The investigator slowly made their way up the old weathered stairs to the house's second floor. The hand rail had rotted to the point where a single touch would cause that portion to disintegrate and several of the steps broke under their foot. Two large portraits of the same family hung from the wall, their frames cracked and broken and the pictures themselves were torn. Each one showed the same family from the previous picture and just like the other, the family seemed to be putting distance between themselves and the father.
The investigator recalled what was known about the events that led to the state of the house's disarray and decay. From what they knew, the father had gone off the deep end shortly after he was laid off. After several months of unemployment with no light at the end of the tunnel, he just snapped. He went after his wife with a kitchen knife, prompting her to try and escape. Unfortunately, she could not escape her husband. The man then went after his children while they slept (a kind fate considering what he did to his wife) before he killed himself in a fit of grief.
They shook their head to rid themselves of crime scene photos of that horrible night. There was a job that had to be done and these thoughts were a distraction.
When the investigator finally reached the second floor, they were unsurprised by the chaotic state of the upstairs. The police had left everything the way it was; the rug upturned, pictures strewn across the floor, vases and other baubles shattered and scattered everywhere. There were also several long gashes on the walls and, upon closer inspection, they deduced that the marks had been done with a knife.
Stepping away from the wall, the investigator made to move forward, but something caught their eye. Switching on their flashlight, the investigator gazed at the floor and saw, on the area that was not covered by the rug, were splotches of what could only be dried blood staining the wood. Moving the beam, similar stains on the walls and rug could be seen.
Realizing that these were most likely created from the wife's attempt to escape her crazed husband, the investigator moved on, their feet creaking upon the floorboards. Five rooms that stood along the hallway; the master bedroom, the kids' rooms, a guest room, and a bathroom. Debating on whether or not to enter one of the rooms, the investigator froze as a sudden chill went up their neck. Before the young investigator could act, a raspy voice cut through the silence.
"Get out!"
The investigator whirled around towards the sound, but something hard smashed against their skull. The last thing the investigator saw before their vision went black was a hazy silhouette.
