Blanche Dysart's Story

It had been some time since she'd allowed herself to come out of hiding in one of the closets in the large home. Anneliese allowed herself to fully materialize as she walked across the floor of what had once been her bedroom. There were boxes and brand new furniture placed within, much like the rest of the home. She could not believe that after all this time someone had bought the place. Anne looked down at herself. The outfit that she was currently wearing was the one that she died in and her hair was done up as she'd so often worn it in life. She allowed her slim fingers to slid over the frame of the bed that would soon be put together. It was obvious that those that now owned the property had money..or did. She was unsure as to which was currently correct.

Slowly, she made her way towards one of the windows. She made sure that none could see her from outside. As she looked down, she couldn't help but wish that she could find the courage to leave the house. It had been so long since she'd set foot outside of the gloomy home. She saw the two men that had been staying in the house the past few nights. They both looked to be nice men though she could not be sure. As far as she was concerned, most men were nothing more than cruel.

Suddenly, she turned. Her gaze fell to the form of her sister. She said nothing at first, simply turning back to the window. "We need to make them leave." She said softly. "He'll not take kindly to them being here. He never does. I was thinking..I take one and you can take one." They discussed which man they would take. Anneliese then moved from the window, approaching her sister. "I will find you later. Hopefully, this will be as easy as those in the past." She disappeared.

---

Landon had spent most of the day working out on the property. By the time it was late afternoon, he was ready to call it a day. He smiled upon seeing his friend. "I'm about done out here for the day. Want to head in and fix something to eat? I think that we have enough leftovers that we shouldn't have to spend too long cooking." He smiled before leading the way inside. He made his way to the kitchen and to the fridge. He began pulling things out and sitting them upon the counter. He asked Johnny to get them a few plates and silverware. He didn't notice the figure that had appeared in the same room as them. The figure soon disappeared as quickly as she'd appeared. A few of the cabinets to open and the chairs to move from the table silently.

Landon turned quickly, looking to Johnny as if he'd done it. "What?" He asked suddenly. He had an odd look of surprise upon his face. "Did you open the cabinets?" He took a steadying breath before shaking his head. Landon heated up the food and handed his friend one of the bowls. "I guess that I'm just loosing it." He said, sitting down at the table, eating. "Did I tell you..I did some reading at the library in town yesterday. I found out a little more about the deaths that happened in the house. Apparently, some rich family used to own this place. They had two daughters. The oldest blew her brains out because she'd lost not only her son but her husband as well in a span of a year. The other hung herself not long after her sister died. Crazy. Apparently, the parents left pretty quickly after that." He looked up to his friend, to see his reaction of what he'd just told him. "No one has really stayed here since then. Supposedly, they are supposed to be the ones haunting this place."

He was still rather happy that they'd gotten the home, regardless of the history that had come with it. Once they got the place cleaned up, it would be beautiful as it had once been. He pulled out a small pile of pictures and placed them donw on the table for Johnny to look at. "I got these from the library. This is the women that used to live here and then this is what our house used to look like before it became so run down. I think that we'll be able to return it to this with some hard work.I mean, it'll take us some time but I know that we can do it."

---

Anneliese had quickly reappeared in her room. Since the men were eating, it was safe for her to be visible still. She leaned against the far wall, near the closet, and slid down. She bowed her head as she began crying. How could they speak of what had happened to them with no care? She did not understand. She had recently began believing that perhaps the Darkness had caused her death, not herself. Though the loss of her son, Jacob, had been quite hard on her..she never would have killed herself. They would forever be thought of as having killed themselves because they'd been too weak to carry on living. She knew that at some point her sister would join her and she would have to explain why she was upset. She still had not confided in Blanche about how Mark had treated her so long ago. She was unsure if she could.

Blanche watched her sister go to the window silently. They hadn't been on this plane in awhile, simply choosing to drift away from The Darkness. She made a noise, and Annie turned around to face her before turning back without saying a word. "We need to make them leave." She said softly. "He'll not take kindly to them being here. He never does. I was thinking..I take one and you can take one." Blanche agreed, and they divvied up the boys. Blanche would take the older, happier-looking, one and Annie would take the other with the longer hair.

Blanche stayed in the room as Annie disappeared, gliding to the window and looking out at the boys. She didn't care if they happened to look up and see her--it wasn't her way to be discreet. She tucked a curly blonde strand behind her hair and fingered her blue satin dress. Most people in her time said that she was beautiful...almost as beautiful as her elder sister. The only imperfection on her now were the dark red marks on her neck as a memory of her death.

