《Don't Go in The Basement》


 How Did We Get here!?

    The school bell rings, signifying the day is over. It''s the beginning of summer break, and the group of friends decides to spend the night at Harunosuke''s house. His family is away going on vacation, leaving the house for Harunosuke to watch.


    Harunosuke waited for the gang to come to the courtyard where the buses come to pick up the students, Harunosuke leaned casually against the school¡¯s courtyard railing, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd. Natsumi is the first to arrive, wearing her signature grin.


    ¡°Wow, look who couldn¡¯t wait to start summer,¡± Harunosuke teases as she jogs up.


    -Harunosuke-


    <ol>


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Race: Blasian</li>


    </ol>


    </ol>


    <ul>


    <li>Hair: Poofy/Dark Brown</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Eyes: Light Brown</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Hight: 5¡¯6</li>


    </ul>


    -You will see him hanging around in the teacher''s lounge eating snacks almost everyone knows him-


    ¡°Please,¡± She rolls her eyes ¡°I had to run to beat Kaida here for once,¡± Natsumi jokes, adjusting her backpack straps.


    -Natsumi-


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Race: Light skin</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hair: Curly/Dirty Blonde</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Eyes: Blue</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hight: 5¡¯7</li>


    </ol>


    -She definitely gives off popular vibes just by the way she carries herself and how she dresses-


    Moments later, Kaida appears, a little out of breath but as composed as ever.


    ¡°Natsumi you cheater,¡± she says as she leans against a railing to catch her breath.


    -Kaida-


    <ul>


    <li>Race: Hispanic</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Hair: Straight/Red</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Eyes: Black</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Hight: 5¡¯4</li>


    </ul>


    -Shy but feisty she doesn''t take anything from anyone you will find her surrounded by boys-


    Then followed closely by Satoshi taking his time getting there.


    Satoshi


    <ul>


    <li>Race: Caucasian</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Hair: Black</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Eyes: Dark Green</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li>Hight: 5¡¯8</li>


    </ul>


    -All about the books, he is always in the library because he is passing all his PRAP classes-


    Harunosuke smiles that the gang is all here ¡°Satoshi you''re finally here slowpoke¡±


    ¡°Took you a while,¡± said Natsumi she says playfully


    Kaida side-eyes her ¡°I mean you did just full-on sprint all the way here¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I rather not shove my way through a hallway crowded with people unlike someone,¡± Satoshi says as he looks at Natsumi


    ¡°Pff, hush you guys are just jealous I¡¯m faster than both of you¡±


    They get on bus 52 still having their playful banter, Harunosuke already informed the bus driver that morning that his friends were going to be getting on today and since he was a cool guy he had no problems with it.


    The school bus pulled up to his neighborhood.


    ¡°Hey Haruno,¡± says Kaida, getting off the bus and following Harunosuke to his house. ¡°Did your dad finally finish his project in the basement?¡±


    Harunosuke unlocks the door to his house ¡°Actually yeah that''s one of the reasons I wanted to have this sleepover¡± he says as he walks in.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Natsumi smiles and she jokingly says ¡°Maybe the ghost from last time is still there¡±


    Satoshi rolls his eyes ¡°Are you still thinking about that incident from a year ago? You know it was just a bird. Right?¡±


    Natsumi laughs ¡°Yep,¡± she says, ¡°but I definitely remember how Kaida ran out screaming at the top of her lungs, saying it was a ghost down there.¡±


    Kaida folds her arms, looking unimpressed. ¡°Are you really bringing this up again? I thought we left that in the last school year.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Natsumi replies with a wink. ¡°You gave me prime blackmail material that day.¡±


    They¡¯re still laughing as Harunosuke opens the basement door. The revamped space is unrecognizable from its previous dimly lit, cobwebbed state.


    Harunosuke opens the door to the basement. The stairs are made of stone, and the walls have tile on them and it''s well lit.


    ¡°Well, here it is in all its glory,¡± says Harunosuke proudly ¡°Me and my dad worked really hard on this.¡±


    They all are astonished by how much the basement has improved since the last time they saw it.


    ¡°Okay, this is actually... awesome,¡± Kaida admits. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t even smell weird anymore.¡±


    ¡°Kaida You''re exaggerating, ¡°It was damp, not weird-smelling. Big difference.¡±,¡± Harunosuke says.


    ¡°No, it definitely did stink down there, you''re just under-exaggerating,¡± says Natsumi.


    As they descend the stairs, a projector mounted on the ceiling comes into view, accompanied by neon lights adorning the walls. At the bottom of the stairs, they notice bean bags arranged near a projector screen and a bookshelf brimming with books.


