The attic - Chapter 1

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Moira woke up instantly because of a very unfamiliar sound coming from the attic. She was fairly used to the old house's noises and cracks, but this sounded different. It was just after midnight, and she went to bed early because she had a headache.  She lay still for a few minutes just to listen, and to decide if she needed to take action. She was all alone in the house and she could see the newspaper headlines already.  

"Girl killed by serial killer in her grandparents house."

"Stop it Moira, your imagination is completely running away with you again.  It was probably only a rat or a squirrel."

Moira lay still for a few minutes, and then when she did not hear anything, she turned around to go back to sleep only to be staring at the wall for half an hour. It was no use to try and go back to sleep.  Moira got out of bed and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk.  She took a seat in the old wing back chair her grandfather used to love so much. She used to sit on his lap for hours, while he told her stories about the days when he grew up.

It was only her second night back in the house. There were still so much cleaning to do, but she was in no hurry. She had no job, and she had nowhere else to go. 

When she found out that Alex was cheating on her, she totally freaked out.  He promised that he would never do it again, and she believed him. But she was wrong. She packed up her stuff and moved out the same day.  She quit her job and got on the first bus to Atterborough.  

Her grandparents left her the house four years ago, but she has never been back here. After her grandmother passed on, her grandfather stayed on for a few years, and when it became impossible for him to stay alone, he moved into a old age home not far from here. 

The last time that she was in town, was for his funeral and that was more than four years ago. She loved her grandfather very much, and she just couldn't bear the thought of coming to the house without him there.  When she found out that Alex was cheating on her, all she wanted to do was to get back here, because this is the one place where she had always been happy.

Moira woke up when the sun peeked through the curtain. She must have fallen asleep. She got up to go and make some coffee, and then went upstairs to dress for her cleaning session. There was such a lot of work to do and she wished that she knew someone that could help her move some of the larger furniture, but that would have to wait.  

Today she had to start cleaning the kitchen so she could at least cook for herself.  Living on fast food was just not her thing, and she really enjoyed cooking.  Just a pity that she had only herself to cook for. Damn Alex. He ruined her life.

Moira grabbed her handbag to dig for a pack of cigarettes. She knew it was a bad habit, but it kept her calm and cigarettes might be the reason why Alex is still alive. She took her coffee, ashtray and her cigarettes and found a seat on the stairs outside on the porch. She was just about to light up a cigarette, when she heard a weird sound coming from the attic.  It was the same sound she heard during the night.  She dropped everything and quickly ran upstairs to get to the attic.  

She pulled down the ladder as quietly as possible and climbed up the stairs towards the attic. 

-To be continued-