Betrayal at the House on the Hill Shorts

Ghost Bride

     We gather here to unite these two people in marriage.  Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly, and today they declare their private devotion to each other.  The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirety, as lover, companion and friend.  

     "Why are we here again?"  Josh asked, looking up at the boarded windows of the house.

     "Because," Leah said, trying the door, "you wanted to check it out to see what was in here...."  Seamus, Allison, Coco, Howard, Diana and Kyle stifled back snickers as the door swung inward into the entry hall.  "Lights on, everyone."  A simultaneous click and suddenly eight beams of light hit different points on the old walls.  Josh stepped forward first, followed closely by his friends.  

     "Lot of dust," Howard stated, shining his light around.  "Couple cobwebs and probably a few spiders to...."  This prompted a light shudder from Leah.  She'd always hated spiders but seeing as she was here with her friends, so she had nothing to worry about.  

     "Thanks, smartass," Coco supplied, sighing at Howard's almost expected response.  "There could still be stuff in here somewhere...."  The others nodded in silent agreement, some turning towards the door to the right.  Allison slowly went over and pushed the door open, allowing rays of moonlight to spread into the entrance hall.  She stepped into the room, looking around at the planters full of what must have once been beautiful flowers before something happened.  

     Part of the floor gave way underneath her, forcing her down what looked like a metal slide that led who knows where.  Her scream of surprise and fear slowly faded into the distance before the floor closed.  The others looked in terror at the spot where she'd vanished, Seamus grabbing an old stick and tapped the ground around where she'd been standing.  

     "What the hell happened?"  Howard breathed.  "Where does that chute lead, you think?"  No one offered an answer to him.  Allison had slid down to the basement, not knowing quite where she was, but she was already on her way back upstairs.  

     "Let's not go in here again," Leah muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear.  Another silent agreement and the door was left slightly ajar.  They turned to the other door with a sense of dread and, instead of opening it, left to find another door.  The grand staircase led up into the darkness with two more rooms to either side.  "I'll take the right with anyone who wants to come with me.  The rest either go left or go up...."  

     The others went off away from her except for Josh who felt that she shouldn't go alone.  The second they walked into the next room, Josh's ears were filled with a low growl.  A horrible smell attacked his nostrils and a sharp pain in his hand before whatever it was fled.

     "What was that?" he groaned, looking at his bleeding hand.  

     "What was what?"  Leah asked, carefully moving a blackened table to look beneath it.  She looked over her shoulder and saw the marks on his hand.  "What happened?"

     "If I knew that I wouldn't have asked," he snapped, looking in his pack for something to use as a makeshift bandage.  Pulling out a bandana, he haphazardly tied it around his hand, watching the green fabric turn slightly brown as blood stained it.  His focus being torn away from his knuckles, he looked around the blackened room.  "Nice place...not sure I'd want to hang out in here...."

     "Yeah, me neither," Leah admitted, trying the door.  Behind it, for a split second, she saw a great metal door before her flashlight went out.

     "Hold on," Josh reassured, digging through his pack again.  "I should have some spare batteries here somewhere...."  After a few seconds, her light came back on and illuminated the vault door in the next room.  It was slightly opened and the glint of something beyond it brought Leah's curiosity.  A small brass bell and a revolver sat still in the beam of light, Leah going over and picking both of them up.  "You know how to use that thing?"