A Monster More Terrifying

Ectoplasm

Possible TW: Arachnophobia
(Note: I thought this song was quite Halloween-y, and the beginning of the song kinda fits with the flow of the writing. Same with chapter 2)

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A spider slinked across the rotting beams, warping the hazardous roof to inevitable collapse. Its silhouette was projected by the twilight glow through the smashed high windows.
A bat descended to wash in a fractured gutter. Rainwater seeped through the bricks, peeling wallpaper, and fell to the floorboards with a-
SPLASH!
A studded doc marten squelched in the puddle.
"AH! ECTOPLASM!"
"Oh, calm down, Winnie! It's only a puddle," Xaviera said over her shoulder.
"Well, how was I to know?"
"I wonder why you even came, you're terrified. Look, you've got garlic around your neck, you're wearing a turtleneck, and you've even got a metal detector for some reason!"
"Hey, turtlenecks are coming back into boho fashion!"
"How would I know that?" She remarked, wearing top to toe punk, goth and tartan "Are you sure you don't want to stay in the car?"
"Pfft. Am I sure,"
Winnie contemplated momentarily.
"Of course I'm sure..."
"Right then, I'm not waiting any longer, I'm off. I've got my list, you're welcome to come with,"
"I... think I'll look around elsewhere, thanks,"
"K,"
Xaviera stepped over shards of broken glass and ascended the stairs, before stopping and swivelling around. "Hey, we should see who can find the most monsters!" She suggested.
"No. I mean... You'll obviously find more so what's the point." They stammered.
"Don't put yourself down, Winnie. But if that's what you want to do that's fine."
She hopped up the grand staircase and into the depths of the castle.

Xaviera out of their sight, Winnie strenuously pulled the huge door to escape.
It didn't open.
They turned around, their hazy eyes analyzing their environment of unending captivity. This was the end, they feared. All this calamity for work experience—was it even worth the risk? Why couldn't the offer be for a different job?
In their theory, if they stayed exactly where they were, then nothing would go any more wrong. People in horror movies never did that, so it must be logical.
Above the door glowed in neon green letters Push To Open.

Meanwhile, Xaviera was stomping through the airy stone hallways.
"Could you please try and keep it down, we're prophesying the next crown."
"Yeah soz," Xaviera replied, treading softer away. Wait. She scratched her coarse green Liberty Spikes and threw open the nearest door. A surge of highland air whooshed towards her, then fell as willow leaves swept past her heavy boots. The can of hairspray that had set in her hair ensured it stayed solid as a rock.
"Aw, brill! I love Macbeth!" She beamed at the old witches, all congregated around the vast iron cauldron filled with glossy green goo, "Remember the bit where he becomes king? What a great film. I prefer the new one, mind." She slammed shut the rotting wooden door and continued her journey with a spring in her step, ticking all three witch boxes on her list.

Even through their long green coat, black beret, Ugg's, Winnie the Pooh socks (from Xaviera) and many other layers of autumnal clothing, Winnie felt a hair raising chill.
"Remember why you're here," They muttered to them-self, attempting to gather incoherent thoughts, "Maybe I should just be a security guard at the door instead..." They sniffed, "Yeah, that'd suit me."
They shrieked as a droplet of mouldy rainwater plopped on their chilly red nose.
They touched it and held out their hand in front of their face to examine the gloop when their eyes focused on the strange background...
The cycloptic creature, lurking in the endless shadow under the dual staircase, was eye level with Winnie, and staring back at them. It's floating body consisted of brown and black foraged fabrics. Its large head was a mass of wet-sponge-green rags, which surrounded a staring neon eye. To some, this may be a friendly creature, but Winnie near calls the police at the sight of a moth.
In their fear, their attitude became oddly aggressive. "Oy, mate. You stay right there!" They held up their fists close to their torso, bouncing forward and backwards like a boxer.
The creature blinked, causing the room to go into a near blackout. Olive green pong whirled in a mass of unpleasant smoke from its soggy rags. It blinked again. This time it had moved forward during the blackout. Winnie flinched backwards–there wasn't much further to move until they were cornered.
They leaned on a loose-legged table and unzipped their backpack, as the table shifted slowly to the side.
Once they regained balance, they rummaged through their bag while keeping an eye on the creature. Cross? No. Torch? Maybe. Pack of digestives? Not now. Hotel? Triva—no. What could possibly help them defend themself from a strange monster like this?
They resorted to arming themself with the metal detector, holding it threateningly like a baseball bat. Their arms weakened under the weight—it was as heavy as a cordless hoover. It sucked.

Xaviera stumbled wishfully into the fifteenth room she'd explored. Nothing, again.
She turned to leave when the room temperature plummeted. She had to turn back–something wasn't right. Something had moved.
Must just be the clouds shifting in front of the moon. It was a full moon.
She always thought it was pretty on starry nights, just a pity when it was too cloudy.
But it wasn't just the clouds in the night sky that motioned.
Xaviera felt her breathing irregularly stop and her heart drop. She took a deep breath, then coughed–the place stank of mould.
She carefully examined the room, first approaching the corner–only two dim lights glared and the rest concealed in shadow. She inched closer to see if there was anything else—shelves, perhaps a secret door... She felt a jet of warm air on her forehead. Reluctantly raising her head, she realised they weren't lights at all.

They were angry, staring eyes.

There rumbled a monstrous grunt from directly in front of her. This was a horror no Hollywood movie could ever capture.
She paced down the hall, trying her best to control her breathing. She travelled past the door which led to the heath.

Behind that door, two soldiers stood before the witches—one sceptical, the other eager. "Say from whence you owe this strange intelligence. Why upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such prophetic greeting?" asked one.
A fraudulent witch took a sip of cauldron broth from a chipped cup. "Oh, just somewhere... Magic..." and the three witches vanished.

Xaviera eased off her precious doc martens with her feet. She felt breathless, and decided to walk despite the risk of being caught by the furious foe.
She had made it to the front of the house. She swerved around when she bumped into something moving towards her...
"AAH!" Shrieked the two friends.
"Oh thank Siouxsie you're here!" Panted Xaviera, cringing as her socks squished in the slimy puddle.
Winnie gulped. What must have gone so wrong that Xaviera looks to me for courage? Winnie turned back to keep an eye on the creature. It had inched closer again. Xaviera looked around with them. "What's that?" She faltered.
"A metal detector," Winnie uttered.
"No, that!" She scoffed, pointed a shaky hand towards the green creature.
"I don't know. I think it's the monster that haunts this castle,"
"That's nothing compared to what's chasing me!" she countered in a panicked tone.
"Oh you've always got to be so competiti–wait WHAT?"
The creature of darkness loomed at the top of the staircase.
Way above them wooshed a tremendous rush of wind as the loose windows swung open. Thunder rumbled. Lightning crackled. A crow cawed. Talk about pathetic fallacy.