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[ExcelExcel]

Harriet gasped, her eyes wide with fear. The other young boy... he'd been crushed... just like that! Falling to her knees, she shivered, thinking how she could be next. Standing next to her was Cindy, who looked on with indifference. Her beauty surely wouldn't be marred, she'd be victorious in all of this, and escape unscathed. Looking down the young gorl, Cindy spoke in her sickly sweet voice, the one she had used on all of her employers.... and now dead husbands. "Stand, child. It doesn't do for a lady to lose herself." Aiding the child up to her feet, Cindy smiled, flashing her winning million dollar smile. "It will be fine." She lied, mostly to reassure the child and to secure Cindy being viewed as a good person.

Harriet shuddered, looking at the spreading pool of blood around the other boy. She stood, and moved over to a sofa to sit.

Cindy walked away, leaving the child to her thoughts. She ventured out into a corridor, her manicured nails trailing in the dust. Someone had already been through here, there were footprints from high heels left in the dust. Looking down, she could also see that the mildewed carpet was freshly wet, as if water had dripped from the person walking. Her brow furrowed, she ventured through another doorway, and found herself to be in some sort of instrument room.An ancient grand piano sat in the corner, with a multitude of various other instruments. She felt drawn to the piano, it was as if it called for her to look and inspect it. Reaching for the piano, she hit one of the keys, and a horrible noise emerged from it, the piano being horribly tuned. Stepping away, Cindy didn't want to offend her ears anymore with anything from this monstrousity.

Turning, She found herself face to face with The Drowned Lady. The appearence of the woman before her caused her to draw in a breath, but found she was unable to scream out of fear. The woman's white eyes bore into Cindy, seemingly staring into her very soul, judging her. Cindy looked over the woman, her eyes darting to take in the sight of the ghastly apparition before her. Was this one of the malevolent spirits spoken of? Cindy drew in her breath with great difficulty, it was as if the air was chokingly thick.

The Drowned Lady glided torwards her prey, merciless and vengeful. She made no attempt to disguise her malice, her fury unbridled. This woman would die now, alone and within the Lady's grasp. "So beautiful..." She breathed, gently rasping, her solid form and fine curves far too convincing to be an illusion. The Lady moved to reach down and touch the cowering woman, and she smiled. "You will die here..." she said, carressing the woman's cheek.

Cindy screamed, and batted away the woman's icy touch. Scrambling to her feet, she bolted for the door, and managed to pry it open. She ran down the hall, looking over her shoulder to see the woman slowly following her.

"Help me! Someone please help me!" Cindy screamed, running with all of her power into the main foyer. The other guests stared at her, and Harriet looked up from her quiet daze. "What's wrong?"

"A monster!" Cindy screamed, turning to look around over her shoulder.

She screamed again, the woman was there, in the doorway. Taking off again, ran as fast as she could through the doorway on the other side of the room. At the end of the hallway she found herself in, she opened the door to find a washroom. Slaming the door behind her, she sat down on the floor, amid the broken glass of the mirror and shattered porceilin of the toilet.

She sobbed, crying into her skirt. A rattleing sound jerked her attention upwards, to the rusted showerhead above the tub. It shook violently, and began to erupt with water, sending the showerhead itself rocketing into the tub. The smell of chlorine filled the room as filthy water blasted into the room. Screaming again, Cindy desperately tried to open the door, if only to find it wouldn't budge. Turning around, tears streaming down her face, she could see now that more water was beginning to gurgle up from the sink and the shattered toilet. Dirty water leaked down the walls, covering the tiles in a slimy coating.

"Please... I don't want to die...." She sobbed.

"Then you should never have been born." came the Drowned Lady's reply.

The water was quickly rising, flodding up abover Cindy's waist, then her neck, and then her head. She held her breath in the murky water, the sight of the Drowned Lady the last thing she saw. After what seemed to be an eternity, she could no longer hold her breath. Gasping in the water, she choked, her vision blurring as she breathed in the water. Her body drifted to the floor, and so thus was the end of Cindy Grey.

[CaNz]

“What happened little girl?” the janitor said viewing the child in her mournful state.

"It’s the woman, Cindy. She is dead!” Edward followed he young Harriet Mercer into the room that held the remains of Cindy Grey. The janitor placed two fingers on her throat to check for a pulse. The slight pressure caused the corpse’s mouth to open, leaking dark water upon the regal rug. “How could this have happened Mr. Nelson?”

The janitor turned to the walls to check for any water damage. There was none. Even if the water was dried and removed, the rugs replaced, and the body tended to the walls would be irreparably damaged. This was a supernatural death. “Ghosts Ms. Mercer… ghosts”

While the Janitor was kneeling looking for any signs of the water that led to the end of Grey, a bulge was quite noticeable in his pocket. with ought thinking Harriet slipped her nimble fingers trough his pockets and pulled free a flintlock pistol., loaded and ready to fire. She placed it behind her back as he turned around.

“I need to tell the others about this, please do not disturb the body.” with that the janitor left, hurrying off into the other room. Harriet was alone… or so she thought.

“A gun is a handy tool to have. But what use would it be to you, when the ones aiming to kill you cannot be shot?” the Bandit floated down to ground level. His fine leather shoes seem to have come to a rest on the rug, though no sound was made.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

“I am one of many souls here… and one of many that would like to see you die… and believe my words, you will die. The only question is how.” The Bandit slowly faded away, starting at his feet, until all that could be seen was the ghoulish smile, then nothing at all.

Her eyes drifted to the gun inside of her hands, cold… but comfortable to hold. She placed herself against a wall opposite of the entrance to the room. She would be the first thing the others saw as they entered. She lifted the gun to her temple, she could feel the cool metal, and the call of the trigger. She lowered her head, muzzle still fixated on her forehead and began to cry.
BANG!

Edited by Shy, 16 August 2010 - 12:55 PM.

[Heaven's Cloud]

While most of the other guests rushed towards Cindy’s now muffled screams Miles Shaw went after his daughter. When the phantom had made his entrance he noticed his daughter heading towards the stairs. Now that the commotion had died down he was sure that she had slipped away upstairs. He had to go to her, he had to make sure she was safe.

He started up the stairs when a voice called out from behind him.

“Won’t you help an old woman up the stairs?”

Miles looked at the old woman torn. He couldn’t refuse to help her, that would be rude, but he knew that he needed to hurry and find Diana.

“Of course…are you sure that you want to go upstairs ma’am? Don’t you think it would be safer to stay with the group?”

The woman laughed, ”safer, lord I don’t think any of us could be any less safe right now.”

Miles shrugged and took the old lady’s arm. They walked up the old flight of stairs and came to a series of rooms. They entered the largest, a huge sprawling library.

”I hope I don’t seem too anxious ma’am, it is just that I’m trying to find my daughter, I’m worried that she might be hurt.”

”Gauging her reaction to you when she saw you in the foyer I don’t think she is anxious for you to find her.”

”No…no, she isn’t. It was hard on her growing up. I tried my best for her and her mother but I just didn’t do either of them right.”

The two of them huddled around the fireplace, neither of them stopping to think how odd it was that there was a roaring fire crackling beneath the archaic, time-worn mantle.

”That isn’t quite the truth is it Mr. Shaw?”

”I’m sorry?”

”Well, the way I figure you never wronged your daughter in any real way. Sure you were a vile drunk, but you always fed her and kept her clothed. Maybe if your wife hadn’t been such a tramp, things would have been easier on all of you”

Miles stared at the woman. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to be confused, but a deep sadness overwhelmed him.

”Ma’am, I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know how you know the things you think you know, but if we find my daughter you best keep your opinions to yourself.

”No, I don’t think so!

The young woman appeared in the doorway. Diana was drenched in sweat, her hair was frizzy, and her eyes were wild.

”Tell her how it really was dad, tell her what you were really like! Tell her about the time you beat mom and broke her nose! Tell her about all the times you would get drunk and curse at her for hours in the middle of the night!”

”Daina, honey, I don’t think…”

Diana stepped towards her father and pulled out a derringer. It was small and steel and glittered malevolently in the fire light. She pointed it at her father.

”TELL HER NOW!!!”

Miles turned toward the old woman.

”She is right. I beat my wife, I called her awful, awful things. One night when I was drunk I hit her so hard broke her nose. I loved her, but it wasn’t enough.”

”YOU NEVER LOVED HER!!

”Honey I…”

”DON”T CALL ME HONEY!!!

Diana extended her arm fully, the derringer was inches from Miles nose. Madea hall broke the silence with a snort.

”Hmph, one of you are lyin’ to the other, the other is lyin’ to themselves. Honey, your father might not have been a great husband, and he may have been a mean drunk, but your mama had it coming.

“Where do you think your mama got those fancy clothes in her closet? Where did she get those new shoes? She was running into the arms of another man. And not just one other man, lots and lots of them.”

”YOU LIE!!! DON”T YOU DARE LIE ABOUT MY MOTHER!!!

Diana turned the gun on the old woman. Her arms trembled and tears streamed down her face. She didn’t want to believe Madea, she wanted to think that the old woman was some two-bit schemer that pretended to be a psychic. Everything she said made so much sense though. Her mother would disappear for days at a time and come back with nice things, things that her father couldn’t possibly afford. And her dad never once raised a hand to her. He had always tried to comfort her and was interested…at least when he wasn’t drunk.

”I, I don’t believe you,” Diana whispered.

”Girl, you believe me, you just don’t believe yourself.”

Diana dropped to her knees and let out a wail.

From the far corner of the room a man began laughing. It was a deep laugh, filled with cruelty. The man had a mane of white hair and deep blue eyes. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit. Something was off though. His trousers were rolled up and his feet were covered in mud.