She heard a small commotion downstairs and smiled. She knew her sister had already started the games. She was always quick to start. Blanche liked to take some more time. Get to know the people and the updates they had brought to their world. The last ones had brought a small device that allowed them to talk to each other from far away. It was quite interesting.

She disappeared and moved into the room below, where the boys stood together, talking. She caught the last of their conversation about Annie and herself and gasped. Why would they speak about that in these rooms? Anyone could hear them. She decided then that maybe playing with these two wasn't such a good idea. She would have to let her sister win...just this once.

Blanche moved to the side of the taller one with the shorter hair--the one that she had been "assigned" to--and played her fingers along his shoulders. She knew he couldn't feel her touch, but he would feel something. Annie and her had developed rules in earlier years, when they first discovered the Darkness was after them. She was now violating these rules by making physical contact so soon, but she couldn't help herself. There was something so...intriguing about this man. She laughed lightly to herself, and disappeared.

Landon glanced to his friend as he spoke. "Yeah, it'll take a while, but you, my friend, are resting up tomorrow. You're already going cuckoo with the cabinets. Even if I have to handcuff you to the bed, you are taking a break tomorrow from fixing this place up." Landon smiled at Johnny. "I guess it couldn't hurt to take a break." He said, scratching the back of his head. "I mean, I have been going at it pretty hard the past few days and.." Suddenly, Landon trailed off as he froze. He looked to his side, but saw nothing. He could have sworn that he'd..felt something.

He knew that if he didn't speak soon that Johnny would realize that something was wrong. His friend already thought that he was loosing it. He really didn't need him becoming anymore concerned. Slowly, he turned his gaze back to Johnny. "Sorry..what was I saying?" He asked, most obviously distracted. He waited patiently for an answer before he continued. "Anyway, I was just saying that I probably could do with a rest. Actually, how about we watch a movie. It'll help get my mind off of whatever it is I thought happened."

Landon quickly finished his meal and then began cleaning up after them. He put the dishes in the sink and then ran some water so that they could soak. He would not rush Johnny. The man deserved to enjoy his meal. Landon smiled at his friend before slowly making his way into the spacious living room. They had only unpacked the necessities so far and so there were still many boxes sitting about the entire house. They had, however, already set up their television and all of the items that went with it.

He began moving around some of the magazines and the newspaper, making sure everything was in their proper place. He then sat down on the large couch, trying to relax. He turned the television on and then began flicking through the channels, looking for something that he and Johnny would both like to see.

When Johnny joined him, Landon was not sure. He finally settled on a movie and so began watching it. He hoped that he could truly get the thoughts out of his mind. He didn't need any additional stress. After a few minutes, Landon glanced over at his friend. "I'm thinking that maybe tomorrow I'm going to catch up on some of my reading. I've been putting it off." He laughed lightly. He'd borrowed several different volumes from his parents and he knew that he needed to get them back to them soon. He'd been so busy with the work around the farm that he'd had little time for anything else. "I was also thinking that since you're forcing me to take a break, that maybe we could at least get some unpacking done? Maybe just work on one room or something like that."

---

After several long moments Anneliese was finally able to calm down. However, she remained sitting upon the floor, against the wall. The taller man was the one that had truly upset her. The other, more shorter man had seemed a bit nicer. She raised a hand to her face, trying to wipe the tears from her face. Really, it was just habit. Though she could cry, there were no real tears. Just the illusion of them. She took a deep breath before finally rising from her seat. She remained against the wall, simply leaning against it.

When Blanche did finally join her once again, Anneliese glanced to her friend. She was certain that it was clear that she was not in a good mood. However, she refused to allow it to be spoken of. At least right now. "So, how'd it go?" She asked softly. She allowed her sister to speak before she continued. "Sorry I left. I couldn't handle that man talking about us in such a way."

Anneliese sighed softly. "I'm afraid that I just get the feeling that they're not going to be as easy to get rid of as the previous families. If that turns out to be true, we're not only going to have to try to get them to leave but we're also going to have to protect them until then. We cannot allow the Darkness to get them. If they die here, they will be trapped as well. I don't know why they keep selling the farm. You'd think that they'd take the hint that none can live here."

She fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. It was clear to her that the two men would not easily leave. "Maybe, we should completely focus upon scaring them. Tonight. That's always worked in the past. Ever second they stay here the more likely it is that he'll find them. What do you think? I mean, He'll be more active during the night but at least we'll be able to watch over them."

Blanche left the men, noticing her sister in the other room. Annie looked upset, but she knew her sister well enough to know that if she did mention it, it wouldn't go well. "So, how'd it go?" Annie asked softly.

"Well enough. I gave him a chill," Blanche responded. The taller man's reaction had more or less baffled her. Usually when she did that they were more than a little freaked out, but make that was because she had made no previous attempt at frightening him. Next time she would be sure to do that.

"Sorry I left. I couldn't handle that man talking about us in such a way." Blanche shrugged at her sister.

"Yes, it was quite inconsiderate." Blanche was never one to speak out much in times like these. Being a ghost had certainly calmed her down quite a bit from when she was living. Instead of getting overly excited as she used to, she rather felt nothing at all.

"I'm afraid that I just get the feeling that they're not going to be as easy to get rid of as the previous families. If that turns out to be true, we're not only going to have to try to get them to leave but we're also going to have to protect them until then. We cannot allow the Darkness to get them. If they die here, they will be trapped as well. I don't know why they keep selling the farm. You'd think that they'd take the hint that none can live here." Blanche nodded in agreement, but she couldn't help the fear that set in when the Darkness was mentioned.

"Annie...do you think he's still coming for us? I mean, do we even know what he wants? And what if he strikes tonight? Usually we have our guards up at night instead of scaring away some unbeknownst boys..." Blanche shivered, even though she could no longer feel cold.

She looked down into the TV room where the two men were resting and watching some show. "But I definitely think you're right. These men seem...different. Less susceptible to trickery and fright. It'll certainly give us a run for our money to get rid of them, if the Darkness doesn't get them--or us--first." Blanche sighed and sat, hovering in the air as she liked to do. She hoped this would all be over quickly so Annie and her could continue fending for themselves instead of worrying about the human boys.

Anneliese eyed her sister, allowing her to speak. "Annie...do you think he's still coming for us? I mean, do we even know what he wants? And what if he strikes tonight? Usually we have our guards up at night instead of scaring away some unbeknownst boys..." Anneliese sighed softly. "Yes. I do not think that he will stop either. I do not know what he wants from us and I do not wish to stick around to find out." She paused for a moment, biting her lip. "If he strikes tonight, we will have to just make sure that we stay safe and that the men do as well. However, if it comes down to it..we will need to take care of ourselves. I don't know what will happen if he gets any of us..I just have this feeling that no matter what happens, we can't allow that to happen."

Her sister continued speaking. "But I definitely think you're right. These men seem...different. Less susceptible to trickery and fright. It'll certainly give us a run for our money to get rid of them, if the Darkness doesn't get them--or us--first." Anne smiled, rising from her seat. "Then we will simply have to skip the easy steps. Though, I would prefer not to do that..I fear that it is our best option."

She wondered if her sister understood what she was saying..suggesting. She normally refrained from allowing any of the living from seeing her. It had never come to such a act. Most had always left fairly quickly once they began opening up things our touching them. Regardless, Anne already knew exactly what she would do. That night, she would watch over the man that she'd taken under her protection. But, the following day she intended to not allow her emotions to get in the way of their mission.

-------------

As the taller man headed from the shorter one, Anneliese looked to her sister. "Stay with him. I'll see you in the morning." She then allowed herself to disappear. She joined the other man..the one that had still been sitting upon the couch. He would not see her..not unless she wished it and for the time being she didn't. She was unsure how long she followed him about until he returned to his room. She watched him as he got ready for bed and then went to sleep.

She remained in the room with him throughout the night. It was when three o'clock hit that she knew something was wrong. She could feel the Darkness. He was there..in the house, searching. She rose quickly from her seat and made her way to the bed. She leaned over the living man, her gaze resting on him. "Wake up!" She said with urgency. She'd allowed her form to become visible. She knew that it was the only way to get him moving. They needed to hide..and quickly.

---

Landon glanced over to his friend. "Where are those handcuffs I was talking about earlier? But seriously, it's not gonna hurt you to just read all day. You've worked wonders with this place already, just take a day off." Landon laughed lightly at his friend. "I know..but there's just so much to do. Plus, the sooner we get this place running again, the sooner we can start making some money." "Fine, you can work on these boxes in this room, but only this room. If I see you do anything else, I'll do something real bad," Landon smiled. "Sure you will. But, I'll try to keep it easy. I mean...you are right. There's no reason that I shouldn't take a break."

