Scribbles and Drabbles

Captive of the Haunted House 1

The doors were wide open ominously, and the creepy atmospheric music was playing softly, drifting out into the dark street. There were no other shops open at this hour thankfully. No reason for anyone to wander past and see the doors waiting to lure some poor soul inside. Maurie gripped his friend's hand before he could rush in and shook his head. He wasn't going to let his friend be one of the suckers to die that night,

"Maurie?" Caleb asked, looking at him confused. "You're the guard usually, aren't you? Should you be doing something? The guy who covered you obviously isn't..."

"Maurie ... I like it," a deep, echoing voice drifted from the door. Maurie inhaled sharply, and Caleb snapped his head over to him. Maurice knew that voice very well, and it just made him want to run away like a child. "Better than Maurice. Sweeter. Come here, sweet boy," the voice said in a low drawl. "Come here, and I'll promise none will touch your friend."

Maurie's job wasn't normal; it was supposed to be easy money. It was minimum wage, but ultimately, it was simple: guard the haunted house overnight to stop people from breaking in and stealing the exhibits. Maurie expected it to be creepy at night, as much as it wasn't that scary during the day. He hadn't expected it to be so dangerous.

The exhibits came to life at night. Or rather, they were free to roam as they wished at night. Maurie wasn't sure how it all worked, but there was a pattern to it all. Most of the exhibit droids only roamed free between midnight and around 6 in the morning. A few moved quicker, but most were just in those six hours. Some moved with the purpose of attempting to kill him, or any sucker who was on the night shift in the building. 

The one who was trying to entice him in was the most dangerous of them all - Levi. He didn't have a pattern. The only way to deal with him was to hide and not make eye contact with him. If he felt eyes on himself, he'd strike. Being summoned by the demon was not something Maurie wanted to endure.

"What's going on?" Caleb said.

"Nothing good," Maurie said softly. "Stay behind me," he warned, approaching the building despite everything screaming in him to disobey and run. He couldn't quit this job, or he would have done so after the first night of trying to survive. The head demon could come out during the day. There was no escape. It was better to obey and pray to survive than risk angering the creature. "I'm not sure what game is being played tonight."

"It's not a game. Well, the game is over. Clean up is needed," the deep voice rumbled with a touch of amusement. "Some rats broke in and changed the game. We dealt with them all." Levi has a deep purr of satisfaction as much as it was angry that people broke into their domain and spoiled its fun.

"Is Jack alive?" Maurie asked as he finally got close enough to look inside the building. "Shouldn't he be able to help?"

Caleb made a weird sound behind him as they looked in, not yet crossing the threshold. As per the theme of the place, the foyer's decor was spooky and eerie. With daylight streaming through the windows, it took away from the vibe, but it was nighttime. Green lights flooded the reception area, and Levi sat on the counter covered in wet blood, grinning at them with sharp teeth. 

During working hours, Levi stood at the entrance of the staircase, big and imposing at almost 7 feet tall. He was designed to look like a member of the Victorian aristocracy, only twisted by dark magic to be possessed. His face was almost beautiful, but the whites of his eyes were black and large horns sprouted from his forehead. Instead of hands, he had claws that were currently cupping a glass of what Maurie hoped was wine. A tail flicked behind him, and with his smirk, it was a terrifying visage.

"He's preoccupied," the droid spoke, swirling the liquid in the glass. "He lost shortly before the rats arrived. We haven't decided on how to proceed with his fate. By rights, he should be ours, but we need some extra hands to deal with this. Your friend is safe from the beings in the house. I give you my word."