The Hidden : Part 1

Daniel took a depth breath. He sighed a few times when he did not even pack his stuffs while his mom started to nag because of his laziness. He actually hated the way his mother educate him by comparing him with the neighbor's son next door whom she said was so excellent either at school or at home. But he did not care about it anyway. He always knew that he was the best for his mom but because his mom did not want to pamper him much, so his mom used an alternative way to discipline him.

"Daniel, come down already everybody is here!" Mrs Anderson was calling from the living room downstairs.

He sighed again, feeling uninterested at all with the trip his parents planned for him for the whole school holidays. And this time, he will go with his trouble-maker younger brother Dylan who was forced by his dad to go along with him even though Dylan was supposed to attend junior summer camp this year. Luckily he managed to get his cousin Will to join him along rather than spending the 2 weeks trip with his brother who was always putting him into troubles.

"Daniel hurry up!" Mrs Anderson called him again and her voice was louder this time.

"yeah mom i get it alright!" His rebellious attitude came again. For him, it was not an act of rebellious though, but his mom did. For Mrs Anderson, whatever acts that showing disobedience including answering back on her words, were considered rebellious. Sometimes, Daniel just thought that his mother was a dictator in the house. Everyone must follow her rules which means his dad was not exempted. He walked down the stairs with an average backpack in his back, meeting everybody else in the living room with a cheesy smile.

"Hi guys, is everyone ready?" He said, though he knew that everyone was waiting him for half an hour to get ready.

"if you are trying to be funny, just forget it' Dylan the younger brother a bit irritated with his brother who was so dramatic for him especially in handling weird things he'd done.

"So okay, everybody to the car! come guys" David Anderson, the father escorted his boys and Will to his old car he provided for the conveniences of his sons to go to school. This time he let his son Daniel to drive his old car as an agreement with Daniel if he wanted to take Dylan along in the trip.

"Honey, drive safe okay" The mother Rose Anderson was giving last hugs and kisses to her boys before they leaved the house yard. Rose Anderson was a real loving mother but a strict mother in term of disciplining his boys and always making sure his boys will not be involving with bad activities especially in drugs or anything destroying their lives.

Daniel drove the car without saying any words. His brother Dylan played video game in the back while Will was sleeping like the world was no longer existed. It was totally silent inside the car, no one was speaking and even the radio was turned off. The three reached the house near the lake David rented for them to spend the holidays to learn survival skills in the suburban area late in the evening. The 4 hours driving was exhausting but Daniel managed to get his strength back when they reached their destination at last. After parked the car properly, they stood up in front of an empty house or probably an abandoned house which was totally uninteresting for them kinda surprising especially for Dylan who was earlier shouting out loud once they entered the housing area. The old house was full with long grasses, some windows were broken and even the stairs were broken as well. The house was also surrounded by broken vases, old gardener's tools and an unused car. The white colors of the house was faded away that made the house real old and creepy.

"Dad must be kidding right?" Dylan who was earlier excited now has no more appetite to enter the house. He shaken his head few times, he could not believe that his dad rented a house like this for them where they would stay for 2 weeks. He expected a luxurious house with pool to party or at least a sweet beautiful house by the lake where they can see beautiful views every single day.

"lame, suck, old, dumb..."

"Shut up" Said Daniel to his brother. He knew his brother was feeling a bit frustrated because the house they were staying was beyond his expectation but at the same time, he did not want his brother to do stupid things to make things worse. The three later entered the house with a hard feeling. Everyone was silent still when they walked toward the unlocked door of the house.

The house was indeed so mysterious. The living room was empty with no couches or bookshelves. There were only a big framed photo in the wall which was portraying an old man and a lazy chair on the floor. But anyway, the house was so tidy seemed there were tenants leaving in the house. Although it was weirdly empty, the surroundings inside the house was not messy or dirty. The three then went upstairs to unpack after a short house observations plus judgement from Dylan who would not stop swearing because his dad dared to rent such house for them for their summer holidays. Surprisingly, all the rooms were totally nice and furnished. The toilet functioned well but only the wall lamps were lighting the surface. Daniel, unpacked his stuffs and lie down on the bed, typing something on his phone, texting his mom that they reached the house safe and sound, but only a bit shocked with the house condition. Daniel roomed with Dylan even though he refused but Dylan insisted to share the room as he said it could strengthen the siblings bonding.

"Are you guys alright?" Will appeared in the door and without knocking the door, he step into the room, sitting in Daniel's bed and took a snack on the table.

"yeah, we do, I am sorry man, I thought it is a nice house at first.." Said Daniel, feeling a bit guilt for bringing Will to the house in the middle of nowhere .

"It is a nice house! I mean, don't get me wrong, but this house is incredible anyway" Will laughed a bit but not sarcastically though. He loved that house anyway, it was kinda weird but so special for him.

"Alright guys, let find something to eat" Said Dylan. The three got up from the beds and walked down the stairs to the kitchen, unpacking the can foods Rose prepared in the box and they started to prepare their dinner.The three had their dinner that night with long conversations, laughter and jokes. And because everyone was so tired due to the long journey, everyone fell asleep so early.