The man disappeared as if he was never there. Then, magically, he appeared behind Diana. The phantom whispered…

” And thou art dead, as young and fair
As aught of mortal birth;
And form so soft, and charms so rare,
Too soon return'd to Earth!
Though Earth receiv'd them in her bed,
And o'er the spot the crowd may tread
In carelessness or mirth,
There is an eye which could not brook
A moment on that grave to look.

Byron disappeared leaving Diana in a heap. She was hyperventilating, the look in her eyes despondent. She pushed the derringer against her temple and shuddered closing her eyes.

Miles was on top of her in a flash wrenching her arm away. The shot went wild and Diana fainted. Miles cradled he head in his lap.

”My sweet girl…why would you do that…why would you do that?,.. he cried as he rocked her back and forth.

Miles heard a thump behind him. He turned to find Madea on her knees. The slug took her in the right cheek. Her lower right jaw had been blown off of her face and now dangled loosely near her breast. Her eye socket was shattered and oozed white. The back of her skull had been blown clean off, and bit of bone and brain glistened on the fireplace mantle. The fire blow cracked and spat and reeked of burning flesh.

Eerily the voice of the specter whispered all around them…

The all of thine that cannot die
Through dark and dread Eternity
Returns again to me,
And more thy buried love endears
Than aught except its living years.

Edited by Heaven's Cloud, 11 August 2010 - 09:50 PM.

[Inuyasha Fandom]

The Twins angrily stomped down the massive staircase in the foyer, Rin leading the way. Len stomped angrily behind her, and they made their way to the crowd of people, making no attempt to hide themselves. "You took our prey!" They screamed, causing all to look at the twins themselves. Shocked expressions greeted them, and Rin and Len, for all of their adorable appearences, they were making many of the guests shiver in their shoes. "How dare you!" Rin screamed, her shrill voice rattling the paintings and walls with the sheer force of her and her brothers anger."We wanted to play!" Len screamed, the walls shaking again. "Now we're going to play with you!"

Umbert looked on at the twins behind him, their innocent faces contorted in anger. His heart was beating at a pace it shouldn't, his fear was getting the better of him. Charlotte, too, she looked terrified of the children.

The twins seemed to move closer to the guests, without actually moving. They began to glow with a red mist around them, their clothing fluttering around, as did their hair. The little girl grasped her teddy bear, and ripped it's head off, and the little boy popped his ball. Umbert, though scared beyond any reason of a doubt, attempted to get closer to the twins. Charlotte remained where she was, rooted to the spot.

"It seems.." Umbert rasped, his heart racing out of control. "that you've broken your toys... Maybe... we can get you new ones...."

"You think we want toys? We want your heart!" They screamed in unison. They graped each other's hand, They were suddenly upon the old man, floating at chest level. Umbert inhaled a single, swift breath, and the twins jabbed their opposite free hands into his chest.

There was a gasp, and the limp body of Umbert Thatcher fell to the mildewed carpet. His heart had given out from fear, not anything that the twins had done physically.The twins seemed to have calmed down, and drifted to the floor, just in front of Umbert's body. The red mist and the waving about of their clothing had ceased. "Who's next?" Rin giggled. They separated their hands, if only to hold a tarot card, though one with a drawing of Death on it. But, this death was nothing more than a shadow with red eyes.

They held the card up together, and smiled evilly, their bright blue eyes seemingly with a red glint. Len began to recite a children's poem gone completely wrong...

"Einy Mieny Miny Moe...
Who's death shall be so?
The next scream will be the one who dies.
May your carcas be fetter for the flies!"

As he pronounced each symbol of his poem, Len pointed at another guest. On the word 'flies,' he pointed at Charlotte. The card in their hands shifted, a woman appearing out of the blackness.

The same figure appeared, standing beefore Charlotte. It's skin appeared to be blistered. blood and puss oozing from its sored. The ratty, tangles mass of blondish hair lied about it. Looking closely, one could see it was a female, with long black claws.It sliced the air in front of it, gouging lightly Charlotte's skin. "Thay insurance fraud worked out nicely... didn't it?" It growled.

It looked Charlotte in the eyes.

It had Charlotte's face. IT wore a dirty nurse's uniform, now that one could see the monster closely. It's eyes were as red as blood, the lipstick smeared around it's lips and anything but orderly.

Charlotte screamed as the monster took another swipe, and dodged around the monster, running for god knows where. She had to get away.

"Don't run!" It roared. "Let's play with your life for a change!" it cackled, and slashed through the doorway. Looking on, it had left several inch deep long gouges in the wood.

The twin giggled. "This game is a lot fun, Brother.." Rin laughed.""Don't you think so?

"Yes, it is, Sister. I hope they'll come back for more." Len echoed. They turned to the remaining men and women. "It's playtime..." they said, and disappeared.

Edited by Inuyasha Fandom, 12 August 2010 - 03:00 AM.

[Sandy]

After witnessing a number of gruesome deaths and horror-inducing apparitions, Dr. Alicia Mills burst into tears and dashed up the large, fractured staircase. She ran like mad, unable to control her feet or her tears. She faintly sensed that other people had followed her, but who they were, she had no clue.

Finally she saw a small door in front of her, entered through it and slammed it shut behind her. It lead to a small room with a single window that was shattered like all the others in the mansion. There was a low table, an empty cabinet with no doors, and a small bed with filthy rags for sheets on it. Some birds had once inhabited the room, with a few half-rotten nests sitting on the cabinet's shelves. The rain was forming a good-sized puddle on the floor.

But none of that mattered to Alicia. She threw herself onto the bed and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping for her dear life that this was just some horrendous nightmare and she would wake up from the comfort of her own bed soon. But she knew that wasn't the case. The letter had arrived three weeks ago, and ever since that Alicia had had trouble sleeping. Her insomnia had started to affect her work in the maternity clinic so much that she had been put on sick-leave. It was now apparent that the letter had caused her sleeplessness, even though Alicia had thought it was only an invitation to some publicity stunt event or something like that.

She was no stranger to death because of her job, but she was much more accustomed to see new life being brought to this world. Now there were children dying right in front of her eyes, and those ghostly twins were the most horrifying thing she had ever seen. If this was really all happening, how could she ever survive this night?

Slowly the panic and the tears subsided, and Alicia smelled a peculiar scent that filled the room that she hadn't noticed before. It was sweet and lovely, but in a kind of excessive way. Like flowers gone bad...

"Hush now, child", the Green Lady whispered, tears falling down her cheeks, and stroked the maternity doctor's silky black hair. "This game has upset you greatly, but I sense power in you. A power only a mother has."

"Yes, I know you have no children of your own. But you have helped deliver countless babies, and that way, you are the mother of all mothers. You know that sometimes motherhood is tough, sometimes it... hurts. But it is all in the name of love."

"You are strong, Alicia Mills, and thus I grant you my blessing. Use it well."

ROSE BRIARS - Holding this power card allows the mortal to grow a thick hedge of roses to shield them from physical harm.

Alicia opened her eyes. To her amazement, all the walls in the small room and even the door were covered by thorny briars with blood-red roses growing on them.

Edited by Sandy, 12 August 2010 - 09:31 AM.

[Ellerby]

Wyatt Bishop sunk down at the large wooden door which refused to budge. It seemed like even if they smashed the wood to pieces, they'd still be stuck there. Left and right he could hear screams and loud crashes. This game had definitely started. He noticed one woman burst into tears and run up a staircase. Not wanting anyone to separate, Wyatt followed her. Just as the woman reached the top of the stairs she took a sharp right around a corner as Wyatt began to climb.

"Wait! We shouldn't stray to far from each other!" he yelled to her. There was no response and so he continued at a quicker pace up the steps. When he reached the top he was amazed to see an elaborate hallway that stretched nearly 5 rooms down and then turned. Looking to his right where he figured the woman had fled, Wyatt noticed a small door. Along the crack at the bottom of the door he could see roots stretching out from inside the room. When he went to turn the knob a sharp sting stopped him. He glanced at his hand and notice a few small cuts. Looking again at the door knob, he could now see it was covered in small pointed spikes.

"...thorns?" before Wyatt could make another attempt at opening the weird door he decided he would need some more man power and turned to go back down the stairs for some help. He stopped dead in his tracks as in the corner of his eye he noticed a man at the end of the hallway, staring him down. Wyatt turned to face him, but he was gone.

Looking for someone? Wyatt jumped as the voice was whispered right into his ear. Just as he turned his head to get a clear visual on the spirit, it vanished into smoke reappearing at the end of the hallway. Coughing up some of the smoke, Wyatt marched toward the spirit, still believing it to be a prankster in disguise.

"Did you trap this poor woman in this room? Let her out this instant!" he yelled commandingly. The Detective, in his long trenchcoat with empty white smokey eyes chuckled softly. As Wyatt moved closer to him, more and more smoke billowed in behind the author silently.

You should be more concerned... the Detective started, he pointed behind Wyatt. About yourself being trapped. Wyatt looked behind him seeing nothing but pure white smoke blocking his vision. When he turned his head back to where the spirit had been, he vanished into a cloud of even more smoke leaving Wyatt completely surrounded. He fumbled around the thick white for a few minutes, trying to find his bearings.

He backed up one step too far and stepped backwards onto the top of the staircase. Before he could reach out for a railing to hold onto a dark black arm portruded from the smoke and pushed him the final distance sending the author tumbling towards his death. Part way down his fall, his head slammed into the wall knocking him unconscious and on the following step down his neck was caught on a railing and snapped instantly. His lifeless body rolled down the rest of the staircase and laid limp at the bottom as a warning to all who would dare go upstairs.