He fell silent then, simply deciding to watch the movie. Though it would be hard for him, he did intend upon at least trying to do as he'd promised his friend. "I tell you what..if I don't take a break, I have to buy dinner. Anywhere you'd like. Definitely gives me a reason to try harder to rest." He laughed lightly. They both knew that neither one of them had the money for eating out. If Landon broke his promise, he would have to borrow some money from his parents..which he wouldn't want to do.

--------------

When the movie ended, Landon rose from his seat. "I think I'm going to turn in early. I'm beat. But, I'll see you in the morning." With that, Landon bid his friend a good night and then headed to his room. He entered and then got ready for bed. He then proceeded to turn down the covers on his bed and laid down. For a long time he simply looked up at the ceiling. He knew that Johnny was right. He was simply overworking himself. Once he got the proper rest, all of the odd things that he'd thought that he'd seen or felt would disappear.

He, at last, closed his eyes. It didn't take him long to fall asleep. Landon's sleep was filled with dreams and he was tossing about for some time. When he awoke again, he slowly rolled over to see what time it was. The clock at his bedside glared the time...Three o'clock in the morning. Why would he have woken up at such a hour? Landon ran a hand over his face and then slowly sat up. He glanced about his darkened room. He didn't see anything that would have woken him up. He sighed heavily and then reach over, turning on the light. He was feeling an odd sense of foreboding...something that was making him quite nervous.

"Then we will simply have to skip the easy steps. Though, I would prefer not to do that..I fear that it is our best option." Blanche sighed, knowing her sister was right. She sat down on the window seat and swung her legs to and fro. "Well, alright then. And if the Darkness strikes, I guess we'll deal with it." She looks out the window as her sister walks out. She didn't know the whole gist of what Annie was implying, but she did know it meant she would have to be visible at some point. But Blanche was a lot less comfortable with that than Annie seemed to be...Blanche shook her head and stood, exiting the room and following the older one while Annie took the younger one.

As the man entered his room and got ready for bed, Blanche sighed and perched atop the dresser. The man stared at the ceiling for awhile, and she hopped down to stand next to him. She wondered what he was thinking about. It wasn't long till he fell asleep, and Blanche sat down against his bed, leaning her head against the mattress and closing her eyes. Even as a ghost, she still found herself dazing, letting her mind float from place to place. But she came back when the man awoke. She stood abruptly, recognizing the faulty energy in the air. Her breath sped up and she looked around, her eyes resting on the perplexed man. She knew he couldn't see her, and she didn't want him to see her. Not yet.

The air around her began to get thick, and she felt her unbeating heart race with the memory of fear and being alive. "Dammit," she said as she ran from the room, doing her best not to make any noise that would give her away. She knew that Annie had told her to protect the man, but sister first. Always. She turned around and around, not remembering where she was, only knowing that there was danger there.

"Annie....Annie, where are you?" She whispered, her mind going blank in the dark of the night.

Anneliese watched as the man woke. It seemed to take him a moment to realize what was happening. The man was quickly moving away from her. "What...Who are-Who the hell are you? And how did you get in here?" The man asked. Anneliese was frozen. She couldn't even begin to remember the last time she'd allowed someone to truly see her. It was a odd feeling, she had to admit. She was quick to pull herself out of her thoughts. "We don't have time to talk right now. Please. He's coming." She said, looking at him with fear and concern.

A noise that came from the kitchen caused her to quickly tear her gaze from the man, looking towards the other room. She quickly turned back to the man. She was hesitating. She didn't want to leave him there, alone and not knowing what was coming for him and the other man. However, she also didn't want to leave her sister alone when he was so close. She moved then, approaching the man slowly. She was quickly realizing that he would most likely not go with her unless she gave him something to believe.

"I'm Anneliese. This is my home. You and the man upstairs are the intruders." Her tone had taken a edge though slowly it disappeared. "Regardless, I can't allow anything to happen to you. I couldn't forgive myself." She was sure that he had no idea what she was talking about. For all she knew, he thought her a mad person. She reached out towards him slowly. She placed a hand upon the man's arm and slowly took hold of his wrist. Her touch was gentle yet firm. She would not allow him to die. "Please..you don't want to end up like me." She was frightened, that much was clear.

