The Mansion's Hunger
The walls had shifted.
The doors they'd entered through—gone.
In their place, an unfamiliar corridor stretched into darkness, the candlelight along its edges flickering in jagged, restless movements.
Adrian exhaled sharply, his breath visible in the sudden cold. "Great. A moving house. Just what we needed."
Felix tapped his chin, gaze flitting across the distorted architecture. "I like it. It's got personality."
Selene ignored them, stepping forward, her eyes locked on the trembling ghost hovering before them.
"What do you mean, 'fix what's broken'?"
A House That Feeds
The ghost's form flickered, its voice a fragile echo.
"This house… it's cursed. It moves. It feeds. It traps souls."
Adrian tensed, muscles coiling. "Feeds?"
The air shivered.
"On memories. On time. On people."
Felix's smirk dimmed slightly, his fingers flexing. "Ah. That's less fun."
The ghost turned toward them, its spectral form glitching, struggling to hold shape.
"I don't have long. If you don't stop it, you'll be trapped too."
Selene stepped closer, her voice firm. "How do we stop it?"
The ghost opened its mouth—
Then—
VANISHED.
The House Strikes
A sudden force slammed into them—(THUMP!)
The candles flared violently, their flames twisting like writhing serpents.
The temperature plummeted, ice creeping along the cracked walls.
Before them—a new hallway stretched into the unknown, its path carved by something unseen. The air itself felt heavier, thick with something unnatural.
Felix brushed dust from his coat, unfazed. "Well. I guess we go that way."
Adrian clicked his tongue, jaw tight. "This place is messing with us."
Selene scanned the shifting walls, eyes sharp. "If the house is alive, it's either moving us away from something."
She paused.
"Or toward something."
Felix grinned, the spark of excitement returning. "Either way, we get to play."
Adrian cracked his knuckles. "Let's move. Stay close."
They advanced cautiously, boots barely making a sound against the warped floorboards.
Then—
A whisper.
Soft. Familiar.
"They're still here…"
Felix's grin widened. "Oh, that's comforting."
Adrian shot him a sharp look. "Don't get distracted."
Then—
Footsteps.
Not their own.
Selene froze, posture rigid. "Something's here."
Adrian turned sharply, his grip tightening on his weapon. "Show yourself."
Silence.
Then—movement.
At the far end of the corridor, a figure shifted—distorted, flickering, its shape warping between forms.
The House Groaned.
The walls shuddered, closing in.
The ghost's last warning echoed in Adrian's mind.
"If you don't stop it, you'll be trapped too."
Adrian narrowed his eyes. "Looks like we found our problem."
Felix cracked his fingers. "Good. I was getting bored."
The figure charged.
To Be Continued…