[Sandy]

There were seven of them left in the dining room where the first ghost had shown itself. All the others had ran out to find another place to die, Elyssa Janovica thought bitterly. After the ghosts started appearing and the true reason behind this gathering had been revealed, Elyssa had no allusions of ever seeing the world outside again.

This was not her first encounter with ghosts by any means. When she was a child, the spirit of her deceased grandmother often visited her bedside, humming the tune of an old lullaby. A hint of a smile rose to Elyssa's lips as she realized that the same song had started playing inside her head now. Maybe her grandmother's ghost was present in this house of horrors as well, although Elyssa doubted the kindly spirit would be comfortable hanging around with these murderous poltergeists.

The poisoned man, Kevin, let out another loud cough, spilling drops of blood and puke on himself. He kept calling out to his fiancée, but she couldn't even look at him anymore, and just sat against the wall covering her face with her hands and crying. It was only a matter of time before the young man would perish, and the young artsy-looking woman couldn't even bring herself to hold his hand.

This reminded Elyssa of the second ghost she ever saw. He had most likely been a soldier who had served in some old war. She was only thirteen at the time, and visiting her cousins in the countryside. She had tried pointing out the soldier standing in the middle of a meadow to her cousins, but they had seen nothing. But Elyssa still remembered the rigid pose, that young, clean-shaven face, those deep sad eyes, and the name he had moaned over and over again. "Sofia! Sofia!" Feeling enormous pity towards the lost soul, the young Elyssa had reached out to touch him, but he had vanished.

The two prostitutes, Jackie and Selina she believed was their names, were seated in the far corner of the dining room, engaged in a low-tone dialogue. Elyssa couldn't tell if they were arguing or planning an escape or what, but she admired those two women for the strength and liveliness they still withheld in the middle of all this. They were survivors by nature, and Elyssa bet that neither of them would go down without a proper fight.

The third ghost that had shown itself to Elyssa had refused to give up either. She was the only ghost Elyssa had ever managed to discuss with. She had been a mother of seven children, who had died in a fire trying to save them all. Even in her prolonged existence, she still searched for that one boy she couldn't find anywhere. Six of the children had made it out, but the woman hadn't been able to leave the seventh behind, even though it had caused the others their mother. The ghost had begged for Elyssa to help her, but all she could do was to encourage her to keep on searching.

Finally, there was the police and the black man, though not the same one Elyssa had mistaken for a servant. Again she couldn't help but to smile dryly: here they were, all in the same mess, and no matter what you looked like and who you used to be, you would end up dead. Inspector Howard, who was guarding the doors for some futile reason, was giving the other man suspicious glances, as if his dark skin made him more likely to just jump up and cut his throat. The black man himself hadn't made any contact to anybody.

The fourth ghost in Elyssa's life had also been a black man. She had stayed late in the Opera House one night after a performance that had gone totally awry, just sipping some wine and winding down, when suddenly the ghost had appeared in her dressing room mirror. Looking behind her, she had seen nothing, but turning back, the man still remained there in the reflection, unblinking. He was wearing ragged overalls and a hammer, so Elyssa deduced he had been a worker who had lost his life during the construction of the Opera House. Not knowing what else to do, Elyssa had nodded at the ghost in the mirror, and it vanished. Elyssa thought that all the ghost had wanted was recognition of his sacrifice.

Holding on to this thought, Elyssa walked to the black man in the dining room.

"I beg your pardon, I don't think we've been introduced. I am Elyssa Janovica. May I ask how you are holding up?" she asked, as politely as she could in this situation.

"Oh, I don't mind, missus. My name is Daniel Mathis. I apologize, I've just been lost in thought, trying to find reason to all of this."

"I understand, but given the circumstances, I'm afraid there is no reason to be found in this mansion." Elyssa gave Daniel an apologetic smile, and he sighed and shrugged his shoulder.

At that moment, the floor of the dining room gave in under them, and all seven of them, along with the table and the chairs, fell down. The shock took Elyssa's breath away, but when she recovered, she saw that they had dropped down one story into a damp cellar. Daniel Mathis scrambled up next to her, and helped her up as well.

"By God, are you alright, missus?" he asked. Elyssa just nodded, straightening her dress. Surveying the surroundings, she saw the others getting up as well - except the poor inspector, who had been skewered by a splintered piece of wood.

And then another ghost appeared.

Edited by Sandy, 14 August 2010 - 02:34 PM.

[OMNOMNOMALY]

Diana glided down the stairs from the nursery and down to the cellar where the group had fallen, staying invisible for the time being. There was panic as they realized that their ranks had yet again been cut down. She stayed invisible, watching mostly with pity as they were whipped up into a frenzy. She felt bad, of course she did, that they had been brought here to die. She didn't like this game and yet it was no secret that many of these people were not the good humans that they seemed to believe they were.

She watched with particular interest, Sara Marcel the young art student, and her fiancé Kevin Andolli. Marcel had retreated from her fiancé after he had contracted the ghostly illness.

'Terrible, simply terrible.' Diana sighed as she made herself visible to the players.

"Miss Marcel, as a caregiver myself, I am simply appalled at your total lack of empathy for Mr. Andolli. As such, because you are not willing to give help, I feel as though it would be appropriate if you were not able to request help, either." Diana shook her head as the players stood in stunned silence. Diana placed a finger to her lips.

Sara's eyes bulged out of her head as she went to speak and no sound came out. Her face filled with horror and she reached up to clasp her hands around her neck.

Kevin's voice rasped out, "What did you do to her?" Diana looked at him sadly.

"I have made her mute. She is unable to speak nor hear. She will not give help, and so she will not longer be able to ask to receive help. Good luck, Miss Marcel. You'll need it." Sara was shaking and crying silently. Her mouth moved to form words but not a sound could be heard from her. She looked around to the rest of them in the room for help but they didn't move a muscle.

---

Elsewhere in the Mansion, Steve Bastion found himself alone in what appeared to have been a grand kitchen at some point. He looked around suspiciously but neither human nor ghost could be seen. He quickly abandoned propriety and began to rifle through pantries and cupboards feverishly, looking for something to eat. He was Steve Bastion, dammit. He would need his strength if he was going to survive. Which he was sure he would. Diana appeared and watched him from a safe distance. She had taken an instant dislike to him, he was a useless lay-about who took advantage of other's hard work. Diana had worked her entire short life and felt great pride in that. He was disgusting, a pitiful excuse for a human.

Diana felt anger bubble up in her as he went through the kitchen. Her kitchen. She had put in so much work in the house and he felt as though he could take whatever he liked? Inexcusable. Most of these people here she didn't feel much anger towards, but this man was a very special case.

"Mr. Bastion I am afraid I am going to have to cut your time here at the Mansion short." she drifted into the kitchen to confront him.

"Jesus Christ!" he screamed in surprise, the cans he had collected from the cupboard clattered to the floor noisily. He squinted his eyes as he examined her. She looked harmless enough. "Who are you?" he furrowed his brow as he looked at her. "What do you mean cut my time short? You're going to let me go?" he flashed her a dazzling smile.

"I mean it quite literally, sir. You are a good-for-nothing human being who coasts along on other people's hard work. Especially women. You are a disgusting pig. Absolutely reprehensible..." As Diana looked at him, his body began to lift into the air, as if he was being lifted by the throat. He let out a coughing noise which was stopped by a sudden tightening of the invisible grip around his neck. He was at ceiling height now, his eyes were popping out of his head in terror and lack of oxygen. Diana glided forward, picking up a large and rusty dull knife as she neared him.

"Good-bye Mr. Bastion." His mouth opened in a silent, choked shout as she began to carve into him. He would be found later with one word carved deeply into his stomach.

'Pig.'

[Nathan]

Angel set the book she had been reading down and stood up. She didn’t need to see in order to know what was happening. The Game was in play and every time someone died, she could feel a stirring of power as the echo of their violent death drifted through the hallways of the Mansion. It was an oddly comforting feeling, a reminder that no one could escape the inevitability of death. It was a simple yet powerful truth. No matter what you did, no matter how you struggled, in the end… You. Will. Die. No exceptions.

She paused for a moment to smooth the wrinkles out of her dress. Then she glided through the door to the library and down the hall to the stairs leading to the room where the group had fallen to the cellar. As she walked across, her feet making contact as if the floor was still there, her clothing changed to worn sneakers, faded denim jeans and a white t-shirt. It wouldn’t do for a lady to allow someone, even if they couldn’t see her yet, an improper view of her petticoats.

“Stop that.” A voice said irritably. Angel stopped and turned to face The Butler who was watching her with a look of disapproval.

“Stop what?” She smiled innocently, knowing full well what he was referring to. Even in death, like her, he was unable to let go of what had driven him in life. Behaving as if the floor still existed was like a slap to his sensibilities.

He fixed her with a stare. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“Worrying over the state of the Mansion is about as useful as my continued studies.” She arched an eyebrow. “Would it help if I pretended to fall like the mortals?”

He sighed tiredly. “Not really.”

“Good. I’d be more worried about the twins if I were you. You know how destructive those two can get if no one supervises their play time.” She turned slightly and looked down at the unsuspecting mortals beneath her. “Now if you don’t mind I’d prefer it if you weren’t hovering over my shoulder. I have no intention of damaging your precious Mansion so you don’t need to keep an eye out.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” He retorted and then the feeling of his presence faded, telling her he had left for the moment.

She floated down gently, eyeing each one of the frightened mortals in turn. It was time to put her power into play, and to thin the ranks even further. She considered for a moment and then smiled.

