Realistic or Modern the manor

[allure]

We didn’t put the darkness inside of you; it was already there all along.​

 

[Castello]

Group 2 (Alli, Harry, Mel and Marcus)
Character's focused on: Marcus and Alison
A light rain fall would accompany the darkening sky, the sun just setting beyond a nearby hill. It was not a terribly cold night, but it was weather that warranted a light jacket. The group drove in Marcus's family van over the road that led closest to the manor, of course there was not one that directly linked up to the mansion, so there was some walking to be had. Alli had to have a word with the walk, obviously displeased, already ranting about how stupid the idea to go venture to the manor was. No one was forcing her to accompany, but she showed no signs of going back, perhaps going with the fallacy that the group somehow needed her criticism. The manor could only be spotted with the sun's fading lighting, any unnatural light absent from the area. Harrison turned on the flashlight to his phone, providing some light for the group, while using his hand to shield it from any rain.

The group finally walked up to the gates. It seemed to be made of rusted iron, with the door just opening up enough that each member of the group could barely slide in. Marcus tried to push the gate further in, but the top hinge that came loose seemed to have plunged the gate permanently into the earth. With a slight shrug, Marcus led the group into the courtyard through the space they had through the entrance.

"Y'know... I heard thirty years ago a group of kids, just like us, went inside and never came out." Marcus said, smiling at the group ominously.

"You're just saying that to scare Jinnie." Alison butted in, crossing her arms to present a disappointed demeanor. "If kids /did/ disappear in the mansion, there would have been news and this place would have just been burned down or turned into some tacky museum."

"Maybe they're just covering something up?" Harry added, siding with Marcus. He had been subject to Alli's abuse before, it felt good to have a chance to press her buttons.

"Yeah, yeah!" Marcus chimed. "Maybe it was some sort of government experiment and their deaths were all covered up? Maybe we're coming onto a conspiracy here?"

Alli simply scoffed, sighing instead of coming up with a response. Marcus would go to the door, trying to push it in. His shoes would slide across the mud, almost slipping from pushing so hard. He could feel the door give in marginally, indicating that it was barricaded instead of locked. He would turn back, motioning to the group that he needed help.

"Come'on, Harry, Charlie, give me a hand. This door is budging, I almost got it!"

allure

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiyCharlie shrugged good-naturedly and stepped up to help Harry and Marcus shove at the door. Eric, having not been summoned and suspecting that entering through the main entrance would be futile anyways, hung back. "If a group of kids really did die here then I'd imagine the police would have done a good-enough job of blocking that door so more stupid kids couldn't get in," he commented. Charlie stopped pushing at the door and leaned against the outside of the mansion, panting a little bit from exertion.
lwaiy"What would you suggest then, master of breaking and entering?" he asked with a laugh. Everyone in the group was more or less aware of Eric's delinquent past. Eric nudged a nearby rock with his foot and then picked it up, grimacing at the mud that smeared on his fingers.
lwaiy"We find a window, obviously."
lwaiyEveryone followed Eric around the side of the house as he led the way for once. He occasionally tossed the rock into the air and caught it again to test its weight. It didn't take him very long to find a low window. "Everyone step back" was all the warning he gave before he hurled the rock at the window pane. It shattered easily with the sharp sound of breaking glass, and Jinah ducked behind Melanie at the loud noise. Eric was already clearing the glass from the sill with his elbow, which was protected by the sleeve of his corduroy jacket. "Who wants to hop in first?" he asked everyone.
lwaiyHe made eye contact with Tabitha for a few seconds, and she narrowed her eyes. Eric wasn't petty enough to put her in the spotlight, right? To her relief, he looked away. Tabitha had barely spoken since getting into the car with the rest of the group, something that was quite out of character for her. She could feel the awkwardness if not straight-up irritation that her friends were feeling around her, and a pit of guilt as well as foreboding was gnawing at her stomach.

Castello ​

 

[Castello]

Group 2 (Alli, Harry, Mel and Marcus)
Character's focused on: Alison and Melanie
Alli, noticing how Eric seemed to eye Tabitha launched at the opportunity. She had her hunch that everyone felt a little strained with the idea of her being with group after being absent so long. Creeping up behind, Alli launched her palms towards the blades of Tabitha's shoulders, being nowhere gentle with her should she get a good grasp. Alli had never been fond of Tabitha, always criticizing what she thought was her void of loyalty to the group and her.

"Ohoho, I think we got ourselves a candidate! Did I hear you volunteer Tabby?" Alli would say in a scrutinizing voice. "Awh, is she finally taking one for the group? Finally getting out of her own life and thinking about others for once?" Alli's voice would be harsh and incredibly patronizing. Had her fingers met Tabby's shoulders, she would squeeze hard, indicating how she really felt towards her. If there was anything she had been vocal about lately to the others in the group, it would be her thoughts on Tabitha.

