Here is a story I'll be continuing one episode at a time. By that, I mean each chapter will see our heroine facing off with a different man in a different part of the hotel and grounds. This won't be as dark or involved story and worldbuilding wise as The Raven Chronicles, which I will start posting soon.
*****
Well, it's certainly spooky, even if it's not haunted.
Lora Kraft stood at the edge of the condemned property -- a lot of five square miles, if the official property tax rolls could be believed -- surrounded by a tall, black wrought-iron fence. Much larger than a lot in the middle of the city should be.
It certainly didn't look that big from where she stood. The light of the near-full moon showed the other side of the fence in the distance. A breeze she didn't feel blew thigh-high fog over the ground, carrying the odors of wood smoke and decay.
The only building in sight, a Gothic castle constructed out of grey stone, included pointy spires, two wings that expanded from the main building, and a round tower soaring into the night sky on one side. There were supposed to be other buildings on the property, along with caves, a graveyard, forest, and lake.
The whole thing was a failed attempt at a destination hotel. Maybe the biggest mystery about the place wasn't whether it was haunted, but why some rich developer hadn't bought the property.
Huge no trespassing signs hung on the fence.
Beyond this point,
Trespass is consent.
Trespassers will be punished
To the fullest extent.
These signs had to be some sort of joke.
No one had lived here for years, but the rumors the place was haunted persisted. It wasn't likely a ghost would have her arrested, though. What was the worst that could happen if she was caught? Trespassing was a misdemeanor.
Plus, her best friend had disappeared, and the last place she'd planned on coming was this property. What had Eve been thinking? She couldn't have waited until Lora returned from her photography assignment?
Lora shook her head. Of course not. Eve loved Halloween, and she'd been threatening to come here ever since she found out about the place a few months ago. She loved her best friend, but Eve had the craziest ideas sometimes.
Well, if Eve was in trouble, it was up to Lora to mount a rescue. She might not look like much, being tall and built with curves rather than packed on muscles. But plenty of people had taken one look at her big green eyes and curves, and mistaken her an easy target before, only to realize they were mistaken.
And, she was only mostly human, so if there was a ghost, she could handle it better than Eve. Everything about this place made the Other Worldly part of her itch. Maybe there was something to the haunted house rumors.
Pulling an elastic band from her wrist, Lora wove her long black hair into a thick braid.
She opened her backpack to triple check she had everything. Iron supplements for her anemic friend. Caffeine pills for herself, since she hadn't slept well in the last two days and needed her wits about her. Sleeping pills for when she could rest. Insect repellent. Sunglasses. Bandanna. Swiss army knife. Pen. Map. Compass. Flashlight. Anti-venom shot. Matches. Duct tape. Dental floss. First-aid kit. Antibiotics. Emergency thermal blanket. Book on exorcisms she'd picked up overseas for her friend's Halloween present. Batteries. Makeup. Spare clothes. Sewing kit. Cell phone. Satellite phone. Both with full bars and batteries.
It was her standard expedition pack, and with it, she was ready for the jungle, desert, or ice cap. She was prepared for anything, and no wanna-be haunted house in the middle of a city was going to stop her from finding her friend.
After snapping a few photos for Eve, in case she wasn't here somewhere, Lora slid her camera into its bag and slung it over her shoulder. With a glance in each direction of the street to make sure there were no witnesses, she climbed the fence, swung a leg over the top and dropped to the other side. The ground shuddered as her feet landed, and she caught herself with a hand on the fence. She blinked as a ripple extended from her boots outward across the property, sending the mysterious fog into eddies.
That's not ominous.
Lora marched past more of those ridiculous
No Trespassing
signs, but paused when a light flickering in one of the tower windows caught her attention. It hadn't been there before -- she would have noticed. Had someone else had the same idea as Eve? Perhaps another intrepid ghost hunter had come to check out the most haunted place in the city on Halloween.
Maybe it was Eve. But why wouldn't she call or answer her phone? Unless she was hurt. Or, more likely, she'd taken so many videos the battery had died. No telling how long Eve had been here. But the possibility that someone was in the tower meant that was where Lora needed to check first.
As she crossed the expanse of overgrown lawn toward the castle, the thigh-high fog swirled around her legs and up her body like creepy, groping fingers. She caught herself swiping at the tentacles, trying to brush them away, but they just reformed around her.
It's just fog.
It also set off her Other World side with a sense of unease.
Stop it. You're just freaking yourself out.
The fog remained over the grass when Lora stepped onto a stone pathway that led to the front of the castle. All the windows there remained dark, and the huge wooden double doors were firmly closed. She climbed the stone steps and banged on them anyway. No one answered the door. Not that she really expected anyone to. She backed up and walked a few steps on the stone path. The light in the tower remained on.
Lora went back to the front doors, ready to raise one boot and kick them in, then saw the bell with a little rope pull. Why not? As deep tones resounded inside the building, the porch collapsed under her feet and she fell. There wasn't time to scream before her feet hit the floor. Bending her knees, she collapsed to rough stone, cradling her camera to protect it from any damage.
The trapdoor above her head snapped back into place, shutting out moonlight and leaving her in the dark. "Hello?" Getting to her feet, she stretched her arms above her head, but the trapdoor was out of reach. Crouching, she jumped, but only grazed the wooden door above her with her fingertips. Rummaging in her pack, she dug out her flashlight and switched it on. The bright beam made her blink as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness.
Grey stone formed the basement walls and floor. No windows. The only way out was through a door that led into a stone tunnel.
A breeze like icy breath across her cheek raised the hairs on the back of her neck. Lora whirled, flashlight raised to use as a club. No one. Right. Well, if it wasn't someone's breath, a breeze could only come from a way out. Disgusted with herself, she made her way down the corridor, brushing cobwebs out of her way. Dust stirred up by her boots made her sneeze.
Something a lot more solid than fog seized her arm in a rough grip. Lora brought her flashlight up and smashed it into the hand.
"Fuck," a man cursed, as he pulled his hand off her.
Lora followed through with an elbow where she thought his face would be, and was rewarded with another curse. She took off, not caring about being cautious anymore. Maybe there was a ghost here, but the bigger threat was human and right behind her. The flashlight bobbed wildly as she swiped spiderwebs off her face in her headlong flight.
Up! She needed to go up!
Where are the damn stairs?