Evelynne couldn't say what drove her to hunt for a way down into the cellar when she realized what had happened to the others. She should have been looking for a way to escape. She didn’t owe anyone here a thing. But if she ran, like she had last year, he would never forgive her. Hell, she still couldn’t forgive herself for being too afraid of heights to approach the ledge when her boyfriend had slipped. If only she had grabbed his hand and helped him, he wouldn’t have fallen to his death.

She shook the feelings aside and ran down the stairs. Voices drifted up to her, angry and harsh along with the sounds of someone trying to force a door open.

“It’s no good; it must be locked on the other side.” It was an older man’s voice and he sounded bitterly disappointed. “We’ll have to look for another way.”

“I don’t think there is another way out.” It was a woman’s voice this time, sharp with anger and fear. “What cellar has two exits?”

“You forget your history miss. It wasn’t uncommon for older mansions like this to have a secondary path in from the gardens for staff.” He sounded slightly amused. “After all in the good old days it just wasn’t proper for the servants to mingle with the gentry.”

“Fine, Mr. Mathis. I suggest you keep trying while I look for another way out.”

Evelynne continued running down the stairs and nearly ran into the door at the bottom, the lighting was so dim. Frantically she looked about for a means to open the door when a tug on the door knob yielded no results. There didn’t seem to be any type of lock. Just what was keeping the door barred?

She ran her hands along the frame until she encountered a series of latches. She ignored the sudden voices asking who was there as she undid the latches as quickly as possible in the dim light. Then with a tiny cry of triumph she yanked the door open.

Five sets of eyes were staring in her direction and she froze for a moment when she caught sight of the dead man. She took a deep breath. “What are you all waiting for? Let’s get the hell out of here!”

An older black man grasped her arm and smiled gratefully. “Thank goodness you came,” he turned and went over to help to Kevin who was still obviously quite sick. “I’ll help this one, I don’t think he can make it on his own.”

Kevin struggled weakly. “Please help Sara.”

“Let the little coward help herself.” Jacqueline said before leaving to head up the stairs. A moment later Elyssa followed.

“What are they talking about?” Evelynne asked Mathis. She looked to Sara who in spite of looking terrified and miserable hadn’t said a word.

“One of the spirits here cursed her for not helping this fellow here. She can’t talk and she can’t hear us.” He shrugged apologetically as he started helping Kevin up the stairs.

“Please,” Kevin managed. “It’s not her fault, she’s just frightened.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll come back for her, okay?” Mathis soothed him.

“I’ll do it.” Evelynne heard herself say, already moving towards the terrified woman. If she really was just too frightened to act, she of all people had no right to judge her. She approached her carefully, avoiding any sudden movements.

“I know you can’t hear me.” she said as gently as possible, holding her hands out. “But I’m going to help you, okay?” She smiled as kindly as she could manage in an attempt to reassure her.

Sara hesitated and then took her hands, letting her pull her closer. And then she clung to her, shaking with fear and her inability to say a thing. Evelynne just held on tightly. “It’s alright, I won’t leave you behind.” She started up the stairs with her.

GHOST: This card grants the bearer the ability to move through solid objects. How long it lasts or how often they can do so depends on their current level of alertness.

Just how big was this damn cellar? Selina grimaced at the taste of dirt and grime in the air as she made her way through the rows of shelves that had once held food. The fool probably didn’t know what he was talking about. There wasn’t a second entrance. She started to turn back and halted in fright. A young woman in sneakers, worn jeans and a white t-shirt suddenly appeared before her.

“Get away from me.” She stammered fearfully, taking several steps back.

“I thought you wanted to find the other entrance.” Angel gave her a puzzled look. “It’s right behind you.”

Startled, Selina looked behind but she couldn’t make out a door in the darkness. She looked back to the ghost that had appeared before her.

“It’s covered up,” Angel explained.” You’d need tools to pry the boards loose.”

“I see.” Selina started to move to the side to go around Angel and rejoin the others but a ghostly arm came up, blocking her way.

“You misunderstand, I intend to help you.” Angel touched the woman’s arm briefly, ignoring her sudden intake of breath as the cold power washed over her. “There now you can simply walk through the door as if it wasn’t there.”

“Why would you do that?” She asked suspiciously.

“What makes you think all of us here are the same?” Angel countered and then frowned slightly when Selina started back towards the group.

“It won’t do you any good to go through that door; it’s locked on the other side. You’ll need a tool from the shed to break it with.”

Selina stopped. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”

Angel smiled and then faded from view, her words fading to a gentle whisper. “You don’t. You’ll have to find out.”

Selina stood there for a long moment and then reached over to touch a shelf, willing her arm to go through it. To her surprise it did. “So she was telling me the truth after all.”

She turned and headed for where the ghost had said there was a door and placed her hand on the wood, letting it slide through. A moment later she could tell there was an opening on the other side. Selina pulled her arm back and then talking a deep breath, plunged through to the other side. It was nearly completely dark but tiny flickers of light from what had to be the storm still raging outside was coming in from cracks further down what appeared to be a long hallway. Encouraged she hurried towards what appeared to be a set of double doors. Giddy at the thought of finally being out of the hateful mansion she didn’t even bother to try and open then, she ran through them as if they didn’t exist.

Any other time the howling wind, flashes of lightning and boom of thunder would have given her pause, making her want to bolt for cover. This time Selina just stood there and took it in, feeling an enormous sense of relief. Behind her was the mansion, to the right was an old tool shed, just like the ghost had said. To the left was a path leading towards the front of the mansion and she found herself walking up it without giving it a second thought. She should have gotten the tools and helped the others but what was the point? That horrible apparition that had greeted them had said only one would survive. With this new power she’d been given, it would be her.

Selina started running when the gates came in view. She sobbed with relief. Thank god it was finally over. Once again she focused on the power the ghost had given her and then ran through the gates, or rather tried to. Halfway through an invisible force slammed into her, locking her in place. Mocking laughter echoed through the storm and the voice of the ghost came from behind her.

“I knew a whore like you would be unable to resist the temptation to abandon the others.” Ice cold fingers brushed along Selina’s cheek and she shuddered, tears running down her face.

“No, please. I didn’t mean it.” She begged.

“It doesn’t matter.” Angel said coldly. “We all must pay the price for our actions.” She withdrew her hand and in doing so, her power.

Selina’s body jerked and she gave off a horrible little choking gasp as she was impaled from the inside out on the wrought iron bars of the gate.

[Shy]

Chapter Three: The Gardens

---

30[/hr]

Rin and Len laughed mercilessly as they watched Charlotte struggled with the monster that they had summoned from within Charlotte’s psyche. Battered and defeated the young woman lay mercilessly at the bottom of the mansion’s rear staircase as she was being beaten within an inch of her life.

“Isn’t it lovely, Brother?” Rin asked with a mischievous grin, “To think we could have been doing this all along instead of wasting our time with these other boring ghosts…”

Charlotte cried for help as the beast slashed the poor girl across the face with her jagged fingernails. It was not that the creature had overpowered Charlotte, she was merely too frightened to fight back.

“You’ve been a very naughty girl!” Len shouted with delight, “And as much as we‘d like to see the other guests punish you, I don‘t think any of those boring adults would--”

Suddenly and without warning Charlotte’s monstrous doppleganger dissipated into a harmless puff of smoke. As the vapor began to clear the Gravedigger appeared, standing between Charlotte and the Twins.

“Your champions have fallen, and I am here to collect our your end of the deal.”

“That’s not fair! We only just got started.”

“Yeah! We’re having fun and we’re not going anywhere!”

The Gravedigger had grown tired of these children, and the way they were turning his game into something much less… civil. The beautiful Miss Hamilton was helpless against the power of these two spirits, and to him that seemed most unjust. As menacing as the Rosengard ghosts were, it seemed to the old man that these mortals should be much more worried about one another, where at least they stood a fighting chance.

He raised his shovel slightly above his head and suddenly the two children’s eyes began to illuminate with a fiery glow. The Twins cried in agony as they collapsed to the blood-stained floor.

“Don’t waste my time, children. I have other matters to attend to.” The room began to shake as he spoke.

Charlotte attempted to wipe some of the blood from her face as she slowly rose to her feet. She braced herself against the stairs railing as she watched the three spirits converse, entirely unsure of what to make of the scene happening before her.

“....thank you, sir.... whoever you are, thank you....”

The Gravedigger turned his head towards Miss Hamilton. Even without the use of eyes, the specter’s gaunt face somehow managed to show total and utter contempt for Charlotte. A door suddenly opened, one that led out onto the mansion’s dark and labyrinthine gardens.

He uttered a single word as he pointed his shovel towards the girl: “Run.”

[Ellerby]

Edward Nelson was just on his way back to the main dining room to tell the others about Cindy Grey, when he heard a loud gun shot. He clasped his hand over his back pocket where he had kept his pistol only to find it'd been snatched. He pivoted and ran back to where Cindy Grey had passed, only to find Harriet's limp body falling to the ground with Edward's pistol in hand.

"No!" he yelled, running to her side. How could she do such a thing?! With a single shot to the temple, she'd taken her own life. Edward shut her eye lids and grabbed a nearby curtain that was already detached from it's rail. He laid it over top of the young girl's body. "May you rest in peace, young one."

Edward stood up, wiping the sweat from his forehead. I should tell the others. He turned to head back to the dining room when the smell of tobacco filled his nose. He was never one to smoke himself so he had no craving to smoke, but he'd grown up around parents that smoked all the time so he was used to the smell. The Detective watched from a distance.

I like how professionally you've dealt with these deaths, Mr. Nelson. the Detective thought to himself. I'll grant you my protection so you may continue to be the caretaker of this game.

SHIELD CARD: This card protects the character from ALL Power Cards for the remainder of the round.

