I never should have opened my mouth, it’s all my fault.
Kelsey was my regular babysitter, I’d seen her atleast four times a month since I was 8 years old. I looked up to her, i trusted her, and I loved her. She was my confidant, except, I could never tell her everything.
My parents were creatures of habit, every month they had four date nights that consisted of four different activities in a regular rotation, and the dates always lasted from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm, never earlier, never later. To say that they were anal would be the understatement of the year.
My parents had a specifically tailored image that they liked to uphold in the community, one that they wouldn’t ever allow to be tarnished. A wholesome and traditional American family. My father was a partner at a law firm, and my mom, well, she stayed at home doing all sorts of interesting things while i was at school.
No boys and no going outside, those were the only rules that Kelsey was expected to follow in the Sterling residence. My parents thought of her as the daughter they never had and treated her as such.
On October 18th, my parents went out for their regular Friday night date. I was excited because that meant I got to see Kelsey. She showed up at 6:15pm, with her school bag in hand. Kelsey was a senior, she was getting ready to start the rest of her life in a few short months.
“Hey Sterling family” she smiled as she walked Into the door that my dad held open.
“Good evening, Kelsey. Thank you, as always for watching our little man” My mom smiled. Her smile wasn’t a genuine one, it always looked fake to me.
“Not a problem, this guy is my favorite person In this town” my parents nodded. Not really interested in what she was saying. They probably would have acted the same if she said I was nuisance.
“Well, we will be back by 10:30. Help yourself to the fridge or anything else you might need. Remember, no boys and no going outside. We will see you in the morning.” Mom said looking at me and then turning to walk out to the car.
Kelsey nodded as if she hadn’t heard the same rules every Friday for the past few years.
“Have a restful night “ my dad said as he followed her out the door towards his new deep red Tesla.
Kelsey closed the door behind them and locked it and the deadbolt in one swift motion. I was glad they were gone, I had a lot on my mind, considering the date.
“So, what do you wanna do tonight? Kelsey asked with a wink.
We did what we do every time she’s here, we ordered a pizza and played an obscene amount of video games. I tried not to show my feelings and worked hard to put on the front of having a great night. We were having fun until she suddenly turned off my Playstation.
“Are you okay? You aren’t acting like your self.” Kelsey asked concerned, she really was like a sibling to me, something I didn’t get to experience much of.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind.” I couldn’t tell her what was really going on, or my parents pristine illusion would have come crashing down.
“You can talk to me, you know. I’m always here. No judgment. Ever.” She smiled, her smile was real and loving. Nothing like my mother. Kelsey was probably the only person in this world that gave a shit about me.
I tried not to say anything, but, Kelsey made me feel so safe. I could trust her. Completely.
“It’s my brother’s birthday,” I blurt out quicker than it would have been possible for me to catch the words. My hands shot up to my mouth. Stupid. Stupid. STUPID.
“You don’t have a brother, you’re an only child” Kelsey says matter-of-factly, a slight show of confusion plays out on her face as she processes this.
“Now I am” I say quietly, hoping she couldn’t hear my reply
“OH no, I’m so sorry…. When did he pass?” Her eyes grew bigger, this was something she didn’t know and she looked like she wanted to cry. If only he were actually dead and I could take the sympathy.
“It doesn’t matter” I say, pulling my knees up to my chest.
“I had a brother named Aaron pass away. Well, we are assuming. He went missing 7 years ago without a trace… it’s hard… really hard, but, you have just got to try and push through it and move on in their honor” she smiled sadly, I didn’t know that Kelsey had a brother.
I felt bad that Kelsey had a brother that she legitimately could never see again. For some reason that fact made me so mad at my parents, I decided that I was done with this charade and that it was time to Crack the veneer of my families existence. I’ll never forgive myself for this.
“My brother isn’t dead.” I said flatly.
“I’m not sure what you mean, you said you’re an only child now… if he isn’t dead, what does that mean?” The confusion in her voice was evident. She wasn’t ready to hear what I was about to say.
I should have said it was all a joke and moved on. I shouldn’t have told her what I said next. “I…. I want to show you something Kelsey”
“You’re scaring me. Let’s call your parents and we…” Kelsey started to stand to go over to the phone.
“NO. they can’t know about me showing you. They just can’t okay, please. Promise me you won’t say anything.” I was stern but I also seemed desperate. Hopefully that was enough for her to trust that I meant it.
Kelsey was beside herself, she fidgeted with her hands and scooted towards the end of the couch. The contemplation was heavy in her eyes. This could go Two ways: she calls my parents and tells them to have me committed, or, she trusts me. I selfishly hoped for the latter.
