October 21, Friday | Mansion Foyer | Afternoon
Entering, what greets me inside leaves me gaping.
They've cleaned every corner, waxed the floor, dusted the antiques; searched every nook, cranny, and crevice, and made it spic and span.
All for the sake of making the mansion more enticing to the modern-day lords and ladies.
But no matter how hard they try, the mansion still looks as soulless as ever...
As though it's going to eat you alive.
If you ask me, they should've just listened to what other people have been telling them and leave this place alone.
Some things in this world are better left in peace, never to be disturbed ever again.
Rose?
I call out.
Rose, I'm here. Where are you?
My voice echoes softly throughout the hallways.
…
Oh, who am I kidding?!
In a place this big? I don't think she'll hear me, no matter how deafening the silence is.
She could be all the way on the other side of the property, for all I know!
Quickly, I reach for my phone and dial her number.
But…
operator:The number you have dialed has not been recognized. Please check and try again.
What do you mean 'has not been recognized'?
We were just talking awhile ago!
It's not like she was eaten by the house, right?
Or—
Or maybe, the ghosts did hear us talking and spirited her away? Right?
Right?!
…
No, Isabella. Don't be ridiculous!
She probably just wandered deeper into the house and lost signal or something.
I dial her number again, hoping to connect this time.
The number you have dialed has not been recognized. Please check and try again.
But to no avail.
Oh, boy.
I have a very bad feeling about this.
Rose? If you can hear me, please come out…
Come on, Rose! This isn't funny! You know this place gives me the creeps!
No answer.
This isn't going to work.
The place is big! She can be anywhere!
I need to start looking for her.
I take a deep breath before venturing deeper into the mansion.
Taking a couple of steps forward, I notice something move by the hallway above the grand staircase.
What the hell? Rose? Rose, is that you?!Not funny! I'm leaving you if you don't come out!Not coming out, huh? Fine! I'm going!
Okay, that is a lie.
She's my friend. I can't really leave until I know she's alright.
Growing desperate, I make another attempt to reach her number.
Come on, please give me something.
Please, Lord?
…
Yes, finally!
Hello? Hello? Rose, I'm here at the mansion.
Where the hell are you?
She doesn't respond. There's also heavy static coming from her side.
I sincerely hope it doesn't get cut off again before I can get an answer from her!
Rose, come on... where are you?
A few moments pass until the static eventually starts to quiet down.
ROSE:I'm—at—tic.
What? The attic? Why?
…Crap. It got cut off.
Man, do I really need to go there?
With how deep inside the mansion the attic is, there's barely any signal there. No wonder I can't contact her!
But why is she there?
Out of all places, she just has to make me go fetch her in the creepiest room of this place.
Is she doing this to get back at me for being late?
Whatever. I'll just go.
The sooner I meet up with her, the sooner I'll feel better about being here.
I carefully make my way up the staircase.
My legs wobble as I mentally curse the fact that I've chosen real estate, instead of picking a career that doesn't involve strange, abandoned houses.
Upon reaching the top, the grand hallway greets me.
October 21, Friday | Mansion Hallway | Afternoon
It branches out to the two major wings of the mansion — the East Wing and West Wing.
There are two attics here, one on each side.
But the east one has been converted to a storage room of sorts, and somehow, I find it least likely for Rose to wander there by herself.
Besides, she never did like going into stuffy storage rooms.
So I head towards the West Wing first, where a simple wooden door at the end of the hall opens to a small room.
Inside is another set of steps leading to the second attic.
Unlike the grand staircase though, the stairs to the attic are steep and narrow; made of old stones and covered with a thick coating of dust that kicks up into the air with my every step.
Thank God it's still daytime.
If it isn't for the light streaming through the door behind me, I may easily stumble and fall.
With how old the place is, there are no light fixtures to illuminate the cramped passage up.
Why they didn't bother to add one here when they renovated, escapes me!
Sheesh, they did it with the rest of the house!
A small bedroom welcomes me at the end.
October 21, Friday | Mansion Attic | Afternoon
It looks exactly as it did since the last time I've been here: full of dust, worn out, and faded by time.
Odd. I thought they cleaned everything?
Did the crew miss this room?
Ugh, cleanliness is the least of my concerns right now. The more pressing matter is Rose.
She's not here!
Was I dreaming when I talked to her a while ago? Did I mishear her?
No, no. It couldn't have been a dream.
After all, the creepy ambiance of this estate is doing such a remarkable job of making sure I stay alert and awake.
And I'm sure she said she's here in the attic.
...Is this a prank?
Or maybe... that phone call was Rose's last message to me before the curse got to her…
Ugh, shut up brain! You are not helping!
Don't make this scarier than it already is!
But if she's not here—
Then where is she?
…
What the hell was that?!
…
That's it! I can't do this anymore!
I'm leaving!
We must have angered the spirits living here.
I knew disturbing this mansion was a bad idea! Right from the very start!
