Chapter 42 Chapter 42
The mansion consisted of weathered grey stone that had seen better days. In the middle, above the massive entrance doors, a bell tower loomed over the rest of the structure, stretching its half-broken turrets toward the night sky.
An old clock decorated its façade; its hands had stopped at precisely one o’clock. Valerie’s eyes rested on it for a while, and she wondered if it was merely a coincidence or if this particular time meant anything.
The mansion's roof was covered in dark shingles, some missing and others buried in moss. Many of the windows were shattered or cracked. Ivy clung to the walls and gave them a rundown appearance. Nobody had taken care of this place in a long time. It seemed to be entirely abandoned and exposed to the forces of nature. An eerie silence hung over the property, and no sound was heard.
Valerie’s hands became sweaty as her fear rose. She stopped, glancing up at the bell tower one more time, and nearly had a heart attack when she saw a shadowy figure peering down at her. It was too dark to make out more than its outline, but it was a person.
They just stood there, watching her, not reacting in any way, which proved it wasn’t Naomi or her friends. When Valerie blinked, the figure was gone; the window vacant.
“Did you see that?” she stuttered and glanced at Maxwell, who shook his head.
“I don’t know what you mean. Must have been your imagination,” he said in a huff, striding towards the mansion's doors.
“Wait for me,” she yelled and quickly caught up to him. He pushed open the doors, surprised they weren’t locked, and entered the abandoned building.
At this moment, the mark on her wrist began to pulse angrily, warning her, but she couldn’t back down now. Judging by the look Maxwell gave her, he sensed the impending danger too.
The lobby they found themselves in was shrouded in darkness until he illuminated it with a snap of his fingers. Light flooded the room and revealed things that Valerie would rather not see.
The wallpaper was peeling off, revealing gray stones under it. Cobwebs clung to the corners, and the furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust. Several couches and an armchair stood on the left side of the room, a wide mirror hanging behind them.
Strange dark smears stained its surface, and Valerie had no idea where they came from; she was okay with never finding out. A staircase with a wrought iron railing rose to another floor, and several doors led in all directions. There were no clues as to where her friends could have gone.
“What now?” she asked indecisively. Maxwell’s suspicious gaze came to rest on the door to their left. It was slightly ajar.
“We’ll search for them so we can get this over with,” he said.
“Naomi,” Valerie shouted. “Where are you?” Her loud voice echoed through the building, repeating a few times. She paused and listened, but there was no answer, only silence. “They should have heard me,” Valerie mumbled, a bad feeling manifesting in her chest.
“Something’s wrong,” Maxwell confirmed. “I feel the entity… whatever it is… it doesn’t want me here.”
“Huh?”
“It wants me to leave. But I won’t.” Smirking evilly, he walked through the door and into a long hallway. The walls were covered in photo frames, and she curiously glanced at the people in the photos, noticing how most of the pictures looked much newer than they should have, considering this place had been abandoned about twenty years ago.
“Where could they be?” she mumbled, checking her smartphone for any new messages, but she had received none. It was ten minutes to 1 AM, and Naomi was nowhere to be found.
Valerie grimaced and dialed her number. Suddenly, she heard a phone ringing and exchanged a sharp look with Maxwell. They sprinted down the hallway, her heart thundering in her ears. She prayed Naomi was fine, but since she didn’t pick up, something had to be terribly wrong.
Maxwell kicked open the next door, a wave of light flooding the room. Valerie spotted the phone on the wooden floor beside an old camera that looked misplaced. She didn’t think it was Naomi’s, so she left it alone and only took the phone.
They had entered what seemed to be a study. A desk and various bookshelves were covered in dirt and dust. The stagnant air and the disgusting stench made both of them nauseous. The group of students wasn’t here either, and Valerie was seriously worried about them.
She moved closer to the wall opposite the window, studying the photos that hung there. She squinted at them and couldn’t believe what she saw. The person in the photo was Naomi herself. She smiled happily at the camera, but there was something off about the picture.
“Maxwell, the person in the photo is my friend,” she whispered in shock.
“What?” he asked, standing beside her to take a look himself. “Strange… what did the entity do to her?”
“You don’t know?”
“What the hell, human? Do you think I’m a psychic?”
“No, but you’re a demon.”
He sighed and shook his head at her logic. “We’ll go look somewhere else. I admit this is weird, but your friends aren’t in this part of the building.”
She followed him back to the lobby, where they chose to ascend the creaky old stairs. They could give in at any time, and she didn’t want to break her legs in this madhouse, so she was careful. On the next floor, they were greeted by a long corridor leading in two directions.
Maxwell chose to start with the west wing. He entered the first room they came across—a large dining hall. Valerie’s mark never stopped aching, no matter where they went. It served as a constant reminder she wasn’t supposed to be here, and yet she didn’t go back. She couldn’t. Not yet.
A sudden noise shattered the overpowering silence. It was a bell. Valerie froze, and her blood turned to ice. The sound came from the bell tower up above them. How was this possible when it was broken? Valerie had a suspicion and took out her phone to check the time. It was 1 AM.