    The walls are painted a sleek, smooth white, while the carpet has a warm, dirty blond hue. In the center of the room, a round table surrounded by wooden stools adds a touch of functionality to the inviting space.


    ¡°Damn Harunosuke, how long did this take you,¡± says Satoshi.


    ¡°Probably about six months,¡± says Harunosuke as he lays down on a bean bag.


    ¡°OMG! Haruno, you got a fridge down here!?¡± says Natsumi as she opens a cabinet full of snacks ¡°I think I''m in heaven.¡±


    While hanging out in the basement watching a movie, Natsumi finds an old Ouija board tucked away in a dusty box in the corner. Maybe it¡¯s an old family heirloom, or it belonged to a previous tenant who mysteriously vanished.


    Natsumi calls out, ¡°Hey guys! look what I found~.¡± She grabs the box, blowing the dust off it before holding it up for everyone to see. Everyone stops what they''re doing and looks over to her. ¡°Wanna play?¡±


    Kaida groans. ¡°Put that back where you found it.¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± Natsumi says. ¡°What¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡±


    ¡°Unleashing ancient evil,¡± Kaida deadpans. ¡°You know the rule Natsumi no one plays with the Ouija board,¡± says Kaida tiredly as if she asked that same question a hundred times.


    ¡°So? Harunosuke¡¯s parents are out of town, so there are no rules until they get back. And besides, playing it once shouldn''t be a big deal. Right guys?¡± says Natsumi in a persuasive tone.


    ¡°Well, I have no objection, it''s not like it is real anyway,¡± says Satoshi.


    ¡°I''m in,¡± says Harunosuke ¡°Come on Kaida it''s not going to be that bad Ghosts aren''t real anyways.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Kaida says as Natsumi puts the Ouija Board on the table.


    Everyone stops what they are doing to go to the roundtable.


    ¡°Ok, the instructions say you need two to four people to play and how you start the game is you take this Planchette put one finger on it and move it in a circular motion as you say Hello to begin the game. Ask a question, and the thing should start moving using the alphabet to spell and when we are done playing, we have to say goodbye,¡± Natsumi says as she skims through the instructions.


    ¡°I''m like ninety percent sure that not everything we need to know but I think we all get the gist of it,¡± Harunosuke says ¡°And if not, we can have Satoshi break it down to us later. So, on the count of three, we move this wood piece around in a circle and say Hello at the same time,¡±


    Everyone nods in agreement and puts a finger on the Planchette.


    ¡°Alright¡±


    3


    2


    1!


    ¡°Hello¡± everyone shouts out, as they move the wooden piece in a circular motion.


    ¡°Is anyone here?¡± says Natsumi as she''s not really expecting anything to happen Until the Planchette starts to slowly move on its own and finally stops at YES


    ¡°Okay, who''s doing that?¡± Says Harunosuke as they all look directly at Natsumi


    ¡°No way it¡¯s me,¡± Satoshi says, looking alarmed.


    Kaida shakes her head vigorously. ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d never admit it.¡±


    Just then, the Planchette begins to spell: K.O.Y.K.I.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Natsumi whispers.


    Before anyone can respond, the room¡¯s temperature plummets. A deep, haunting hum fills the air. The friends exchange wide-eyed glances as the lights flicker ominously.


    ¡°...Uh, did anyone invite Casper and his crew?¡± Satoshi mutters, trying to mask his unease.


    The lights flicker off and on, accompanied by a harsh, static buzzing sound that makes the group wince. Kaida shoots to her feet, her eyes wide with fear, her breathing quickening as the oppressive atmosphere settles around them like a blanket of dread.

 The beginning

    "Um, guys... what the fuck is going on!?" she exclaims breaking her calm composed nature, her voice cracking as she stumbles backward, nearly knocking over her chair. Her foot lands in something sticky, eliciting a wet, unnerving squelch that sends a shiver up her spine.


    Her gaze snaps downward, and she freezes. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± she whispers, trying to lift her foot, but the substance clings stubbornly to her shoe, stretching like some slimy tar substance.


    The dark pink, gelatinous meaty blob seems to pulse faintly as if alive, squirting out puss under the flickering overhead lights.


    The others turn to look, and Harunosuke¡¯s face twists in alarm. ¡°Did something spill down here?¡± he says, though his voice betrays a lack of confidence.


    ¡°No,¡± Satoshi says flatly, his sharp eyes narrowing as he crouches for a closer look. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t anything normal. It looks... organic.¡± He grimaces, pulling out his phone for light, but the screen glitches and refuses to turn on. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± he says as he taps his on the palm of his hand


    Meanwhile, Natsumi clutches her chair, her normally bold demeanor shaken. ¡°Okay, seriously. The joke¡¯s over! This isn¡¯t funny anymore!¡± she shouts, her eyes darting around the room as if expecting something to lunge from the shadows.