Mel seemed to open up a bit, trying her best to shield Jinnie from the confrontation. "Alli, please don't... We're all just happy Tabitha is finally with us... That's all that matters, right?"

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiyTabitha yelped when someone pushed her from behind, whipping around with a scowl on her face. She wasn’t surprised to see Allison’s sneer directed at her. ”Fuck off, Alli,” she retorted to the other girl’s harsh words. She shrugged Alli’s hands off her shoulders roughly and clenched her fists. Mel jumped in, and Tabitha waved her off ”It’s fine, I’ll go in first if that’s supposed to prove something to you guys. It’s not a big deal anyway, it’s just an empty, rotten house.”
lwaiyEric moved to block Tabitha as she approached the window. He shrugged his jacket off. ”Hey, put this on so you don’t cut yourself,” he said as he handed the jacket to her. There was still a little border of jagged glass on three sides of the window that could pose a risk to anyone with exposed skin, and Tabitha was the only person wearing short sleeves. She thanked Eric quietly as she shrugged it on before swinging herself through the window and into what seemed to be complete darkness. Eric was quick to follow.
lwaiyCharlie let out an awkward laugh once Tabitha and Eric were inside, trying to diffuse some of the tension that had settled over the group due to Alli and Tabs’ brief spat. ”See y’all on the other side,” he said and waved before clambering through the window, his movements clumsy due to his larger frame.
lwaiyJinah tugged at Melanie’s sleeve. ”Come on!” She was eager to explore the haunted house if anything, and it hadn’t really occurred to her that the experience would be anything other then fun. She giggled and ran to the window, throwing one hand up to steady herself as she climbed over the sill. There was a flash of pain. Jinnie pulled out her phone to shine a light on her hand. It seemed that she had cut herself on the glass, a small but deep cut in the meaty part of her palm, and a smear of red had been left on the window glass.
lwaiyThe others already had their phones out, flashlight functions turned on as they waited for their eyes to adjust to the gloom. Eric was the only one who had bothered to bring a real flashlight - the group wasn’t planning on staying for very long anyways - and he waved the beam of light over the whole room. They seemed to be in a spacious, extremely dusty bedroom.

Castello ​

 

[Castello]

Group 2
Character Focus: Melanie
Alli could feel a pang of anger surge through her stomach, searching every inch of her entity for a rebuttal to Tabitha. She stood while everyone entered the manor, motionless, though all she could find was a slight disgust in her own self. Tabby was her friend, even if their bond had been strained slightly, there were still good memories. She wanted to say sorry, but she was afraid something awful would come out instead. She bit her tongue, being the last to enter with a distant look.

Melanie would leap over the windowsill effortlessly, turning back to look at the other people who had still yet to enter, though all she would find is the red tinge on the glass. She almost instinctively looked to Jinnie, worried for her friend's general carelessness. Of course, she was right to fret, wasting no time to grab for her palms to inspect the damage.

"Jinnie!" She would say in her most motherly tone. "Why didn't you listen to Eric? He said there was glass..." Mel would inspect the wound, frowning. Melanie had no fear of blood, she had seen far worse, but seeing her best friend damaged made her pale slightly. She reached into her bag, pulling out a blue bandage, giving Jinnie her softest smile. "You're so silly Jinnie... You're lucky nurse Melanie is always on call!" Melanie would hold Jinah's wrist firmly, trying to apply the bandage to poor Jinnie's wound. "When you get home, get your mom to look at it okay?" She said firmly, though with the same smile.

Marcus would go to enter quickly after Tabitha's entourage, looking back to Harry who now seemed hesitant on the whole the idea. "Pussying out Harry?" Marcus would tease.

Harry held back a moment, shortly shaking his head to his friend's question. "No, just realizing how stupid this is..."

"It's public property, Harry, no one owns it, we'll throw rocks at if we want... Don't tell me you actually think there are ghosts?" He would say with a chuckle.

Harry would shake his head. "No." He would say flatly. "Spiders, bats and snakes to name a few, though."

Marcus would only laugh again. "Well, hurry up, the ghosts don't have all day!"
all day!"

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiy”Sorry Mel…” Jinah murmured sheepishly, ducking her head to hide her blush (not that her friend would be able to see it in the gloom anyhow) as the other girl treated her wounded hand. ”Don’t worry, it’s just a cut,” she said with a giggle. Fully aware how anxious Melanie could get over her wellbeing, however, Jinnie gave her friend a sort of comforting pat on the head and smiled up at her. “Thanks Nurse Melanie, I‘ll tell my mom when I get home, okay?”
lwaiyTabitha whistled as she looked over the old pictures sitting in their dust-packed frames on the dresser. ”The pictures are in proper black and white,” she observed. ”Just how old is this place?” Charlie walked up to see what she was looking at.
lwaiy”Aww, she’s cute!” he said, pointing at one picture of the same little girl who appeared in most of the photos. The girl was wearing a cute pinafore dress and had her inky black hair held up in curly pigtails. She looked no older than nine. ”I guess she used to live here. This must have been her parents’ bedroom.”
lwaiyOn the other side of the room, Eric was rummaging through the stuff on the vanity because, well, if the previous owners were long gone, would it be so bad to take a few souvenirs? He held up a necklace with a large red gemstone hanging from a heavy gold chain. ”Damn, is this real?” He shoved the necklace into the pocket of his jeans, figuring that he could find some use for such a fancy-looking piece of jewelry even if it wasn’t worth much. Maybe he’d gift it to his next conquest. He turned and wandered over to Marcus and Harry. ”Find anything cool?”

