Conga Line of the Dead

Chapter 4 : The Truman Curse or Ashley and her mommy issues

Ashley used the large round knocker on the huge front door of the Truman mansion to knock again, although it was late in the night Ashley was sure her mother was awake; the old broad never seemed to sleep.

Peter stood behind her on the doorstep, Toke beside him and they both looked up in amazement at the huge structure that someone called home which they stood before.

"So you lived here with your mom and dad and a few servants?" Peter asked as he took in the sight of the castle all at once. Compared to this, his house was nothing but a double wide trailer.

"Yea, it's a lot smaller than the one we moved from." She answered as she used the knocker once again, sending the shock waves thought the mansion.

Toke smirked, "Bet all the kids never wanted to play hide and go seek at your house."

Peter agreed, "Oh yea. Think of the acoustics."

Then as if on cue, the huge wooden door before them began to slowly creek open as inside light seeped out onto the doorstep and the visitors standing there.

Once there was enough of a gap and a head of an older man stuck out, he wore large square glasses and his hair was cut as if he were in the military, the small moustache on his lip seemed to be alive and move as he spoke.

"Who is it? I know for a fact that Avon doesn't sell this late at night. So it had better be Girl Scout cookies.." He squinted to see who was there, and then his eyes went wide as he noticed Ashley. "Oh, Mrs. Truman. I apologize."

"Venosdale, I need to see my mother now." She replied as she pushed the round man aside so that she could get through the opening, Peter followed suit and Toke just walked thought the door itself.

Venosdale tried to object to the intrusion, but there was really nothing he could do as the late night visitors' barged in. "But your mother is sleeping. And we all know how she needs as much beauty sleep as she can get."

Ashley leaned closer to him, "Wake her." She replied sternly to the butler, then turned to Peter and Toke. "The library is in there." She pointed to a set of large wooden doors that were closed on her left.

Peter and Toke went to them, happy to leave Ashley alone to deal with her own kind, as Venosdale feebly attempted to stop them.

"Hey hold on there, you can't go back there. Hey, tall dark and gruesome, come back." He called over Ashley but she cut him off.

"Get my mother." She replied sternly.

Venosdale watched as Peter struggled to open one side of the two doors enough for him to slip into, then glanced over at Ashley again as he gulped. "Yes mam." he replied as he turned to ascend the elegant red carpeted staircase. "I need a vacation," he muttered under his breath.

Worthers and Toke walked into the semi lit library with caution. Peter had to take a moment to look in awe at the floor to roof bookcases that made up the rooms walls, each shelf lined with hundreds of old books.

He walked closer to one of the cases and looked over the books contained in it, they were very old indeed and most of them looked as if they would turn to dust if he even breathed on them.

Toke made a quick survey of the room, "Oh yeah, this should be easy. Should I find the butler with the candlestick? I mean seriously, where do we even start?"

"Anywhere I guess." he was about to set to work as Toke tapped him on the shoulder and pointed past him to a far dark corner.

It took Peter a second to see there was a desk situated in the corner and what appeared to be a long bearded man sitting behind it watching them, but as dark as it was it was hard to tell.