A Horror In The Basement

• Basia Zdunek, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2022

My near silent footsteps recede down the ancient spiral staircase that leads to the basement. I know not what lies below me. I know not of the terror I will unknowingly stumble upon. Something is pulling me down. Something I cannot see. It is magnetic. As soon as I step onto the floor and off the stairs, I wish I have not. There is blood everywhere. Screams echo from somewhere in the blackness. I withdraw my wand from my pocket, whispering “Lumos” as I do.

I hold the wand in front of me, proceeding cautiously. What lies where the light doesn’t reach? I see red splatters. Is it blood? Who had spilled it? Whose blood is it? Are they still alive? And if so, where and in what state are they?

I almost trip on a small metallic object lying on the floor. I stoop down to pick it up. A dagger. How did this get in here? I turn it over and examine it cautiously. Something feels wrong. I put a finger on the problem at last when I feel a hot breath on the back of my neck.

It reeks of something rotten. Terror grasps my throat. I gasp to catch my shaky, uncertain breath. Gathering up the remains of my courage, I spin to face the person.

As soon as I see the face, I scream. The man has unshaven, sallow cheeks, bags under his eyes and a creepy look. Shuddering with terror, I only just manage to utter:

“Who… Who are you?”

There is an ominous silence from the stranger. This may be the last question I ever get to ask.

The man does not answer. He stares at my wand. I don’t think he knew I had the gift of magic. I notice he is holding another dagger. I am in trouble. I have to run.

My decision is reckless. I sprint further into the dark, shouting “Lumos maxima!” as I go. The new light is bright like the sun. It illuminates many things I would have begged not to see. Bones of all kinds – skulls, ribs, femurs. Most of them appear to have belonged to a human. Some still have blood and chunks of muscle on them. A terrible thought punctures my brain. What if this stranger is a cannibal?

I beg for this to be my imagination in overdrive. Let it not be true. Please! The further I run, the worse it gets. Now, apart from bones, there are clothes. All sizes. I am freaking out. It can’t be happening. I must have covered at least another 20 metres. Now there are occasional corpses. Some have limbs torn off, others strange marks near cavities of missing flesh. Tooth marks? It explains why the man had blood on his teeth.

I trip over a slippery, squishy thing and groan in disgust. He is upon me. It is the end…