She tugged on him, trying to get him off of the couch. When, at last, he was up, she led the way through the house quickly. She was silent as she led the way up the stairs. She entered into the closest bedroom. It was empty though there was boxes and furniture sitting about. She quickly pulled open the closet and pulled the man into it. She shut the door and moved back as far as she could. She then slowly slid down the wall, hugging herself.

It was only a few moments later when she heard the other man calling for the one that she'd tugged along after her. She glanced up at the man. "Be quiet." She said softly. "My sister is out there. She's looking after him." She eyed the man closely. Suddenly the room became cold and foreboding. The door to the closet began shaking violently and Anne began crying quietly. She wanted the Darkness to go away. She was tired of the fear and hiding.

---

Landon thought that he heard movement out in the hall. He rose from the bed and made his way out of the room. He watched the hallway, looking about. He saw Johnny disappearing into the bedroom. He debated with himself for a long moment before he made his way after the younger man. He walked down the hall, calling out. "Johnny?" He paused at the door, not seeing his friend. He knew that he saw him go in. Confusion crossed his features. "Johnny?" He thought he heard whispering though ignored it. He was beginning to worry about his sanity. Was he loosing it?

He shook his head and then made his way back into his own room. He sat down on the bed, looking towards the door. Something was going on..he knew it. He was feeling odd. Like something was off. He didn't care for it. The lights suddenly began flickering and he could hear creaking throughout the house. He felt as if his heart had stopped. He couldn't say he cared for the feeling. He debated with himself for a long time before he rose from his seat once again.

He glanced to the closet. Something was urging him to get in, to hide. He had no idea why, though. He made his way to the closet and opened it. His was slightly smaller than the one that was in Johnny's room. He entered, closing the door. He sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the wall. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his nerves. Suddenly, the door to the closet began shaking. Landon tried to keep quiet. He had to admit that he was freaking out pretty bad. How was he going to explain this to Johnny. The younger mad would only think him mad.

As the shaking got worse, Landon pressed himself against the wall. Whatever was causing this..it felt different from the presence he'd felt earlier. This one was clearly evil. Plain and simple. He was definitely planning on speaking with Johnny now. He had to know if the younger man had experienced anything as he had. However, he would not be leaving until he felt as if it was safe once again.

Blanche sucked in a breath as the house began to shake. Annie hadn't answered her call, and she had no idea where she was. As a ghost, she could see pretty clearly in the dark, but this dark was different. It wasn't the dark of the night, it was the darkness of evil. The thing that had been after her and her sister for decades. She called out for Annie again, but she felt the evil around her so she ran through the wall and back into the room where the man was inhabiting. She couldn't sense the man there, but she knew he must have been hiding nearby. Even humans can sense the evil of the Darkness, although they could not see him.

Blanche heard a creak and then the walls started to shake. "No...no! Annie!" She yelled out, looking to the closet. She went through the door and against the inner wall of the closet, nearly shrieking when she saw the man crouched below her. The closet wouldn't hide either of them for long so she cursed before taking a deep breath and making herself visible. She knew how ghastly she would look, a fraying blue dress and rope marks on her neck, but she didn't care. She knew her sister would have wanted her to protect this man.

"C'mon, no time to explain," she said, before materializing enough to grab his arm and tug him out the closet. Suddenly she stopped and shrieked as she saw the darkness, tall and black as night in his striped suit and hat, standing there outside the closet. She felt utter terror from being in his presence. He reached out a hand and she shut her eyes, focusing on her sister. Sister...Annie...I can't...leave her...

Blanche cried out as she broke from the Darkness's spell and pulled the man away, sprinting down the hallway and down to the first floor bedroom, where she sensed her sister to be. "Annie," she cried as she sunk to the floor and put her head in her hands, knowing she wouldn't be able to forget her moments with evil.

Anneliese could feel the Darkness. He was searching for them. All of them. She could only hope that Blanche was doing as she'd asked. She did not care for being so afraid. It was nearly a every night occurrence. That, however, did not make it any easier. Were they cursed to continue on in such a fashion until he got them? And what of the two men? If the Darkness got them, forced them to die, would they be forced to remain together? She tried to ignore these thoughts. They never helped. She'd stopped crying after a few long moments as the dread moved from the room that they were in. Anne looked over towards the man.