    The sticky meaty goop begins to spread, crawling across the carpet with an unnatural slither, heading toward the bookshelf for cover. The tar-like goo advances every flicker of the lights, ominously squirming against the floorboards, almost as if it¡¯s alive.


    "Do <i>not</i> touch it!" Harunosuke warns, pulling Kaida by her arm, careful not to let her other foot sink into the substance that the creature left behind.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly plan on making friends with it, thanks!¡± Kaida snaps, her voice shaky but regaining a hint of her usual sass.


    The flickering stops, plunging them into absolute darkness for several suffocating seconds.


    Kaida screams, clutching Harunosuke¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Tell me that¡¯s just the power grid messing up!¡±


    But Satoshi shakes his head, his tone grim. ¡°That still doesn''t explain the thing you stepped on.¡±


    Natsumi stumbles back toward the stairs, shouting, ¡°We need to get out of here <i>right now!</i>¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Satoshi exclaims, ¡°We don¡¯t know if it''s safe up there.¡±


    Kaida scoffs ¡°And we don''t know if it is safe down here either especially with whatever the hell that was down here!¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Everyone relax, this is no time for arguing I''ll go upstairs first to see if it''s safe,¡± Harunosuke says unsurely not knowing why he stepped up for this possession.


    Natsumi trying to put her brave persona back on says ¡°Don''t be a Dumbass you know what happens when people split up in horror movies! I-if you are going, I''m coming with you.¡±


    Satoshi sighs ¡°I can''t just let you two go up there alone,¡± he says thinking of all of the possible ways that something could go wrong for both groups if they separate.


    ¡°And I''m definitely not staying down here by myself, So I''m coming too!¡± Kaida says not wanting to be left out.


    Harunosuke smiles as he starts making his way up the stairs ¡°Ok so the plan is to search every room to see if it is safe to be upstairs¡±


    ¡°And what if it''s not and we have some abomination chasing us?¡± Says Satoshi trying to get Multiple plans just in case the first one doesn''t work.


    Natsumi says confidently ¡°Easy run outside¡±


    Satoshi looks at her like she''s an idiot. ¡°If there is something inside what makes you think there won''t be something way worse outside!?¡±


    They finally get to the top, And as Harunosuke cracks open the door, it makes a slow creaking sound. The air feels heavy, and the atmosphere tense a red glow from outside seeps through the cracked basement door. He eases his head through the door looking left to right to see if the place is clear.


    ¡°Then we will just have to run back down here,¡± Harunosuke says in a whisper as he sticks a foot out. As he does so the floorboard squeaks from the pressure of his foot sending a shiver down their spines. Slowly but surely, he musters up the courage to walk out followed by everyone else.


    It''s quite extremely quiet where it''s unsettling not a bird chirping or motor running. A haunting, dark red glow seeps through the gaps in the living room curtains, casting eerie shadows that dance across the walls. The couch looks like it has been weathered while the TV and its stand have a layer of dust accumulating.


    Kaida looked out the window in bewilderment and said with certainty ¡°I don''t think the sky should be this color¡±


    ¡°No shit Sherlock,¡± Natsumi says sarcastically.


    ¡°I vote Natsumi to go out there and check it out,¡± Kaida says


    Harunosuke smirks ¡°Nobody is going out there yet¡­ We still have to use her if there is something inside¡±


    ¡°Wait- What!?¡± Natsumi says as Kaida chuckles at his remark


    In a concerned tone, Satoshi says ¡°Hey guys sorry to ruin the moment but, have you noticed it is extremely quiet outside¡±


    Harunosuke looks a little unsettled ¡°Yeah but I was trying to ignore it¡±


    ¡°So? How is that important¡± Natsumi says


    Satoshi let out a heavy sigh, leaning slightly forward. ¡°Alright, let me break it down for you,¡± he began, his tone steady. ¡°Normally, you¡¯d hear cars driving by or maybe even a dog barking somewhere, right?¡±


    Natsumi nodded, her brows furrowing in curiosity.


    Satoshi''s gaze turned serious as he pressed on. ¡°Now think¡ªwhen was the last time you didn¡¯t hear or see a single car on the road... in the middle of the afternoon?¡±


    Natsumi frowned, her eyes narrowing as she mulled over Satoshi¡¯s question. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t remember,¡± she admitted hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯s always busy during the afternoon.¡± Her voice trailed off as unease crept into her expression. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Kaida chimes in ¡°It means it''s not a fun time out there dumbass¡±


    ¡°Hey on the bright side the living room is cleared just four more rooms to go,¡± Says Harunosuke, ¡°I think we should go to the kitchen to at least get some weapons if we need to protect ourselves.¡±