x x x​

 

[Castello]

Melanie would smile, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder, motioning to the manor. "Come on Jinnie, we can't let the others find everything before us!"

Marcus would quickly see everyone scavenging for goodies, eager to get his hands on something to show off as well. Harry was still tentative about his entrance and would lag behind Marcus, though even his inner curiosity was giving in. His eyes darted around the room they entered through, spotting a closet. Harry reached for the knobs, pulling the closet to left, unveiling an assortment of vintage clothing, for men, women and children. Marcus would leap to the finding, filing through each of the articles.

"Hey Harry, look! Now you can be a true British aristocrat like your ancestors!" Marcus would exclaim, revealing a long, elaborate coat that seemed to be used for special occasions. He would hand the jacket over to Harry, insisting on him wearing it.

Harry would let out a hushed sigh, putting on the coat as if it was against his will. "Y'know, my family were just regular old farmers, not aristocrats..."

Marcus would be absent from listening, scrounging the closet for other interesting things he could accessorize Harry with. He leaped up to steal a fur hat from the top shelf of closet, forcing it onto Harry's head. Both the coat and the hat would be far too long for the average-sized Harry, the coat reaching down to his knees and the hat only giving a small crevice to peak out of. Along with the size, it would be terribly dusty, the boy exhausting a few coughs as the dust entered through his nose. Marcus would grapple the almost blind Harry, revealing him to Eric when he asked what had they found.

"Look, look Eric, doesn't Harry look ready for tea?" Marcus would say with a chuckle, making his best imitation of the British accent.

Harry would let out a small sniffle, lifting the rim of his hat so he could see Eric better. "Oh boy tea time, again? My favorite."

As this went on, Alli walked to a corner of the room in solitude, accessing a small shelf of decorated porcelain. She would gently curl her hands around one shaped as a cat, blowing off the dust that had begun to encapsulate it. It was that of a black cat in a shirking pose as if something had startled it. There would be something very creepy about it, mostly in the cat's expression, it almost seemed human in design. Alli would cringe just looking at the figure, turning around to show Tabitha and Charlie. She would almost hesitate, but would muster up and speak.

"These must have been her parent's figures... Tacky. Can you believe people actually decorated their house with these? Even my grandma would be freaked out by this."

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiyEric snorted and flicked the hat on Harry's head, causing another cloud of dust to puff out from the ancient felt. "You look like a shrunken mafia member," he teased. "Bloody ridiculous."
lwaiyTabitha and Charlie both turned at the sound of Alli's voice. Tabitha just stared at the creepy cat... thing and took a step back instinctively. Its eyes seemed to follow her. Charlie was laughing. "Be careful, Alli, that thing is probably cursed."
lwaiyJinah had found a thick wool scarf hanging off the back of an ornate chair. Perhaps once a rich red in color, the fibers had turned burgundy with age. She shook it out until it wasn’t spewing dust at every slight touch and wrapped it around her neck. ”How do I look?” she asked, doing a spin and posing for Melanie. She spotted Harry, Marcus, and Eric seemingly playing dress-up and ran over to get their opinion as well. “Harry, that coat makes you look so cool!” Eric chuckled and ruffled her hair.
lwaiy”Why don’t we get going?” he asked, raising his voice so everyone in the room could hear. ”This mansion is huge, there’s probably loads of stuff in the other rooms. Maybe we’ll even find a dead body.” He snickered and directed his flashlight to the open doorway, only to yell in surprise when the silhouette of a person ran through the light. ”Holy fuck, did anyone else see that?”

x x x​

 

[Castello]

Harry would endure another sneeze as the dust emitted from Eric's flick entered his nose. He would let out a cough-stuttered chuckle, lifting the hat to take a good look at Jinah. "The scarf fits you, Jinnie, a true lady right here!"

Melanie would giggle, clapping for Jinah. "Harry's right! You two look like you're ready for a ball!"

Eric's callout would send a shrieking feeling down Melanie's spine. Her eyes would dart to his line of sight, looking everywhere for what he claimed to have seen. She could feel her heart grow heavy looking into the dark... She did not want to be in this place, but seeing Jinnie so excited to explore this manor gave her confidence to face her fear of the dark. Melanie squinted, the corner of her eye making for Jinnie. She calmed down quickly, she knew could not let her friend see her like this.

