I dunno, nice? I mean, it looks like it's still used."

 

[minokawa]

"No matter how much I'd like to sleep, I'm sure I won't be able to," Blake said, sitting down beside Shannon rather gingerly so as not to fall through the boards. "Shifts sound good, though."


"Wait, so we're sleeping on the floor?" Cole asked incredulously. He was definitely beyond breaking his cool, smug attitude. "With just sheets to separate us from the floor?"


"What were you expecting? A four-poster bed with a mosquito screen?" Blake asked sarcastically. "I'm sure if there are any in this house, it'd be as moth eaten and moldy as the couch, your highness."


Cole crossed his arms and pouted. He hesitantly came to sit on the floor with them. "So what are we doing while we're here? Huh? Are we just gonna sit here and wait for the weekend to be over?"


Blake ignored his haughtiness. She turned to the kettle; she could just see it's dull shine through the doorway. "Surely no one lives here... right?" she asked, a shiver going down her spine. Cole twitched in the corner of her eye.

 

[Sleipnir]

Jason shook his head. "Surely not. If someone lived here, they'd have it in better shape than this," he insisted, sitting down. Then he grinned. "...But they do say someone's not living here."


Shannon glared at him. "Stop it! Ghosts aren't real!"

 

[minokawa]

Despite his irritability, Cole managed a little laugh at "not living."


Blake mindlessly zipped and unzipped her jacket; a nervous habit. "Well I've never seen one but... I dunno. It's just, don't you feel like we're not alone?" She shook her head, "Sorry, now I just sound dumb."


"Yes. You do," Cole said matter-of-factly "Of course we're not alone, Blake. There's me, Shannon, and Jason." Though he said this, Blake noticed him fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves.

 

[Sleipnir]

Shannon looked at her phone, checking the weather app for sunset.


They were pretty much at it.


Jason glanced over his shoulder. "Well — in a place like this I see where Blake is coming from, but your mind plays tricks on ya when you're in a creepy place like this."

 

[minokawa]

"Yes." Cole said, staring up at the ceiling. "For all you know, you yourself are a trick of the mind." Blake rolled her eyes at him. Blake pulled out her own phone, just to have something to do.


Cole reached into the bag for food.


"So... when's sunset?" asked Blake, looking at Shannon over her phone

 

[Sleipnir]

"Right now," she responded nervously, looking out the window. She could see the light fading rapidly over the Great Lake. She made no effort to hide her anxiety now.


"Aw, come on!" She turned to see Jason was glaring at his phone. He looked at the others and held it up. "The phone started acting stupid and just turned off. I was at, like, 85% with the battery! What the Hell?"


(Won't be long now ;3)

 

[minokawa]

Blake looked at them with wide eyes. She looked down at her own phone. No matter how hard she pressed the on button, it wouldn't even do so much as flicker.


"Now what!?" Cole nearly shrieked, his voice cracking and high-pitched. "God dammit, I know this was a bad idea," he whimpered, tugging on his hood.


(//shrieks)

 

[Sleipnir]

Shannon looked around, pulling out one of the clip-on flashlights - more of a bar of light than anything, like a newer version of a lantern. You know the ones. She noted it flickering a couple times, but to her relief, the lights didn't flicker out.


Yet.


She didn't look over to see him, but leaning against the staircase, just outside the circle of light, was Bael Julius Lake, watching the quartet with unhidden amusement in his bright green eyes. The boy had no intention of making quick work of them: Teens on a dare were always the most fun. They had the best reactions, after all.

 

[minokawa]

(sorry I took so long ;; we had to go out today)


"Quit your whimpering, Cole!" Blake hissed, her voice shaking. Cole tried his best to shut up. She and the others sat quiet for a few seconds, listening, though not a sound came from any corner of the lighthouse.


"Try moving the light around," she whispered to Shannon. Why she was whispering she had no idea; it just didn't feel safe to talk aloud. They weren't alone. She knew that now.

 

[Sleipnir]

Carefully, Shannon moved the flashlight, face pale. She wan't sure whether knowing what was in the dark was any better than pretending it wasn't there. She tentatively moved around, never getting too far away from her friends. She almost missed him altogether, gasping and jumping back when she saw the boy leaning over the finely carved wooden railing on the staircase. She put the light to her side for a moment, shutting it off and leaving everything beyond their circle of light dark. Then she took a deep breath, and with shaking hands, we carefully turned the light back on and held it out.


