Four Friends and Their Wildest Journeys

VII. The breaking point

The walls groaned as if alive, the mansion's very structure rebelling against their presence. Andżelika, Martyna, Kuba, and Karolina stood in the grand foyer, their breaths shallow and ragged. The ornate chandelier above them swayed, creaking ominously, its crystals catching the flickering light of their torches.

"This place... it's trying to keep us in," Karolina muttered, clutching her arms tightly, her voice unusually soft.

Andżelika, ever defiant, slammed her fist into the nearest wall. "Not a chance. I don't care if this house spits fire or throws demons at us, we're getting out of here!"

"Easier said than done," Kuba remarked, his cigarette trembling slightly between his fingers. "The last three doors we tried either disappeared or led us straight back to that creepy dining room."

Martyna, who had been pacing near the grand staircase, paused and turned to the group. "Maybe there's a pattern. Houses like this—they have rules, right? Ghost stories, horror movies... there's always a loophole."

"Oh, sure, Martyna," Andżelika shot back, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Why don't we just call the ghosts and ask for a cheat code while we're at it?"

Karolina sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Can you two not fight for one second? Let's just... think. We need to figure out what this house wants."

Kuba exhaled deeply, the smoke curling around his head like a ghostly halo. "It's not what the house wants. It's what's inside it." His gaze shifted to Karolina, and the group fell silent.

She felt the weight of their stares but avoided their eyes. "I said I'm fine. Whatever was in me, it's gone now."

Andżelika scoffed but didn't press further. She'd seen enough weirdness tonight to let this one slide—for now.

They spent the next hour combing through the mansion. Every room felt more hostile than the last, as if the house itself were aware of their intentions. Shadows crept unnaturally across the walls, whispers brushed past their ears, and doors slammed shut at random.

Finally, it was Martyna who found something—an old, tattered map buried in a desk drawer. The parchment was faded, but a winding path was marked in red ink, leading from the foyer to a door they hadn't tried yet.

"This has to be it," she said, holding it up triumphantly.

"Or it's a trap," Karolina muttered, crossing her arms.

"What choice do we have?" Kuba interjected. "I'd rather take a trap than sit here and rot."

The path was treacherous, every hallway they passed seeming to grow darker and narrower. Strange sounds followed them—low growls, faint sobbing, and the occasional thud of something heavy dragging across the floor.

At last, they stood before a large wooden door, its surface carved with runes that glowed faintly.

"This has to be it," Martyna whispered, her voice tinged with both hope and fear.

Andżelika stepped forward, her fists clenched. "Let's do this."

The door groaned as it opened, revealing a narrow staircase that spiraled downward. The air grew colder with each step, and an overwhelming sense of dread hung over them.

At the bottom of the stairs, they found another door—this one made of solid iron. Karolina hesitated, her hand hovering over the handle.

"What if..." she began, but Andżelika cut her off.

"No 'what ifs.' We're getting out of here."

With a deep breath, Karolina pushed the door open.

The cold night air hit them like a tidal wave. They stumbled out onto the overgrown lawn, their breaths visible in the chill. The mansion loomed behind them, its dark silhouette framed by the eerie glow of the moon.

For a moment, none of them spoke. They stood there, their faces illuminated by the faint light, each lost in their own thoughts.

"We made it," Martyna finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Andżelika turned to face the mansion, her fists clenched. "Barely. That thing inside... whatever it was, it's not done with us."

Kuba lit another cigarette, the flame briefly lighting his tired face. "You think it'll let us go that easily? I mean, we just sacrificed someone to escape."

Karolina flinched at his words, guilt flickering across her face. "It was her or us," she said quietly, but her tone was far from convincing.

Martyna hugged herself, shivering despite the warmth of her jacket. "I don't know what's worse—being stuck in there or having to live with what we did to get out."

They fell silent again, the weight of their actions pressing down on them.

"So... what now?" Karolina asked, her voice trembling.

Andżelika turned to her, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "We figure out what the hell that was. And we make sure it doesn't follow us."

"Oh, great," Kuba said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Because what we really need right now is more supernatural detective work."

Martyna managed a weak smile. "It's either that or therapy, and I'm pretty sure no one's going to believe us."

Karolina glanced back at the mansion, its windows dark and foreboding. For a brief moment, she thought she saw a figure in one of them—a tall, shadowy form watching them. She blinked, and it was gone.

"We'll figure it out," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

The group stumbled toward the old car, the mansion's looming presence still fresh in their minds. Suddenly, the ground beneath the house trembled, a deep rumble shaking the earth.

"What the hell?" Kuba muttered, glancing back.

The mansion groaned, cracks splitting its foundation. The ground opened wide beneath it, swallowing the structure whole. Debris rained down, and with a deafening crash, the building disappeared into the abyss.

"It's gone," Andżelika said, her voice flat.

They didn't waste time. Kuba yanked open the car door, and they piled in, the engine sputtering to life. The road ahead stretched dark and empty, but none of them dared to look back.

"So... now what?" Martyna asked, breaking the silence.

Kuba exhaled a cloud of smoke. "We get as far away from here as we can."

The car sped off into the night...