"Not funny Eric!" Melanie almost sounded angry.

Alli, not distracted like Mel, seemed to look towards the door of the room. Her eyes lingered on it, the light sound of footsteps heard, but they almost sounded too light for a human's. For a split second, Alli believed in ghosts, as if they had stumbled across one right here and now, she was not certain whether to afraid for her life or not.

Out of the doorway, the figure would enter into Eric's light, shielding her eyes from the beam. "Oh my..." A lady's voice could be heard, it was soft and calming with a cheery smile. "I am so very sorry I scared you... I really did not think other people would be exploring this place. If I were to be honest, you guys had me scared half to death as well!" She would say, approaching the group with a friendly wave. She would look to the dressed up pair and then to the rest of the group, letting out a playful giggle. "So cute! This place really is interesting is it not?"

All fear in Mel and Alli would dissipate at the reveal of the young lady.

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiyJinah had been standing right next to Eric and had seen the same human figure dart by. She showed no signs of distress other than biting her lip. It was most likely just another person exploring the dessicated mansion, maybe a homeless person seeking shelter from the nippy weather. Her suspicions to the latter were seemingly confirmed when a friendly young woman emerged from the hallway.
lwaiy”Are you here with anyone else?” Charlie asked the stranger, who giggled.
lwaiy”Yes, but they happen to be out and about in the other parts of the manor at this moment. I do hope you’ll get to meet them, my companions can be very… stimulating individuals.” Tabitha was a little puzzled by the woman’s peculiar way of speaking. ”Well, I don’t want to hold you all up on your adventuring. I’d recommend a visit to the dining room in the west wing, you can get up and close and personal with the cutlery. Toodleloo!” With a final tinkling laugh, the woman ducked back out the doorway.
lwaiyCharlie laughed, thinking the woman had made a joke about the cutlery, but Tabitha didn’t see what was so funny. The woman had been really strange, and it kind of creeped her out. “Hey, can you at least tell us how to get there?” Eric called after the woman. He ran to the door and pointed his flashlight down the hall, but she had disappeared.
lwaiy”Uhm, might as well, right?” Jinnie said. She was the first to leave the room, and Eric was immediately on her tail, telling her to slow down and to not get too ahead of the rest of the group. Charlie trailed after the pair, and Tabitha followed after some hesitation. She was starting to rethink this whole ‘exploring’ thing.

x x x​

 

[Castello]

Harry would look to the woman suspiciously, some things simply came off as odd to him. First of all, the woman wore a very unusual dress for an outing of this nature, not only to add to that, it seemed fairly outdated. The second thing that struck him as off was her age. Exploring a dilapidated manor seemed more of youthful act to commit, not one of a young woman. His guess did not jump to she was a ghost, that seemed too supernatural for the pragmatic Harry. He watched her leave carefully, trying to spot any details that might illustrate a conclusion for him, but he left the moment empty-handed in guesses.

Everyone would nod at Jinnie's request, no one really had a roadmap planned for their exploration. As the group ventured out of the room, Harry hung the coat and hat up and followed near Marcus, Alli still lagging behind slightly. Melanie was a little more lax after the fright, but she was extra close to Jinnie now, not only was she a little skeptical of her friend's safety, but venturing into the dark unnerved her.

"Anyone find that lady very odd?" Harry would finally decide to say.

"Oho, look who it is, worrywart Harry strikes again!" Marcus would tease.

Harry would unleash a quiet sigh direct towards his friend. "No seriously, did anyone see how she was dressed? A frilled dress, does that come off as odd to anyone? Let's not even get started on how old she was!"

Marcus would shrug with his patented smirk. "Probably just a cultist glad to see fresh new sacrifices her group can present to their tentacled god!"

Harry would almost begin a reply before Alli could interrupt. "Oh, come on Harry, don't tell me you think she is some ghost!"

"No of course no--" He would be swiftly interrupted by the sharp-tongued girl.

"Probably just one of those creepy roleplay groups! This is a perfect setting, isn't it? Creepy, old and props located everywhere! That explains why there is so much stuff lying around! It makes no sense why there would be a bounty of goodies just for the taking, this place would have been robbed dirty ages ago! Isn't that right, Eric?" She would ask the expert thief.

