The Haunted House

• Paige Browne, Grade 7, Gladstone State High School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

This is insane. I can’t believe I’m going to do this all over a silly bet.
What did I have for breakfast crazy loops? I’m about to go into the haunted
house at night! The haunted house is well, only the most haunted house in
the whole wide world. Some people say they’ve seen ghosts, werewolves,
vampires and worst of all zombies standing just outside waiting for their
next prey and I feel I’m going to be their next victim if I don’t get out of
this somehow.
My heart was running as fast as a cheetah chasing its prey as I could see
the door. It must have been 7 foot tall and 2 meters wide. I couldn’t back
out now as everybody was there and if I backed out now everybody would call
me a chicken for the rest of my life. I had no choice. I had to go inside
the haunted house at night! I took my first step inside the gate. It felt
like my heart was going to jump right out my skin, my hands were shaking so
hard I thought they were going to fall off. Soon I was turning as pale as a
ghost. I knew I had to keep on going but my legs were frozen in fear. No
matter what I did my legs wouldn’t move. Until some kid called out, "Are you
a chicken?” my legs were no longer frozen but I ran so fast it felt like I
was being chased by a humongous ugly monster and if I didn’t run fast
enough, well that would be the last that anybody ever saw me. As I was
running I tripped and fell. I thought the zombies had captured me, ready to
rip my limbs off one by one. I got up and ran as fast as Usain Bolt to the
door. Then all of a sudden bang! I slammed straight into the door really
hard. I knew what I had to do, I just didn’t want to. I slowly opened the
door. It creaked so loud I thought it must have been at least one hundred
years old. My heart was beating as fast as a drummer doing a drum roll. Just
as I was about to take my first step that could possibly be my last step I’d
ever take. I heard a horrifying sound, beep, beep, beep coming from beside
me. I didn’t know it yet but that horrifying sound was my alarm clock waking
me up. I felt the sweat rolling down my steaming forehead. I took a deep
breath in and out. It was all just a big ugly dream.