For a moment, white smoke completely surrounded Edward but it immediately seeped right into his skin. He was filled with whole new burst of energy and refreshment. Feeling completely renewed, he decided it'd be best if he just looked for another way out of the mansion, instead of constantly checking back with the others. He walked off in the opposite direction of the dining room, not realizing the entire room had now collapsed.

Elsewhere, the Detective appeared over the corpse of the Author he'd killed. He collected the smoke he'd left hovering the corpse and vanished as quickly as he'd arrived. I'll be needing this for later.

[ExcelExcel]

OOC: OMG I'm so sorry! Inu had to go to the hospital so I had to take him.


The Drowned Lady looked on from her poolhouse perch, watching the game as it played out. So many people, and only outfor themselves. Many of the players of this game had met fitting ends, she bore no sympathy for them. A rustling sound came to her, and she cocked her head to peer out into the rainy gloom. Approaching her was a horribly batted woman, and from the extent of her wounds, she'd been viciously attacked. Charlotte Hamilton staggered through the gargens, the roses rustling as she brushed against them, unable to remain steady on her feet. A faint emotion came to her then, seeing the bloody mess Charlotte had become. Was it pity? Mercy? Or something she couldn't remember the name of? It had been many years since her death, and her emotions had died with her.

Dying with a broken heart had a tendancy to do that, or so she assumed. The Lady's vengeful nature subsided, at least for the moment. Turning where she stood, she looked to the piano, and it rumbled and reverberated with the ghost taking control of it. The warped and decimated black wreck straightened up, its form returning to it's grand and majestic state. The obsidian polish spread across the surface, and the ivory keys brightened, the grime coating them disappearing. It would remain this way, until else the Lady saw fit.

Charlotte stumbled around, not having a single clue where she was going. Ahead of her, the broken shamble of a building loomed. Her eyes widened when she saw the figure pass in front of a broken pane of glass. Charlotte froze, she'd already had an encounter of the ghostly kind... What other nightmares lurked within this terrible place?

---------------------------

Miles Shaw had sat down, in order to take in his situation. Horrible, monstrous creatures lurked behind every corner. The spirits here within this mansion were vengul, and he knew all too well that they had every reason to be angry. He'd heard of this manor, and of the tragedy that had taken place here. Many of the people who had died here had once been good people, and then their lives stolen from them all brutally. Many of the spirits he had seen already showed the marks of their deaths.

He jerked up, and found he was alone in the second floor hallway, slumped up against the wall. His daughter had vanished, not that he faulted her either. Standing, he took in a deep breath and walked cautiously down the hall, in order to find her. Even if he was to die here in this dark and evil tainted place, he would save his little girl. Then, and only then, would it be possible for him to try to repent for all his crimes against her and her mother. Anna... how sweet of a woman she had been, and forced to do all those things because he couldn't hold a job because of his alchohol abuse.

"Diana... Please hold on, I'll save you... Daddy's coming...Daddy will save you..." A single, sorrowed tear feel down his face, fear of being unable to help her and failing her once again far too much for him to comprehend at the moment. To his ears, came a beautiful melody, and one played on a piano. It seemed ominous, as the selection being played was one of infamy, being it was Moonlight Sonata. He followed the music, and came to a broken stairwell, the stairs had long since given away from age. A dim glow lit up the stairs, and they rose to reform. He took a hastened step back, and fell onto his backside. The stairs stopped glowing, and they were as if they had never fallen. The music grew in volume and intensity, calling him. Gingerly placing his foot onto the top stair, he breathed in releif that it didn't collapse under his feet. Perhaps it was foolish, but he ventured down the stairs bravely. Maybe his daughter was playing?

-------------------------
]
TRUTH CARD: This card reveals the owner of one character to all players.

Jacqueline brushed her clothes off from the fall, and her stomach lurched on seeing the inspector. She darted for the nearest doorway, and began to vomit profusely. Death here was not pleasant... so many others had died already, and she might be next. She stood, moving away from the others. Her eyes were glazed over, thinking about her demise. The sounds of a piano came to her, and she smiled. Such a beautiful peice.... Maybe it was a beacon of somekind... Maybe... Maybe it was a way to survive!

She ran as fast as she could, her high heels breaking and causing her to stumble in the darkness. She fell foreward into the bottom of the starcase leading upwards, knocking her for a loop and breaking her glasses. But this didn't stop her. She ran up the stairs, leaving behind her broken glasses. Nearly blind, she plowed right into someone, and screamed.

"Jacqueline! It's just me!" the figure said, and Jacqueline took in a breath and placed her hand over her racing heart. Miles held out his hand, and helped her up. "You hear the piano, too?"

"Yes... I thought it might be another rule or safe zone in this game of souls or whatever they called it..."

"I doubt it... I think... I think it's Diana... I taught her how to play that song..." Miles looked away from the young woman before him, unable to meet her eyes. "I... it was the only good thing I ever did for her."

"Then let's go! Maybe we have a better chance together!"

"Agreed, little lady." Together, they opened a nearby massive door leading outside into the rain. Lightning flashed across the sky, revealing rose bush after rose bush. Cautiously, they walked the ancient cobbled path though the thorned flowers, the music seemingly guiding them through the maze like mass of plants. Ahead loomed the ruined poolhouse, where they Lady lied in wait, bekoning the mortals to her.

It wasn't long before they spotted Charlotte rooted to the spot in fear of what lied within the desecrated poolhouse. She stared into the dark windows as if she stared into the abyss itself. "Charlotte!" Miles called. "Charlotte!"

Turning her head, she seemed to come back to reality. The other two could plainly see she'd been through the ringer, she was baddly beaten, bruised, and battered. Blood stained her tattered clothes, and she seemed distant.

"Charlotte!" Jacquelin called, rushing to her. Charlotte's demeanor was changed, she seemed to rock on her feet, swaying with the wind. Suddenly, she fell to her knees, her eyes glassy. Blood loss had taken its toll, as well as the exahustion and fatigue of shock and the brutal attack on her. She slipped away into a peaceful slumber in Jaqueline's arms.



The Lady had watched this, and her eyebrows twitched. How unexpected...And so kind to an opponent... The piano played its tune again, and she moved to sit at it to await her company...

"There's someone inside there..." Miles said, his attention drawn to the female form sitting at the piano, illuminated only by the random bolts of lightning. As if to cue them inside, a bolt blasted down from the heavens, seemingly a sign of retribution. Grabbing Jaqueline, they picked up Charlotte, and fled into the poolhouse and the music coming from it.

On entering, the candelabras lit up with the flames of candles, illuminating the building in it's entirety. They could plainly see a woman who appeared to have just come inside from the pouring rain. There was about a foot of filthy water in the bottom of the pool itself, water dripping into it from the broken sunlights. She sat at the piano in a dress that ruffled slightly as she moved, her black dress clinging tightly to her body.

"Miss?" Miles ventured closer, his eyes locked on her backside. "Diana?"

The music didn't stop, though the woman stood and slowly rotated to face them. Miles took a shuddering breath, and Jaqueline slumped to the floor, terrified. The pale, greyish blue skinned woman looked deep into them, unafraid to kill them as she had done so to others so foolish as to enter into her territory. The air around her shimmered like water in a sunlit pond, and she moved to the sleeping Charlotte. Her face was unreadable, though she seemed deep in thought. The water in the pool rippled, and there was an audible splash.

"I will not harm you... at least not yet." she spoke, her voice barely more than a gentle whisper. "I wish to help you save your daughter... A parent should never outlive their child." She glided over to the two before her now, and stopped mere feet from them. Her hollow, white eyes remained unchanged, though her greyish face turned to Charlotte lying on the poolhouse floor. "Showing such kindness, I cannot help but be merciful for now... I will bestow you with my power to flood the rooms within the mansion, Miles Shaw. And to you, Jaqueline Masey, I can only promise not to take your life as I did Cindy Grey. Continue to show kindness, and I shall not revoke my promise." The Lady moved away from them now, never turning away. She pointed into the mansion, and spoke once more. "Go, now. Take her to the doctor Alicia Mills. She may be able to help Charlotte. Do not make me regret my kindness, or you will pay for it dearly."

Edited by Shy, 17 August 2010 - 12:20 PM.

[Shy]

The Truth Card

---

30[/hr]

Byron and the Gravedigger watched from afar as Miles Shaw bravely reentered the mansion in hopes of finding Dr. Mills. He had little interest in helping Charlottte Hamilton, but he knew better than to contradict the orders of a vengeful spirit. Near the moonlit pond Jacqueline rocked Charlotte gently to comfort her, softly humming a tune.

"Of all the champions selected for this evening, yours might puzzle me the most." The Gravedigger said, "I'm curious to know, Byron, why did you select Jacqueline Masey? Her only sin was her profession, and even that she is able to justify in her own mind. Of all the remaining players, Masey is the one that lacks the capacity to take another human life. She is weak."

"Weak? I don't know about that. She..." Byron paused for a moment as he stared at the two young women intently, "...reminds me of myself."

"It will take more than familiarity to survive until the next round."

"You might be right, Gravedigger, but anything can happen. Maybe we'll both surprise you."

[Sandy]

The rain had stopped, and the dark clouds gave way for moonlight to illuminate the gardens where the Green Lady walked. Once the plantings and the hedge maze had been lush and vibrant with life, but now they were overgrown, suffocated by weeds and infested by worms and slugs. There was nobody to take care of her precious garden anymore, and the thought of that made the Green Lady let out a bonechilling howl.

With a flick of a hand she made long briars of blood-red roses grow from the rotting ground, but as fast as they had appeared, they withered away. Just like those pitiful mortal souls that had been chosen to enter the mansion: dead as soon as they blossomed.