Slowly, she stood from her seat. Her eyes never left the man. She had to admit that she was surprised that he'd not simply busted out of the closet the moment she'd let go of him. "He'll continue through the house, looking. He won't go away until dawn. Do me a favor, will you? Stay here until then. He won't find you here." She said softly. It was clear from her voice that she was still worried..but she needed to find Blanche. She'd left the younger woman alone for too long.

The woman suddenly disappeared from the man's sight and then reappeared out of the closet. She'd heard her sister's cries and could not ignore them. She crouched down near the woman, ignoring the other man. "Come. We need to go." She said quietly. She hoped that her sister would understand that they needed to disappear from the man's sight. It was the only way that they could feel safe.

Once they were no longer visible, Anne tugged her sister into the closet. She was sure that they knew that the girls were still with them though they were trying to remain quiet. The older woman slid back upon the floor, trying to get Blanche to do the same. As they sat together, Anne found her gaze shifting to the man she'd pulled to the bedroom. There was something about him that seemed to pull her to him. He'd not really seemed afraid of her..but he'd sense the Darkness..that much she'd been able to tell.

---

The moment the form of a young woman formed before his eyes, Landon was certain he'd lost it. He said nothing as she grabbed hold of his arm, forcing him to follow her out of the closet. It didn't seem like no time when the woman stopped, screaming. He had no idea what was frightening her and honestly, he was fairly certain that he didn't want to know. Landon was unsure how long the woman remained unmoving but he did not leave her. He couldn't. She seemed like she needed him..needed help though he did not know how.

When the woman began moving again, Landon continued to follow her to what was to be Johnny's bedroom..if they ever got completely unpacked. They stopped outside of the closet, the woman sunk down to the ground, calling out for someone named 'Annie'. Landon found himself simply watching the woman for a moment. Before he was able to speak to her, another woman appeared. She completely ignored him, focusing upon the woman on the floor. She spoke though Landon could not hear her.

Within a few seconds, they were both gone. Landon opened the closet door slowly, facing Johnny. He didn't know how he knew his friend was in there..but he did. He entered, shutting the door. "Man, am I glad to see you." He said quietly. He hesitated for a moment before he spoke once again. "Something's going on here. Can you feel it? I swear that I saw the two ghosts..the women that used to live here. Is that why you're in here?"

Landon didn't want to admit it, but he was freaking out a bit. He'd never really been into the paranormal stuff and now all this was happening. It was clear to him that something was going on in the house but it wasn't the girls doing it. They were hiding from it as well.

Blanche let Annie drag her up an into the closet, erasing herself from the men's views. She slid against the wall towards Annie and rested her head on her sister's shoulder. "It was so close...I could--I could feel the evil, the darkness, that it possessed. It was overwhelming," she whispered to her sister. She knew that it was her own fault. If she had just stayed in the closet with the man, she really was going to have to learn his name soon, then the Darkness wouldn't have found her. But, at the time, all she thought about was getting to Annie, so there was no room for fixing her mistake.

She sighed and watched the two men converse, not bothering to hear what they were saying, even though she could if she wanted to. "Are we going to have to talk to them? Something tells me they'll be even more reluctant to leave now that they know we are here," Blanche whispers to Annie.

Blanche looks down at her shoes and sighs. The shoes looked almost new now, and she knew why. For some reason, whenever she was around whatever living beings inhabited the house, her appearance began to look more alive. It always started with the shoes. She looked at Annie, wondering if the same thing had happened to her.

Looking over to the men again, she saw the one she had been protecting urgently speaking with the other. She wondered what was going to happen in the nearby future, and how were they going to protect themselves from the night when it came back to haunt them?

As Blanche rested her head upon Anne's shoulder, the older woman simply continued watching the men. "It was so close...I could--I could feel the evil, the darkness, that it possessed. It was overwhelming," Blanche whispered to her. Anneliese glanced to her sister, looking down at the top of her head. "You should have remained hidden. What would I have done if you'd been caught by him?" Anne asked quietly, making sure the men could not hear them..or..if they did it would be nothing more than a whisper.

She was not upset with her sister. She'd known better than to assume that she would remain hidden without her. However, she was glad that the younger woman seemed okay. Blanche drew Anne out of thought as she spoke once again. "Are we going to have to talk to them? Something tells me they'll be even more reluctant to leave now that they know we are here," Anne thought for a long moment before she answered. "Yes..I believe so. I do not see them simply getting up and leaving so easily..it'll be worse now that they've seen us. We'll have to try and convince them to leave." She paused for a moment. Anne knew that it wouldn't be easy..actually, she had no idea if it was even possible.

