Echoes of the Void

The Vampire Skull - 7. The Mansion

Ellie made her way across the river, into Old Dawn. She felt as if she had entered a new world. Old buildings, cobblestone streets, and cozy cafes on every corner. Ellie smiled brightly to herself and held onto Skully.

"Fudge. That guy was some piece of work. Though there was something oddly familiar about him," Skully grunted from under her arm.

"Really? He seemed familiar? Why didn't you say anything?" Ellie lifted him up in front of her.

"Tch. It didn't really seem relevant." Skully wasn't sure if it even meant anything, "These streets somehow seem familiar too, as if I have walked them before," Skully's tone suddenly changed, he couldn't help but feel like he had stepped on these cobblestone streets.

"Really? You remember something?" Ellie squealed, all too excited for her skull friend.

"It's not that I remember anything... Wait... I... Go straight down that wide street," Skully exclaimed.

Ellie smiled even wider, her long chestnut brown hair swished from side to side as she wandered in the direction Skully wanted, this was exactly why they had come to Dawn. She felt excitement rise in her chest, her heart beat faster as she followed the street. Skully told her to turn left after a while, and another left.

Skully felt a sense of home as they started walking down a long street full of old mansions and large houses. He told her to keep walking, further down the street. Further and further, the houses became fewer and larger. Until—

"Stop, this one. This mansion," Skully muttered.

Ellie stopped and gazed at the old mansion with big eyes. It looked run down, the large iron gate was falling off the fence. The garden full of overgrown grass and shrubs. Windows were boarded up as if no one lived there anymore. Crows had taken over the roof.

"Wow, look at this place. It looks awesome, we should go inside," Ellie beamed and looked down at Skully.

"I- I don't know, I have this feeling. As if I shouldn't. I don't want to. Ellie, let's not." Skully sounded worried, it was not in his usual way of speaking.

"It'll be fine. Obviously, there's something about this place, and I think we should go inside. Maybe you will remember something? Any memories are fine, right?" Ellie exclaimed with great confidence. She was ready for more adventure, and this mansion looked like it promised just that.

"You're not gonna listen to me, right?" Skully grumbled, he knew very well how Ellie would not listen to any of his warnings.

"Nope. Let's go," Ellie grinned wide as she pushed aside the half-fallen gate, noticing a large golden V in the middle of the gate, "What do you think the V stands for?" She asked Skully.

"How should I know?" Skully grumbled, annoyed at Ellie for not listening to him, "Wait– I know... The man just now... Valentine..." Skully said softly.

"Valentine?" Ellie glanced up at the mansion again, "Isn't the Valentine family super rich? They have a big tech company, right?" She kept staring at the mansion.

"How should I know? I just... I guess I'm feeling something familiar here," Skully grunted as Ellie started walking up the steps towards the door.

The crows on the rooftop cawed as Ellie pushed the door open with a loud creak. Inside was darkness, with no light from the boarded windows. She couldn't even see a light switch in the dark, so she placed Skully down on the floor and rummaged through her backpack. A flashlight was all she needed, her face still full of smiles. She was too excited about this place, what would they find? 

Skully had a bad feeling as they entered, it was not just the darkness. He knew this place, he had been here before. This was– this place had been important to him. Ellie's flashlight revealed stairs going up, and a hallway with many doors. The floors of the hallway were covered by a tattered red rug from wall to wall.

"I think we should go this way first, we can explore upstairs later." Ellie stepped onto the carpet-covered floors.

"Fudge. I don't think we should even be here," Skully groaned, he was still hoping Ellie would leave.

She shone her light on the walls, old portraits still hung there, covered in dust and cobwebs. She had never seen anything like it, this place felt old. Ellie wondered if it could be older than even The Cataclysm. She ran her hand along the wall, feeling the wood underneath her fingertips. Ellie abruptly stopped and for a moment she almost lost balance. She had not noticed a large hole in the floor right in front of them. Skully almost slipped from underneath her arm. She caught him with her hands, but her flashlight slipped out of her grip and fell right down into the hole.

"Fudge, you almost dropped me? I told you we shouldn't go in here," Skully aggressively yelled out.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. That was close though. Maybe we should go upstairs instead?" Ellie suggested with a half-smile, it was pitch black now that her flashlight was gone.

Her smile faded as she suddenly heard a shrill voice cut through the darkness, "Excuse me, miss, I believe you are trespassing."