Something Wicked This Way Comes

House of Horrors

Walking out of the room and onto the landing of the stairs the hairs on Marley's arms and the back of her neck stood on end. Something was near her, she couldn't make it out just yet, but she felt it for sure. She could hear a scratching or dragging noise coming from her right.  Her breath caught in her throat as she watched this tall, thin, bald man glide down the landing running his hand along the banister as he came toward her. The closer he got though she wasn't sure if he was a man anymore.

 He was extremely tall, like awkwardly tall, his arms and legs looked too long for his tall frame, he was bald she could see that clearly, but his hands...his hands were definitely not right. The fingers were long, way too long. They came almost to points, think of the shadow of Count Orlok creeping up the stairs in the old movie Nosferatu, yeah... that nasty bastard. She couldn't see his face. He was wearing a mask that strapped around the back of his head, a doll mask.  Ok not a man she thought as he inched closer.

 The sound came from his nails sliding down the wooden banister.  Marley backed up some, she did not want this thing close to her. As she moved back to the wall, she knocked into something that made a clang as it fell. She looked down to see what she ran into. It was Poppy's metal baton, the one her mom always tells her not to leave in the hallway. It looked worn down and had it been made of wood she was sure it would be rotted inside of this hell hole of a place but thank you Poppy! She thought to herself. 

She grabbed the baton and took a hitter's stance, no way was she letting this big, gangly asshole get near her. She pointed the baton at him. "Keep your distance dude" she told him. He took his long-fingered hand and swung at the baton missing it. "Hey! I said keep your distance!" she shouted at it, taking a step back. It still struggled to walk but it was almost in a trance. It moved like it was being controlled by marionette strings. Marley had no choice but to swing at it. The baton connected with its head. Cracking the mask off its head. Her stomach rolled looking at its face. It had a thin mouth that stretched from two non-existent ears. There were no eyes, just a blank area of nasty skin. Its overly large mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth. It growled and snapped its jaws at her.

Marley started for the stairs, this thing may have been tall and bigger than her, but she was faster. Still though she knew she would have to try to take it out because the things in this place were relentless. They were designed to do Mary's bidding and that was to kill. It was kill or be killed, but she wanted a little more room to move around so she couldn't be backed into a corner. Moving down the stairs she was going backwards and sideways looking behind her at Mr. Smiley coming down them as well.

 The thing moved even more strange on the staircase. It was sliding its feet off each step down to the next and hardly bending its knee. Marley got to the bottom of the steps and took her stance. As soon as the thing was off the last step, she gripped the baton and swung up and as hard as she could. It connected underneath of its chin at an angle. Mr. Smiley let out a shriek that hurt her ears, she almost needed to cover them.  Its head was bent at an upward angle now. The long-fingered hands came at her, its claw like nails swiping and slashing from side to side, feeling for her. She backed away trying to hide herself from it behind the rotting recliner chair.  Suddenly it stopped moving and stood still. It started making a strange hum and the small slits on its face that she assumed were its nostrils began to move, they were getting bigger. Oh my God, she thought, it's trying to smell me. 

It must have caught a whiff because it spun and smelled the air in a long sniff.  Marley closed her eyes; she just needed a break for a minute. Too late though, it slunk down to her size, curving it's back as it crept over. She jumped up and slammed her foot down on its back which knocked it onto its stomach. Holding her foot on it she took the baton and slammed it down on the back of its nasty bald head.  Marley just kept swinging, beating its head over and over. Soon its head was nothing but a gross pile of mush. Black liquid bubbled out of the mess as Mr. Smiley laid still.

 She backed off, trying to catch her breath. She couldn't calm herself though. She started to shake. She needed to focus but things were closing in on her. Sitting herself on the ground feeling like she would pass out. She held her head in her hands, wishing this was all a dream and who knows maybe this is, maybe I will wake up and realize I'm just in a candy induced nightmare coma. Those happen, don't they? They always say if you eat garbage before bed, it can give you nightmares. Maybe this is just that. She was lost in thought and didn't realize that the rope on her waist was moving. It pulled into her stomach a bit snapping her out of her head. It was Jake, checking on her. She didn't know how he was able to pull that rope from where he was given that he was upstairs around a corner and in another dimension, but he did it. How does he always know when I need him?  She thought pulling it tight and giving it a yank. Hopefully it sent a message back to him. 

That gave her the strength to get back up and keep moving through the shadows. With a limp, a janky arm, and a dead wooden demon bird's foot still tangled in her rat nest of hair she carried on into the kitchen. She just had a feeling she needed to make it to the basement. Was it sister's intuition? A horror movie enthusiast's instinct? Who knows what you call it, but she knew this was going to end there. Making her way to the door she held onto the doorknob, not wanting to turn it. Was another of Mary's creations going to be waiting for her on the other side of it? That was probably a guarantee, and she so did not want to find out. Mustering some courage and turning to push it open. She closed her eyes. But nothing. She opened them, there was nothing but the staircase in front of her descending down. She got her trusted lantern and clicked it on to start walking down the stairs.