"I swear to God and sweet sunny Jesus, if you don't shut the hell up I'm never fuckin' leaving this place!" She hissed as she turned on her heels, her hands balled into fists at her sides as the house moaned for the fifth time that night. She stood before the bleeding wall in her nightgown, long hair pulling from it's braid as she stared at the offending wall as if it could feel her gaze.
That was, of course, because it could.
The house let out another long moan, though this one was more of a rattling whine.
"Do you want me to live here forever?!" She cried out, dark bags under her eyes as another night of sleep evaded her. She stomped her foot like a petulant child, and the rattling of the house let her know just what it thought about her temper tantrum. "Fine, have it your way!" She snarled, turning on her heels and moving down into the kitchen. "I'll just live here forever! I'll raise my children in this goddamn house!" She grabbed onto the banister as she stomped down the stairs, taking two at a time as the house seemed to grumble under its breath.
"Stupid fuckin' house. Stupid fuckin' lease. Stupid fuckin' landlord!" When Laney had found the 3 bedroom 2 bath house for rent for only $500 a month she had jumped at the opportunity. Up to her eyes in student debt and struggling to find a good job in her field that was actually willing to pay her rather than simply take her on as an intern 'for the time being' it wasn't as if she could be picky about the place she lived, not unless she decided she didn't need to eat or drive or have heat.
With a grunt she threw the kitchen door open, the cabinet shivering to show their displeasure. "Oh yeah? You wanna wake me up in the middle of the night?" She growled, storming over to the thermostat on the wall. "You wanna make my life more difficult?!" Her voice grew as she turned the thermostat all the way up. "Well two can play that game, Buddy!" The house whined as she made her way over to the stove, turning it on broil before opening the door wide.
Within minutes the kitchen was sweltering, but Laney was not the only one sweating. If the house had been upset before it was even more so now. All around the kitchen things began to hover, though she noticed that they were never dangerous things. Cup measurers, boxes of cereal, even oven mitts were likely to be swept up in the houses fit, but never knives or forks or anything that could do any real damage.
The first night the house had made it clear it didn't want her there Laney had been so terrified she'd almost run immediately. If it wasn't for the ridiculous fees attached to breaking the lease she would have done it right then and there, but she had used all her savings to move, and it wasn't as if she could afford to let her credit take another hit. In the end, it was her frugality that won over her fear. When it became blatantly apparent that the house only wanted to scare her, not kill her, she knew she wouldn't leave. No matter how hard the house tried to push her out she dug her heels in twice as hard, far more stubborn than she was smart.
She threw her arms out at her sides, her nightdress now heavy with sweat. "Is this what you wanted?!" She yelled, thankful the closest neighbors were a mile away. "We could both be comfortable and asleep right now, but someone wanted to be a giant fuckin' asshole so now we're both suffering!" She wanted to storm out and stand in the backyard just to rub in the fact that she could escape the heat, but just like the house was unwilling to hurt her so too was she. Mainly because she couldn't afford to have the house burn down, though partially out of basic human decency.
The house shuddered, moaning twice as loud as blood and bile oozed down all of the walls. At least she wouldn't have to clean it up, it always managed to disappear before morning. She leaned against the counter as a dishtowel repeatedly swished in front of her face. She grabbed it angrily, throwing it into the sink with more force than was necessary.
The house fell still, silent, even the floating objects took their original places once more. She let out a soft sigh, it would seem as if she had won this round. It was usually a 50/50 split as to who would give in first, blaring country music seemed to be the most effective punishment of all, but even she wasn't cruel enough to do it often. She closed the stove and shut it off before heading back to the thermostat, turning it back down to seventy where it belonged.
As she made her way back up the stairs to her bedroom the house settled back into place, gore and goo reabsorbing into the walls before her very eyes. Guilt chewed at the inside of her stomach, but she did her best to force it back down. If she were the house, she thought, she'd be pretty pissed off if someone just kept coming back no matter how many times she told them to get out too.
"Look… I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have done that… I know you want me to leave but that isn't an option for us right now so let's just get along for the time being, okay? I'll be gone as soon as my lease is up." She slipped back beneath the covers, burrowing into the blankets as she looked around her perfectly still, perfectly normal room. She closed her eyes, a small smile curling at the corners of her lips as she-
The bed pitched forward as if on a spring and Laney was sent crashing into the opposite wall. All around her the house shook as if it were laughing, and all Laney could do was see red. She scrambled to her feet, more embarrassed than she was angry, and headed towards her phone and speaker.
"That's what I get for trying to be nice you, you stupid piece of shit house!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she turned on the speaker and punched in her password. As if sensing what was about to come the house grew colder. "It's too late for that!" She looked up at the ceiling as if she were looking into the eyes of the house. "Fuck you!"
