Young Writers Society

Ebony Street traces its path up a steep hill in San Francisco, and even at the bottom of that hill you can see that empty house, two stories, gloomily overlooking the neighborhood with a curtained pair of shattered spectacles.

The houses at the base of the street are nice enough, sandwiched cozily by California poppies and white picket fences. But everyone knows that once you near the cul-de-sac, things aren’t quite so cheery. In fact, the houses that circle the roundabout, their occupants included, are downright terrifying!

And yet, even the most bedevilling property can be seen as a treasure to the desperate.

Even though the real estate agent tries to warn them, the half-dozen college students treat the whole haunted house thing as a stroke of luck. 823 Ebony St., that gloomy house at the top of the hill, has been empty for nearly ten years now, so it’s dirt-cheap. They snatch it up with hardly a second thought.

College is only a bike ride away, and living at 823 will give them the chance to save up for nicer dorms next year. The axe-murderer-esque neighbors and the mysterious apparitions might be a tad bit concerning, but hey. For that price, anything’s worth it.

Speaking of the cul-de-sac neighbors, those people have a story too. They might just seem like wackos who have schadenfreude scaring possible residents away from 823, but they actually have a very good reason for their hauntings, one that is riddled with secrets and, most importantly, bound by a friendship that began in their own years at college.

Ten years of haunting and ten years of successful scaring-away of any temporary tenants at 823 has equipped these neighbors with the skills and the confidence they need to rat-out the college kids. But this time, it might not be so easy.

While the six college students struggle to hold their ground at 823, what bone-chilling secrets of the cul-de-sac will they discover?







I have borrowed a few titles from the king of horror as nicknames for the four other houses. I’ve not personally read any of these Stephen King books, so interpret them as you please. Perhaps the person living at Salem’s Lot is a witch, for example. One thing I require is that the person living at The Dark Tower is good with mechanics and technology.

If you want to have more than one person living in your house, I’m open to that! Just check with me first in the DT.

1. Pet Sematary: Lillian Bollino (@Wolfical)
2. Salem’s Lot: Katrina Smith (@LadyLizz)
3. The Dark Tower: Roland Garros (@Persistence)
4. Black House: Benjamin Itim (@Crysi)






All these incoming college freshmen want is a chance to save their money. There's also something thrilling about living in a haunted house with your friends.

1. Leonardo Carter (@saentiel)
2. Ember Grace (@Sheytato)
3. April Hollenback-Moore (@Steggy)
4. Amy Brooks (@soundofmind)
5. Tom Hidaka (@Synnoev)
6. Gabriel Millard (@Strident)



If you're interesting in joining the storybook or have any questions, head on over to the DT! Also, refer to the sidebar for rules and commitment information.

The lights were on at 823 when Lily got home from work. She wasn’t too concerned.

Isabel was grading papers at the kitchen table, the cockatiel perched on the back of her chair. “Is Rollo up to something?” Lily asked, bending down to unclip Cliff from his leash. He bounded to the kitchen. Midna the cat appeared from the shadows and greeted Lily in her aloof manner, flicking her tail and waiting to be petted.

Iz swiveled around to ruffle Cliff’s fur. “Yeah,” she said. “There was a tour of the house today.”

Lily started. “There was?”

“Yep. Nobody knew about it until the real estate agent pulled up.”

“What happened?”

“That’s the thing,” Iz said. “Nothing. Cat was the only one home. She made an effort to walk by with some of her cats as the kids were leaving, but that’s it.”

“Kids?”

“Incoming college freshmen. Six of them.”

Lily groaned and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t have time for this.”

There was a knock at the door, which startled Lily especially because she was still standing so close to it. It was Benny.

He waved his smart phone at her when she opened the door. “If someone looked at their phone, they would have known to meet over at the house right away and spare their friend the agony of walking all the way over here in the rain. Emergency meeting. C’mon, let’s go.”