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiyEric shrugged in response to Alli’s question. ”Everything we saw in the room looked real, so if this is just some setup, it’s very well-funded.” The derision in his voice showed how silly he thought the idea was. ”You’re right, about one thing, though… It is kinda strange that the place hasn’t been completely sacked yet.” He shoved the hand not holding his flashlight into his pocket and fiddled with the necklace that he had found. Whenever his brother would come home with a sack of jewelry, watches, cuff links and other very expensive-looking items, he would make Eric help him identify which were fake and which were real. The boy knew that the heavy necklace he was touching felt like real gold, and the gemstone on it was definitely not of the cheap plastic variety. He had to admit that it was quite odd that something so valuable was just lying around inside a mansion that was apparently centuries old. Maybe the necklace had just been a lucky find, but he somehow doubted that.
lwaiyTabitha was tugging at a lock of her hair, one of her nervous tics. She barked out a laugh at Marcus’ tentacle god comment. ”Harry has a point, that lady was super fucking bizarre. Wardrobe choices aside, the way she talked was weird, not just her accent. Maybe she was high or something?”
lwaiy”Maybe she was just messing with us…” Charlie murmured.
lwaiy”Maybe she was homeless!” Jinnie suggested with a bright smile.
lwaiyEric chuckled. ”Maybe all of the above. Where the hell is the dining room, anyway? Are we even in the west wing?” The group had been walking through what seemed to be a maze of narrow hallways, but they took a turn and suddenly found themselves looking at a large foyer, where a single massive chandelier hung by a chain that looked like it could snap any minute. To their left, through an open walkway, they could just make out a collection of dilapidated armchairs surrounded by sparkly things on the ground – broken glass? To their right were a set of imposing double doors, the sturdy oak looking somehow untouched by the ruins around it. Tabitha was already walking towards the doors. ”That looks promising,” she said without any other explanation. The rest of them followed since yeah, they couldn’t see much else that was interesting in the gloom.
lwaiyTabitha heaved one of the doors open with a bit of difficulty and held it open to let everyone inside. It was dimmer inside this new room than normal, their lights barely penetrating the blackness. What little was illuminated revealed a row of wine glasses sitting neatly on a table so long that Eric had to point his flashlight to see the end of it. A silver serving cart, the kind used by waiters in fancy restaurants or by servants in wealthy households, gleamed next to the chair at the far end of the table. One of the ladles hanging from it was swinging back and forth, Eric noticed with a small shudder of apprehension. That was all he focused on before the door behind them slammed shut, throwing them into even deeper darkness.
lwaiyTabitha whipped around, meaning to shove at the door, but stopped upon seeing the expanse of strange markings on the polished wood. Her phone light revealed the evidence of frantic scrabbling and scratching, like someone or something before them had been clawing desperately at the exit. Her gasp was drowned out by the sound of shattering glass. Charlie had barely ducked out of the way of one of the wine glasses on the table being thrown at his head. ”What–?” he began, only to be silenced by a low groaning noise from the other side of the room.

x x x​

 

[Castello]

Harry would enter with Marcus into the dining room, still deep in thought about the lady from before. The circumstances seemed off, no matter the explanations his peers offered him. The dining room was covered by pieces of art that seemed to paint the glory of war. Several paintings of soldiers, some glorious, while others were morbid. The one that caught his eyes was the one above the fireplace of a British soldier being pierced by a bayonet. Harry shuddered at the realism of the painting, it seemed to catch every trace of fear, almost like the artist had been there for the death.

Harrison could not dote on the paintings for long however, a rigid fork rearing just passed his ear and into the wall almost had it an arrow shot by a bow. His heart would sink, his body naturally freezing up, a tea cup would be thrown near his vicinity next, striking just at his feet. Marcus was quick thinking, however, pulling a small sofa away from the wall and using it as cover. He would hull Harry down below as a knife pierced the sofa's framework.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Marcus would yell, trying to direct his cries at the groaning across the room. "Everyone, get down!"

Melanie would be swift to get towards Jinah, trying to keep a steady embrace of her should any loose cutlery come their way, it was a lot more likely to strike Melanie than Jinnie. She could feel a gush at her legs as several shards of glass found their way into her ankle. Blood dripped into her shoes, but she could not shriek, not when Jinnie was so close, Melanie could not let her see the pain she felt. She would usher Jinnie to couch where Marcus and soon Harry would be taking cover, the pair being sure to give them some room.

Harry shuffle next to Marcus, quickly catching on to his senses. He could fill something off, voices in his head coming from across the room. They all called for madness, but Harry could hardly feel himself falter. Marcus seemed stressed, more than he had ever been. The reckless boy reached for a stray knife, looking as if he intended to use it as a weapon. Harry was quick to snatch it from him, giving him a stern glare.

"What're you thinking!? You think fighting back is a good idea? If you stick your head out you'll lose it!" Harry would sound serious, turning his body to try and hear where the groans were truly coming from. "If you can hear us, we don't want to hurt you! We're just exploring, you do not have to be afraid!" Harry sounded desperate to communicate with Tristan, but he had no idea of their assailants motives.

