Disclaimer: I do not own the Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst series. This is an AU of that universe. This was inspired by The Basement Chronicles by SilveRanger on AO3. I highly recommend you read that as well, even though it is not related to this story.
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The next morning, presumedly, Charles returned. Maddie only knew that Rose had stayed with her the whole night when she felt her vanish in a quick cloud of fog when the door opened. The memories of what had happened and where she was crashed into her full force, and her mood was immediately dampened. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes groggily, she did her best to pay attention to what Charles was jovially telling her, which, apparently, was that he had finished her new room and he was ready to take her there. He would show her around as they made their way.
Everything about this proved to be more horrifying as she was led deeper into this labyrinth. Because that's what it was. Charles took them down so many corridors that all looked the same before they reached what looked like a main atrium. An elegant statue that she usually saw in churches overlooked the foyer, torches mounted on either side of the archway. The torches illuminated words etched into the stone on either side of the statue:
Together, in death, our hearts will beat as one
Maddie shivered at the statement, wondering how much it hit home. She didn't know if there were any other spirits besides Rose in this place, but from what the ghost mentioned, there most certainly were. She doesn't know why they were still stuck here, but she knew that it had to have been something that Charles had done. She feared the day he would do the same to her.
Beyond this main archway, more essential rooms were housed on either side of the massive stone hall. It was reminiscent of a medieval dungeon, if it weren't for the homely additions. One room held a kitchen, another a parlor. Yet another held the dining hall, and Charles explained this was where they would all meet for dinner every evening. They moved further into the tunnels, the stone giving way to packed dirt walls. It solidified for Maddie that she truly was buried underground.
The tunnel eventually gave way to a massive cavern, and it was here that Maddie began to feel deeply disturbed. The setting was meant to be a replica of a busy downtown street bustling in the 1920s. Except, it wasn't the 1920s anymore and it wasn't bustling. It occurred to her that this was all built for someone specifically, to emulate living a life outside this constricting "home" into a cheap illusion, a façade. The blue sky being replaced with the brown dirt walls of the cavern didn't help matters.
"This was for Rose and my eldest daughter, Emma," Charles explained, presenting the twisted scene with a flourish, as if showing off an art project. "After I relocated them down here, they missed the simple joys of going out into town to the salon or stopping by the local flea market. The things that women tend to enjoy occupying their time with." This disturbed Maddie even more, because this suggested that Charles didn't kill his family before moving them down here, they had been alive, cut off from the outside world. Just how long had they been trapped here? And "relocating" was a generous term to use for his family instead of saying he imprisoned them.
They moved on, further along into the depths of this elaborate maze. Maddie had long since given up trying to memorize the route, but she could at least remember her way back to the main atrium. Soon, they emerged into another large cavern, this one containing a small house in the center. It couldn't be any bigger than a cottage. A sandbox and a few playground accessories were situated in front of it. It looked like it was meant for small children, children like her. She wasn't sure if she was meant to feel comforted by that, or more on edge.
Charles took her by the hand and led her into the cottage. There wasn't much to it inside: only one hallway holding three rooms. One was the bathroom, which contained a small washtub and sink. Charles explained that water would have to be drawn from the pump outside for her to take a bath. Maddie remembered seeing that. She didn't know how he got running water down here. Maybe there was a well nearby? Perhaps this was useful information to save for later.
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Tales from Ravenhearst: Home, Sweet Home
FanfictionMaddie's life had changed drastically ever since her parents divorced when she was five. It changed again when her mother was laid off from her job last year, and was head-hunted for another one in London, England, but could only afford to live in B...