Lily cast an exhausted here-we-go-again look at Iz over her shoulder, then followed Benny outside. The late summer night was cold, and a soft drizzle speckled the sidewalk with raindrops. A beetle scuttled for cover in the crack between the sidewalk and Lily’s lawn.

“You exaggerated, Benjamin,” she said. “This is hardly rain.”

“It’s rain alright,” he said. “It would have been an exaggeration if I said it was raining cats and dogs.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Six college kids, huh?”

He nodded. “And a blissful real estate tour. It’s a nightmare. Rollo said he had a busy day at the office and wasn’t checking the security footage.”

“Did Cat do anything except walk by at the end?”

Benny shrugged. “She didn’t say. But I wouldn’t be surprised if she stabbed a few voodoo dolls.”

Cat and Rollo were waiting in the living room by the fireplace. “Does she know everything?” the latter asked when Benny and Lily came in.

“Show her the footage,” Benny said. He and Lily sat down on the floor - the furniture was sparse.

Rollo pulled up the right video on his laptop and turned it around to show her. It was from the camera pointed at the exact spot they were huddled around: the fireplace.

On the grainy screen, a bespectacled girl with a dirty blonde ponytail walked into the frame and bent in front of the hearth.

“Did she hear something?” Lily whispered.

“Probably,” Cat said. “She looks smart. Observant. She’ll be tough to fool.”

Rollo switched to a different video. “Here’s a good shot of all of ‘em.”

This one was of one of the upstairs bedrooms. The six students looked generally pleased; a few were grinning.

“They can’t believe their luck,” Benny said. “They’ll be getting this house for dirt cheap.”

Rollo showed one last video: the front yard, as Cat shuffled by, gazing at the students creepily, with Harry in her arms and four cats in tow. The kids didn’t seem fazed in the least bit. Some of them snickered; some of them fawned over the sight of so many cats.

Lily heaved a deep breath. “Great.”

“Yep.” Rollo shut his laptop. “They’re buyin’ this thing, no doubt about it.”

“Well, there’s only one thing we can do,” Lily said. “Scare the crap out them.”

“We can do it,” Cat said. “It’s not our first rodeo.”

“No,” Benny agreed. “But for some reason, I have a bad feeling about this one.”

“What, you think they’ll find out?” Lily asked.

Benny didn’t say anything.

As if on cue, they heard a thump coming from below the chimney.

They looked towards it tiredly.

“It’s been six days,” Rollo said. “Where are we gonna get it this time?”

“I wish cat blood worked,” Benny said.

Cat glared at him.

Lily yawned. “We’ll figure it out,” she said. “We always do. I’m going to bed.”

Rollo sat up. “Aren’t we gonna do some plannin’?”

“Too tired,” Lily said. “It’ll be same old, same old anyway. There’s no reason why these college kids’ll be any different.”

“I’m not so sure...” Benny said.

Lily tried to ignore him, but she couldn’t mistake the same feeling of dread that had settled in her gut too. As she walked home, she felt her confidence washing off with the rain and leaching into the sidewalk.

What would happen if they found out?

"Yo, I'm so freakin' hyped about this house, man!" Amy declared, beaming as she hit the wheel of her truck with her fists in excitement and conviction. "We legit got so lucky, it's nuts."

"Haha, I know, right? It's pretty great," Tom said with a small smile. Amy looked over to him as she turned into the cul-de-sac in her big red truck. It was worn down, with visible signs of the sun chipping away at the color of the paint, along with literal paint chips on the bumper and the hood. The door handle on the passenger side only opened from the inside, and the air conditioner was busted, but at the very least, the radio worked, and the car was still running.

Amy watched as Tom's eyes looked at the other houses lining their little corner of the neighborhood. As they passed the first house on the right, Amy's head jerked to the side when she heard a chorus of rather aggressive sounding dog barks. Briefly, she caught sight of the woman on the front porch, with a big dog at the end of her leash. It seemed to be the one barking at them.

"Ooooh look. There's a dog lady too!" Amy commented with a small grin growing on her face. "Wouldn't want to pet that one though. You know, she looks to be about as prickly as the dog, lol. Forreal."