Alli, during all of this would stand almost still off to the side, she was petrified, glued to the ground. She watched as cutlery flew her way, she had been so fixated on the flying projectiles she could accurately guess where their aggressor was. Marcus tried to call her over to cover, but she could only give him a brief glare, almost as if she was begging him to come get her. There was little left that separated her between a human and an animal, she had lost all her feelings. She could only feel her heart pump cold blood throughout her body. The spirit's aura beckoned her, it almost lulled her towards him. Just as she began to walk forward, a knife struck her in the shoulder. Alli reached her hand to her wound, she could feel the serrated edges of the steak knife lodged into her muscle, it was quite deep but what brought upon new emotions was the blood she found stained to her hand. She fell into a trance, her eyes making for the group, then for Tabby, her mind perceived Tabitha smiling, mocking her pain. She felt irrational feelings of hate surge through her, this was her fault! Tabby was why she was bleeding, why she was afraid, why should couldn't even stand without wobbling knees!

Wherever Tabitha was, Alli would be enticed to. She moved almost inhuman, her steps crooked and her gaze hysterical. She would, with all her might, try and lift Tabitha to her feet, putting the strength almost as if her life depended it. As she did this a small tea cup struck her in the face, splitting her lip, causing bleeding from her forehead to the chin. She would grunt in agony, tears rolling down her face.

"Don't mock me you stupid whore! This is your fault! Your fault!"

Her face would be engulfed in tears and blood, her once beautiful complexion was now pale blue and purple. If she had gotten a grip on Tabitha, she would hold her as a shield to Tristan, holding her beneath the armpits.

"I don't deserve to die, I am loyal to my friends! Why am I afraid?" She would almost begin to laugh amidst the tears. "Take her please! She deserves it, I don't deserve it! I am kind and I am beautiful, I have so much more to live!" Alli would speak with an speed, clearly with no thought to her words.

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiyJinnie, being stuck in the center of her friends, had a hard time seeing what was going on. She could hear shouts, shattering glass, and strange thunking noises before Melanie was wrapping her up in her arms and pushing her towards where Harry and Marcus crouched behind a small couch that they had pulled away from the wall. It was more of a loveseat, really, and all four of them could barely fit behind the piece of furniture. Melanie’s breathing against her ear was labored, and Jinah turned around with wide eyes. “You’re hurt!” she accused, leaving no room for argument. She had put two and two together in her head, and she figured that the couch they were using for cover would only provide temporary respite. They had to get out, and fast. Jinnie turned off her phone light and then slipped away behind the couch before anyone could grab her small stature, keeping her back against the wall as she made her way blindly to the other side of the room.
lwaiyTabitha watched Allison approach her with a disconcerted expression. Her friend looked unstable and, if Tabs was being honest, quite scary. She inhaled sharply at the sight of a knife sticking out of Alli’s shoulder. “Oh my god, Alli, we need to– agh!“ She cried out as the other girl lifted her with strength that she would never have expected Alli to possess. Tabitha thrashed against the arms holding her in place. ”Let me go! What the hell are you doing?” she screamed. ”Marcus? Charlie!” Alli was saying something about how she deserved to live (and Tabitha apparently didn’t), but Tabitha was less concerned with that bullshit and more concerned with getting out of the situation alive. She spotted Charlie huddled in the corner on the room, knees drawn to his chest, hands over his head, and definitely not looking like he was in a position to help anyone. Something hit her in the head, hard, and she could feel the shards cutting into her forehead. The groaning sound that had been rumbling throughout the room ceased and was replaced with a voice that made the hairs on her arms rise.
lwaiy”Loyal? Don’t flatter yourself.” A chilling laugh, grating and mirthless, rang through the air before another knife came spinning out of the darkness and straight towards the pair. Tabitha’s efforts to free herself doubled, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to tear Alli off of her in time. A force from the side suddenly knocked them both to the ground. Tabitha looked up to see Eric looking unraveled. He didn’t stick around but instead stumbled over to where Charlie was curled up. Tabitha pulled herself up from the floor with a chair and yanked the knife that probably would have killed her from the door, where it had ended up sticking. She took cover underneath the table and pointed the knife at Alli. Her arms felt like noodles and her head was pounding, but she’d be damned if she let the other girl pull something like that again.
lwaiyMeanwhile, Jinnie had made her way to the back of the room. She could see the outline of a large man standing on the other side of the table, and her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest as she snuck past him. She didn’t dare turn on her phone flashlight but used the meager light from her phone screen to examine the wall, looking for any signs of a possible exit. She could hear her friends screaming behind her, which only made her more frantic. If any of them had decided to follow her, she hoped that they had the common sense to turn off their lights. If the man hadn’t noticed her, he must not have been able to see in the dark either. Jinah slide her hands over the wood paneling until one of the panels seemed to give under her touch. She nearly cried when she pushed the panel and it opened into a dark space.
lwaiy”GUYS!” she turned and shouted as loud as she could. “TURN OFF YOUR LIGHT, FOLLOW MY VOICE, I FOUND A WAY OUT.” She could hear whistling sounds as cutlery was thrown her way, but her suspicions were confirmed when none of them actually hit her. The man’s eyesight was as human as any of theirs. She crawled in the space and continued to shout, praying that they would all make it safely.
lwaiyEric pulled at Charlie’s arm. “Dude, get the fuck up, we have to go!” He had turned off his flashlight at Jinnie’s warning, but he wasn’t going anywhere without his best friend. Charlie was whimpering and shaking. The tallest member of their group seemed so small. Eric tugged him out of the corner, intent on dragging the other boy if he had to. He would have blundered across the room without a thought if a voice hadn’t hissed from under the table. Tabitha?
lwaiy”Get everyone under the table,” she was whispering. ”We can get to where Jinnie is if we crawl under it.” Eric joined Tabitha under the table, pulling Charlie with him, and took out his phone. The idea of such a mundane activity as texting his friends when they were literally getting attacked by a supernatural entity was laughable, but he didn’t want to risk being heard or seen by the monster.
lwaiyeveryone under the table. lights off. we’re getting out of here, he sent to the group chat. He winced when he saw the notification make the phones of those who were still hiding behind the couch light up, and an ensuing barrage of items flew at them. Some china plates and bowls hovered over the space where they hid before dropping down.
lwaiy”Sneaky, stupid children. Either die or get out!” the monster growled.

