_Flashlight, water bottle, phone, hammer. Check, check, check, and check. Alright I’m ready. _Mia stuffed her backpack and walked out of her room, then the hallway, then the kitchen, then out the door. Fear ate up her insides. _What would happen in there? Would I be ok?_

_Okay, okay if I get killed then my mom will know I left a note. But what will kill me? A hoard of rats? An evil sprit? Maybe the whole building will collapse._ _Or- _Mia stared up at the house it was old and dusty. Just as flight was about to save the day fight and “ this is the only thing I’ll get to do all summer” kicked in.

She pulled the hammer from her bag and began to pull the nails from the boards. She struggled a bit pushing and pulling but eventually got the hang of it.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally made a gap in the door that was just about big enough for her to fit through. Mia squeezed on through and what she found shocked her.

The house was filled with tiny little black bugs. Buzzing about. The giant entryway had a nest she could see it looked like it was made of plastic.

She screamed and jumped back. Hitting her head.

She woke up in the house but in a different room. Standing over her was a person. _No a ghost. _No it was a person alive and not very well.

“You alright kid?” He said in a heavy Texas accent.

“Ya, my head hurts a bit but I’m good.” She took a long look at the man. He looked young, around 25, but at the same time had some gray hairs. His beard was almost to his stomach filled with who knows what. His clothes were ragged, the bags under his eyes suggesting that he hadn’t slept in a month. “I haven’t seen you before.” _Seriously that was the first, well second, thing she said the him? Not what’s your name or how long have you been here but “I haven’t seen you before”._

__

“Yeah I’m from the town over. But I came here on vacation. Don’t know why. There’s nothin’ to do here either. But then I came across this house and me and my friend decided to explore. I’ve been stuck here for,” he counted on his fingers, “4 years.” He held up a 4 on his hand.

“My names Mia. What’s yours?”

“My name? Geez I have been asked that in a long time. A long time. My name is-um-oh! Samuel! Yeap that’s the name! Samuel uhh something.”

“Okay, Samuel. Why haven’t you left I mean leavin-“ Mia was cutoff.

“Not possible kid. You try and leave those bugs will eat you alive happened to my friend…” he trailed off deep in thought. “Anyway you got and food in your bag getting tired of catching rats.”