"Haha, yeah, she kinda does," Tom chuckled.

Amy pointed at the next house to the left - the tall one with what looked to be three floors. "Haha, well who do you think lives there? We've got cat lady, dog lady, and a few other mystery folks."

Tom grinned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, I'm thinking maybe tall guy."

"Or maybe he's short! Haha, his house could be compensating," Amy snorted.

"Guess we'll have to see!" Tom laughed. And oh boy, did his laugh make Amy almost lose her composure (and by composure, she meant her cool, normal, not-gushing-over him demeanor). Amy smiled wide as she pulled into the driveway of their house beside April's car, but otherwise remained silent, afraid that she might blow her cover. As she put the car into park, Tom hopped out and Amy followed directly after, and they headed to the back of the truck, which was packed full of their things.

"Hey, thanks for helping me bring my stuff over by the way! It would've been real hard to haul it all over on my bike, haha," Tom expressed, looking over to Amy from the other side of the truck. Amy simply smiled and nodded with confidence.

"No problem, man!"

As the two opened up the back of the truck and began to grab their boxes, Amy spotted April running out of the house to greet them. Amy's entire face lit up and she set the hefty box down quickly as she ran over to April and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Aprillll! How you doing?" She asked as she pulled away from the hug.

April laughed airily, and pushed a loose hair from her ponytail behind her ear, then adjusted her glasses. "Alright. It's uh..."

Amy tilted her head to the side, looking at April closely. "...It's what? Is something wrong?"

April's brows drew together, as if she were considering whether or not she should share what she saw earlier or not. However, she did not have the opportunity, as both Leo and Gabriel came running out of the house to see them all.

"Heyyy Leo! Gabriel! You here to help us move in?" Tom asked as he approached them with arms full of boxes.

Gabriel nodded. "Sure thing, man!" Leo said, giving Tom a thumbs up.

Amy looked at April again with concern, but April seemed to have already moved on.

"Let's get you moved in!" April said, patting Amy on the shoulder.

Amy, not really knowing how to argue, decided to ask her about it later. So she went back to her big box and lifted it with ease, and hauled it up the steps to the front door.


By the end of the morning, everyone had moved all of their things into the home, and all they had left to do was unpack. Ember had arrived with her things, and it seemed like things were going smoothly. There were many hours left in their day but Amy was confident that it had started right. Heck - she got to drive around with Tom, and if that wasn't a blessing in itself, she didn't know what was. Amy and April surveyed the four rooms of the house, and ended up picking the second floor room with the south-facing window. It was an decently sized room - spacious enough to fit April's bed and Amy's mattress on opposite walls, with Amy's on the wall that had the walk-in closet. Amy wasn't a huge fan of the forest green color of the bedroom walls, but it seemed most of the walls in the house were painted some shade of green. At the very least, there was no neon green.

Amy contentedly arranged her small shelf on her half of the room by her bed, and decided on leaving her desk in the living room for the time being (it was rather empty at the moment, too). There just wasn't room with April's desk too - and she knew that April would prefer having space to herself in their room, and Amy would be fine with working downstairs in an open space.

All seemed to be going fine until Amy headed down to the bathroom. As the door creaked shut behind her and she looked up into the mirror, she saw a figure behind her in the mirror for a split second. When she turned around, her fist swung violently into the door behind her, and she only had enough reaction time to pull her punch a bit when she saw that there was no one there but a door.

She bit her lip as she pulled her fist away and shook it, looking at her knuckles' blood smeared on the door. She could feel her heartrate rising, and her adrenaline pumping. That better not have been some prank by one of the guys, she thought to herself. I just want to poop in peace.

With a very intense frown and a heated stare, she pulled down her shorts and plopped down onto the toilet seat and angrily pushed out her poops.

"What was that?" Ember yelled from down the hall. Amy could hear her footsteps running to the bathroom door.