But nobody listened!
Be "fucking realistic," they said. They think I'm coo-coo because I believe in curses and ghosts and all that!
Me and my "outlandish, backwater country beliefs"!
I've always strived to be a model employee, but not this time, no!
I'm turning back for the sake of my sanity!
Briar Realty can find another agent who is more "fucking realistic" to tour people around this haunted house!
Before leaving, I take one last look at the gloomy, old room.
Just to check.
Huh, what's this?
My worries about Rose's whereabouts must have caused me to miss it when I first entered the room.
But there's clearly something on the floor.
It looks like...
A letter?
Lying on the ground, just a couple of inches away from my feet.
Out of sheer curiosity, I lean down and pick it up.
Strange.
I don't recall seeing this the last time I was here.
A few days back, me and a few other agents inspected the mansion to prepare for today.
I had been the last to look inside the attic and leave, and this certainly hadn't been here before.
Someone must have left it in this room since then.
Did Rose leave this for me?
Was she here a while ago?
I can't have missed her though, can I? There's only one set of stairs to and from the attic.
The letter isn't exactly in pristine condition. In fact, it looks rather ancient.
The paper is so thin and rough, I'm worried it'll fall apart if I so much as touch it.
With great care, I open it and what I read shakes me to my core.
Wh-what? What? Oh my God...
Nothing but the words "HELP ME" fills the page. All of it, seemingly written with a crimson-shaded pen...
…Or blood.
I gulp.
The same phrase just goes on and on, until...
Send this to five people or else…
Or else… what?
Or else what?!
As quickly as I can, I scan the back of the paper and peek into the envelope, to make sure I'm not missing out on a second page.
But there's nothing.
No... oh, please, no.
My hands tremble as dread creeps over me.
The room is suddenly getting colder.
I need to get out of here!
Folding the paper in half, the sight that greets me next has me frozen on the spot.
A pair of blood-soaked feet enters my field of vision: covered in gaping wounds, with skin eaten away to reveal flesh, bone, and all manner of things one isn't meant to see.
It's too much.
All of it is too much.
I want to cry, call for help, but the words catch in my throat. Even my feet won't move, completely paralyzed out of terror.
choice 1
I need to face it.
Whoever, whatever these feet belong to, I need to face it.
And… And if I'm going to die? If they're going to kill me? At least I'll know what my killer looks like.
A cold comfort.
So, with a deep breath, I summon every ounce of courage I have left in me and shift my gaze upwards.
…No…
P-Pl-Please...don't hurt me!
No!
Without thinking, I scramble towards the door.
I struggle to open it, but it won't budge.
Sta-stay away! Go away! Please Lord! Make it go away!
Why now?! Why won't it open now?!
My heart sinks as reality dawns in.
I'm locked in.
Locked in with that thing.
LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LORD, PLEASE! LET ME OUT!
It slowly approaches me as I wrench the doorknob violently back and forth.
Achievement Unlocked: Necrotic Paralysis(Zzzzz....)
Achievement Unlocked: Grasp the Nettle
Achievement Unlocked: Can't Stop, Won't Stop
It's gone.
Yes!
The door finally swings open and I couldn't have been happier.
Wasting no time, I leap out the door and don't look back.
My feet pound against the floor in rhythm with the loud, fast beating of my heart.
By the time I run past the hallway and find myself atop the grand staircase, my chest feels so tight like it's going to burst.
But that's nothing compared to the feeling of hope the sight of the exit gives me.
choice 2
I shut my eyes tight, muttering fervent prayers under my breath.
Our Father, Who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name—
Prayers taught to me as a child by my Mama and my Papa slip out endlessly through my teeth.
Because God, oh God, if you have to listen to any of my prayers, please listen to this one!
And if God doesn't listen... at least, I won't see the thing that kills me.
A cold comfort.
…
I wait.
…
And I wait some more.
But when nothing happens, I dare to take a peek—
Only to find that the ghost—the thing— whatever it is...
…Gone.
Relief washes over me as I shakily get up to my feet and back away towards the door.
Wrenching it open, I slip out without a second thought and make a run for it; down the stairs and on to the hallway.
I take a look back to make sure it isn't behind me.
Any other person might have stopped, dismissed it as a trick of the light and an overactive imagination.
But I am not taking any chances!
I am not giving that thing another chance to catch me off-guard.
I don't think I'll ever feel safe until I get out of here.
Whatever that is, every warning bell in my mind is telling me that it's going to jump out at any moment and get me while I'm still in this place.
I told them! I freaking told them! Oh man, oh man, oh man!
Continue
Racing down the stairs, a breathy laugh escapes me, and—
My shoe slips and I find myself falling…
...Until my back hits the ground and pain racks my body.
My head grows fuzzy and my vision dims as I fight to stay conscious.
...No...
...G-Go...
…Away…
The last thing I see are those feet before all I know is darkness.
