Down the Fox's Hole [Horror Au]

Friend... or foe?

It was a dark, dark night, and only the pale moonlight brightened the dark oak of the mansion. It was raining quite heavily, so heavily that in that afternoon, after noticing the bad weather conditions on their phones,
the four friends helped Alex barricate all the windows. The mansion was indeed quite old, and they doubted that the windows would hold well against the storm. Certainly, the barricates would let not even a moonlight
in, but better that than having all the floors soaked wet. To have some light, they decided to use the old torches all around the house and lit them up; it had a cosy but terryfying atomsphere at the same time.
"I can't sleep with this storm!" Kris screamed, making the other laugh with her hyperactivity, just before she went to play with the clock's bell. "Kris, calm down- I'm not tired either if I have to be honest!" Luna
said while heading to block the girl's hands from the bell who was giving everyone an headache "What about you guys?". The others were sitting on their beds, watching the scene from above. "MmmmmhhNah. Not tired" Hiba
answered, "Same here" Vin shrugged "Alex?". "Well-" She finaly commented after moments of listening "Pheraphs it's jsut the storm. And assuming it's not going to stop anytime soon, we could just spend the night awake.
Playing some games, maybe? Watching videos? We still have our phones after all." Alex suggested. Right after saying that, the loud noise of a thunder striking nearby the mansion made them all flinch; especially Kris,
who finally let go of her loud made-up game and clinged onto Luna. In that moment, the only good light of the mansion started flickering. Hiba looked up and furrowed her eyebrows "I- suggest we do NOT charge our phones.
Something tells me the power will be gone soon". "Right, let's not waste the batteries." Vin added. "OH great. Now, what do we do?" Luna asked in disappointment, predicting a boring night.
"Okay, okay, how about you guys think of something, while I just go and check the generator? I'm not that good with circuits, but I did learn a few things. I'll be back soon." Alex said while hopping off from Hiba's bed.
"Are you sure? It's not very safe to go out there with all these thunders." Vin said concernedly. "It's just some water! I'll be back soon, really." She reassured while grabbing herself a hoodie. She then left the room,
and closed the door behind her.
"Oookay, so- any ideas?" Luna asked. "STAIR CHECK!" Kris yelled. "N-...No. We tried that once and almost broke Alex's leg, Kris." Hiba snorted at the funny memory. "And an ambulance would take a LOT of time to even get here"
Vin added, laughing softly. "DAMMIT." The girl pouted, crossing her arms. But she still had a stick in her pocket, ready for the occasion- just in case. So she snickered evily. "I mean-" Luna started "The mansion is
/pretty/ big. And all these torches make quuite the atmosphere... How about hide and seek?" She gave them an idea. "YES! I'm good at hididng!" Kris said excitedly. "Spooky, I like it" Hiba shrugged.
"I'm... not sure?" Vin said with a doubtful tone "I mean, if Alex gets back and doesn't see us, she'll get concerned--" "Dawwwh, don't let us beg you! Besides, don't you want to scare her??" Luna smirked.
"I'm not sure guys-" Vin was hesitant still; The others didn't realise, or BELIEVE the little stories she used to tell about Alex every now and then. She knew what she saw, and she had a terrible feeling about their
'friend'. Was she,tho? She had found a lot of... unsettling things, connected to her. But she was often being made fun of, accused that it was jsut her dreaming about them, indeed she even did have weird dreams incliuding
Alex-- but AFTER what she saw. "Please?" Hiba interrupted the girl's train of thoughts. "...Fine." She exhaled. "But just because I don't want to sepnd the whole night sitting alone-" "WOOH!" Luna interrupted her.
"Who starts?" "Well, since Vin doesn't seem to want to scare Alex, maybe she could count?" Hiba suggested, turning to her to see if she'd approve. "Sure, I don't mind" Vin answered quietly, then both of them stood from
their beds. "Okay then... we have one minute to hide." Luna decided, and Vin already turned around to face the wall "I'm ready.". "Okay then... from 3,2,1- GO!" And with that, one started counting while the others fled
from the room as if someone was about to kill them.