"What was what?" Amy barked. Then, the ceiling light in the bathroom flickered a moment.

"Did you hear that?" Ember asked on the other side of the door.

"You mean me punching the door?" Amy asked.

"No... I... somebody poked me with a needle or something," Ember explained, her voice dropping a bit.

"A needle?" Amy questioned with annoyance in her voice - though more at the thought that someone would do something like that. She finished up on the toilet and flushed, and quickly washed her hands. As she opened the door quickly, Ember seemed to lose her balance a little bit, since she was leaning on it just a second ago.

"I'm gonna punch somebody," Amy announced.

"I thought you already punched the door," Ember replied.

Amy looked at her with a pouty frown and furrowed brows. "Someone disturbed my poops. You don't bother someone when they're pooping. That's just stepping over a line. I should be able to poop in peace."

Ember looked a little speechless. "But... no one... was by the bathroom."

Amy's frown deepened. "Ok. First order of business? We need a punching bag."

Tom dropped his last bag onto the bed and flopped down on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before a grin spread across his face. Day one. Day one of new house, new roommates, and... well, some studying. Maybe.

He sat up and surveyed his small room, still scattered with boxes and bags. Gabriel and Leon had decided to room together, so he'd ended up with the single room, which was... kind of a bummer, he thought, before brushing the negativity away. This was going to be a good year.

His stomach growled, prompting him to rummage through the several bags within arm's reach before emerging triumphantly with a bagel in hand. Perched on the windowsill, he took a victory bite and stared absently out the window.

Huh. That weird lady was there again. Across the street stood the cat lady from before, her gaze fixated on their house. Hang on, Tom thought. Were those different cats to last time? He leaned forward slightly and squinted, trying to get a better look at the cat on her shoulder. Had there been a tabby last time?

As he pressed closer to the window, the woman's head lifted, her gaze meeting Tom's intently. He flinched, almost dropping the bagel in alarm, then, after a moment's hesitation, gave a small wave. Her stare seemed to darken and she shook her head slightly, then continued down the sidewalk followed by the small tribe of cats. Okay... so, definitely weird neighbours.

Standing up and brushing breadcrumbs from his shirt, Tom padded across the hallway to Leon and Gabriel's room. A small stack of empty boxes were folded outside in the corridor, and both seemed focused on unpacking and organising their stuff.

"Oh hi, Tom!" Leon greeted, lifting a hefty pile of textbooks and carefully placing them on the bookshelf. "You finished all your unpacking already?"

"Uh," Tom replied, leaning back slightly so that the two of them could see the boxes scattered across the floor of his room through his open door. "I'll get to it later, probably."

Gabriel peered through the doorway, then rolled his eyes. "You really should get it done soon," he said in exasperation.

"Oh, for sure, I will get it done. Later." Tom replied through a mouthful of bagel.

"Sure you will." Gabriel shook his head, then nudged Tom's shoulder. "Anyway, go get a plate. You're getting crumbs all over our floor."

"Right. Good idea." Tom looked down and made an apologetic face, brushing at a few crumbs with a socked foot. "Anyway, see you guys downstairs. We need a group photo asap, so don't take ages!" He backed away from the door with a teasing grin and made his way downstairs.

Tom bounded down the staircase, the sound of the girls' voices getting louder from the direction of the kitchen. As he entered the room, Amy stopped mid-sentence as she was talking to April, then turned to point at Tom with arm outstretched.

"You!" she shouted. "Don't ever bother my poops again, okay?!"

Tom stared in silent disbelief for a second before cracking into an enormous laugh, bending over slightly with the force of it. "What," he managed to get out between laughs, "What are you talking about?"

Amy's face had gone a deep red, a slight smile tugging at her grumpy expression. "Don't laugh, I know it was you! Someone bothered me when I was pooping."

Schooling his expressions into something resembling solemnness, Tom looked Amy directly in the eyes. "Amy. Ames. I promise to you that it wasn't me. And if it was me, you'd have known immediately anyway, because it sounds honestly hilarious. What happened?"