But Daniel was not having a good night anyway. He awoke in the midnight where everybody else were sleeping very well. He awoke not because Dylan was snoring so loud, but because his stomach was not feeling well since they left home in the morning earlier. Maybe because he drank too much the night before in Dale's party. He woke up from his bed afterwards. The watch in his right hand showed 1am. He yawned few times and then walked out from the room. He entered the wash room when suddenly his ears spot a sound downstairs. A sound which was alike somebody who was walking in the living room. After finishing his business, Daniel bravely came down to see what was in the living room. He took a stake on the wall to use as a self-defense if he encountered thief or someone unknown who would gonna attack him. He slowly step into the living room which was only lighted by the old wall lamps. Over there, he saw a young girl with long hairs, pale face and dressed up nicely in gown. The little girl smiled at him but standing still.

"Hey, why are you here?" Daniel asked the little girl whom was standing in front of him, smiling.

The beautifully pale face little girl did not answering, but walked toward a door next to the staircase instead. Daniel followed the little girl even he scared a bit because he often watched horror movies involving little girls who were basically ghosts or possessed by the unseen. The unknown little girl opened the door next to the staircase and walked in. Daniel saw it was so dark but he took strengths to enter the room as he was so curious on what was happening. Once entering the room, he was thinking that the room was a door to the basement but he did not see anything down there when he turned on the wall lamps to see clearly the staircase. He slowly walked forward while the little girl was still walking 20 meters away from him. He just after her silently as the mysterious little girl was not looking back and she kept moving. Daniel looked behind, the door was 50 meters behind him. He then realized that he was walking in a strange place where he could not understand how possibly that tunnel could exist in that super strange house. Daniel continued stepping which the more he walked forward, the more the pathway was getting clearer and brighter.

"what exactly is this place?" He said depth down in his heart. While walking slowly, Daniel heard someone talked unclear seemed whispering just a step away from him and he was actually approaching the voice. From the voice he heard, he knew that, it was a woman!

"Why are you bringing him here.." Although that soft voice was somewhat creepy enough to make him stopped from stepping more because it was sort of paranormal intervention or something demonic based on the horror films he watched when hearing people talked or whispering in the middle of the night yet in a strange and creepy place like that place he went, his curiosity overcame his fears though. So he continued walking again until he saw someone in white standing in front of him with the little girl next to her. They both were smiling, wearing same dresses and they were both looked alike.

"What is this place? and who are you?" Daniel bravely asked the two mysterious girls while he was still holding the stake he grabbed earlier.

"Why are you here?" The adult girl was asking him back instead of answering his questions.

"I don't know, I saw this little girl in our living room, and then i just follow her here" He answered while pointing to the little girl.

"Are you both real? I mean, I am not dreaming right? " He added. His head was full with curiosity and unanswerable questions right now, so he could not think much.

"If you think that, it is your dream, then it is your dream, but if you think that, it is real, then it is real.." Said the girl with sarcastic smiles.

"I am Melissa anyway, and this is my sister Phoebe"

"But why you both were in gowns? I mean, why are you both here? "

"you ask me two questions without introducing yourself?" Melissa smiled again. Daniel felt amused a little though he knew that he was in a strange and unknown place.

"I am Daniel.." Daniel introduced himself eventually.

"This place is a hiding place. We hid here" Melissa told him that made him more confuse and confuse.

"Hiding place? but why you hide here? I mean, why are you hiding?" Daniel kept questioning because he found it irrelevant.

"We stuck here for years. This place isn't safe too. You have to leave now before he sees you" Melissa asked him to leave. But Daniel did not understand what she talked about.

"Please leave now, he is coming!" Melissa insisted for him to leave.

"But why? who is he?" Daniel unsatisfied with Melissa explanation plus he did not even know what the heck she was talking about.

"Please, Daniel you have to leave, you have to help us to get out of here"

"What actually is happening? We get along just fine just now.."

"Leave now! " Melissa shouted.

Suddenly, there was a man appeared from nowhere in the edge of the tunnel with an axe in his hand. The mysterious man was approaching them slowly where Daniel could see the face clearly through the ray of the lamp light on the wall. The unknown face was horribly ugly, with big scar in his face, burned skins and ridiculously tall!

"Daniel run!" Melissa just shouted when Daniel ran as fast as he could while the mysterious man was chasing him from behind with the axe pointing to him. Daniel kept running through the darkness which was he did not care anymore since he would only wanted to reach the door and got out from the tunnel. The mysterious man was running so fast as well, a real fast he meant! probably twice faster than him. Daniel nearly reached the door and while running, he was shouting out loud in hoping that his brother and Will would be awaken by his voice. But it did not work anymore because all he knew was, to save himself from the mysterious man who was trying to kill him. His voice was getting slower as he exhausted for running so fast and too much adrenaline had been used in that frightening situation. The mysterious man just a step away behind him, and while running, he felt someone grabbed his back from behind. The man was finally reached his back. Daniel then tried to escaped from the mysterious man who was grabbing his back, trying to pull him down back to the tunnel. Daniel would not give up though, he kept fighting to get out from the tunnel. The mysterious man axed him few times but the axe did not hit its target when Daniel was able to elude from the axe in the dark. Daniel then hit the man in the head with his stake on his hand. The man with the axes was down but seemed that man was painless because he did not even scream! Daniel took the chance to escape and once he reached the door, he shut the door, locked it from inside where he could hear that axe man was knocking the door real hard. Daniel whom feeling was mixed with shock and fears was relieved then after he escaped from the man. He sighed few times and then running to the stairs when

"pap!"

Something was hitting his head. He fell down at sudden when he lost stability. His head hurt and with the blurry sight, he could see someone in white was standing next to him. He tried to figure out who was she in white who was hitting his head but his sight was getting blurry and blurry. And finally, everything was dark ..

To be Continued..