x x x​

 

[Castello]

Alli would fall to the ground, unable to collect her bearings enough to lift herself, only breathing to herself slowly. She came to the realization of what she had done, unsure how to feel about her actions. Alli's eyes trailed up to Tabitha who had a knife pointed at her, this image caused a slight recovery, but unable to act on it.

Melanie would see Jinnie crawl away, she followed quietly, she initially objected, hushing words to try and get her friend to go back to the couch for cover, but as she looked to the silhouette, she realized if it had heard her say anything, it might be the end for Jinnie and her. Mel's cell phone went off, following Jinnie, she wanted to catch up, but she knew any clumsy steps could give away her position.

Harry saw the pair trail off, indicating to Marcus. They gave each other a quick glare as if they were crazy for running off, but as another knife pierced the thin cover of the love seat, they knew they would have to act as well. Marcus tried to make to make a quick run, but the event with Alli seemed to cut him off, halting Harry in his tracks as well.

Alli would remain on the ground as the group began to leave on Jinnie's discovery. What have I done? She thought as she laid on the ground, she could hear bowls crash behind her. The knife was still lodged in her shoulder, she wanted to get up, but she just could not muster the willpower to do so, she was afraid she might hurt someone again, the desire to was still deep inside her. She started to sob from the pain, her hand lingering on the handle of the steak knife, the other making for her cheeks that had been slit by the clay cup that struck her.

Harry and Marcus were about to leave, but the light from their phones gave their position away, along with Alli's. The pair had noticed Alli lying there and after what she had done they were unsure of what to do with her. They glanced at each other, but they quickly had another problem coming their way. A few bowls fell towards their head, the pair jumping away from the love seat and out into the open. This was a problem...

Marcus, now next to Alli had to make a quick decision. Bowls crashed their way, inches away from the two. Marcus saw Alli cry quietly to herself, this sound brought even more projectiles their way. Marcus could vaguely see Harry try and gesture him towards the love seat that had been now torn, it offered its last legs of protection now. Marcus cursed under his lips, flipping Alli around and dragging her to cover. A bowl, from a decent height hovered above the pair as the sound of Alli's crying drew attention, it fell towards them at a speed that was enough to knock one of them out. Just before it could smack down, however, Harry caught it, setting it down.

The now trio were quick to get under the table and towards Jinah. Marcus was huffing loudly when the three arrived, tired from almost dying and dragging Alli, even though she was not too heavy. He was desperate to drag her through the space, Melanie there to help him on the other side. Alli's face had begun to turn purple and bloated and seemed docile by this point, though largely useless like Charlie.

Once they had made it to safety and away from the spirit's range, Mel gave Jinah a pat on the shoulder. "Good find Jinnie!"

Marcus rested slightly, giving Alli to Mel who was probably a little stronger. "Yeah... Really saved our ass there."

