Free Short Story: The Farmhouse (Part 2)

The Farmhouse (Part 2)

Welcome back to the next installment of my Halloween short story exclusive to my subscribers! Honestly just saying that makes it sound cheesy especially considering this is free for everyone willing to sign up! I hope you enjoyed Part 1 and are just as excited to catch up with Emily and Mark in Part 2. If you haven't read it yet, catch up now!

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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“I don’t think anyone’s home, Emily.” Mark stamped his feet on the wooden porch as he attempted to slake some of the rain off of himself.

Emily stood on her tiptoes peering into the stained-glass window that topped the farmhouse’s front door. “There was a light on when I came up,” she replied. She shielded her eyes in an attempt to look deeper into the home.

Mark peered into one of the nearby windows. “Well, I don’t see any on now.”

“It’s probably the storm.”

“All the more reason to return to the car,” Mark reasoned with her. “If they lost power, they probably don’t have service either.”

“I think I saw something,” she said, ignoring him. “Hello!” Emily hollered at the door. Her hands were still cupped around her eyes as she peered inside the window. “Is anyone there? We need to use your phone!”

Mark looked at the leaden sky and back to the lane that led to the highway. “We should go back to the car.”

“Did you hear that?”

Mark turned and saw Emily had pressed her ear to the door. “Em--“

“I think I heard something fall.” She looked up at him and stood straight as her hand dropped to the door handle. “It’s unlocked.” She said as she twisted the knob.

“Emily—” he tried again, but it was too late as she pushed the door open to reveal the darkened entryway to the home.

“Hello?” she called, stepping inside. “Are you hurt? We can help you!”

“Emily!” he hissed between clenched teeth. She turned and looked at him.

“What if it’s an old lady that fell in the dark?” Turning back to the house, “We’re coming in,” she called. “We just want to make sure you’re alright!”

After taking one last look behind him, Mark followed his girlfriend into the farmhouse. It didn’t feel right walking into someone’s home. “Emily, we shouldn’t be here.”

“The door was open,” she reminded him.

“We’re in the boonies. Nobody locks their door.”

“That means they’re friendly.”

“No, that means they’ll shoot you for trespassing.”

Emily stopped and turned to look at him. Even in the dark he knew what look she was shooting his way. Before either of them could respond, they heard a dull thump from the room above them. Emily jumped, moving to stand closer to Mark. She laced her fingers with his and he noticed how cold she was.

“Emily, you’re freezing,” he said. He wrapped both hands around hers and brought them to his mouth. He blew warm air on them as he attempted to warm her up. “We should go. At least in the car we’ll be warm.”

“But what if—”

“It’s probably the wind that knocked something over. If anyone was home, they’d have called out by now.” He stepped toward the door, pulling her with him.

“I think I found a phone!”

Mark froze, hearing Emily’s voice from the other room.

If she was in there, then who—

He pulled his hand to his chest and turned to look behind him. Lightning struck outside illuminating the entryway and Mark could see that he stood alone.