With that, she aggressively started the entire discography of Toby Keith.
"Looks like we're both burning tonight." She hissed under her breath as she stared defiantly back at a house that was writhing in pain.
That was, of course, because it could.
The house let out another long moan, though this one was more of a rattling whine.
"Do you want me to live here forever?!" She cried out, dark bags under her eyes as another night of sleep evaded her. She stomped her foot like a petulant child, and the rattling of the house let her know just what it thought about her temper tantrum. "Fine, have it your way!" She snarled, turning on her heels and moving down into the kitchen. "I'll just live here forever! I'll raise my children in this goddamn house!" She grabbed onto the banister as she stomped down the stairs, taking two at a time as the house seemed to grumble under its breath.
"Stupid fuckin' house. Stupid fuckin' lease. Stupid fuckin' landlord!" When Laney had found the 3 bedroom 2 bath house for rent for only $500 a month she had jumped at the opportunity. Up to her eyes in student debt and struggling to find a good job in her field that was actually willing to pay her rather than simply take her on as an intern 'for the time being' it wasn't as if she could be picky about the place she lived, not unless she decided she didn't need to eat or drive or have heat.
With a grunt she threw the kitchen door open, the cabinet shivering to show their displeasure. "Oh yeah? You wanna wake me up in the middle of the night?" She growled, storming over to the thermostat on the wall. "You wanna make my life more difficult?!" Her voice grew as she turned the thermostat all the way up. "Well two can play that game, Buddy!" The house whined as she made her way over to the stove, turning it on broil before opening the door wide.
Within minutes the kitchen was sweltering, but Laney was not the only one sweating. If the house had been upset before it was even more so now. All around the kitchen things began to hover, though she noticed that they were never dangerous things. Cup measurers, boxes of cereal, even oven mitts were likely to be swept up in the houses fit, but never knives or forks or anything that could do any real damage.
The first night the house had made it clear it didn't want her there Laney had been so terrified she'd almost run immediately. If it wasn't for the ridiculous fees attached to breaking the lease she would have done it right then and there, but she had used all her savings to move, and it wasn't as if she could afford to let her credit take another hit. In the end, it was her frugality that won over her fear. When it became blatantly apparent that the house only wanted to scare her, not kill her, she knew she wouldn't leave. No matter how hard the house tried to push her out she dug her heels in twice as hard, far more stubborn than she was smart.
She threw her arms out at her sides, her nightdress now heavy with sweat. "Is this what you wanted?!" She yelled, thankful the closest neighbors were a mile away. "We could both be comfortable and asleep right now, but someone wanted to be a giant fuckin' asshole so now we're both suffering!" She wanted to storm out and stand in the backyard just to rub in the fact that she could escape the heat, but just like the house was unwilling to hurt her so too was she. Mainly because she couldn't afford to have the house burn down, though partially out of basic human decency.
The house shuddered, moaning twice as loud as blood and bile oozed down all of the walls. At least she wouldn't have to clean it up, it always managed to disappear before morning. She leaned against the counter as a dishtowel repeatedly swished in front of her face. She grabbed it angrily, throwing it into the sink with more force than was necessary.
The house fell still, silent, even the floating objects took their original places once more. She let out a soft sigh, it would seem as if she had won this round. It was usually a 50/50 split as to who would give in first, blaring country music seemed to be the most effective punishment of all, but even she wasn't cruel enough to do it often. She closed the stove and shut it off before heading back to the thermostat, turning it back down to seventy where it belonged.
As she made her way back up the stairs to her bedroom the house settled back into place, gore and goo reabsorbing into the walls before her very eyes. Guilt chewed at the inside of her stomach, but she did her best to force it back down. If she were the house, she thought, she'd be pretty pissed off if someone just kept coming back no matter how many times she told them to get out too.
"Look… I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have done that… I know you want me to leave but that isn't an option for us right now so let's just get along for the time being, okay? I'll be gone as soon as my lease is up." She slipped back beneath the covers, burrowing into the blankets as she looked around her perfectly still, perfectly normal room. She closed her eyes, a small smile curling at the corners of her lips as she-
The bed pitched forward as if on a spring and Laney was sent crashing into the opposite wall. All around her the house shook as if it were laughing, and all Laney could do was see red. She scrambled to her feet, more embarrassed than she was angry, and headed towards her phone and speaker.
"That's what I get for trying to be nice you, you stupid piece of shit house!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she turned on the speaker and punched in her password. As if sensing what was about to come the house grew colder. "It's too late for that!" She looked up at the ceiling as if she were looking into the eyes of the house. "Fuck you!"
With that, she aggressively started the entire discography of Toby Keith.
"Looks like we're both burning tonight." She hissed under her breath as she stared defiantly back at a house that was writhing in pain.