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiyMelanie had scared the daylights out of Jinnie when she crawled into the space after her, but Jinnie was glad that at least the other girl was safe. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she lost anyone, especially Mel.
lwaiyJinah huddled within the dark space, screaming encouragement until her friends began to make their way in, one by one. Tabitha was the first to come in, her hands shaking and unshed tears in her eyes. Then Charlie stumbled through the opening, barely catching himself and avoiding a faceplant into the opposite wall. Eric was right behind him. They all turned their lights back on, making sure to keep them faced away from the opening.
lwaiy”Where are Marcus and Harry and Alli?” Jinah asked the trio, fretting with the scarf that still hung around her neck.
lwaiy”We can forget about Alli,” Tabitha growled. ”That bitch tried to kill me – I think we’d be better off without her.” She angrily wiped away the blood that kept dripping into her eyes. Jinnie bit her lip. So it had been Tabitha yelling earlier. Eventually the trio that they were waiting on entered, Marcus’ heavy pants filling the small space. Eric reached over and closed the opening as soon as they crossed the threshold. Tabitha immediately slid behind Eric, keeping her distance from Alli even though the girl looked like she was on the brink of death.
lwaiy”Thanks, but I’m just glad we all got out of there in one piece,” Jinah replied to the praise she got from Mel and Marcus. She felt that there was a general consensus hanging in the air that none of them wanted to address the elephant in the room – namely, what had they just been attacked by? Eric spotted the knife in Alli’s shoulder for the first time and swore under his breath.
lwaiy”What are we going to do with her?” he suddenly asked, motioning to Allison’s limp form. ”I think we all saw or heard her attack Tabs. Tabs could be dead right now if I hadn’t been there. And I don’t know if I heard her right, but Alli was saying some really nasty shit. Still… that looks really bad.” He wrung his hands together, conflicted. He and Alli had been friends for years, but the things that he had heard her say… he didn’t know if he could forgive her for her words or actions. Next to him, Tabitha was having a similar struggle. The incident was still fresh on her mind, however, and she made her decision more quickly.
lwaiy”You guys can vote, but I’m not dealing with her anymore. I’m going to focus on getting us out of here. She just wanted to make sure she lived, even if that meant forcing me to get my head cut in half by a cleaver.” Charlie winced at the graphic imagery. Tabitha wiped the blood from her brow once again and squared her shoulders. ”If anyone wants to drag her along, then fine by me as long as she doesn’t touch me again.”

x x x​

 

[Castello]

Harry gritted his teeth at what his friends were saying, were they really just going to leave her here to die? After all the group had been through over the past years, were they really considering abandoning someone they shared memories with? Harrison looked to Alli with a small frown, but he had seen what she did, heard almost all of it, something had to be done about her, he could only agree with that.

"Don't worry about it, guys! I got Alli!" Mel chirped up, smiling at Harry, she could tell he was conflicted about this.

Marcus sighed slightly, he was still exhausted by his near-death experience. He was not happy about what Alli did to Tabby, not at all, he had every intention to leave her like the rest but he was not exactly opposed to Melanie carrying her either. "Fine, Mel, just don't let that crazy bitch hurt anyone else!"

"Come on Marcus... Look at her wounds, it is not like Alli was ever some black belt fighter either, I can take her if she gets up to no good, 'least this way we can keep an eye on her. Besides, this place is crazy... I want out of here now!"

Harry agreed with Mel, he addressed everyone in the group. "Yeah." He responded first to Mel, still composed however. "We need to find out just where we are... I can't believe this place is really haunted but, still, if there is a way in, there has to be a way out. We're still on the first floor and I remember more than one windows we could've entered through, we should stay together and find one, it should not take too long, right guys?"

Marcus nodded in unison with Harry, sweat dripped from his brow, all he wanted to do now was get home.

 

[allure]

GROUP 1

lwaiy"Aren't ghosts supposed to be, like, see-through a-and if you try to touch one your hand goes right through it?" Charlie muttered to Eric, who shook his head and patted Charlie on the back. Eric didn't know what was going on and he didn't feel like guessing, so if Harry thought they were being attacked by ghosts, then ghosts it was.
lwaiyMeanwhile, Jinnie was peering around with her phone light. It seemed that the space they were hiding in was actually some kind of passageway. The ceiling was high enough for her, the smallest person in their group, to stand but was too low for Charlie and Tabitha, who both had to hunch down awkwardly. At the very least, the passage only smelled faintly of mildew, and the walls weren’t wet. ”I wonder what they built this secret wallspace for,” Eric said. ”We definitely can’t leave here the way we came in, so we should just walk and see where it takes us, right?”
lwaiyTabitha crossed her arms and sighed. ”That sounds good to me. Hopefully we can find a way out and then get to a window and leave that way.” She shuffled around Jinnie to take the lead and began walking, assuming that everyone else would follow her. Charlie wondered how they could all be so calm after everything that had happened, what with one of their best friends nearly murdering another one of their best friends, the previous friend now in a catatonic state, and everyone coming to the brink of death. He figured it must just be their survival instincts kicking in and keeping them levelheaded, and he wished his would kick in faster.
lwaiyThey walked for what could have been an hour or just five minutes; the dark and winding passageway made it too easy to lose track of time. In the end, it was Charlie who hit his head on the low ceiling, stumbled, and fell against the wall. A square section of the bottom half of the wall gave way from the impact and swung open a few inches. Eric knelt next to the opening and peered out. He was surprised to see a single flickering light hanging from the ceiling. It illuminated the large room in brief flashes, and he could make out several tables and a wall of cabinets. With just a moment of hesitation, he exited the passageway and stood up. When nothing swooped out to kill him, Eric put a thumbs up in front of the opening to let the others know it was okay.

x x x​