House of Anubis: House of Horror

House of Portals/House of Goodbyes

In the morning, Nina cooked breakfast for her and Amber. She was making pancakes for them both, and Amber woke up in the midst of her cooking.

There was a knock on the door.

"I've got it," Amber told Nina.

Amber opened the door, revealing a delivery guy with two boxes.

"Delivery for Nina Martin and Amber Millington. Sign here."

"Um, ok." Amber signed for them both and took the boxes.

Nina finished up the pancakes and turned off the stovetop as Amber entered the kitchen, laying the boxes on the table. Nina looked over at the boxes.

"Who would send us packages?" Amber asked. "And how would they know where to send me one?"

Nina shook her head since she didn't know. She took her box and opened it up, digging through styrofoam to reveal a golden bar. The bar had strange carvings on it.

"Hieroglyphics," Amber and Nina said simultaneously.

Amber quickly opened her box which happened to have another gold bar, just with different carvings. Nina grabbed Amber's bar and placed it right by hers to take a picture of them and send it to the others. With the pictures, she typed:

Look any familiar?

A few moments later in the group chat, Eddie responded with his own picture of two bars with more hieroglyphics attached with the message:

Yacker and I got our own.

Soon enough, everyone responded with photos of their golden bars with hieroglyphics. They decided to meet at Eddie's place. Nina and Amber left quickly with the bars, forgetting about the pancakes.

~~~~~
Everyone arrived by noon, Joy coming a bit late to schedule leave with her boss.

"Guess this is my part of the work," Fabian I initiated. He had his laptop with him just in case he needed it for hieroglyphics he didn't know. He had a pen and sheets of paper which he placed each gold bar on its own. The first one, starting from his left, was from Nina. On its sheet of paper he wrote down that it translated into 'Find it'. Jerome's also translated into the same thing which Amber pointed out. He also saw that Patricia's and Amber's were the same and they translated into 'Kill it'. It took Fabian some time for the others, but he finally got them done and showed them to everyone.

"So, Nina and Jerome's say 'Find it'. And Patricia and Amber's say 'Kill it'. 'It' is something we must be worried about. My bar said, 'Enter the House of Scare or Horror'. Now, Joy's said, 'Enter the darkest woods'. Alfie's said to 'Don't let it live', referring to whatever 'it' is again. And Eddie, yours says 'Make sure he's dead', personifying 'it'." Silence hung in the room until Fabian continued speaking. "So, I'm guessing these bars that talk about entering somewhere are the first parts to this riddle." Fabian rearranged the bars as he spoke. "Then 'Find it', then 'Kill it', and it's either 'Don't let it live' or 'Make sure he's dead'."

"'Make sure he's dead' has to go last," Alfie declared. "It just sounds like a finisher."

"Ok then," Fabian agreed. "Then of course, 'Find it' and 'Kill it', and that's the end. So, altogether, this reads, 'Enter the darkest woods. Enter the House of Horror. Find it. Kill it. Don't let it live. Find it. Kill it. Make sure he's dead'."

"Not very heartwarming, is it?" Jerome said sarcastically.

"What's the House of Horror, Fabian?" Joy asked.

Jus as she asked, a portal grew open, revealing gloomy looking woods and within the clearing, a large mansion that screamed evil.

"Should we enter?" Eddie asked as they were all mesmerized.

"No, not yet," Nina responded. "I don't think this'll just be a trip where we go and come back. Let's pack and prepare first and then go."

"Yeah, ok."

Just as that was said, the portal closed itself up as if it understood what they were saying.

"How about you guys come back at five, and we go," Patricia suggested.

Everyone agreed, and Eddie promised o keep the bars safe at the house. They escorted the others out, but Nina stayed back, turning around just as she stepped out the doorway. Patricia was still there, and Nina glanced at her.

"Um..."

"I get it," Patricia retreated into the house as she said, "Osirion and Chosen One thing."

Eddie stepped outside and closed the door. "Yeah, what is it?"

"What're we getting them into?" Nina whispered even though no one was in proximity to hear them. The closest person was Amber who was waiting at the edge of the driveway.

"Exactly what they agreed to."

"It's the House of Horror, Eddie. Are we really entitled to bring them into this. Remember, they're not us."

"And if they're having second thoughts, they'll say something. No, they're not Osirions and Chosen Ones, but the gods never said we couldn't use a little help." Eddie smiled and laid a hand on Nina's shoulder. "Now go pack."

Nina took a deep breath and nodded.

~~~~~
Alfie was packing quickly, occasionally glancing at Willow who had the most depressing look on her face. Alfie had waited till the last moment to pack and the last moment to explain to Willow what was going on. So, when he zipped up his suitcase, he went over to Willow and sat right in front of her on the bed.

"Willow, I'll be going on a trip-"

"-for how long?"

"A while. I don't know exactly, but from now on, my life is a horror movie." Alfie swallowed. "But trust me, I'll come back."

"Promise me, Alfie. Promise me and Wilfie."

"I promise," Alfie whispered, a single tear draining from his left eye.

Willow wiped the tear away. "Don't cry...Do you have the peace rock?"

Alfie brought it from under his shirt revealing a smooth rock on a necklace chain with Peace carved in on one side, and Willow carved on the other.

"Be safe," Willow told him.

Alfie kissed he on the forehead and then on the stomach for little Wilfie. Then he gave her a final kiss on the lips. Alfie stood up slowly and grabbed his luggage. He stopped with his had on the door handle when Willow said one final thing.

"Alfie?"

"Yeah?" Alfie turned around.

"Squee the whole way there."

"You can count on it."

~~~~~
Everyone was back at Eddie and Patricia's house. Fabian recited the riddle, and then each of them put their own gold bars with the hieroglyphics into their suitcases, just in case they needed it. The portal opened up, and Nina and Eddie volunteered to go first. They hesitated and then stepped through.

Next, it was Fabian. Then Patricia. Then Joy.

"Here it goes," Amber breathed, glancing back at Jerome and Alfie. She stepped through.

Jerome and Alfie glanced at eachother.

"You go," Alfie told him. "You go first."

Jerome limped on his cane to the portal. He looked back, nodded, and stepped through.

Alfie went right up to the portal and twirled the peace rock on his necklace in his fingers. He took a deep breath and whispered to himself, "Squee."

He was the final one to step through.

~~~~~
That's the end of the chapter! What happens next? Oh, I can't tell you yet! But the REAL mystery now begins! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and for now, Discussion Questions!

Do you think the gold bars will be of any use again?

What do you think lies in the House of Horror?

How do you think Alfie may be feeling since he's leaving Willow and little Wilfie behind?