The front door

After a bit of internal debate in which she alternately cursed herself for being a coward and promised herself the door would be locked anyway, Ada steeled her nerves and resolutely marched right up the steps to the front door, congratulating herself for only flinching a tiny bit as the light popped on. What was she so scared of, anyway? Uncle Rodney and his friend were both gone and wouldn’t be back until it was nearly dawn. She was safe,

With that reassuring thought in mind, she reached for the door handle; one of those old-fashioned ones with the leering face of a wrought-iron gargoyle that until now she thought you only saw in cheesy horror movies. Still half-convinced the place would be locked and she’d have to find some other way in, she stopped short and stared in surprise as the door let out a loud creak and swung open with barely a touch, revealing only darkness beyond. Well...she supposed it made sense Uncle Rodney and his pal didn’t bother to lock up. It wasn’t like they had much to be afraid of.

Ada waited until her eyes adjusted enough to make out the vague shapes of furniture, then stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her. Turning on the cheap plastic flashlight, she frowned a little at how weak the beam, but determinedly shone it around. Mostly it just seemed to accentuate the shadows and make the place even creepier, but besides the old, dusty furniture she had little interest in she was able to make out a stairway leading to the second floor, an archway leading to another spacious room straight ahead, and a narrow, closed door set into the wall to her right.

She looked around again and chewed her lower lip nervously, trying to decide where to start.