He leaned over the rails casually, as though he was used to this: One arm draped over, the other elbow propped against the wood, the back of his hand resting under his chin. Above that, a sadistic sort of grin, obviously pleased with the fear. He had sharp facial features, and shockingly green eyes. His hair was black and messy, and he wore an old-fashioned vest suit - a clear signal that he had, indeed, been the boy who died here at the turn of the century. "Now, I wonder how much trespassing laws have changed." He spoke with a cold tone. "Culture back in the day said that we could shoot any rats in the feed, but... I don't have a gun. So I'll just have to get a bit... creative."


Suddenly, in a maelstrom, the doors clicked and the windows that had been left half-open slammed down. The lights flickered in an almost strobe-light esque effect, and within moments, only a faint rattling and the candles remained.

 

[minokawa]

Cole whimpered again, tugging his hood well over his eyes. Despite her fear, Blake was surprised at the fact that Cole didn't make a remark about being called a rat.


Cole turned to her, his eyes wide and fearful. "What do we do now?" they seemed to say.


"Y-you... You don't really intend to... to kill us, do you?" she asked tentatively, shakily.

 

[Sleipnir]

Suddenly, he was behind her, the freezing essence of both hands on her shoulders and a cold breath at her ear. "What else would I do? Host a little tea party?" He scoffed, and suddenly was gone again, dropping into the shadows.


Shannon backed up, looking at Jason, who cursed quietly. "I knew this was a bad idea. I knew it."


(It's fine that you were on a bit late today, by the way -- I live in the United States and, being really crappy with time zones, I'm assuming my morning - that is, when I'm on - and your afternoon are when we're on together. So if you're a little late, I'm probably still just waking up and/or out feeding the animals. :3 sorry if my failing to respond seemed standoffish or something, it hadn't occurred to me that it might xD )

 

[minokawa]

(No no, it didn't ;u; and since you're in the states, it's actually like a 12 am-12pm thing, so your morning is my night)


"T-tea parties are nice..." stammered Cole, wishing he'd never said anything.


Blake was still shivering from the poltergeist's cold touch. "What do you want from us?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.


Sent from my MediaPad 7 Lite using Tapatalk

 

[Sleipnir]

Then there was his sharp, cold laugh. Shannon and Jason both flinched. Never had either of them expected a laugh to sound so... angry. Then he replied. They both looked around, trying to find him again. "What could you give me?" he scoffed. "I'm dead."


Then he was near Blake again, this time in front of her, staring her dead in the eye. "The dead don't want anything. Except maybe some peace and quiet." He was gone again.


"Then we'll leave!" Jason cut in readily.


"And what -- let it slip why you left early? If you live, someone will find out, and ghost chasers from all over the world will be in here." Bael's disembodied voice echoed off the walls.

 

[minokawa]

"But you don't have to be in here!" she said, half-regretting it as the words left her mouth. She shrank back, just a little.


"We won't tell anyone, we swear!" Cole jumped in. Blake pulled him back.


"You're still here..." she said, her voice soft, but it carried through nonetheless. "All these years, and you're still in here. Why?" She tried to keep her voice steady. Her expression softened just a little. "Why?"


She knew speaking to the poltergeist was a risk, but in this situation, who's to say what wouldn't be?

 

[Sleipnir]

There was a very long silence. The poltergeist didn't respond for more than five minutes.


He had never been asked that question before and never had he been so at a loss. Suddenly, after awhile, he grew angry at his attempts to conjure an answer and the couch was thrown across the room.


The poltergeist was then standing where the couch had been. "The lighthouse still needs a keeper," he snapped. "They never sent anyone."

 

[minokawa]

Blake stiffened at the sound of the couch hitting the opposite wall, the crash sending bits of splinters flying. She turned to the poltergeist. "Then let us. Let me," she said, her voice catching. "I know that there's no reason to trust me, and I understand why you'd be terribly hesitant to trust me..." she trailed, thinking of words to say. Cole simply sat wide-eyed on his butt, proving more useful staying quiet than opening his quivering little mouth.


"Tell you what, I'll tell you about myself. The story of me and how I, for some strange twist of fate, ended up here. I don't know if it'll lessen your wariness of me, but... I dunno. Then maybe you could open up to us. Tell us how you came to be... here," she said, nudging her foot forward an inch. "Who knows, maybe we could even make you laugh a little."


"A-and I've got movies..." Cole stammered stupidly.


"Y...Yeah, and Cole has movies," she replied, glancing at her friend. "They're um... pretty... cool, I guess."