Kevin Andolli was somewhere between feverish sleep and reality. He remembered the sensation of falling, and being helped out of a cellar, but the next thing he knew, he was lying on a couch that stunk like hell. Something rattled next to his ear, but his head felt too heavy to move. He was hot and cold at the same time, and saliva filled his mouth as if he was about to puke. But he had emptied the contents of his stomach long ago.

The black man, Daniel, was sitting next to him.

"Hey..." the man said when he noticed that Kevin was awake again. "How are you feeling?"

"Worse than the time I lost two hundred grands in poker, heh", he said feebly.

"You a gambler, then?"

"Yeah. Should've quit that a looong time ago. Would be a rich man if I had, y'know."

"Yes, sure you would", Daniel replied with a big smile on his face. "Listen, your girl's in the other room. Do you want me to go get her?"

"Nah..." Kevin declined. "She can't stand the sight of me. Let's leave her in peace."

"I have to say I find her reaction odd to say the least. Do you not love each other?"

"Love is one hell of a complex thing, Mathis, a man of your age should know that. I... I haven't been the best possible man for her. She would do well with another."

"Don't say that. As deep a **** as we are in, you two have each other, at least. Me... I lost my Elayne exactly a year ago. I thought she just caught a bad cold, but the next morning I came to see her in the hospital, she was dead. That nurse..."

Kevin stopped listening. Suddenly all the aching and nausea had ceased, just like that. He stood up, and aside from a little lightheadedness, he felt perfectly healthy. Daniel Mathis just stared at him in awe.

Kevin jumped up the couch. He had to tell Sara!

Sara Marcel sat huddled in the corner of a room that once was a library. Only empty shelfs with a few rotting bookcovers remained of once an extensive collection of literature from all over the world. The journalist, Evelynne, sat in an armchair on the other side of the room near the entrance, frantically scribbling something to her notebook. Sara gave yet another look to the small door to the reading chamber in which Kevin was, then quickly looked away.

"Will you stop that?!" Sara snapped at the other woman. "Please? What's the use? It's not like you will live to make an article out of this."

"Who knows?" Evelynne Decoeur answered with a sheepish smile on her face. "Besides, I might not live through this night, but maybe somebody will find this notebook and find out the truth of what happened here."

"As if anybody will believe it. Ghosts playing a game with our lives... I'll be damned if I believe it myself!" Then Sara buried her face on her hands once again. "I just want Kevin back. My Kevin, not that sickly sack of meat dying in the other room. I want him to be strong again, to protect me from all of this!"

At that moment the main doors to the library crashed open, and on the doorway stood the sweaty and wild-eyed Diana Ross. She was carrying a large rusted shovel.

"What did you do to my Jimmy?!" the woman shouted. "Where is my baby, you bitches?!"

Evelynne stood up and backed away, but Sara could do nothing but sit and stare the frenzied woman straight in the eyes that were filled with chaos.

"You're hiding something, you little cunt! Give me back my Baby Jimmy!" Diana screamed, raising the shovel.

Sara opened her mouth, but then from the corner of her eye she saw Kevin enter the library, with all the signs of the poisoning gone. Kevin looked at her and smiled. That image was Sara's very last as Diana's shovel cracked open her skull.

[OMNOMNOMALY]

In the old library, Diana Ross was facing down the journalist, Evelynne. Ms. Ross was out of her mind with rage, wielding the freshly bloodied shovel as she advanced towards Evelynne. Kevin Andolli watched from the doorway in horror as his fiancee Sara Marcel crumpled to the ground, a deep crimson gash blooming on her forehead, her unseeing eyes frozen permanently in a mixture of horror as well as relief. Just a few paces behind Kevin, stood Daniel, watching with horror as this banshee-like woman brandished a weapon at another guest, having killed another just moments before.

"Diana!" He called out to her, his voice filled with urgency. Diana tore her eyes off of Evelynne, spinning around to turn and face Kevin and Daniel.

"Diana, calm down. It's okay. We're going to help you, alright?" She replied with a venomous snarl.

"Help me? How will you help me? We're all trapped here, all of us! We'll die! I was tricked, I need to leave!" She bellowed across the room at the two men.

"We won't make it out unless we work together, Diana..." Without warning, Evelynne had flung herself onto the other woman's exposed back, trying desperately to wrestle the shovel away, lest she thin out their ranks even more.

"Wench! Horrible evil woman, get off me! You're trying to stop me from leaving, it won't work!" She flailed violently but Evelynne clung on determinedly, holding Diana's arms down so she couldn't swing the shovel back. Kevin quickly ran up to aid Evelynne in restraining Diana. He ripped the shovel from her hands, tossing it as far away from them as possible and holding down her arms with his.

"Miss Diana, please! We're all on the same team here, we've all been tricked... Do you want us to find your father? That's what we'll do, we'll get him, he can help." She laughed shrilly.

"My father?" she repeated back to him incredulously. Kevin stared into her eyes, looking for a spark, a hint of acknowledgement, sanity, anything. But there was nothing, only piercing seemingly empty eyes gazing back at him. "I want my BABY." She stood still for a moment, and then abruptly head-butted Kevin in the face. He relaxed his grip on her momentarily in surprise and she took advantage of this to break free of both his grasp and Evelynne's. She raced from the library, shoving Daniel Mathis out of her way as she did so, frantically looking for any escape. They watched her as she ran, genuinely disappointed that she had gone without them being able to help her. It seemed as though she was beyond help.

Diana the ghost's voice rang in Kevin's ear as he stood there in the old library. "I am very sorry for your loss, Mr. Andolli. But you have shown great strength in the many faces of adversity, and so I grant you my power. You may render an opponent deaf and silent, if you will it. Please use it wisely..."

*********

Diana watched Charlotte, Jacqueline and Miles with pleasure from afar as they re-entered the Mansion. They were behaving how human beings should act - with compassion, empathy and solidarity. No man or woman was being left behind, despite the ragged state that the Twins had left Miss Hamilton in, and that she had most certainly become a liability to each of them. She plodded alongside Jacqueline, weak though uncomplaining.

"You know, I didn't mean to kill Mr. Mathis' wife..." she said as they walked along. Jacqueline looked over at her but said nothing, feeling as though Charlotte had just been waiting to get this out, and needed to talk to feel better.

"It did seem that she just had a bad cold... but when we treated her with the antibiotics, she had an allergic reaction... and by the time that we got the antihistamines to open up her airways again, it was too late.. she was too weak. There's no way either of them could have known about the allergy. And the Doctor ordered me to do it... I had a bad feeling, but what could I do? I'm just a nurse. I'm so sorry... Mr. Mathis refused to speak to me after... but could you blame him?" tears started forming in her eyes. Jacqueline's face softened as she looked at her companion, who seemed so emotionally defeated.

"Charlotte, it's not your fault. These things happen... medicine will keep on making strides forward, but it's not perfect... you're not perfect. No one is." Tears were flowing freely down Charlotte's face now.

"I've tried to push it away, tried to forget it... that is my fault. I deserve the burden of guilt..." Jacqueline shook her head.

"It's a survival tactic. We all have them, different ways of coping. We couldn't go day to day without them." she squeezed Charlotte's shoulder in comfort. Miles was silent, leading the group, listening thoughtfully.

They made their way through the house slowly and cautiously, each footstep more tentative than the last, each creak seemed to make the whole house shudder. The entire house was enveloped in what seemed to be it's own pocket of silence. Sound seemed almost out of place in this mausoleum of what had once been a grand estate. Down the long hallway, they passed through the kitchen, shielding their eyes from the unfortunate corpse of Steve Bastion. Jacqueline looked as though she wanted to throw up, but managed to hold herself together. After the kitchen came the large foyer, where they picked their way around the fallen chandelier and stood at the bottom of the steps leading to the upstairs portion of the Mansion. Diana continued to trail along behind them from a distance for a time, enjoying the simple human interaction. They headed up the steps to continue looking for Dr. Alicia Mills. As they neared the top, Elyssa Janovica appeared from a hallway on their right.

“Ah, hello. I was beginning to wonder where everyone had gone. Are you all alright?”

“We’re alright, we’re just looking for the Doctor, Alicia Mills. Have you seen her?” Miles replied.

“I’m afraid not, there are an awful lot of rooms up here, I haven’t gotten through all of them just yet.” Elyssa said. As she neared them, she leaned lightly on the railing. Without warning, a loud crack rang out. Elyssa’s face froze in surprise as she tumbled past the rotten railing and to her death on the floor of the foyer.

She served as a reminder that the house did not want them there any more than they wanted to be there.

Edited by Anomaly, 18 August 2010 - 01:14 PM.

[Heaven's Cloud]

Byron stood in the library watching the game unfold. The people in the room, the people in the game meant nothing to him; their deaths did not sorrow him nor bring him joy.

He watched Diana Ross, still suffering from the GLOOM that he had cast upon her earlier, head-butt Kevin Andolli and break free from his grip. As she darted from the room Byron moved to intercept her. He was still a specter, invisible and intangible to all. She passed through him none the wiser, but Byron had taken something from her.

Byron removed her afflicted status, now any sense of despondency she felt was her own, not an artificial, mystical ailment.

Funny, while Byron felt no pity or sorrow for these people, he was interested. How would their deaths play out? Would they be quick and merciful, or would they suffer as he had? Perhaps he should spur things along, after all, the games climax couldn’t be too far away!

Byron spoke so that those left in the library, Daniel Mathis, Evelyn Decoeur and Kevin Andolli, would hear his strained words.

And the deaf tyranny of Fate,
The ruling principle of Hate,
Which for its pleasure doth create
The things it may annihilate,
Refus'd thee even the boon to die.