"Blanche, we will need to make them understand how much danger that they are in. It is the only way." She fell silent then, once again turning her attention to the men. She was unsure of how much time had passed when a loud thud sounded near the side of the closet. Anneliese had to force herself to remain hidden and quiet. She gently slid a arm about Blanche's shoulders, keeping her sister close to her.

However, nothing else happened. Slowly, as the minutes began ticking into hours, the dread that had filled the home began to disappear. Of this, Anne was glad. Only when it was gone complete and had been for some time did she finally move. She was silent, standing up from her seat. She left the closet for a moment before returning. "It is safe now. We should go. I do not wish to speak with them until a bit later. I would prefer to gather myself before that happens." She exited the closet once again, though this time simply made her way over to the other side of the room. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before the men would realize that it was safe for them to leave the closet.

---

Landon was silent as he waited for his friend to speak. When he did, he turned his gaze to the other man. Yeah, the ghost, Anneliese, said there's something in the house, like it's looking for something. She also said we should stay in here until morning so 'he' doesn't find us. To be honest, I have no idea what's going on here beyond the conventional haunted house shtick. This is way beyond anything I've read about. Maybe we should make a bed up in here for tomorrow night," Landon found himself nodding at his friend.

"This is crazy..you know that, right? I mean..I could totally buy into the ghost thing..but what could there possibly be that she would be afraid of? But, maybe you're right. If this is going to happen tomorrow as well I'd rather know that we're both okay. Maybe we could set up in my closet? It's a bit bigger than yous and would give a bit more room." He fell silent.

He was unsure of how long had passed when there was a loud sound near the side of the closet. Landon felt his body freeze up. "Landon, for the sake of my sanity, please tell me that was you." Landon couldn't say anything, not right then at any rate. He found himself freaking out at the sound. When he did finally find his voice again, it was quiet. "I wish that it was."

He went silent once again, simply staring at the door. There was no other noises or sounds though the dread remained. He found himself trying to doze off from time to time. When he opened his eyes again, Landon realized that the dread and fear had left the home. He ran a hand over his face, sighing softly. He then looked over to Johnny and gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, I think it might be okay for us to leave the closet. The house feels much lighter now. Don't you think?" He didn't want to leave without Johnny joining him. He was still fairly freaked and just would feel better if his friend was with him.

"Yes..I believe so. I do not see them simply getting up and leaving so easily..it'll be worse now that they've seen us. We'll have to try and convince them to leave." Blanche could tell that her sister was worried. Annie wasn't worried very often, so she also knew that it was serious. "Blanche, we will need to make them understand how much danger that they are in. It is the only way."

"You mean scare them? I think they're already pretty frightened," Blanche said, noting how the mean huddled together like her sister and herself in the closet. The looks of terror on their faces were enough to show that the nights events had indeed scared them. "I don't think we'll have to--" a loud bang on the closet door cut Blanche off, and she shrunk into Annie as her sister put her arm around her. Sure, she was twenty-three and a grown adult, but Annie was still her big sister, and she automatically just reverted into the personality she had when they had lived together as children. She waited in silence with her sister as the felt the Darkness creeping closer, but unable to find them.

The dread that had filled the house dissipated after the sun rose a few hours later, and Annie rose from her seat. Blanche looked up at her and watched as she checked outside. Blanche became oblivious to the men, only watching her sister. Blanche idolized Annie. She was beautiful, kind, but troubled. Blanche knew that her nephew's, Annie's son, death took quite the toll on her sister, but that didn't erase the awe filled feeling Blanche got when looking at her. "It is safe now. We should go. I do not wish to speak with them until a bit later. I would prefer to gather myself before that happens," Annie said and Blanche nodded, following her out of the closet. She knew the men would leave soon, at that they wouldn't know the sisters were there, but she couldn't help but let her eyes follow their movements. She hadn't seen a modern-aged human in decades, and she was extremely fascinated with them. She couldn't really remember being human herself, so it was interesting to see how these ones responded to her and her lifestyle. Sticking to the sidelines, she watched the shorter-haired one converse with the other, and sat on the floor, propping her head on her hand. So interesting...