A Night of Trepidation

Languidly, I begin to open my eyes as I lay on the damp, stone ground. Where am I? I lift my head slowly up, and a spine tingling shiver courses through my body. In front of me was a very large, and very dark castle. To my side was an old, rusty lantern. Its glass was cracked, but it appeared to still be usable. As I reach out for my only source of light in this dark place, I notice my strange clothing. I was wearing a long, light blue and lavender, Gothic Victorian styled dress. It was tattered around the waist, and was missing sleeves, but seemed to fit well.

Suddenly, my head begins to pound. Thunder sounds from all directions, and lightning lights up the night sky. I swiftly grab the lantern and make my way up the mossy stone steps to the entrance of the castle. I rest the side of my head up against the giant sealed doors to listen for any sign of life inside, but it was quiet. Almost too quiet. Where was I meant to go now?

I take a step back from the large door, contemplating my next move. Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I just saw one of the old, dusty curtains close abruptly as I take notice to my surroundings. Was someone inside, watching me? That seems to be the only explanation. But then again, it could have been my corrupt mind playing tricks on me.

I hurriedly run back down the steps to try and find another way into the building. To my left, I notice a winding dirt path that seemingly leads to the opposite side of the immeasurable manor. Quietly, I follow the pathway, slowly looking from side to side to determine if any eyes are fixed upon me. No one else seems to be around at the moment but me, but I can't shake the feeling that someone is there, glaring at me from some unknown place.

At the end of the trail lay a few sturdy looking wooden crates, all scattered around as if someone didn't even care about what may happen to them. I look up to the sky in search for anything that may help me, but all I can see are the foreboding looking clouds as the lightning lights up the night sky like a flaming torch.

That's when I notice it. Alongside the dark stone wall, just out of reach, was an assortment of thick vines. If I could find a way to grab onto them, I'd be able to climb my way up the wall, and finally get inside this building. But why do I want to even get inside? Any sane person would immediately turn away at the sight of the mansion, but I chose to find a way in... Perhaps I'm not sane. I'm not sure why, but there is just something about this place... It feels like I need to be here. To be within the walls, to find a purpose of why I ended up here.

As the first few drops of rain from the oncoming storm start to fall, I begin stacking the wooden crates up in a fashion similar to stairs. Once that task is completed, I carefully ascend the man-made steps,  holding my lantern by my teeth as I get prepared to jump for the tangle of vines. I jump, and at the last second, I grab onto the thick foliage. I can feel my fingers slipping from the wet greenery, but I manage to hoist myself up and through an open window. I collapse onto the floor, breathing heavily. My headache slowly returns, and my vision becomes a blur. Am I going insane?

After the horrible sensation eventually passes, I gradually get to my feet and look around the room. There was really nothing much to it, but it did seem darker than it should. I look down at my lantern, and the flame was very low. Great, I was running out of oil.

I step out into the dim hallway and notice a flight of stairs leading down to my right. Hesitantly, I lift up my lantern and descend down the dark stairwell. Dusty portraits of sinister looking men line the walls crookedly, and I shudder at the sight of them. One painting in particular caught my eye, though. It was a portrait of an older man, his white, long hair tied in a ponytail with a dark bow. He was wearing a red suit, and his face... His face gave an uneasy feeling.

The longer I stared at the picture, the more uneasy I felt. His face appeared to gradually change, and time seemed to slow down immensely. Not knowing if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not, I began to see distinct changes in his face. His eyes grew red, and his skin slowly became pale. Soon after that, his eyes were solid black, full of horror. Red liquid streaked down his cheeks in a way that can only be mimicked by the crying of a young girl as her mascara slowly drips from her eyes.

I had to turn away. The sight was far too gruesome to bear for long. I continue my way down the stairs, diverting my eyes from any painting that I pass. At the end of the long staircase stands a bloody iron door. Blood was still dripping from the handle...

Grimacing, I take hold of the handle and pull open the heavy door. In front of me was a long, dark hallway, only lit by a few torches that were very sparsely placed along the walls. The hall was also eerily cold, and I could see my shattered breaths before me, floating in the air and slowly dissipating like a ghost.

I make my way down the corridor, but I had that feeling of being watched once more. I turn around, but no one is there, just like before. Shaking off the feeling, I walk somewhat faster down the hallway. As I reach the end, an old bloody note hangs on the wall, and I become weak in the knees as I read what it states.

"Don't let her escape..."

A small whimper emits from my throat and I begin to shiver. What now? I could hide, but I know nothing about this old building. I could try to escape, but I'd have nowhere to go even if I somehow succeeded.

As I stand there, I hear a loud growl from somewhere behind me. I turn around once again and my limbs go numb. I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything. All I could do was stand motionless and in horror, staring wide eyed at the horrid creature before me.

Stumbling down the hall was what appeared to be a man, but it did not exactly seem human. His eyes were missing, and his mouth was permanently open in such a way that you would think he was screaming. He had no hair, and was very pale. Rusty iron shackles hung from his wrists, and the reverberation of the chains gave me chills. A circular contraption was fixated tightly around his neck, and dried blood stained the pointed metal that pierced his skin.

He continued getting closer, and closer, until he was merely a few feet in front of me. He reaches out, and my limp fingers drop my lantern. It crashes to the floor, the glass breaking into a million pieces. All the lights in the hall burn out, and I'm left with no sense of sight whatsoever.

I scream out in tears as I feel a sharp pain make its way through my abdomen, and a warm fluid that I can only imagine was my blood drips from the wound and down my waist. I fall to the floor and curl up into a ball, near death. The last thing I see is an old man carrying a torch enter the hall, an evil grin across his face. Shadows from the flame of his torch dance across his long white hair as he pulls surgical tools from a bag hanging by his side. After pulling out some bloody thread and a pair of rusted scissors, he flashes one last evil smile before kneeling down beside me, ultimately ending my life for good.