That's Where Aurabelle Lives

Chapter 9: The Haunting Silence

"Ethan, what's wrong with Anya?" Lisa gasps, rushing to her side.

"I don't know," Ethan replies, his voice filled with concern. "Do we call the police or just leave her?"

Lisa frowns. "Are you crazy! Call the police! We can't just leave her here."

"What if they think we did something?" Ethan stutters. "We can't just tell them why we're here. They'll think we're crazy. Want to tell the cops we're ghost hunting because there's something wrong with our friend?"

Lisa takes out her phone and quickly dials emergency services, panic seizing her heart as she struggles to explain the situation to the operator. As Lisa looks up from the phone, the room seems to grow darker, the shadows swirling and dancing around them.

"Lisa, we need to get Anya to her room," Ethan says, his voice urgent. "We have to put her in bed until help arrives."

Together, they carefully lift Anya and carries her to her bedroom, laying her on the bed with as much care as they could manage. Lisa adjusts the pillows while Ethan pulls the covers up to Anya's chin. As they stand by her bedside, a sense of unease settles over them, the room feeling colder and more oppressive by the second.

"Should we stay with her until help arrives?" Lisa asks, her voice trembling.

Ethan hesitates, the silence of the house pressing in on them. "I don't know, Lisa. This all feels...weird. Something doesn't feel like. And I feel kinda...dizzy."

Lisa holds him by the wrist. "You're going to be okay! Just hang in there. The cops are 4 minutes away."

As they debated their next move, the floor beneath them began to tremble, the low rumble growing into a deafening roar sounding like voices beneath them hollering. The lights flicker and dim, casting the room into an ominous half-light. Lisa clutches Ethan's arm, her nails digging into his skin as they both looked around in terror.

"What's happening, Ethan? This isn't right," she cries, her voice barely audible over the cacophony of sound.

"We need to get out of here, now!" Ethan shouts, his heart pounding in his chest. Grabbing Lisa's hand, he led her through the darkened hallway towards the front door. As they reached the entrance, the ground beneath them heaves violently, throwing them off balance. With a sickening crack, the windows shattered, glass raining down around them as they stumbled out into the night.

Gasping for breath, they stagger onto the lawn, their eyes wide with shock and fear. It was then that they heard the distant wail of sirens, and a moment later, a police car pulled up in front of the house.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" the officer asks as he steps out of the car, shining a flashlight at Ethan and Lisa.

"Officer, someone passed out inside the house, and we got stuck," Ethan explains, his voice shaky with fear.

The officer nods, his expression grave. "I'll go in and check it out. You two stay here."

Ethan and Lisa watch in silence as the officer entered the house, the beam of his flashlight cutting through the darkness. Moments pass, and then the officer emerges, a puzzled look on his face.

"There's no one in the bed, and the house is empty," he says, his voice tinged with confusion.

"That can't be," Lisa whispers, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Ethan stumbles over his words as he tries to explain. "Officer, we... we were just exploring. We didn't mean any harm. But there's a woman inside—Anya Walters. She passed out, and we were trying to help her."

The officer's expression hardens. "Anya Walters? That's impossible. This house has been empty for years. Anya Walters died from a sickness a long time ago. I know because I did the crime scene before we realized she died from natural causes."

Ethan and Lisa exchanges bewildered glances. "But we saw her! She was lying on the floor, unconscious," Lisa insisted, her voice trembling.

The officer regarded them with suspicion before radioing for backup. Within minutes, another patrol car arrived, and after a thorough search of the house, the officers confirmed that it was indeed vacant. Ethan and Lisa were escorted back to the police station for further questioning, their minds reeling with confusion and fear.

As they sat in the dimly lit interview room, the reality of the situation began to sink in. "Ethan, I don't understand. What did we see in that house? Who... or what was it?" Lisa whispers, her eyes wide with apprehension.

Ethan shook his head, his thoughts a whirlwind of uncertainty. "I don't know, Lisa. But it wasn't natural. There's something deeply wrong. I don't know what to do."

After what felt like an eternity, the officers informed them that they would be driven home. As they stepped out of the station, the night was eerily quiet, the world cloaked in an unsettling stillness. Lisa's phone suddenly rings, and she glanced at the caller ID with a frown.

"It's Sarah," she said, her voice wavering.

Ethan's eyes widens in alarm. "Maybe now isn't the time to answer."

"What! She's been unconscious," Lisa says before answering the call. "Sarah? Sarah are you okay?"

"Hey," Sarah says in a faint voice, barely vocal.

"Are you...okay?" Lisa asks.

"Can we...meet with each other tomorrow? And...uh...Ethan? I would like to see you both."

She talked slow. As if she had to think about each word and what she was saying. Lisa was nearly in tears. "Yes! Yes we can meet. We miss you so much. You won't believe the night we've had."

The phone abruptly hangs up.

"Sarah?" Lisa says.

Ethan looks at Lisa with concern. "You...you think it's her?"

Lisa buried her head into her hands. "I want to believe it's our friend. But...I just don't know. Weird things have been happening. I wish we never went in that house."

Ethan rubs her shoulder, giving her some sort of reassurance. "We'll get our friend back. Sarah is going to be just fine..."