“Okay. Show me.” She sighed, the conflict evident in her shaking breath. I nodded curtly and rose to my feet, I headed quickly towards the backdoor.
“We can’t go outside. Your parents are adamant.”
“Have you ever wondered why they’re so adamant about that?” I curiously probed.
“Not until you just said that” she looked around, as if to see if she was being watched before following me out the now ajar back door.
Kelsey took in her surroundings, the backyard was not as pristine as the inside of our house. Weeds grew tall and long, the grass was wildly swishing with every blow of the breeze. The yard was fenced-in by a tall fence, knowing my my family, I’m sure you can guess the color.
It was a big expanse of nothingness, except for a medium sized greenhouse tucked in the back corner. If you didn’t know it was there, you might have missed it. The widows were tinted, which now that I think back on it, defeats the purpose of a greenhouse all together.
We walked together through the grass, making sure we watched for any unwanted visitors around our feet. A minute or so later, we were in front of the greenhouse door. On the door was a number padded lock, mom had upgraded from a padlock a few years ago, adding to the security. The wind howled around it, it felt almost like a presence warning me that this wasn’t the right move.
“Do you know the code?” Kelsey asked, she stood next to me, I could see the wheels turing in her head. After all, who the fuck locks a greenhouse?
“No, but I have this” I smile, pulling off a broken part of the fence. I raised it above my head and slammed it into the number pad three times. The entire face of it fell to the ground, and I pushed the door open. It was dark as we both stepped in. Kelsey and I began to blindly feel around for some kind of light source, finally, I felt a chain hanging from the ceiling and pulled it roughly.
The greenhouse became flooded with light. The only issues was, it didn’t look like a typical greenhouse inside. The walls on the left were lined with shelves full of canned food and piles of paper plates. Along the right wall were work benches, they were full of every kind of tool imaginable. Including knives with a brown residue, lined up like soldiers, perfectly even. Everything was in order, all labels facing out, each pile was pristine, very obviously the work of my mother. A shiver ran up my spine, my parents were capable of more than I ever thought possible. There was a lone flashlight sitting on the edge of the farthest workbench covinently, I stuck it in my waistband in case we needed it later.
“What the hell is this?” Kelsey sneered. I know this was more that she was imagning, but she hadn’t even seen the worst part yet. “And what is that” she said, pointing towards the back wall. There was the door, the one that’s haunted me since i was 8 years old.
In terms of doors it was bigger than most, like the doors you imagine when you think of a slaughterhouse. This one was make of a thick, silver metal. It was very clearly built to be soundproof to the outside world, or to turn somewhere into an inescapable prison.
“That’s hell.” I said flatly.
I knew where the key to this door was, at least, I hoped my mom still put it in the hiding spot I learned when I was little. I walked over to the haphazardly placed breaker box on the wall and pulled it open with a silent prayer that my mother’s habitual tendencies transfered over to this second life of hers.
The key was there, hung by a keyring with a ‘home sweet home’ keychain on a hook placed within the box. I pulled it out with my thumb and forefinger, holding it by the ring as if it were toxic. Knowing what I know now, that wouldn’t have surprised me in the slightest. Kelsey looked at me, fear in her eyes as I pushed the key into the doors lock. It turned smoothly with a faint click. After unlocking it, I pulled the heavy door open with a grunt. The smell that ascended the the stairs was atrocious, my stomach began to turn from not only the smell but what it could mean.
“I don’t think I can do this” Kelsey said behind me, backing towards the greenhouse door. “We need to go back in the house and wait….”
“Kelsey… you said I could count on you. I need you right now. Please.” I smiled the best comforting smile I could muster in this situation. She nodded so slightly that it could have Been mistaken for a trick of the eyes. I grabbed her hand as we began the descent down.
The stairs seemed to never end and the smell grew more pungent the closer we got to the bottom. Kelsey and I cautiously walked down, step by step, our bodies trembling.
At the bottom of the stairs was another door, this one was more normal than the one at the top, this was also was devoid of any kind of locking mechanism. I inhaled sharply before I pushed it open. As the door creaked open, I noticed two things: the smell was horrendous, the only time I’d ever smelled something that bad was when our meat freezer went out and all the meat rotted, it was sicklyand sweet all at the same time. The second thing, was the sound of something rubbing against the concrete floor, it sounded like it could have been chains.
I pulled the flashlight out of my pants and fumbled it turn it on, the room where we landed was pitch black. I turned it on and the first thing I saw confirmed my suspicions, rows of chains ran along the ceiling, my breath caught in my throat. For the first time, I was truly terrified. We suddenly heard a loud clank behind us and I accidentally turned so fast that I shined the flashlight directly into Kelseys eyes. That was when we head something that changed both our lives forever.
“Kelsey?”