Sweet Nothings
Planetoid
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2015
Sophie exhaled. While she understood the value of family, her first year of college was turning into such a great time in her life. With new friends, classes that she actually cared about and a strange sense of freedom, all signs pointed towards a blossoming young woman. With the holiday season fast approaching, it was now her duty to return home. Of course Sophie loved her Father. He made sure she kept out of trouble, helped her with school work, and always offered her a few extra dollars when she’d ask to go to the movies with friends. He might have kept a shorter leash than other parents did, but it was for her own good. Or at least that’s how it had always been explained.
Driving the speed limit down familiar roads, getting back was pure muscle memory as she finally ended the three hour drive and pulled into the parking lot at the end of the generic suburban street. After collecting her suit case and back pack she stepped out of her car and locked the door behind her. She punched in a code which immediately sent the garage door up and exposed the empty space where her Father parked. “Ugh, really?” Looking at her watch it was six-thirty. She figured that he would have been home from work by now. Had he forgotten she was coming back today?
Regardless the door from the garage to their home was always unlocked, so she reached for the knob and paused at its refusal to budge. How strange. It took her a moment to fish for her house keys, but eventually she found them and unlocked the door. “Dad, are you home?” Nothing. With a shrug she closed the door and placed her back pack on the kitchen counter. The suitcase was wheeled to her bedroom and thrown on her mattress. It was impressive how he left it the same.
Sophie took a seat on her bed and pulled out her phone. She texted some friends and took to complaining about how dull the house was. Her thumbs typed at a feverish pace that was average for her, “lol, home alone!! why did he even want me back if he’s not even—“ Suddenly, a dull metal clang reverbed nearby. Lowering her screen, the girl stood and peered out her bedroom window. Maybe there was some kind of construction going on. Listening for more, there was nothing. Just as she was prepared to brush the noise off, it came again. Pang!
She left her room, standing in the hall. “Hello?” Pang, pang! The noises were oddly rhythmic, enabling the strangest game of hot and cold to be played. Entering the kitchen the sounds grew dull, yet as she approached her Father’s den it grew louder. His den was always closed. Even with the door open she had always been told to call from the threshold; it was off-bounds. Nervously, she grabbed the handle. If it was a pipe about to burst, surely he’d want her to go in and look, right? Pang!
Taking a deep breath, Sophie turned the knob, closed her eyes, and pushed the door open. It took her a few moments to gather the courage to open her eyes. Nothing. A large mahogany desk, an expensive desktop computer, various awards from work hung on the walls. She was almost calmed by how utterly average it all looked. Stepping in caused the hard wood floor to creak and unleashed a fresh wave of noises. Pang, pang, pang! There wasn’t something wrong with the house, this was something reacting to her movement. Inside the den it was louder than ever, but where was it coming from? Using a keen eye, the girl noticed an odd lump under a portion of the rug. What was that?
Grabbing a corner and pulling back, a large, shimmering hinge was her reward. “What..?” She pulled more of the rug away, revealing an actual trap door. All of her movement must have been telling, the sounds she’d been following grew to a desperate pace. Sophie’s stomach rolled. Why did the door look so new? Why did the noises get louder the closer she got? With her heart in her throat she sank to her knees and wrapped her fingers around the sunken-in handle that looked far too modern for what a trap door ever should. It was heavy; she could hardly even lift it. But the moment an inch of light cracked down into the darkness, Sophie’s greatest fears were revealed. She heard something muffled and writhing around, metal on metal clashing for attention.
What fresh hell was this? The light excited whatever it was down there and she couldn’t ignore it. Prying the door fully open, she located a small set of stairs and stood on the first step down. Whatever was hiding down here gave the girl the impression that it wasn’t a puppy for Christmas.
Driving the speed limit down familiar roads, getting back was pure muscle memory as she finally ended the three hour drive and pulled into the parking lot at the end of the generic suburban street. After collecting her suit case and back pack she stepped out of her car and locked the door behind her. She punched in a code which immediately sent the garage door up and exposed the empty space where her Father parked. “Ugh, really?” Looking at her watch it was six-thirty. She figured that he would have been home from work by now. Had he forgotten she was coming back today?
Regardless the door from the garage to their home was always unlocked, so she reached for the knob and paused at its refusal to budge. How strange. It took her a moment to fish for her house keys, but eventually she found them and unlocked the door. “Dad, are you home?” Nothing. With a shrug she closed the door and placed her back pack on the kitchen counter. The suitcase was wheeled to her bedroom and thrown on her mattress. It was impressive how he left it the same.
Sophie took a seat on her bed and pulled out her phone. She texted some friends and took to complaining about how dull the house was. Her thumbs typed at a feverish pace that was average for her, “lol, home alone!! why did he even want me back if he’s not even—“ Suddenly, a dull metal clang reverbed nearby. Lowering her screen, the girl stood and peered out her bedroom window. Maybe there was some kind of construction going on. Listening for more, there was nothing. Just as she was prepared to brush the noise off, it came again. Pang!
She left her room, standing in the hall. “Hello?” Pang, pang! The noises were oddly rhythmic, enabling the strangest game of hot and cold to be played. Entering the kitchen the sounds grew dull, yet as she approached her Father’s den it grew louder. His den was always closed. Even with the door open she had always been told to call from the threshold; it was off-bounds. Nervously, she grabbed the handle. If it was a pipe about to burst, surely he’d want her to go in and look, right? Pang!
Taking a deep breath, Sophie turned the knob, closed her eyes, and pushed the door open. It took her a few moments to gather the courage to open her eyes. Nothing. A large mahogany desk, an expensive desktop computer, various awards from work hung on the walls. She was almost calmed by how utterly average it all looked. Stepping in caused the hard wood floor to creak and unleashed a fresh wave of noises. Pang, pang, pang! There wasn’t something wrong with the house, this was something reacting to her movement. Inside the den it was louder than ever, but where was it coming from? Using a keen eye, the girl noticed an odd lump under a portion of the rug. What was that?
Grabbing a corner and pulling back, a large, shimmering hinge was her reward. “What..?” She pulled more of the rug away, revealing an actual trap door. All of her movement must have been telling, the sounds she’d been following grew to a desperate pace. Sophie’s stomach rolled. Why did the door look so new? Why did the noises get louder the closer she got? With her heart in her throat she sank to her knees and wrapped her fingers around the sunken-in handle that looked far too modern for what a trap door ever should. It was heavy; she could hardly even lift it. But the moment an inch of light cracked down into the darkness, Sophie’s greatest fears were revealed. She heard something muffled and writhing around, metal on metal clashing for attention.
What fresh hell was this? The light excited whatever it was down there and she couldn’t ignore it. Prying the door fully open, she located a small set of stairs and stood on the first step down. Whatever was hiding down here gave the girl the impression that it wasn’t a puppy for Christmas.