House Trap

Chapter Ten: Nicolas

The faded jeans and the beige, elaborate design T-shirt, most likely from a high-end store, felt a bit tight on Rachel, but that wasn't what really bothered her. Her dispirited thoughts were more on wearing a dead person's clothes. Rachel felt weird wearing Alicia's clothes as she gazed at her reflection in the ovate mirror.  Her glasses lay on the top dresser. Besides her brown eyes, Rachel couldn't recognize the face that reflected back at her. After drying her disheveled hair and washing her face twice at the sink in Alicia's restroom, she still looked like a girl that has been in the wilderness who hadn't eaten for days. She was surprised how many bruises she bore from her face to her neck. The constant fear and fright had taken a toll on her face, leaving it with dark patches underneath her eyes and somewhat saggy face that made her look older than she actually was. She has been through a lot in the last couple of hours. Taking her glasses away from the dresser, she placed it back on her face and walked away from the mirror. She then surveyed the second landing before leaving Alicia's room. With cautious footsteps she arrived at Amy's room. She saw Amy had already changed. She too wore jeans with a garden-pink shirt embroidered with red roses.

"Come on, we need to get going," Rachel said, extending her hand and she took it. 

"Where?" she asked. "He could be anywhere."

"I don't know," Rachel confessed. "But we somehow need to get to that monitor and unlock the house trap."

Rachel gingerly checked the second landing and stepped out. She wondered where Scott had gone to. She hadn't heard or seen him since his vicious banging at the door. In retrospect, knowing where he was at was much better and less dreadful than not knowing at all. She feared he might pop out of nowhere and kill her and Amy.

"Where could he be?" Amy whispered at Rachel.

"I don't know," Rachel whispered back. "We have to be aware of our surroundings, okay?"

Rachel and Amy stood at the head of the stairs while still on the second landing as Rachel took a peek downstairs. Nervously, Rachel bit her lower lip and took a step down on the stairs when Amy tagged her shirt.

"I'm scared; I don't think we should go downstairs," Amy said.

"Why?" Rachel's eyebrows narrowed at her, concerned.

 "I just have a bad feeling about going downstairs, that's all," Amy replied, gazing at the stairs like some type of monster lurked ahead. Rachel thought for a second. She could be right; he might be waiting for us downstairs. He probably knows that our only chance to get out of here is to get to the monitor.

Rachel took her away from the stairs and closed to the door of the room that Rachel remembered to be the music room.

"Look, Amy, everything is going to be okay. We just need—" before Rachel could  finished what she wanted to say, the music room door beside them opened and someone in the shadow stood there. Rachel veered her head to see who it was as she heard Amy scream, "It's him!" Before Amy or Rachel could do anything, Scott thrust Amy hard against the wall. Her little body now lay on the carpet, motionless.

"Amy...Amy!" Rachel screamed, rushing toward her body but Scott gripped both of her arms.