FATE CARD: If one of the two characters is not killed within FIVE posts both characters are killed. If one character is revived both are revived.

******

Diana Ross sprinted down the stairs taking them two at a time. She felt remarkably alive. A few moments ago she was on the brink of despair but now, well now she was terrified, confused and enraged. What had possessed her to act the way she just had?

This house, it has to be the house! It is possessed by ghosts or witches, or ghosts of witches. As crazy as the thought was, she latched on to it. In that moment she knew that if she left the mansion she would be safe.

She kept running, darting left and right through rooms, past the moth eaten furniture and the molded bases boards. She ran through a large dining room into a kitchen and found herself face to face with an open doorway leading out doors.

Diana stepped into the cold, damp night air. The storm had subsided and wind whistled gently through the trees. Diana walked quickly away from the open kitchen door, towards what she believed to be freedom. The kitchen door slammed shut behind her.

She turned and her pulse quickened. Clouds rolled in the twilight, uncovering the Cheshire grin of a waning moon. Diana began to shiver. The moonlight revealed that she hadn’t escaped the confine of the mansion. Instead she was now trapped in a massive courtyard.

Overhead something screeched. The sound of beating wings descended on Diana Ross.

[Shy]

The Creation Card

---

30[/hr]
The Gravedigger looked out over the grounds of Rosengard as he buried the body of Sara Marcel. The sky was beginning to clear, revealing the harvest moon above. There would be many more bodies to bury this night, but there would also be new champions selected to play the game as well. He pitied the poor soul that would be the first to cross Belle.

Diana Ross shivered as she stepped into the Mansion's courtyard. Although the rain had finally stopped everything was still soaked, and a chill emanated from the cobblestone grounds. In the center was an enormous fountain, over twenty feet tall, which had clearly fallen into disrepair over the years. Moss covered every inch of the structure, and thick flower-covered vines wrapped around it in a spiral. Scattered across the grounds were colorful bird and feathers, and Diana picked one of them up from the grounds: It was beautiful. For a moment she thought of the husband and child she had abandoned so recently; she wondered if they missed her, or if she would ever see them again.

"I'm sorry...." she said as she dropped the feather to the ground. She took a step out towards the garden when an unfamiliar voice called out to her from above.

"I'm sorry." It said. Diana looked up to discover a monstrous figure standing on top of the fountain. It was clearly a woman in some ways; she had a beautiful face and shapely feminine curves, but in others this beast was wholly unrecognizable. Two enormous feathered wings protruded from the creature's back, and in the place of it's hands and feet were large, razor-sharp talons. It flapped its wings as it took to the skies, mimicking Diana once more, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"


CREATION CARD: Introduce a new champion into the game.

Name: Belle
Age: Unknown
Species: Harpy

Belle dove towards Diana, and the young girl was too startled to move. Belle slashed one of her talons clear across Diana's face, and knocking the young woman to the ground. The beast let out a maniacal laughter, pleased with the pain that it had just caused. Mrs. Ross began to crawl back towards the mansion, but the harpy would never allow that. Belle grabbed Diana by her leg and began dragging her out towards the gardens. She was nowhere near through playing with her prey.

[Gavin]

In life the Butler had always been a quiet man, described as prompt in action and silent in motion. He spoke only as necessary to relay the wishes of the Mistress and her family to the remainder of the Manor’s staff, none of whom he could’ve called friends but certainly there was an amiable working relationship to be had.

However life had been life and now, teeth gritted, the Butler fought to maintain a hold on his rapidly blossoming fury at the damage being wrought to the Manor by either the careless actions of the guests or the machinations of his fellow spirits. He watched as the merest hint of satisfaction played upon his lips as the opera singer plummeted to her death having stressed a particularly rotten piece of the railing. Ironic that a trained singer should have such a ghastly pitched shriek in relinquishing her mortal coil.

Slowly his form shifted into view in front of the remaining living guests, two women and a man, each of whom stepped back several paces to avoid a similar fate as had befallen Kevin Andoli when he had come into contact with the Gravedigger. A variety of emotions played on their faces, fear, intrigue, even outright hostility. Clearing his throat he smiled genially at them and for a moment at least they seemed to relax. Excellent. The Butler flourished his arm in a nominal bow as by way of introduction.

“Honoured guests of the Manor Rosengard, I am the Butler and I am at your service.”

The dark-skinned man he recalled as Shaw opened and closed his mouth several times before finally speaking, as if he had been structuring his response.

“You are not here to kill us then ?”

The Butler released a mirthful laugh, he supposed that was probably the most obvious and astute question to begin the conversation with, even if it hadn’t been asked particularly politely.

“I have little interest in this game the others in the Manor are playing, rest assured that so long as you conduct yourself in an appropriate manner in my presence you have nothing to fear.”

“Appropriate manner ?”

The nurse seemed to have found her voice and joined in the conversation. Locking eyes with her the Butler raised the index finger of his gloved hand.

“Indeed madam. You are all guests here and though the Manor may have fallen into a lesser state since that terrible night I expect you to conduct yourselves as etiquette dictates when in the dwelling of your betters.”

He paused, clearing his throat again, a small cloud of dust seemingly flowing from his lungs.

“I have tended Rosengard for decades, as my father did before me and his father did before him. As such I have developed an understandable attachment to this home and wish to prevent you all from furthering the damage Mother Nature has seen to inflict. Though I cannot guarantee your safety from the other spirits, as I said, if you behave yourselves in my presence I shall do you no harm.”

Miles temper seemed to get the better of him for a moment.

“Prevent us from damaging it ? It’s those lunatics you call the other spirits who are destroying this place trying to kill us! Why don’t you do anything to stop them ?”

“Mind your manners my good man. I do not stop them for my own reasons, not least of which being there are more of them than myself alone.”

Finally joining the conversation Jacqueline Masey attempt to sway it in a different direction.

“Mr…uh…Butler, we’re looking for one of the other people here, Alicia Mills, a doctor, can you help us ?”

Presenting a small frown the Butler shook his head.

“I am afraid not my dear, while yes I do know where she is, I cannot lead you to her.”

Crestfallen Jacqueline pursued the subject.

“But why ? You said you would help us.”

“I’m afraid the good doctor has…sealed herself off from all that’s going on. She has had the aid of another here in the Manor for what purpose I don’t care to fathom and thus you will be unable to reach her, I’m sorry. For the moment however she is quite safe,”

Silence reigned between them for several moments as the three mortals processed what the poltergeist had told them. Inclining his head as if listening to a distant sound the Butler spoke again.

“I’m afraid I must take my leave now, something else requires me attention. I’m sure if you stick together you’ll all have a better chance of survival than alone, I wish you all luck as I’m afraid you’ll most certainly need it.”

Fading back out of sight the Butler ignored their cries for him to stay longer and explain exactly what had occurred. Something new had occurred, he could feel it in his bones. Passing through the walls of the mansion he found himself looking upon the library and its occupants and watched Byron’s intrigue unfold wordlessly.

Byron had visited Rosengard often, and the Butler had found him to be a repugnant little man of obsession. Likely this latest scheme was one in a litany intended to lift him from his malaise.

---

1
[/hr]

Cradling his love’s broken body, Kevin Andolli wept fierce tears of grief. It wasn’t fair, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. They were supposed to have had a future together, this one last big score and it his hedonistic days would be behind him and then, then they could’ve lived happily together until old age separate them finally, surrounded by friends, family and all manner of good things.

The old professor was saying something, probably trying to comfort him but there was nothing to be heard beyond the sound of his own sobbing in his ears. Even as Sara’s blood collected around his legs he continued to brush the stray hairs from his face and whisper soothingly to her, despite what Diana had done she was still so beautiful to him. He felt a pair of strong hands on tugging on his shoulders and turned to see Mathis’s face frank with sympathy and understanding.

“I know it hurts, God knows it hurts worse than anything in the world but we can’t stop here son, we need to move on. You heard that ghost, the two of you are living on borrowed time as it is.”

Turning to look at Evelynne, Kevin was shocked to see the open fear in her eyes as she looked at him. For a moment he thought it was just the tears in his eyes blurring his vision but even wiping them away left the expression remaining on the journalist’s face. Her lips quivered for a moment before she burst into a pained sobbing and raised her hand to cover he face.

Unable to maintain eye contact with her, Kevin returned to looking at his fiancée’s face, her eyes now closed and the expression on her face softened in death. Stroking her cheek he felt the grief well up again and threaten to overwhelm him, biting his lip he felt the wet metallic tang of blood but persisted until the feeling was pushed back down into the pit of his stomach. Gently laying Sara on the ground and crossing her hands, he stood up and vainly attempted to brush the blood from his trousers and after a moment laughed at the ridiculousness of what’d he’d attempted.

Yes, the ghost had been right, so long as the two of them were alive they were both dancing a knife edge of mutual destruction…yes…there was only one thing to be done…one of them had to die now.

Slowly he walked over to the great lectern dominating edge of the grand library, dust covered it like a sheet and he absently ran his fingers along the top edge exposing the ancient timber in four long lines. Certainly there’d be one here. He opened the drawers mechanically, searching carefully for his prize until at last he felt cold steel beneath his fingers. Withdrawing the long, thin blade of the letter-opener Kevin walked dispassionately back to where Mathis was attempting to comfort Evelynne in her distress, the naked blade visible in his hand.

The moment the Daniel saw the knife he moved to intercede himself between Andolli and Decouer, the blank, unfazed and unflinching look in the younger man told him all he needed to know of Kevin’s intention. Daniel raised his hands placatingly and took another step backwards to shield the girl now cowering behind him.