"Actually, weird stuff has been happening a lot today," April piped up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and looking away. "Ember said there was something, too."

"Come on, it's probably just new house nerves. There must have been a reason this place was so cheap, right?" Tom said, attempting to reassure the two. "I mean, aside from the weirdo neighbours. You know that cat lady was watching our house today, again?"

April didn't seemed convinced, but Amy lowered her arm, giving Tom one last suspicious look. "I'm not buying it. Don't do it again, okay? You know the prank rules."

Tom rolled his eyes and nodded, approaching Amy to sling one arm around her shoulder and ruffle her hair with the other. "Sure, kid-tested, mother-approved pranks only from now on, got it," he teased.

Amy could feel her face go red, but this time not from embarassment. "Pranks aren't cereal," she muttered with a pout.

Seeing April's curious expression from across the kitchen, Tom quickly took his arm from Amy's shoulders. Play it cool, don't be so weird, he thought, rapidly changing the topic. "So... Time for a new housemate selfie?"

Groaning internally as soon as the words left his mouth, Tom was mercifully saved by the sound of the kitchen door slamming open again. As if summoned by the word, Ember sauntered into the room, flipping her hair over one shoulder. "Did I hear someone mention selfies?" Her gaze dropped to the phone ready in Tom's hand and she stopped mid-thought, a grimace forming. "Oh. Nu-uh. Last time I let you take a selfie of me you featured all three of my chins in their infamous glory, and I don't need the world to see that again. That was strictly a one-time experience."

Tom put the phone away sheepishly. "I remember. You made me delete it."

Ember nodded. "Yes. A one-time experience. Even remembering it is giving me hives."

"Spooky," Amy giggled.

Glancing up at the harsh fluorescent lights of the kitchen, Ember gestured back into the hallway. "Let's take it in the hallway. Not even I would look good under this."

"You just don't appreciate the blue tints and hues it adds to your complexion," Amy said with a small smirk, meeting eyes with Tom as they followed Ember into the hallway.

Tom returned Amy's smile, nudging her in the shoulder gently. Amy nudged back, a little rougher, and the two of them exchanged increasingly harder shoves until Ember glanced back, apparently finished arranging her bangs in the front camera view. "Are you all ready? Obviously I'm gonna outshine all of you in this pic, but try your best, okay?"

Amy got in the last shove before pulling away a fraction, to indicate they should stop and pose for the picture. "I never have to try," Amy quipped.

There was a moment of silence as Ember took a rapid succession of photos, and the group crowded around her as she flicked through them.

"How many did you take?" Tom asked incredulously. It had only been about a second, how had she managed to take this many? His gaze slipped to Amy's face beside his own in the photos. Her smile was huge and genuine, tinged with a hint of triumph. Flicking to his own expression in the photo, he cringed internally. In one of the shots Ember kept hovering over, he was looking down toward Amy, mouth caught in a smile. It was hands-down, one of the dopiest expressions he'd ever seen on his own face. So much for playing it cool.

Amy watched as Ember flipped through the pictures with her eyes following Tom's face the entire time, all the while hoping it wasn't obvious that she was doing so. God, his jawline. She wished she could just have him sit down in front of her so she could draw him and his beautiful face (though she didn't think she'd ever do him justice). She looked up at Tom for a brief second, wondering if he would ever even be down with doing something like that, or if he'd just think it was some weird, art student thing. But at the moment, she was too afraid to ask.

"Uh, guys?" April said suddenly, pulling the two of them from their thoughts. "Um. What is that?" Her finger touched the screen hesitantly, drawing their attention to the top corner. A faint light was visible, and though Tom turned behind to look where it would have been in real life, there was nothing that matched the picture.

"...Lens flare?" Ember proposed.

April's voice trembled slightly. "Now go to the next picture."

Ember flicked the screen, and a dead silence fell over the hallway as the four of them stared at the photo. Where the light had been, a pair of faintly glowing eyes were visible from the shadows.