Claire and her friends looked through their hotel window at the old castle sitting at the top of a nearby hill. They were seriously considering a strange dare from the old lady managing the hotel.
"So tell me again what the woman told you," Brooke said, "If we spend the night up there, we won't have to pay our hotel bill? It doesn't make any sense."
Her friend Madison responded, "It is true. Claire and I were talking about the ridiculous stories they say about the castle and I guess the old lady didn't like what we said. She really believes in that shit."
"Yeah," Claire added, "She told us that she can prove it if we spend the night up there. And she is willing to cut our hotel bill."
"I'm not afraid of a stupid ghost. Count me in!" Rachel said with an assertive tone of voice. To which Madison responded,
"You are not brave bitch. You are just cheap! Haha"
Brooke, who usually worried too much about anything, looked at her friends with concern and said out loud, "I'm not sure girls. It could be dangerous and... where are we going to sleep?"
"Who says we are going to sleep?" Claire answered quickly, "All we need is a bottle of tequila and a few blankets."
"Ok, let's vote for it," Rachel said raising her hand, "I am in."
After a quick vote, the outcome was obvious. They were going to spend the night in the old castle.
"Sorry Brooke. You are screwed," Rachel said mockingly.
"Ok, I'll go. But I still think it's not a good idea," Brooke responded.
***
They arrived at the front gate just before sunset. The large, gray walls looked a lot more impressive up close. It was evident that the castle had been built centuries ago. The lack of maintenance made it look abandoned and the scars from time indicated that it had been under attack at least once before.
"Ok, we are here. Now what?" Claire asked.
"See if it is locked," Madison said from a few feet behind.
"What? No, you do it!" Claire responded.
"Ok, move your ass. I'll do it," said Rachel as she stepped forward and pushed the heavy door.
It wasn't locked and the four women walked in. They waited a few seconds until their eyes adjusted to the dark and looked around.
The interior of the large building was completely different from the outside. It was dusty but not abandoned as expected and it still had a lot of old furniture.
"Look at all these antiques!" Claire said.
"Cool! Maybe there are beds in here. We can have a nap if we get tired," Madison exclaimed.
"It is most likely that you will be so drunk that you won't care where you sleep," Rachel responded.
"Who takes care of this place? There must be someone living here and we are trespassing," Brooke said.
"Relax. The old lady told me that nobody lives here. She must clean this place herself," Claire said to Brooke.
"That means she is here. She must be watching us right now, waiting for the right moment to slash us with a hatchet!" Rachel exclaimed, faking fear.
"Don't say that!" Brooke said with her eyes wide open.
"Haha... You and your happy thoughts," Madison said to Rachel.
***
The girls sat in the main room, chatting and drinking for a few hours. It was dark outside and the only light came from their gas lanterns.
"Ok, time to search for a bathroom," Rachel said as she stood up and started walking out of the main room.
"Don't forget to flush!" Claire said with a smile.
"You shouldn't go alone. It is not safe," Brooke said.
"If I see an evil ghost, I'll tell him you say hi," Rachel said to Brooke just before she moved out of sight.
***
Rachel walked through the long halls opening all doors, her fashionable boots echoing in the wide corridors and high ceilings. But to her surprise, none of the rooms had what she was looking for.
"Who designed this damn place? So many rooms and no bathrooms? What's up with that?"
She walked into an ample room, hoping to find at least a latrine but instead, she found a large box on the floor that looked a lot like a coffin. The box was open and there was nothing inside.
"You have to be kidding me,"
Rachel thought.
When she was about to leave the room, she heard a faint noise.
"Eh? What was that?"
Rachel scanned the dark space moving her lantern from left to right and back. She was able to distinguish a shadow of someone standing behind a column.
"I think there is someone standing over there,"
Rachel thought,
"That old lady from the hotel is really going out of her way trying to scare us."
"Hi there!" She said out loud.
A man walked from behind the column and stepped into the light, wearing nothing but a dark cloak. His skin looked pale but veiny, giving him a sinister appearance. He spoke with a calm voice,
"You are invading my property. But don't worry; pretty girls like you are always welcome."
"Dude! You are naked!" Rachel said stepping back, "The old lady put you up to this, didn't she?"
"There are no old ladies here," the man said.
The man got closer to Rachel as the moonlight filtered through the window. He talked with a soothing voice but Rachel was getting uneasy. She considered the possibility that this guy could be a crazy psycho that had nothing to do with the old lady.
"Give me a break. Who are you suppose to be? Count Dracula? You have your coffin and everything," Rachel asked, trying to disguise her nervousness.
"You can call me Lestat. What is your name?" the man answered, stepping even closer.