“Look son, come on now, you don’t want to do this. Just ‘cause that ghost said it doesn’t make it true, we shouldn’t start killing ourselves to appease them.”

Nothing. Not an iota of change, even recognition seemed apparent on the man’s face as he lurched closer and closer.

“This isn’t what she’d want! Sara wouldn’t want you to do this, she called you her protector, she knew you were a good man!”

It was there, just the briefest flicker in his face, the slightest hesitation in his step. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief as the knife Kevin lowered the knife in his hand to his side, completely unprepared for the swift hook that came from the other and caught him in the jaw. Stars blossomed before Mathis’s eyes as he felt himself topple to the ground, darkness consuming his world.

Left without anyone to stop the madman, Evelynne brought her legs up to her chest and looked away at the ground, unable to look him in the face. Within three breaths he was on top of her, leaning down, she met his emotionless eyes and let out a squeak of terror before screwing them shut and awaiting the inevitable even as tears streamed down her face. His left hand which had floored the old professor brushed her hair for a moment.

“I’m sorry.”

With that Kevin plunged the letter opener deep into his own neck, arterial spray drenching Evelynne’s face as she recoiled backwards in horror and disbelief. The gambler fell to his knees with a small satisfied smile on his face even as precious life’s blood pooled around him. Wiping away the crimson liquid from her face Evelynne crawled over to him, attempting to brace his fall backwards and laying him on the carpet. His eyes seemed to unfocus and she leaned in as his lips moved slowly.

“See you soon Sara…”

Slowly Mathis regained a sense of his surroundings, even as pain welled up in his jaw from where the young gambler had hit him. A cold chill ran through his spine as his forced himself to rise, prepared to see the man standing over the slain body of the journalist, instead he found the girl pounding furiously at the man’s chest, the blade dug in his own throat as he lay assuredly dead on the floor. She was hysterical, blood soaking her fingers.

“I didn’t ask you to! I would never have asked you to do something like that! You stupid selfish bastard!!”

Her voice was hoarse from crying and shouting as Daniel managed to draw himself up alongside her. Evidently Kevin had committed suicide rather than kill the girl, he wouldn’t push the subject, it wasn’t his business what had happened between the two of them while he’d been unconscious. Instead he cradled the sobbing girl in his arms as she turned and hugged against him fiercely for support.

---

1
[/hr]

The Butler who’d watched the event unfold quietly swept across to the young woman in the dark-skinned man’s embrace, it had been an extraordinarily noble thing the younger man had done. A worthy death. A gentleman’s death. The woman was still hysterical, no doubt mad with guilt over what she had just witnessed. Touching her once on the head the old ghost let his voice rise a fraction to the tone of a command.

“Sleep little one.”

Daniel felt the girl stiffen in his arms and for a moment feared the worst, however with a cursory evaluation he found her eyes had shut and the tears stopped but she still breathing and her pulse has slowed to a more normal pace. He looked around, certain this was the action of another spirit. Shaking Evelynne gently he found no reaction, a further, harder shake still yielded no result. Finally he apologised and slapped her face, her white skin blotched red where he had struck her but she remained firmly unconscious to the world.

Daniel cursed quietly as he found himself alone in a room with two bodies and what might as well have been a third in his care.

[Sandy]

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Alicia Mills screamed from the bottom of her lungs. She had been screaming and crying and tearing down the briars until her hands bled for what seemed like hours. But nobody had come, not a single living person or a ghost. She had been forgotten in this solitary room.

The smell of the roses that had been so bittersweet at first now itched her nostrils and made her sick. She felt like she didn't even care if she would die as soon as she stepped out of the room, she just wanted out.

"Please... Whoever did this to me... Make the vines go away... please..." she sobbed.

Out of a sudden a pale green specter appeared in front of her. It was the spirit of an elderly woman wearing a loose, flowing robe that intertwined with her long hair. Alicia gasped as she looked the spirit in the eyes, for they were nothing but watery holes from which tears flowed like small rivers.

The Green Lady howled and embraced the doctor.

"If you wish so, go. But you will not be safe out there", she warned. "Take the rose briars with you, and use them whenever danger lurks near. But I'm afraid the other ghosts are craftier than you, and they will undoubtedly kill you as soon as they get a chance. Go now, you're free."

As Alicia watched, the briars withered away, leaving only dirt and some dried petals on the floor of the small chamber. Carefully she opened the cracked door and stepped out.

She found herself on a corridor in one of the upper floors, with many doors on both walls. She ignored all of them and walked down the corridor. After turning from a corner, she came to an opening in the end of the corridor. The remains of double doors were scattered on the floor of the opening, but beyond them she saw the master bedroom with a majestic canopy bed. Shadows of the night covered details from her, so she had to walk into the room to see better.

There was a definite lump on the bed under the ragged sheets. Alicia felt tension rising as she approached the bed. Outside the broken windows ominous clouds rolled in the sky and the night wind made the curtains on the canopy flutter.

Alicia grabbed the sheets with shaking hands, and pulled them, revealing a skeleton lying in the middle of the bed.

"NNNOOOOO!!!!"

Alicia flinched as she heard the cry and saw the pale green ghost flying towards her from the corridor. The ghost didn't stop until it hit the skeleton and vanished into it. It appeared that the doctor had found the corpse that had belonged to the spirit.

Edited by Sandy, 21 August 2010 - 11:04 AM.

[Heaven's Cloud]

Belle perched on the old oak tree, preening her feathers with practiced care. She remembered when the old oak tree that she had lighted upon was sapling.

There were oak trees in the forest where she had grown, but they were a smaller variety, shadowed by the enormous fir and pine trees that were more suited to grow beneath the shadow of Mt. Olympus. She remembered her youth, flying and hunting with lammergeyers, golden eagles and small falcons. She could recall stalking stags and goats and the occasional human, and then swooping down upon her pray from above. The stags…she remembered the stags and how their entrails tasted, so different from the deer that she feasted upon now.

Memories of her youth also carried memories of her capture. She had taken a small child and feasted upon its brains. The following day people had poured from the town with torches and roused her nest. Screaming and startled she tried to take flight but they brought her to the ground with a volley of arrows. The people caged her and set her on top of a pyre. She remembered bellowing in fear.

Then a man and his soldiers took her and her cage off the fire, much to her captors’ dismay. They man put her on a boat and brought her to this place while it was still being constructed.

For decades she lived in an atrium, her shackles confining her to a small area. She could still take flight, but her days of soaring amongst the clouds were over. Her keepers fed her live deer and goat and she was content enough.

Then something changed. Her confines began to deteriorate. Her keepers rarely brought her food, and when they did they would bring her humans. Eventually the food stopped coming altogether. Belle grew hungry and panicked. For the first time in nearly a century she tested her shackles. The once mighty chains had corroded over the years and with a little struggle she was able to break free.

Though free of the atrium, Belle found it impossible to wander off of the grounds of the manor. She often tried to fly away, towards the forests and mountains she could see in the distance, but she always simply circled the manor. It called to her, compelling her back to its grounds. Fortunately there was food; rabbits, squirrels, and deer all seemed abundant enough.

And, of course, there was the occasional human. Belle watched the small one struggle below her as she cleaned her feathers. She was waiting for her to lose a little more blood before she struck again. When she saw the girl slip and fall in the moss below she knew it was time.

Belle leapt from the tree. Spreading her wings wide she glided over her prey and then dropped upon her, pinning an arm and a leg with each of her razor sharp talons. The girl screamed and kicked, Belle looked into her prey’s hate filled eyes and hissed, and then she dug her face into the girl’s stomach. She feasted on her blood and entrails, tearing the flesh apart with her teeth.

She took a few more mouthfuls and hopped away from her prey. She knew the human was still alive. Her prey had stopped screaming but was still breathing in a haggard fashion. Belle wanted to gorge herself upon the human, but she also wanted to hear it scream as she cracked open her skull. Perhaps it would wake once more before it died.

***

Edward Nelson watched in horror from the kitchen door as the monster dug its face into the woman’s stomach. Though he felt invigorated, as if he could get the better of any man, he knew that he didn’t want to startle the creature while it was feeding. That would be suicide. Still, could he stand and do nothing?

The monster hopped off of the girl and he watched it flutter up onto the low branches of an enormous oak tree. Edward looked back at the woman. She was still alive, but her insides had been torn asunder. She was dying, but she was dying slowly, painfully. It was too much for the old man to take.

He grabbed a butcher knife off of the kitchen counter. It was old, and the blade was loose, but it would do the job.

Edward walked into the courtyard to Diana. She had woken and was trying to scream, but her vocal chords had failed her. Edward looked down on her, the terror in her eyes was haunting. Tears stung his eyes and flowed down his cheeks.

Girl, girl…I’m sorry, I don’t have long. That…that thing is gonna come back and feed again. You don’t, you don’t want to be awake for that do you?

Edward saw the resignation fill Diana Ross’ eyes. She grasped his free hand weakly, and he squeezed hers trying to bring her a little comfort. Diana nodded her head slightly and Edward plunged the chef knife into her temple violently. Tears flowed freely from his eyes onto the young woman’s cheek.

Behind him the monster landed and screamed.

***

Belle was furious. She had not finished playing with her meal before it had perished. Something had killed it, but Belle hadn’t seen or heard anything. One moment the human was breathing, the next it was dead, a large piece of metal protruding from its brain.

She screamed in confusion and turned in circles hoping to find what killed her prey. A door opened and closed but she saw no one go through it.
She screamed once more, and turned back to the corpse. No need to let so much meat go to waste, Belle thought as she cracked Diana’s skull and began feasting on her brains.

Edited by Heaven's Cloud, 23 August 2010 - 09:01 AM.