The House on Clamoribus St

Chapter 10 - John

John's Encounter - Part Three
I ran from the kitchen, past the front door. No stairs. I ran through the playroom and the living room. No stairs. I ran through the house again. The stairs were not in any of the obvious places. What kind of house is this?
I tried the closets, next. A coat closet yielded nothing of interest. Only old, moldy jackets. I found a bathroom, which I used before moving on. I checked the cupboards and cabinets. Nothing. I even tried the fridge. Inside was food so old, I dry heaved several times as I tried to close the door.
I returned to the hallway and exited into the mudroom. The door I had entered through wasn’t there anymore. “What is going on? I feel like I’m going crazy.”
I stepped back inside and heard footfalls above me again. Someone was definitely on the second level of the house, I just had to find a way to get up there. My phone buzzed, and I yelped. I pulled my phone out. Battery life at forty-eight percent. Need the light though.
New text message from “a friend” said: The stairs are by the front door.
I moved through the house again and made my way to where the front door was. The unfinished wood door was there and as far as I could tell, nothing was obstructing it from opening. No stairs in sight.
“Why couldn’t I move you?” I said, turning my attention back to the door.
I placed my hand on the doorknob and turned it. The door moved, but didn’t open. I pulled again, harder this time. It moved even more. I placed both hands on the knob and heaved. The handle broke off, and I fell backwards, through a wall. 
I wasn’t in the house anymore.
I looked around. Definitely crashed through the old wall. Drywall and other debris lie around me and a hole gaped before me. But I was somewhere else. The floor was metal and I was again surrounded by fog, thicker than outside. I stood and brushed myself off. I heard beeping in the distance. I shined my light around. I was in some sort of metal corridor. It reminded me of a submarine. Soft green lights pulsed every few feet.
I moved onward, exploring this strange new place. Each footstep included a metal clunk no matter how softly I stepped. I followed the foggy corridor to a door. A metal ball was set in the wall with glowing green symbols. I placed my hand on the metal ball and found it warm to the touch.
I turned it clockwise, and the door made a sound as if it were trying to open. I tried counterclockwise, and it made the sound again. I tried rolling it upward, and the door slid up with it. Light spilled out from under the door. I tried to release the ball, but the door slid shut. I spun the door back up and jumped through before it slammed shut.
There was a lot of movement all at once. Some thing or things moved faster than my light and left through doors in the ceiling, floor, and walls. I was in some sort of control room.
A giant screen was the main feature of the room and inside it were several smaller windows like a mall cop‘s camera room. Chairs, or rather, poles with handles, hung from the ceiling before computer panels.
As a sci-fi nerd, I was in heaven. As a scared brother and friend, I felt like I was in some sort of hell. Or purgatory at least.
I found another ball with green symbols on one of the computer panels and spun it. The videos each highlighted as the ball spun. I stopped it on one and pressed the ball in. The view enlarged and I saw Starlight. She was definitely in the house, but in a place I hadn’t been yet. She appeared to be talking to someone, but no one was there. I spun the wheel again, but didn’t see Jamie. Guess I’ll have to check them out one at a time.
Something growled like a machine tearing metal and I looked up in time to see something thick hit, like a pole me in the chest. I was knocked back and somehow fell into the house. I blinked several times and looked around. The doorknob was on the floor next to me and there was damage in the spot on the wall where I had hit, but no hole to a secret control room.
I stood and pushed on the place where I hit. Some of the debris fell away, but I couldn’t get through. I ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a large knife off the table, knocking over a pyramid of empty tin cans.
I ran back to the damaged wall by the front door, passing the stairs, and stabbed at the spot until I broke through. It was just the living room on the other side of the wall. “What is going on?”
I snapped straight up.
Stairs.
I looked to my left and saw an old staircase leading to the next level of the house. Had I missed it before? No. It wasn’t there until now.
“Something doesn’t want me upstairs,” I said. “But it doesn’t want me poking around down here, more.”
I heard creaking steps again and checked my phone. Fully charged.
“Where am I?”
My phone buzzed. “A friend” said: I thought you’d never ask. Come on up.
I grabbed the handrail and took my first step up the stairs.