Hiba decided to hide in one of the several closets all around the mansion; There were so many, that she knew her friend wouldn't have the patience to check them all. It would have been unlucky, tho, if the few she'd
check would include hers. Then Luna- she decided to hide somewhere nearby the incinerator, in a wood-stone table that was against the walls of that room. She easily crawled underneath it. Finally Kris, within a silly
yet somehow smart move, decided it was a good idea to lock herself in one of the old and unused cells of the mansion. They didn't even know why it had two rooms only for cells, perhaps something hystoric. And yet she
hid there; just like she couldn't get out, no one could get in without then being locked with her. She giggled at her plan and sat in a corner, holding her stick close to her.
"57,58,59...60!" Vin sighed and turned around "I'm coming!" She said, faking a determined tone and yet not so sure about partecipating to that idea. Soon enough she was exploring the floor she was in, the third one.
She cheked the wardrobe that contained a bell, being pretty sure Kris would have been there but seeing immediately she was wrong. She shook her head and moved onto the next hiding spots- under the beds,maybe? Nothing.
Then she cheked the weird stones structure present within most of the bedrooms- she wasn't sure about what they were, but then again, she figured it could have been some sort of fireplace big enough to fit a curled up
teenager- and yet again, no one was there. Then she checked the libaries in some of the map rooms. Spot after spot, she was slowly getting sure no one would have been in that floor. Only the bathroom was left, and she chose
it was a good idea to give it a look. "I'm already getting tired-' she mumbled quietly, yawning softly. She chekced the stalls, but noticing her tireedness, the girl decided to approach one of the sinks to wash her
face. She opened one, and splashed some water at her face. The moment she looked up, tho, she saw a figure very much like Alex- but covered in blood from head to toes, instead of her reflection. Taken off guard and
widening her eyes in fear, she felt her heart racing at that hallucination- so much so that she stumbled back and right before falling, she got back in balance and pulled the door behind her open to flee. She squealed
like a bunny when she bumped against someone, a very cold and soaked wet body, taller than hers. After hitting her face against it, she fell back onto the floor and flicnhed.
"O-oh lord- Vin? Are you alright?" Alex asked worriedly, water dropping from her hair after the storm she just went through. Hearing her voice, Vin looked up to the figure and sighed in relief "Ah- I-it's you- I'm sorry!"
She said with a nervous chuckle, getting up after Alex had offered her a hand to stand. "What are you doing?" Alex asked. "Me and the others decided to play hide and seek, and well- I'm looking for them... what about
you? Did you fix the power?" "Sounds fun and- nope. I just got back inside to grab something." She answered, holding a shovel with her other hand. Vin brought her stare to it and raised an eyebrow "I- uh...
How's that any help to fix the generator?" "It isn't." Alex smiled "There's a dead cat in the garden. I'm goin to bury it before it smells bad..." She explained, but still smiling, an action that made Vin freeze
even more after what she had just seen. "O-oh really?" "Really." "Poor...thing... well" She laughed uncomfortably "G-good luck with that!" "...Thanks? By the way, I saw Kris locked in one of the jails. You'll need
these." She said, throwing Vin the keys of the jails "Free her when you find the right jail, or you're going to be both stuck there." She said within a jokingly laugh. After she had caught the keys, Vin smiled awkwardly
"Thanks-" She simply said, but in her head she was wondering *Why does she have those right with her? Shouldn't they be hanging somewhere, in another room? She was jsut bringing these along with her- It's not very
reassuring-* "Well then, see ya." Alex commented, cutting her paranoid thoughts. "See ya!" Vin answered half listening. Then she watched the balck haired girl walking back into the halls, dragging her shovel along,
and disappearing behind the corner. Vin held the keys in her hand and tightened the grip on them, bringing her eyes to the shiny objects- Then she noticed it. Not only there was some mud on them, but even traces of blood.
Actually, one of the keys WAS covered in blood, even covering Vin's hand in it- She felt sick just holding them and hurried to wash them- but just before she did so, she took a few pcitures for evidence. She wanted to
show her friends she /wasn't/ crazy. She wanted to show them her suspects and doubts. after putting the phone back into her pocket, she cleaned the keys. And she didn't dare to look at the mirror again.